Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination to recruit candidates for the higher civil service positions for the Government of India. These exams have their roots in the colonial era Imperial Services Exam and have been standardized for Indian Services post-independence. Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS), and Indian Foreign Services (IFS) recruit their candidates through this unified examination.
The exam consists of three sections called UPSC Prelims, UPSC Mains, and Personality Test. The UPSC Prelims is divided into 2 papers with objective-type questions and gauge the candidate’s Aptitude and General Knowledge. Candidates clearing UPSC Prelims have to undergo the UPSC Mains Examination.
The Mains Exam consists of nine essay-type papers from multiple domains like Humanities, History, Science and Technology, Languages, and Governance. A personality test, usually called the Interview round, is the final set of tests that candidates have to go through and test the student’s moral values, communication skills, and general understanding.
The exam syllabus is very vast. They usually lose their consistency during their UPSC preparation. So today, in this article, we will see how to be consistent in UPSC preparation. Let’s start without wasting any time.
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How to be Consistent in UPSC Preparation
1. UPSC CSE is not an Easy Accomplishment
How to be Consistent in UPSC Preparation
UPSC is one of the most challenging exams in India and is also considered one of the toughest exams globally. It requires sheer determination and thorough preparation in multiple domains, from history to technology, to clear these examinations.
Because of the prestige associated with these ranks, the general desire by candidates to clear this exam is extremely high, which results in tremendous competition in the populace of India. Overall, 10 Lakh candidates apply for the prelims, from which approximately 10 Thousand (1%) clear them and are selected to appear for the UPSC Mains Examination.
The UPSC Prelims act as a great filter which is extremely hard, and most students fail to overcome this barrier. Yet, clearing UPSC Prelims is only the first part of this journey. UPSC Mains and the Personal Interviews are significantly challenging compared to the Prelims of UPSC Examinations. Only a thousand candidates are selected for roles across the various cadres by the end of the selection process. Only 0.1% to 0.2% of the original applicants get selected through the UPSC Examinations.
2. Dedication and Consistency are Mandatory
It requires pure dedication and rigorous study for at least 6 hours daily to gain significant knowledge and understanding of the topics examined in the UPSC Prelim Exams. Talented candidates require at least 1.5-2 years of preparation to clear the UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains Examination.
Maintaining persistence and determination over such a long time is crucial for clearing these exams. Only with the highest dedication and commitment towards your goal, you will be able to accomplish the aim of becoming an IAS, IPS, or IFS officer and lead the country in a new era.
It has been observed that professional coaching, advanced time management and scheduling techniques taught by some of the best UPSC Coaching Centers across India help students achieve their goals faster and with a high success ratio. Students having issues maintaining consistency can look for professional help provided by institutes like The Thought Tree Institute for UPSC Exam Training.
3. Difficulties Create Strong People
When it comes to clearing the UPSC Examinations, always remember that it is not a race that favours the fastest; instead, it’s a race that favours the motivated. The preparation and success in UPSC CSE require you to be a tortoise that keeps moving ahead, slowly and steadily, irrespective of the setbacks. Remember that Consistency is desirable, but inconsistency is inevitable. No matter what you plan in the short or long term, no matter how much the initial impulse is, everyone tends to lose focus on the goal and become demotivated in the long run. Therefore it becomes essential to reorganize yourself every time you wander far away from your plan.
Life does not go as planned; many students preparing for UPSC do not yield because they failed to clear the UPSC Prelims but rather capitulate under other pressures like age, economic situation, and pessimism from society. Success doesn’t come easily, and you will fail in your attempts from time to time, and you will face growing pressure every year.
You may be losing other opportunities in life, the limited number of UPSC attempts will be used up, your life will seem miserable, and people around you will move ahead, leaving you behind. This phase is one of the most critical periods in one’s life; losing interest in your aim, getting depressed, and losing personal confidence common phenomena. Numerous candidates tend to drop their attempts at UPSC Examinations after failure 3-4 times.
Read More: Tips to Beat UPSC Exam Stress
4. Focus on your goal and Keep Struggling Consistently
How to be Consistent in UPSC Preparation
It is said that Rome was not built in a day; we would like to add that Rome was neither built in a day nor built easily. Keep one thing in mind, if you travel halfway and then quit the race, you don’t just lose the race but will also lose the efforts you put in to reach that point. Keep trying and pushing yourself harder in desperate times because the churn only ends when you reach the top.
Tackle your inconsistency with a reorganization, fight pessimism with motivation, and try to maintain balance in your life. You can also try meditative therapies and professional training solutions and inculcate consistent hard work in your life. The Thought Tree Institute is eager to help candidates in their endeavour to accomplish success in UPSC examinations and help relieve them of certain issues they are facing by functional assistance.
5. Keep Learning and Gain Knowledge
Gathering knowledge, understanding societal functions, and governance methods are the most important aspects of preparation for the UPSC Examinations. Knowledge cannot be gained by force; you cannot memorize everything essential for clearing the exams. So first you should develop an interest in subjects and only then learning will become an interesting thing. If you lose focus, try to go back to the most interesting aspect of that topic and start over again until you understand that subject clearly.
If you drop topics because of disinterest, your knowledge will remain significantly small, and your understanding will be limited. We suggest students to get involve in social and governance activities while preparing for the UPSC Exams. Studying in the real world will provide you with a fresh method for training and understanding topics and keep you consistently hooked on the process of learning. Systematically trying multiple methods will help you maintain Consistency and inspire you to achieve success.
6. Practising will Ensure Guaranteed Results
Practising is the only way for improvement; it is the way to enhance yourself into a better candidate. Consistency only helps when it is channelled in a precise way and decisively. Practice for Prelim Mock Test, Write long essays on topics from the Mains Exam and communicate your views to peers. Utilize every ounce of your time to train yourself for the exams, and only then you will see yourself succeed.
Practice old questions, rectify your mistakes, read essays from successful people, and never let yourself become stagnant. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop, do not keep yourself idle as it induces laziness and loss of inspiration. If you need a break, take a planned break and maintain a schedule because procrastinating will lose time and keep you behind the target. If you feel saturated, try other domains from the UPSC syllabus, this is one positive aspect of such a vast
syllabus.
Maintaining motivation and rigour to push yourself through tough times is the most important aspect of the UPSC Exam Preparation. Therefore keep practising and exploring the vast knowledge base and inculcate it in your mind. The Thought Tree Institute can enable the success path by providing mock tests, preparation training, and scheduled consultations for UPSC aspirants.
Read More: Revision Strategy for UPSC
7. Maintain a Healthy Mind and Body
Preparation for UPSC exams is a physically and mentally taxing endeavour. The students must maintain a healthy regimen to keep their minds and body active. Every aspirant must do physical exercise as it enhance cognition and grasping capabilities. Physical activity also leads to a healthy mind as endorphins and other hormones help stabilize your mood and motivation.
Exercise of mind is as important as well. We recommend candidates perform meditation, deep thinking, and brain training activities to ensure excellent mental health and strengthen aptitude. Maintaining a proper diet, steering away from junk food, keeping the body hydrated, and inculcating timely eating habits. This process helps maintain the homeostasis and fitness of yourself from within.
Avoiding intoxicating substances is also necessary; they have adverse effects on the body and can cause addictive tendencies if you are going through a bad phase. Intoxication also tends to divert your energy and attention from your actual goal, which is to accomplish success in the UPSC exams. Keep your mind and body healthy, and prepare to push yourself through the most difficult venture of your life.
Read More: Importance of Good Health for UPSC Aspirants
8. Don’t Lose Your Motivation
How to be Consistent in UPSC Preparation
Keeping the final achievement in your perspective is the most important way of keeping up your Consistency. Reinvigorate your enthusiasm from time to time by watching testimonials of successful candidates. Read stories of IAS, IPS, and IFS officers from poor and downtrodden societies and learn how they overcame extreme difficulties to achieve prime glory.
Never forget what you will get by succeeding, always keep that flame of your biggest dream lightened up, and keep reminding yourself of the original motive for entering the Civil Services. When you attain the victory and clear the final interview, you will stop. Keep pushing yourself because winning is the only way to triumph over all the hardships you went through.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to mention that preparation for UPSC is an extremely complex and hard task. Success is very difficult, yet it is not impossible. Many people achieve their dream and reach the glorious altar of Civil Services in India. With all the ways mentioned above and a consistent effort, we believe everyone will be able to attain success. We at The Thought Tree also provide training and consultative assistance to UPSC candidates and have enabled many of such candidates to achieve their dream.
I hope this article on “How to be Consistent in UPSC Preparation” helped you. If you still have doubts then comment down below. We wish you all the best and hope your hard work comes to fruition.
