UPSC Exam Preparation – Where and How to Begin The civil services offer vast opportunities to the young aspirants who are inclined to serve the people. The core of the civil services examination lies in understanding the analytical skills rather than memory power of candidate. Hence thoughtful preparation helps you to crack the UPSC exams. Be aware of UPSC trends If we look at the trend of the past few years, constant changes can be noted and lot of apprehensions & uncertainties appear. Researching previous year mains question papers & type of questions asked gives you an idea of what you can expect for the current year. You could see that every question for each topic or subject was directly or indirectly related to current affairs. Manage to keep track of these trends and continue your preparation. Good guidance and clear knowledge with respect to exam point of view can help you succeed in the age of tight competition. By doing so, you will definitely move in the right direction by recognizing the right areas to work upon. There is no doubt about the help good mentors can do in your research and take your through right path. Check out the syllabus properly Familiarize the syllabus thoroughly before you plan on what to study from each of the topic. General Studies has no beginning and no end, but analyzing the core area to prepare on comes with a tricky part in this online age. An online research may guide you accurately, or in cases misguide you in understanding what the UPSC exactly looks for. Look for a proper guidance and knowledge from expert to choose what is important and what can be left out in the syllabus. Follow a daily study plan right from the start Develop an ideal strategy to clear IAS prelims exam. Divide the subjects into topics. Sort out the relevant books/materials for each topic against your daily schedule. Make sure you finish your daily targets. Before moving to the next topic, do not forget to revise what you have studied. Keep one day in a week for revision and make notes. Create a flexible schedule to complete the syllabus At time you may not be able to complete the syllabus within the scheduled time.. You are not alone, many of us fail to meet deadline once in a while. So schedule your day to have an extra time, so that you can catch up with unfinished topics. Enroll in test series, this will be greatly helpful in time management, and you become more confident with syllabus as you practice. Test series helps streamline your preparation just as a good mentor does. Ensure to work on your answer writing skills In order to express ideas clearly and correctly, work on actual data, facts and figures on daily basis. Compare the intent and execution to find flaws and also offer solutions. Include the habit of writing one or two answers every day in your study plan, on regular basis. If you are vague with your ideas get trained from expert on current affairs and exclusive skills of presenting answers in your exams.