How to plan to prepare for UPSC Prelims 2022?

have personally mentored more than 150 students for civil services preparation.  The very first question I ask students is about their plan to achieve 130+ marks in Preliminary Examination.  Surprisingly, most don’t have a plan to get 130+ marks, apparently few do have a plan but that plan is more concerned with day-to-day targets, very rarely do they merge into something meaningful in the long-run.

 

Example1:

2 hours - Polity

2 hours - Modern History

1 hour - Lunch

3 hours - Current Affairs

2 hours - Revision

 

Example2:

2 hours - 5 pages of Polity

2 hours - 5 pages of Modern History

Etc

 

Example3:

1. Complete Non-Cooperation Movement
2. Learn about the Parliamentary system
3. Understand various types of pollution and its effects

Converge such tasks into a plan

1. Cover basics in 2 months along with one revision
2. Cover current affairs in 1 month along with tests of the same
3. Revise both current affairs and basics and practice 30 tests in a month
4. Revise both and practice 20 tests in 20 days
5. Keep the last 10 days for revising basics and previous year's question papers

 

Many students do not go beyond Examples 1 and 2 in their plans.  Example 3 where is a plan that has come out with experience.  With consistent effort to improve oneself at the prelims of UPSC.  Hence, it is not at all wrong to not have a plan like in Example 3. But sooner you realize that example 3 sets milestones to be achieved within the time frame before the exam day.  The more focused and more progressive your preparation would be over time.

 

If you understand that the largest gains are made from compounding, then you realize the need to be consistent with small efforts daily for you to make a big difference on the exam day.

 

Hence, focus on doing and finishing the tasks for the day, but do converge them with an ever improvising plan like in Example 3 that should run through your mind.  I understand that the syllabus for the UPSC Prelims or Mains is daunting, but one step at a time will take you a long way.  You don’t need any guidance or mentoring to achieve it.  Just believe in yourself, but test your beliefs against the mock test and the previous year's question paper rather than fooling yourself on the basis of the effort or time you have put into the preparation.

The most simple test to see for yourself if you have been consistent and truthful about civil service preparation for the UPSC prelims part would be-

1. Would have revised the basics first at least 2-3 times before going for current affairs coverage
2. Current affairs are first completed from 1st source completely, tested out with mock tests, and then do it from 2nd source if you wish to.
3. Completed around 50 mock and previous tests to assess your progress
4. How your marks will grow
1. First 2 weeks - below-average marks
2. Second 2 weeks- marks grow, but they are still below cut off
3. Third 2 weeks - marks do not grow despite the effort
4. Fouth 2 weeks- your scores improve but they are not consistent and are below the cut-off
5. Fifth 2 weeks - you start to score above cut off
6. Sixth 2 weeks - your score is marginally higher, i.e. 5 marks above cut off
7. On exam day, you score 20+ more than the cutoff

Yes, you will outperform on exam day, if you stick to your routine even though you score just marginally above the previous cutoff.

5. Can complete a mock test in 1 hr 10 min to 20 min.  And read the question paper at least 3 times in 2 hours along with marking on the answer sheet.

“Reflect on your preparation, make it harder as the day goes by, till the exam day”