How to start preparing for college student, IAS? 
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is considered as India’s most prestigious recruitment examination. The Indian Administrative Service Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission requires both skill and ability to succeed under the preliminary and main examination. For this reason, it is advisable that college time is the best time to start preparing for UPSC Civil Services Examination, because during this time you have enough time to reliably understand all the concepts related to your subject.
However, preparing for the Indian Administrative Service Examination in your college time is not an easy task!
Most college students, especially engineering students, are very busy in their college projects, assignments, tests, etc. As a UPSC Civil Services Exam, this competitive exam requires a minimum of 4-6 hours of study and also requires a detailed revision plan during weekends.
Here we will try to provide a brief exam preparation strategy and tips related to how to prepare for UPSC Civil Services Examination during college, so that you can get success in IAS Prelims 2016.
UPSC Civil Services Exam Preparation for College Student Success
For any type of examination, the first step starts with gathering the necessary information related to the selection pattern, exam pattern and syllabus in the context of the written examination.
Understanding UPSC IAS Examination: The Indian Civil Services Examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, commonly known as UPSC. This exam is one of the toughest recruitment exams in the country, every candidate has to go through 3 levels of screening to appear in the IAS exam.
IAS Preliminary Exam (based on objective MCQ)
IAS Main Examination (Written Examination)
Interview / Personality Test
Therefore, first you should start your preparation by preparing for UPSC IAS Prelims exam. Here we are telling you some preparation tips for success in UPSC Civil Services Examination in your college time.
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1. Start with NCERT books .
NCERT books are a source of good knowledge as well as a simple method, so starting with NCERT books is the perfect step. With the help of these books you will be able to understand complex concepts and help to build a strong foundation of study.
We recommend that you make a notebook in which after reading every book, you keep on noting important information from it so that it can help you study during revision. After reading the books of class VI to XII of NCERT, you can proceed to more detailed study material. After NCERT books, you can read Laxmikant for Indian politics, Bipin Chandra’s graduation books for pre-independence and post-independence detailed studies etc.
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2. Books based on Daily Current Affairs and News Digest .
There is no option available to know about the latest happenings around. Manorama and Gist journals will provide brief analysis related to current affairs, but improving the writing skills by reading daily newspapers will help in essay writing to a large extent. ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Indian Express’ are very famous newspapers for IAS candidates.
However, it is very important that you know the art of reading the newspaper properly, that is, you have to focus on the relevant topics selected for the IAS Exam and leave the unnecessary content of the newspaper so that time Could not be a waste
We are going to put before you the right way of reading newspapers which is based on important topics which you can note daily with the help of a notebook. We have divided this notebook into eight categories:
International Relations (Asia and Around)
International Relations (US and World)
Government Policies and Schemes
the personality
Award
sport
International organization
Social issues
Economic policies
Defence
This will help you keep a close eye on the latest happenings and remember them easily.
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3. Developing your own unique style of preparation .
Preparing for a prestigious exam like the Indian Administrative Service is nothing short of a thrill, so you should not ignore your responsibility during the period of your graduation. UPSC appreciates good graduate grades. During your graduation, information about the subject you have chosen may come in handy during the interview. Completely focus on the syllabus related to the subject of graduation, this will help you in preparing for the optional subjects you have chosen.
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Go ahead with this material for IAS preparation and sometimes your peer pressure may once again ask you to jump into the entire syllabus. You have to understand that moving in the direction of unnecessary material can prove harmful to you and can also put you in a state of confusion. Avoid multi-tasking, choose only one subject at a time, so that you will be able to focus fully on that subject. Choosing multiple subjects at once can destroy your concentration, which may result in lower results.
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4. Select an optional subject .
According to the exam pattern of the exam, all you have to do is to select an optional subject for the main exam. The college time is the right time for the selection of the subject of the main examination.
Most students should first check whether their undergraduate / postgraduate subjects have been introduced as an optional in the main examination. If yes, then they are free to choose the subject under their graduation or any other subject according to their interest. Here is a list of criteria for selection of optional subject:
When you study General Studies paper (preliminary), you can choose a topic of your choice according to your interest and understanding.
After you select a subject, you can make up your mind to do your preparation through the previous year questions of that subject.
When you start writing essay then you will know about the pattern and writing style required for a particular elective subject.
The availability of related study material and other resources is also an aspect in determining the elective subject you have chosen.
Weightage of an elective subject in General Studies paper is another aspect that may affect your choice.
Finally, as a college student, you now know that preparing for the IAS exam is a long and multi-layered process that requires hard work and perseverance. While college time is the right time to start studying to fulfill your goal of civil service, you should not lose your confidence with this long process. Best wishes!
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