Success is often the output of very basic steps done right. Read to know more about one particular strategy that worked like magic in UPSC CSE Prelims for Mr. Alex Andrews George when he was a Civil Service aspirant.
Hi All, Hope you are having a great time learning new ideas and concepts!
As UPSC CSE Prelims are a few months away, many of you will be toiling day and night to succeed in the first stage – which is often regarded as the most toughest.
Today, I thought to share a few tips from my own experience to make your UPSC journey easy.
When I was a UPSC aspirant I had moments of failure before I understood the steps that should be taken to be successful. As some of you might know, after my failure in my first attempt, I succeeded in the UPSC CSE Prelims 5-times in a row.
In all these attempts, my scores were way above the general category cut-off score.
Do you wish to know the secrets of my success?
My methods were very simple. However, to a great extent, they were quite different from the usual strategies of most of my fellow aspirants.
Secrets of my success: #Secret 1
A great result is often the combination of multiple strategies and processes. Today, I shall disclose one strategy which worked like magic for me.
That strategy is the practice of UPSC Prelims Mock Exams by ClearIAS.
The more exams I practised, the more confidence I got to tackle UPSC questions.
PS: As you may know, I founded ClearIAS in 2012 with my own personal notes and mock exams. I was the first customer of ClearIAS.
When I was an aspirant I practised all 45 online exams in ClearIAS UPSC Prelims Test Series and a lot of previous years’ UPSC Question papers. That significantly helped me polish my exam skills.
Benefits of learning from MCQs rather than from textbooks
There are several benefits to learning from multiple choice questions (MCQs) rather than from textbooks:
- MCQs are more engaging and interactive than reading a textbook. This can make studying more enjoyable and help you retain information better.
- MCQs are what you get when you enter the UPSC CSE Prelims exam hall. Practising them from the beginning can help you better prepare for the exam day.
- MCQs provide immediate feedback, so you can know right away if you have answered correctly. This can help you identify misunderstandings and address them more quickly.
- MCQs are a quick and efficient way to test your knowledge. They can help you identify the weak areas where you need to focus your studies.
- MCQs help you develop logic, intelligent elimination techniques, and time-management skills.
- MCQS are less-time consuming rather than reading a textbook. So you can learn a lot of concepts in less time.
Learning from MCQs does not mean that you should entirely stop reading textbooks. You can follow the ClearIAS TTT approach which is a combination of Test Series, Textbooks and Techniques. However, the priority should be to practice more mock exams.
Also read: 100-Days Action Plan to Clear IAS Prelims
My advice for you: Practise 1 full exam every day
If you have time, I advise you to practice one full exam every day. If you do that from now onwards you can practice more than 10000 MCQs before upcoming Prelims.
If that is not possible, I strongly recommend you practice mock exams at least every weekend.
Don’t worry about the scores you get.
Just think about the process.
Take mock exams in a time-bound environment with negative marking.
Follow the ClearIAS 3-2-1-0-E method.
Analyse your performance after every exam.
Connect with your mentor at ClearIAS after every exam with your data sheet and seek his/her feedback.
Learn the concepts behind each question.
To conclude, make taking exams a daily habit.
That will work wonders for you!
All the best!
Regards,
Alex Andrews George, Founder and Director, ClearIAS.com
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