7 tips to prepare for the IAS exams in India

To become an IAS officer is a cherished dream of a lot of Indian students.

Motivation, hard work, following the right course of preparation, expert guidance and support, and working with the right kind of materials and strategies can get you through facing your IAS exams well.

You must first become a graduate from a recognized University to be eligible to take up the IAS exams. Year on year the UPSC or the Union Public Service Commission conducts IAS exams. However, it does not mean you must wait till you finish your college studies to prepare for the IAS exams.

Start early

If you aspire to become an IAS officer, you must start preparing for the UPSC conducted IAS exams. Starting early is the key to face IAS exams confidently and effectively. If you can start off with your IAS career as early as possible, you have chances to land on the highest position in the IAS ladder namely the Cabinet Secretary. This will also depend on your caliber. The bottom underline to prepare for IAS exams is hence start early, be systematic and work hard. Here is a step by step IAS exam preparation tips for beginners.

Learn about civil services

The first step to preparing for IAS exams is to gain a thorough and deep knowledge about civil services in India. Learn about the life of a diplomat or civil servant. If it is feasible for you, talk to an IAS officer and get to know the ground reality they face in their daily life. After knowing about civil services fully, ask yourself if this career path will interest you. If your answer is yeas, then you can move ahead confidently and enthusiastically with your IAS exam preparation.

Graduation

If you have decided to take up IAS exams, it is good to pursue a graduation course that will have history and polity as its subjects. Know that IAS places a high degree of importance on these two subjects since they are connected to administration.

Learn the subjects deeply

IAS exam syllabus covers the schooling syllabus and the college syllabus. Hence, as you pursue your schooling and graduation, learn the subjects deeply and thoroughly so that you will not only fare well in your school and college exams, you will also have accumulated a fund of knowledge that will be useful later when you face the UPSC exams.

Get to know the IAS exam pattern

Familiarize yourself with the IAS exam pattern. Collect some past years question papers and understand the scope of the exams very well.

Broaden your knowledge

The scope of IAS exams is very broad. You must diversify your interests and also learn a lot of general books. Make the best use of your school and college library. Read the newspapers regularly and stay up-to-date with the current happening and trends around you. Share your knowledge with your friends pursuing similar goals and learn from them. You must be a voracious reader across multiple domains to be able to face your IAS exams confidently and effectively. Retain all your books right from school days and revise them from time to time.

Get guidance and inspiration

If possible, find some experts in the field with a deep knowledge about IAS and interact with them. Their knowledge, information and motivation can help you immensely with your IAS exam preparation. Also develop your communication and interpersonal skills.