The UPSC has notified 980 vacancies for Civil Services this year that consists of three stages. The prelims exam will have two papers –general studies and CSAT (aptitude) each of 200 marks though only marks obtained in general studies are accounted for the merit. The qualified candidates then appear for Mains exam which consists of papers on English, Indian language paper, essay paper, one optional subject having two papers and out of this grand total of 1750, the merit list is prepared and the top ones are called for interview and the final recommended list of candidates is made out of the marks obtained in mains and interview.

The examination takes almost one year to complete and it is rather an interesting journey for the aspirants since each stage poses a different challenge and thus strategy must be applied at each stage to attain success. Here are some pointers to keep in mind while preparing for this exam:

Plan systematically and get yourself acquainted with the different aspects related to the exam: Somebody has rightly said that "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail" and this holds perfectly true for this examination too. It is crucial that one should do extensive planning for the exam right from the choice of optional to the careful scrutiny of syllabus, previous year exam pattern, time available at one's disposal, sources to be read, etc. Draw up a monthly, weekly and daily plan based on well-defined targets and try to achieve the targets well on time.

Cover your basics right and don't juggle between books: The questions asked are mostly based on fundamentals and it is thus, very important to cover the basics properly. The choice of the sources to study such as standard books, e learning resources is important as there is so much exhaustive reading material available in the market and without proper guidance one can get lost. 
The key is to go through last 10 years general studies papers and interview of last year toppers and one can carefully delineate the common sources which are recommended by all, such as for Indian Polity almost all toppers recommend M Laxmikanth. Once you have carefully chosen the source, then try to master it fully rather than getting anxious about covering the topic from n other sources.

Prepare a time schedule and stick to it: Remember regularity and consistency matter more than anything. It is far better to invest six to seven hours daily than studying one day for 18 hours and not studying for next day at all. Stick to your schedule according to the topics to be covered and also according to time available at your disposal and try to follow the schedule religiously and update it on daily basis. Every morning, set a target about the syllabus you intend to cover in the day and then in the night, audit your output. This will keep you on track.

Practice last year exam papers and as many mock tests as possible along with a detailed self-analysis: It is utmost important that one should practice as many mock tests and last year exam papers to attain clarity and comfort level for the prelims but more than mere practicing the papers, one should focus a lot on analysis of each test. Try to view these tests as not mere evaluating tools but also learning tools and try to learn from the mistakes with focus on avoiding the same mistakes.

Also, try to take mock tests of institutes or websites whose questions you find on same toughness parameter. There are certain mock tests available in the market which is nothing but encyclopedia of information. Don't fall to their trap. Remember, you don't have to be the storehouse of all the information so focus on mock tests which are relatively on same level as UPSC.

Maintain a positive attitude all through the preparation: Considering the longtime of one year for the entire exam, the preparation can be frustrating and depressing at times but one should not let negativity come in. Adopt a positive attitude and have perseverance along with patience. Believe in yourself and your hard work, leaving the rest to Almighty.

The writer is author of Ancient and Mediaval India, book published by McGraw Hill Education India for UPSC and state civil services examinations.