UPSC Civil Services Exam: With Prelims Results On The Way, Here’s What IAS Aspirants Should Do Right Now

The prelims results for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2019 is expected to be declared by mid-July, possibly by the second week, similar to last year when the result was declared on 15 July.

The time period between the prelims exam (held on 2 June of this year) and the result declaration can get confusing for some IAS aspirants who may not be sure about their next course of action.

The first thing what the aspirants should do is to determine how much they are scoring in the prelims test by match their selected options with the provisional answer key available online.

After determining the possible score, if the aspirants note that they are scoring above 100 marks, they should go all out in starting preparations for the Mains examination scheduled to be held in September as they have a very high chance of clearing prelims.

These aspirants can opt for any test series of their choice for regular subject revision and most importantly vital practice to be able to write by hand for six hours. At the same time, the aspirants should effectively prepare for the General Studies paper, here’s how they can do so.

They should also aim to write one essay per day and at the same time prepare their optional subject.

The aspirants who are not crossing the 100 mark point but are scoring over 90 marks in the exam should also follow the above tactic as they have an outside chance of clearing prelims.

Those scoring below 90 should not get disheartened and should begin preparation for the next year’s exam right now, without wasting time. They should also target other similar exams like state civil services, CDS, RBI etc.

Apart from referring to study materials, the daily preparation should involve religiously reading newspaper everyday to hone current affairs knowledge.

The aspirant can employ the technique of jotting down possible questions which can be framed out of a particular news article and review them at night. Reading newspapers daily would also improve the general knowledge of aspirants which they can apply in other exams like Bank PO and Combined Defence Services.

The focus should not completely be on prelims preparation and at least 20-30 per cent focus should be on Mains preparation, to avoid the scenario of being completely unprepared for Mains after clearing the prelims phase.

Regardless of the situation IAS aspirants find themselves in, they should make it a rule to create an effective timetable and make it a habit to study for long hours, which will be beneficial for every examination they appear for in the future.