Must do for UPSC Prelims

First, you need to have clarity on topics that are part of syllabus for prelims, based on which questions have been asked previously in UPSC Prelims.

Paper-1

1. Pre-history

2. Ancient India

3. Medieval India

4. Modern History

5. Art & Culture

6. Physical Geography

7. Indian Geography

8. Mapping

9. Polity

10. Government Schemes

11. India Year Book 

12. International Bodies/Issues

13. Macro Economics 

14. Defence

15. Science and Technology 

16. Environment 

17. Current Affairs - 1st source 

18. Current Affairs- 2nd source

19. Learning from Mistakes - Mock Tests

Now you understand the depth of preparation needed to clear prelims. 

How to prepare?

1. First cover basic subjects i.e. 1 through 16

2. Give tests on basic subjects - 20 of them.

The above two tasks should take approximately 2 months 

3. Cover current affairs from 1st source 

4. Give tests on current affairs- 20 of them 

The above two tasks should take approximately 1 month 

5. Revise atleast twice and give 15 tests. You should do this in the first 15 days of last month before exam 

6. Cover 2nd source of current affairs on 16 th day-. Yes, you can cover 2nd source in one day and have 400 new topics to study by end of 8 hours exercise.  The exercise is- take an online source for current affairs, use tab or mobile, take screenshots of topics that you didn't encounter anywhere i.e. current affairs source 1, tests.

7. Don't take any tests on last 15 days- revise basics, review previous year questions, and relax 

How to use 2 hours of exam time?

1. Read question paper multiple times. Don't stop and think on questions you are unable to answer. Use special symbols to indicate whether it can be attempted in next round of reading. Try to mark answers on question paper itself.

2. Read questions and option aloud. To ensure focus, reduce distractions, and give more clarity and objective thinking in your attempt.

3. Take calculated guess in subjects that you are confident about.

4. Attempt atleast 80 questions to have a chance to make a cut 

 

Following these simple pointers and ensuring you meet milestones that are covered in this article. You too can score 20+ marks above margin for cut off. Thus be in safe zone like me. I gave 6 attempts and was in safe zone for 6 times, even qualifying for forest services mains. Hoping it helps you.

 

All the best for UPSC Prelims 2022