• UPSC preparation is very long and tedious process, which is further made difficult by an ever expanding syllabus and lack of time on the part of the aspirants. Considering this, depending upon one teacher, guide, mentor or even a single coaching class material is not going to help you cross the line. You should transform yourself into your own teacher, who is able to develop questions as a student and answer them as well using reference materials and study materials. Adopting this dual-role approach to your preparation methodology will help gain confidence along with helping you with subjective studies. If you inculcate this habit for the long run, you will get into the mode of self-study to solve any question that arises in your mind about any topic.

• One of the best qualities that you will need not only as an UPSC CSE aspirant but also as an IAS officer is that of a problem-solving attitude. UPSC aspirants much like the officer they will become after clearing the Civil Services Examination, need to address a host of problems and challenges in the preparatory phase and overcome them using innovative techniques. You may encounter problems of dealing with an extensive syllabus, time management, resources, peer pressure, societal pressure and many others during your IAS preparation phase. In such testing times, your problem-solving attitude will come in very handy to design solutions. Therefore, IAS aspirants should develop a never-say-die attitude towards problems.

Also lead a stimulating life. Of course, you have a grand goal, i.e., clearing the IAS exam. Let this goal be your motivator. Let your mind always be working. Never stay idle. Solve puzzles and brain teasers in your spare time. All this will shake you off your sleepiness.

Allow yourself to unwind

• It is essential for your wellbeing that you unwind before the day comes to an end. Meditation and yoga are really helpful for your body and mind because their routines introduce a series of breathing exercises that help you connect to your untapped energy. It helps you quiet your mind, relax your body, and after practising for some time you might be able to feel more connected to the world outside your own.

Go for a walk

• After a long day, it is crucial for you to go out and get your body moving. We are sure you have heard this many times, but taking a walk in the woods (or anywhere) can really benefit your body, mind, spirit, and boost your self-confidence to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. In order for you to be more productive in your endeavour, you need to make sure you include a little walk- time in your routine.

• It is imperative that you have a sound sleep when you do sleep at night. Don’t think about your CS exams, your uncovered portion of the UPSC syllabus, your friends’ preparation, your parents’ expectations, etc. Unburden your mind and sleep like a baby! You can get a good shut eye only if you create certain conditions for it like no lights, no caffeine before bedtime, quiet atmosphere, etc. If your sleep is marred by negative thoughts and dreams, you will wake up tired and be sleepy the whole next day even if you had ‘slept’ for 8 hours.

Use relaxation techniques: If you find yourself tensed and getting anxious during the test:

• Relax; you are in control. Take slow, deep breaths
• Don't think about the fear
• Pause; think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
• Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing your best
• Expect some anxiety: It's a reminder that you want to do your best and can provide energy. Just keep it manageable
• Realize that anxiety can be a "habit" and that it takes practice to use it as a tool to succeed
• After the test, review how you did: List what worked, and hold onto these strategies. It does not matter how small the items are: they are building blocks to success
• List what did not work for improvement: Celebrate that you are on the road to overcoming this obstacle

Pick Brain Boosting Foods and Beverages

• Different type of food items can have different reactions to the body and general mood of a person. Therefore, it is very important for CSE aspirants to include right type of food items in their daily schedule. As a rule of thumb, focus on food items that are high in proteins. Proteins are very important as they burn slowly giving a constant source of energy to the body, keeping you full for long time durations. Also, try and include eggs, nuts, curd, cottage cheese and other low-fat items in your daily diet. As far as food items go, eggs, poha, idlis, dosa, dhokla are all light alternatives that can help you during exam preparation.

Avoid Brain Blocking Foods and Beverages

• In continuation of the above point, CSE aspirants should try and avoid certain food items that may feel them lethargic and fatigued. Carbohydrates are one such food group that are digested very quickly and may compel you to eat more frequently. Stay away from sugary and processed foods like chocolate, cookies, cakes and candies. You may also exclude carbohydrate rich food items like rice, potatoes and white flour from your diet.

Protect Your Stomach

• To ensure that your IAS study schedule is not hindered by any untimely illness, it is important to protect your stomach. To do so, try to include curd and buttermilk in your daily diet. Both these items contain good bacteria that will help you counter any problems like acidity, digestion problems, constipation and general stomach upset problems.

Avoid Eating Outside

• While it may be impossible for some UPSC CSE aspirants to do so, it is important you try and avoid any outside food. You can never be sure of the quality, health and hygiene followed at the food preparation stage unless the food is prepared at home. There have been several cases of food poisoning and contamination in recent past. To avoid any such situation, it is best advised to either self-cook your food or get it prepared by a trusted person at your home.

Follow a Balanced Diet

• Although it sounds like a motherly cliché, following a balanced diet is of vital importance for anyone preparing for UPSC CSE Exams. A proper balanced diet should include three full meals that provide your body all the necessary nutrients required to keep your body fit and mind alert throughout the day. Try to include a lot of green vegetables and fresh fruits in your daily food intake; it will help you build immunity and strong physique along with helping you to tackle mental stress. Try not to skip any meals or delay meal times to cover your IAS study timetable, eating on time will help study faster and better.

Heavy & Healthy Breakfast

• It is common knowledge that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; however, this common knowledge is commonly ignored by all the common people. Skipping Breakfast to save 20 minutes may sound like a good idea, but doing so will make you feel lethargic and fatigued. Heavy and healthy breakfast is even more important for IAS aspirants because early morning is the time when your brain is functioning at its full potential and having a good breakfast aids the brain’s processing power even more.

Eat Light, Small and Frequent Meals

• Heavy meals taken at a time will direct blood flow and energy towards digestion process leading to the sleepy lethargic feeling. But if you are preparing for the tough IAS exams, you need your energy directed towards the brain, isn’t it! Therefore, it is important to for IAS Aspirants to opt for light, small and frequent meals spread throughout the day, rather than binge eating at a time. IAS aspirants can also include healthy snacks and mini meals throughout the day to keep them full and refreshed at the same time.

Water is Your Best Friend

• Students preparing for IAS exams, start treating water as your best friend from today. During the course of your general studies preparation, you would have identified more than enough reasons about the importance of water as a component of your diet. If you need any more reasons, consider this! Being dehydrated can make you feel lethargic, irritable and tired; moreover it also affects your concentration, making it difficult for you to focus and study well. Also, water need not be consumed as just plain water; you can spice things up by opting for fruit juices, herbal teas or any other combination that may suit you. However, avoid caffeine and any caffeinated products, as they will not help you in the long run.

• When you will try to gather knowledge on a specific portion, try to know everything in details as well as try to relate that portion to different ways. Suppose, you are reading a portion of history, it is not necessary to explain that part with historical concepts only rather than you can explain that with geographical perspective, sociological perspective, political perspective, if possible economical perspective as well as try to explain that part with any current affairs topic related to that part. In short, the more perspectives you will relate or think from, the more benefits you will gain here and today UPSC also wants this from you.
• Here,we will like to suggest you focus on the basic concept and on current affairs properly and according to that try to relate to the current scenario of your surroundings or try to explain those in details with whatever you have gathered from your books or from current affairs. Increase the area of your thinking power.

• Start your day early. One tends to be at one’s most efficient early in the day and as the day wears on, you would start to lose your motivation as well as physical and mental strength, and it becomes difficult to carry on. So make the most of the early hours.
• Prioritize well -by prioritizing, we mean choosing what to read when. For example, just after waking up, our mind is not at its best. It tends to be at its best after about 1-2 hours. So start your day with something lighter like revision for an hour and a half. Then pick the densest subject (e.g. Optional). Divide study time into slots of 1.5 hrs (2 hrs if you are really going strong) and no more. Because after that, productivity decreases. After each slot, take 10 min break. Don’t leave your desk then. Just close your eyes and try to grasp what you read. After studying for 2 slots, take a longer break and just walk around your room. It helps in internalizing concepts and keeps one refreshed.

Here are a few changes a candidate goes through:

• He starts to respect the exam and the process set by UPSC.
• He becomes more aware and passionate about the wrongs that are happening around him.
• He starts understanding the value of patience and accepts short term defeats.
• However, not all changes are positive. Many people also become extremely critical of the selected candidates and start finding flaws in their achievements.
• They start thinking about themselves as experts in CSE and dish out useless advice to people.
• Desperation, day dreaming, regrets are also some of the changes that often take place.
• Your thinking process changes, you develop an opinion for almost everything.
• You become an educated, aware, responsible citizen of the country.
• You literally start taking care of your health, your wellbeing, and your surroundings.
• You learn to say NO more often as the preparation requires sacrifices.
• The things which never bothered, like teenagers smoking in a society park or men standing in women’s coach of the daily metro do bother now and you learn to raise your voice.
• You can talk to people (sensible discussions) of any age group (10–80).
• You get to know how much power you as an individual possess just by knowing your rights.

CSC: Dear Sakshi, with a year in hand, a lot can be done as far as the matter of civil services preparation is concerned. If you are a complete novice and want to prepare from the scratch, do the following things:

Syllabus List: Take the printout of the detailed syllabus and paste it in front of your study table. Allot at least 10 minutes of your daily time to take a glance at it. It will be beneficial to you as you wouldn’t then need to remember it - as a regular 10 minutes glance will make you cover most of the things without putting strain on your brain.If you will find anything related to the syllabus list, it will instantly click in your mind. Thus, it will make you leave the irrelevant things.

Complete the NCERTs from standard 6th to 12th - as this will lay the foundation over which the rest of your study will depend.The NCERTs should be completed in around 45–50 days.Also, complete the standard books which are specially written for the civil services examination. Internet will help you in finding the standard books. A good amount of quality time must be allotted for this purpose.

Read Newspapers: For the dynamic section, read newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express and there should be one monthly magazine for the same. Choose any website to cover some dynamic topics to cover up any topics that you might have missed.

Revision: The most important thing is to do revision. Once you complete the books, never ever forget to revise. It is possibly one of the hardest things to do but this is the very thing which will sail you across.

Answer Writing: Aspirants preparing for CSE-2019 must start answer writing practice from now. It really matters to put what you think on the paper. There are many people who have ample knowledge but don't have that skill to convert it to writing. What you write matters more than what you know.

CSC: Yes, Mitali, it is entirely possible.It can be prepared well if you are well enough to do so. Many successful candidates prepare it without taking any coaching. Coaching helps you in moving to the rightful direction in quicker manner and in this examination, you need every aid and assistance.

But not to say, CSE can also be prepared from home. Those who are preparing for the UPSC entrance exam must have good will power, confidence and quality study material. Candidates who appear multiple times to clear the big hurdle have a level of high patience to combat any stressful situations.

Here are some of the preparation tips that would help you:

Smart Preparation: Hard work always pays, but efforts in the right direction with the right approach at right time never turns into a waste. So, start your preparation in a smarter way as soon as possible.

Practice Mock Tests: Yes, it is true ‘more practice, more marks.’ This strategy turns out to be fruitful for every candidate. Candidates should solve other management exams also. Solving papers and giving mock tests help in realizing the strengths and weaknesses.

Study Material: Quality study material plays very important role in preparation for exams. Referring many books create confusion in the mind so stick to some good quality materials which have good concepts in it.

Practice Short Tricks:Do not go for solving questions with long methods that is waste of time. For this, there is a better option to go with the short tricks. This saves a lot of time.

Strengthen Your Basics: If you have your concepts clear then you don’t have to worry much on the concepts. Just polish your strengths and work hard on weaknesses. It is very important to be thorough with the syllabus and practice accordingly.

Self-made Notes: Whatever the section is, self-made notes are very helpful during revision. These notes help in fast grasping the formulae and the concepts.

Time Management: Management of time cannot be made in a day’s practice, it can be improved by die-hard practice. Candidates who have cleared UPSC had a very good time management. They say, it is true, “Practice makes a man perfect” but it is best to say, “Man makes the practice perfect”.

CSC: Dear Hriday, we assume that you have covered your syllabus and given requisite amount of revisions. So, here we will be focusing only on answer writing.

The first step should be: Address the question- This is the most important aspect but unfortunately also the most ignored aspect of answer writing. We are in so much hurry to write that we often jump the gun. We tend to just look at the ‘One Word’ which look similar to us and start writing down. In the end we write what we know rather than what is asked. Thus, break-down the question in parts as needed, and analyse what the examiner demands from you. Once you've done this,stick to the demand of the question.

Thesecond step is the Introduction:Don't beat around the bush. Hit the bulls-eye by directly attacking the question. In order to make your answer sound homogenous, think about the conclusion in the very beginning and in the end your conclusion should reflect introduction. This makes an answer holistic.

Thethird step is the Body of the Answer: This must form at least 80% of your answer. This portion is the test of your knowledge on subject matter.Writing vague answers is strictly prohibited - you may end up losing marks. Don't write wrong facts or quotes - it will put a negative impression on checker and he/she will be cynical throughout the paper checking. Write in an innovative and appealing manner. You can make use of some illustrations, figures, charts, etc.Support every information, fact by the relevant Report (census report, forest survey, HDI report, World Bank Report, and so on). In case of conventional subjects like History, Geography, Polity try to establish inter-subject and intra-subject linkages. It will reflect that you have understood the subject holistically and your also analytical abilities.

Thefourth step is the Conclusion: Conclusion should be linked to the introduction to achieve the thematic homogeneity of the answer.

Fifth step in this process: Share words of wisdom -When most aspirants would stop after conclusion, there is a fifth step in this process - Share words of wisdom- link with words of Preamble, constitutional provisions like Liberty, Justice, Freedom Of Information, etc. Give a futuristic view.

CSC: Dear Akshay, UPSCis a tough examination. It will test your limits and your ability to sustain the obstacles. Thus, it is necessary to cultivate good habits. The following small things are must to get selected in this examination:

Avoid Procrastination: This is certainly the easiest to understand but certainly difficult to manage. Every day you plan your targets and syllabus to complete but eventually you fall short of your determination/ motivation to complete that. You lose track and ultimately give up. Hence, it is better to wake up timely (if possible early) so to complete your goals regarding studies in the following day. It’s better to make plans the previous night and make a day to day schedule.

Keep Your Workspace Clean-Wherever you study, keep it clean and tidy. Tables covered with books, notes, newspaper and pen, pencil,etc make your workspace complex. Things distract you while studying and you do not feel fresh (ultimately lowering your grasping ability). So please make it a habit to improve your surrounding and improving your chances to crack this exam.

Keep in Handy i.e.Atlas and Syllabus Copy– This is important because you need to look into syllabus every now and then (if you haven’t memorized it) for GS, Optional topics. Which topic comes under which paper/ sub-headings, etc is very important to keep you on track. And Atlas helps you in many of your topics related to polity, geography, history and science. So, you cannot avoid these two things.

Read Newspaper–Current affairs are crucial for scoring well in UPSC Prelims as well as Mains. Inculcate a habit of reading the editorials of The Hindu and The Indian Express daily. The habit takes time to form, but once formed, the returns on investment are huge.

Radio and News-Listen to All India Radio to be abreast with all the current happenings in the country. Watch news and follow prime time news. Jot down notes during the shows.

Rewind- Relax during your preparations and avoid stress. Go for exercise and give breaks between different subjects. Start exercising and meditation. Proper rest is important to have a fresh mind that helps you prepare better.

CSC: Dear Amanpreet, as you are preparing for CSE 2020, you have plenty of time to prepare for the exam. It’s wonderful that you have already started to prepare for the exam early on.

Prepare a timetable as to how you want to manage your college studies. Are you a morning person or an evening person? If you are an early riser, study for CSE exams in the morning and study and revise your college notes in the evening after coming from the college. Look for a period of time that you feel will be productive for you.

Keep adjusting the time and according to your needs. If you keep up a good routine, you will be able to set a pace and could study for hours without feeling tired.

Also, side by side keep making notes so that you could easily revise when you want to.

Utlise your time wisely. If your optional is similar tothe subjects that you are studying in the college, it will helpyou immensely as you won’t have to learn and studydifferently.

From your biodata, it is clear that you are studying a whole lot of subjects which have syllabus similar to CSE. This will give you an added advantage in the exam.

Also, keep a progress report so that you will know how much you have studied and it will also give you a sense of progress.

Make sure that you are utilising your time wisely.
You can read notes while commuting to the college or some other place. Paste a map above your study table and you could easily make reference to it. Also you can put notes on your make shift study wall so that you can also read those notes just before going to bed.

Finally make yourself curious about things. Read newspapers diligently. Make notes about them. Try to find ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind things. This will help you in developing analytical bent of mind.

UPSC will ask such questions in Mains and you will realise that you are able to answer those questions easily.

So, keep studying and all the best for your preparation.