No doubt, all of the IAS aspirants would like to crack the IAS Exam in the first attempt itself. But it takes a lot of hard work and a smartly balanced approach towards the preparation for the same to achieve your objective. It will not be improper to say that cracking the IAS Exam in the very first attempt is a task that is quite hard to be accomplished successfully.
However, it can never be taken for granted that many of the IAS aspirants have successfully cleared the IAS Exam in a single attempt. And that very well explains that realizing your ambition to clear the Exam in a single attempt might be difficult, but it is not impossible by any means.
So, what is it that equips the successful candidates to clear the IAS Exam in one attempt whereas the majority fails?
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Tips to crack the IAS Exam in the first attempt itself
Apart from the knowledge, a carefully thought of strategy is simply indispensable when it comes to clear the IAS Exam, specifically in the first attempt.
The tips specified below would help you clear the IAS Exam in the first attempt itself:
1. It is advisable to gain crystal clarity of all you learn
Most of the times, the candidates fail to answer the questions well. The inability is not a result of any kind of lethargy while preparing for the IAS Exam. Rather, it is because the IAS aspirants simply fail to understand what does the question actually aim at?
And why should the candidates feel confused and fail to comprehend clearly what does the question actually demand? Usually it is because of a dreadful lack of clarity while they prepare to gain knowledge.
Most of the candidates do not pay the required attention to gain crystal clarity of even the fundamental concepts. They might be reading big bulky books. Besides, there is more than sufficient study material available online.
But unless and until you gain crystal clarity of what you have been reading for the IAS Exam, it is going to be far from easy to comprehend what do the tricky questions (many of them might be so) asked by UPSC in the Civil Services Exam actually require you to write for the answer.
2. Do not ignore to prepare for the qualifying Prelims
Many of the candidates make a great effort to prepare for the Mains taking the prelims almost for granted! And what is the result? A huge majority of the IAS aspirants who apply for the Civil Services Exam fails at the first stage of the Exam itself.
What use is going to be your preparation for the Mains if UPSC does not allow you to appear for the same? And you can not appear for the Mains unless and until you qualify the Prelims first.
So, even though Prelims happens to be a qualifying Exam and your score in the same is not going to count to decide your rank when CSE results are declared, you MUST qualify it. Not clearing the Prelims simply implies that all your dreams to join IAS would result into nothing.
So, prepare for the Prelims as sincerely as you would for the Mains!
3. Make frequent revisions
Making revisions is simply indispensable. If you enroll yourself at an IAS coaching in Delhi, a lot of burden concerning the preparation for the IAS Exam is likely to be taken off your mind.
As a result, when the study material and preparation strategies are taken care of by the coaching institution, you would be better able to keep a provision for quality time for making frequent revisions.
Besides, every time you revise, you gain a better insight into what does a question aim at? Moreover, revising frequently would give you a practice of recalling the information quickly and with greater ease as and when required. Thus you would be better equipped to face the CSE.
4. Practice the Test Series
Apart from revising, practicing answering the Test series would give you a knack of the type of the questions that are usually asked by UPSC in the Civil Services Exam question papers. Besides, if you solve the test series in the same time span as UPSC allows in the CSE, you would feel that your speed of answering the questions would increase with each attempt, apart from gaining a knack of answering well in the Exam.
5. Make a self assessment
Making an honest self assessment and going ahead with your preparation for the Exam is the golden key to unlock the door to success. Every time you make a revision or solve the test series, you would get to realize both your strengths as well as the weaknesses.
And you have to prepare accordingly. If you do so, the likelihood of your clearing the IAS Exam increases a great deal than what it might have been initially.
Finally, a candidate aiming at clearing an Exam can only succeed if he prepares well. And that obviously requires you to understand the importance of the Exam. So, do not estimate the importance of the qualifying Prelims. If you fail to do so, you would either have to forget joining IAS or apply for the Civil Services Exam next year once again!
However, if others can clear the IAS Exam in the first attempt, you can of course do the same. Prepare well. Revise frequently. Solve the test series. Make a self assessment. Try to overcome your weaknesses. Strengthen the plus points further.
And do not be swept off your feet by the peer pressure. If you go by the general opinion, you are very likely to ignore preparing for the Prelims. And the general opinion, of course, is not going to help you. Almost all of the IAS aspirants are well aware that the majority fails in the Prelims. Yet the irony is that they ignore preparing for the same. Do not repeat the same mistake made by others. Prepare well, follow the tips given above and you are likely to qualify the Prelims, score well in the Mains and look for performing competently in the Interview.
