Multi-Tasking is going to be the Name of Game while Preparing for IAS Exam

For any candidate, decision to appear in Civil Service Examination is big as it involves long preparation-plan that requires capability, courage and commitment.

A scientific approach, well thought-out planning, right strategy for complete preparation and a well laid out action-plan takes you step-by-step towards your goal.

Success in Civil Service Examination is all about relative performance; so, to face the challenge, you need to be competitive in thinking, spirit, and efforts.

This is a tough examination; no doubt about it. The intent of UPSC is to identify the talent with matching skills for top jobs from a big gamut of candidates.

Every year we witness some apparently ordinary candidates prove their mettle and create their own image by accomplishing the task in style.

After deciding to appear in Civil Services Examination, the first thing candidates need to do is to be clear of the exam-plan and related requirements at each stage of the examination.

Before commencing preparation, you should clearly understand that this examination has got certain standards that need to be cared and accordingly your efforts should live up to it.

How-so-ever brilliant you may be, high degrees you may possess, you should not expect that you can bring the exam to your level.

Be open to learn
This is a unique examination where all the candidates come from different backgrounds, have dissimilar needs, diverse branch of learning as optional subject; still, all are in search of excellence and desired success.

When we coin the term multi-tasking in context to Civil Services Examination preparation, it clearly indicates the series of activities one has to make, planning the endeavour and executing the same with relevant books and study-material, accumulating knowledge and evaluating it at regular intervals and above all, beginning the preparation with the end in mind.

With determination and full dedication you need to take the shots. Perseverance is the keyword as it tests your patience and long preparation takes in sweats and efforts.

Merely scratching the surface would not help; you need to rise above superficiality and acquire extensive knowledge and awareness about the world around.

Understand the fundamentals of how to learn and be open to gain knowledge of newer things and having a learner’s attitude would be of great assistance rather than adopting judgmental attitude.

Understand UPSC’s intent
Civil Service Examination is all about being generalist. In the notification itself, UPSC clearly mentions that they are not in search of specialists.

It is purely reflected in the type of questions being asked in examination; thus, your endeavour is to know something about all topics enlisted in syllabus rather than going deep with selective topics.

Don’t run around to collect more and more books and study material for one topic. Stick to one standard text-book for a particular topic.

You don’t need to have authority on that particular topic rather having general information about more and more topics will prove worthy.

Be clear; it is not your academic excellence that helps in success; it is all about being motivated, slogging hard and having objective mind-set so as to see things in a very impartial manner.

What works here?
To put it in simple words why most of the candidates fail – there are two types of candidates; One, who act without thinking and second, who think but, lack action.

For sure success, you have to plan, take concrete steps and execute it efficiently.

It is not that you will not face challenges and hurdles on the way; the preparation is so vast and wide that slump anytime during preparation may occur. But, with positive frame of mind and by maintaining consistency in preparation, you may overcome all such situations.

The biggest advantage of multi-tasking is going to be in time management. With such strategies in place, you will find it easy to manage within the time in hand.

Don’t be discriminatory in study; fulfil all the requirement of exam-plan at each stage and reach at a level of preparation that helps you perform in outstanding manner.

Besides learning, work on your delivery – language, expression and diction. Learn to make sensible use of punctuation and perfect use of vocabulary.

With recent change in trend, you have limited time and limited words to analyse and answer. You face similar situation while writing or even facing the interview board.

Your continuous efforts in this direction would prove handy during all stages; be it Preliminary Examination or Mains and even during Personality Test.

Consistency in preparation is must as you have a giant task in hand and only with multi-tasking you will be able to meet the desirable – Commencing from basics to advance steps with an eye on contemporary developments thus continuous updating the knowledge and awareness.

So, have a well-planned strategy that ultimately turns out to be a successful endeavour.

All the best!