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Last minute revision strategies

With hardly few days left for the Union Public Service Commission —Civil Services Examination Preliminary, the anxiety is palpable in…

Last minute revision strategies

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With hardly few days left for the Union Public Service Commission —Civil Services Examination Preliminary, the anxiety is palpable in the minds of the aspirants. What to read, how to revise for maximum effectiveness, how to utilise the time to derive utmost value are some of the questions that must be coming to your mind. These last days are absolutely crucial from the exam's point of view. If utilised properly it can result into an increase of 20 to 30 marks which can be the difference between selection and rejection. How can you simplify your preparation?

  • Stick to the core topics: Since the time is less, this is no time to read new things. The focus should be on intensive revision of the core topics which have high value. Focus on current affairs, environment and ecology, geography, modern history, art and culture, polity and economy. After you have gained ample confidence on these topics, move to other topics.
  • No new sources of reference: Under no circumstance you should try to read any new source. Stick to the standard reference books and don't try to read multiple books for a single topic or subject.
  • Declutter your preparation:Whatever sources you have read already, just focus on revising them multiple times. It might seem tempting to read just that another book or the current affair compendium but resist that temptation.
  • Newspaper or no newspaper : You can choose not to read the newspaper if you wish. It is because the question paper is most likely prepared and hence the utility of newspaper purely from pre perspective is reduced. You can use that time for revision. However, if you want to continue reading it, you surely can from Mains point of view.
  • Stay disciplined: It is extremely important to stick to the time table you have been following till now. Use 70 per cent of your time to revise what you have already read. In the remaining 30 per cent, cover remaining topics. In the actual exam, the nature of the questions is such that you can only answer if you know that topic thoroughly. If you have half-baked knowledge, you will end up making mistakes which will negatively affect your chances.
  • Practice to build consistency: Solve as many mock tests as possible. Although unlike CAT or other exams CSE Pre is not a game of speed, it surely helps to have high levels of accuracy. Mock tests and quizzes help you in that. After finding out your strengths and weaknesses try to maximise your strengths and minimise your weaknesses. Analyse deeply the tests you have taken and do course correction if needed.
  • De-stress to refresh yourself: If you don’t feel like studying, take half a day off. Watch movies or do something you like. But come back to studies as soon as possible. Realise that you have already done the hard work and it is time to excel at this final frontier.

Remember that while Mains is a “recall and reproduce” test, prelims is a “recall and recognise” test. So your endeavour should be to familiarise with all the topics of the syllabus. The recent trend has been to ask a lot of factual questions from current affairs and revision is of utmost importance here. It is difficult to retain facts without revision. So do not neglect at any cost.

Even though Paper 2 is now qualifying, don’t make the mistake of taking it lightly. Every year, many aspirants fail in this paper when they have scored well above cut off in paper 1. Moreover, UPSC has started to ask tricky questions that make it relatively difficult to score the qualifying marks in it. So, one should solve previous year papers to get enough practice. A lack of practice can easily bog you down in the exam hall and you will commit silly mistakes, which will bring your score down.

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In the exam hall do not commit the mistake of following the hacks and shortcuts blindly. Also do not go in with a preconceived notion of a cut off. Both these things will put you undue pressure to attempt more questions leading to mistakes and that can ultimately harm your chances because of negative marking. Use a three step process to solve questions.

In first round solve all the questions you are 100 per cent sure of and mark the questions you have absolutely no idea of. In the second round solve questions you are 50 per cent sure of. If you are able to eliminate even one option then make it a point to attempt that question. In the third round try and see if you can solve some more questions where you can take a reasonable guess. Do not resort to blind guessing under any case.

Have faith in yourself and keep working hard as you have been till now, and you will surely come out with flying colours in this exam.

The writer is head, upsc exam preparation community, gradeup

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