Charts, Mnemonics, Note Making and much more: Tactics used by successful UPSC CSE Aspirants

Every UPSC exam aspirant has their unique mantra for preparation. What differentiates a successful candidate from others? It is the techniques they use to gain the extra edge. The UPSC exam is the most challenging exam and requires not just hard work but also smart work. Every module has to be revised several times. Considering the volume of the syllabus, aspirants need more than one method to follow that helps them recollect and apply concepts when they need it most. An exam with such a small success rate surely requires some secret weapons handy. A good coaching institute such as Kamaraj IAS academy, will not just prepare you with the syllabus but also equip you with tools that can be unleashed when you need to apply concepts in the exam.

With our experience of coaching thousands of students, many of whom have succeeded, we have come up with a seven-point preparation strategy that will help you taste success.

  1. Record your time table:

UPSC exam is the most extensive exam you will prepare for. Without a plan and a schedule, it is going to be very hard to prepare. Every successful candidate has had a proper plan. Time table gives the consistency and motivation to prepare and keeps you aware of your shortcomings. Break down your lessons into small and digestible chunks and put it in your time table. When you keep up with these small targets you are automatically more motivated to stay in line with your preparation.

  1. Revise:

Study - Repeat and Revise. This is your mantra till you reach the goal of qualifying the mains and interview. But revision can be daunting if you do not do it at the right frequency. Every few days remember to revisit your old notes and go through them. Recollect all the data and try to answer some sample questions once again. It is not enough if you do this once, this has to be done frequently however thorough you think you may be!

  1. Write and Rewrite- Make notes:

Write and rewrite. Theories in neuroscience and cognition have shown the benefits of writing down notes for enhancing memory. Notes making is important not for just enhancing memory but also writing down lessons lucidly in a way that you understand.  Notes come handy when you revise and you can rewrite your notes during revision based on your revised understanding too. This builds more confidence and connections in between lessons too.

In your notes do not record every line. This is a pointless exercise. Condense the matter in your own words and write it down. This helps crystallize your own thought process. Make your notes user friendly by using different colors, major headings and subheadings. Keep the content concise and inspiring. Remember you will turn to your notes for revision.

  1. Re-phrase with Mnemonics:

These are immensely useful techniques to remember difficult names, places and concepts. They help you recollect data quickly and make the process of learning very interesting. Mnemonics enable faster learning if you find long words hard or you aren’t very fluent with English. Make flash cards with your mnemonics and organize your mnemonics chapter wise to help you make the right connections.

  1. Represent using pictorials and charts:

Incorporating figures and charts are an easy way to keep track of complicated lessons. Using flow charts, you can easily connect timelines and processes. They also make your notes interesting and clear. Making figures and charts is also a quick way of testing if you have understood the concepts right. Make figures or charts for every possible concept or lesson. Try to convert key highlights in every area into a subject.

They come very handy for revision. In fact, you can use them to illustrate even in your exam giving your evaluator confidence in your understanding! You can also make flowcharts of your preparation process. Other than your timetable, you can make a flow chart of what you should study first and how your study schedule will progress. This will reiterate that you need to be focused.

  1. Relate and Connect the Dots

For the UPSC exam, although you prepare each chapter or topic individually, you should relate them with each other. Successful candidates are those who connect the dots between topics swiftly. A question in geography is invariably connected to the environment and economy as well. When you make these connections, while preparing you can approach the exam from various angles. Connecting dots will keep your preparation holistic and develop the right approach for cracking the exam.

  1. Reiterate with Flash cards

Other than notes, making short flash cards that can be carried anywhere and used anytime of the day will prove tremendously useful. UPSC exam preparation is about repetition and retention. You need to maximize your methods of relooking materials and revise in every possible way. Short flash cards of concepts you forget the most can be used anytime to quickly revise.

These techniques have been used by successful UPSC candidates and top rankers. It is the hard work, meticulous approach and commitment that sets some candidates apart. At Kamaraj IAS academy we have coached many candidates to become successful. Our experienced tutors guide you through every step. Our preparation strategies are multi-pronged and we do not leave any uncertainty for our students. Being one of the best IAS coaching academy in Chennai, Kamaraj IAS Academy has prepared thorough notes for a range of topics, with flowcharts, mnemonics and other tips that can help you make the most of the notes. The tutors at Kamaraj IAS Academy help students make relevant connections between the topics.

This assures that candidates study the same topic from various perspectives, enhancing their memory. With a huge collection of question banks, Kamaraj IAS Academy keeps testing student’s topic wise, as well as giving mock tests. Having answered so many sample questions, students are aware of which topics they need to give more attention to and can strategize their preparation accordingly.

We hope the above listed strategies are useful for your IAS exam preparation journey. We would like to see each candidate successful. Write to us for a demo or a consult and we will help you with more such tactics!