How To Crack UPSC Civil Services While Working

The long wait for this year UPSC Civil Services will end on Jun 2, 2019. Over 12 Lakhs candidates apply every year for the UPSC Civil Services, out of which more than two Lakhs are working professionals because Civil Services is a dream to every graduate.

There is a misconception among the Civil Services aspirants that the working professionals have to resign their jobs in order to crack the examination. It is just a myth because every year many working professionals are on the final list without saying goodbye to their job.

Of course, it is not justified if we don't agree that working professionals have to put more efforts than others. What daunts the working professionals more is time and energy and we have to agree this. However, with execution of proper strategy and planning one can clear this exam.

Study In A Constructive Manner

The syllabus for the Civil Services is huge and there will be no end for the preparation. The only thing that matters is your analytical skills in the subject besides perfection in the topics you covered. Hence, working professionals should start their preparation in a constructive manner. Rather than trying to complete the whole syllabus, make yourself strong in important concepts.

For Prelims, Be Strong In Paper-I

Many of you aware of the fact that the paper-II (CSAT) in Preliminary is just a qualifying one and marks secured in it will not be considered for shortlisting the candidates to next level i.e., the Main Examination. So aspirants have to prove themselves in the paper-I (General Studies). Hence, working professionals are suggested to devote more time to this paper.

Respect The Time

Obviously, time-constraint intimidate full-time employees a lot. While working in the office, aspirants should tell themselves that they've another important dream to achieve. Don't take too much stress in the workplace because it will affect the preparation hours. Concentrate for at least more than three hours depending upon your convenience and stick to your timetable because you can't dedicate the time again. However, never fill this preparation time with a newspaper or magazine reading.

Prepare Your Own Notes

Due to time-constraint, the working professionals cannot devote time for the second-time reading. Hence, prepare your own notes while reading for the first time. Anyhow, preparing the notes also boosts the confidence and provide you a feeling that you covered these topics.

Study In Office

Aspirants should utilise the office hours productively by reading the newspapers and magazine. Of course, it doesn't mean to waste the employer's resources, but to complete the work as soon as possible. One can even use the CamScanner App for reading the books in the office. Aspirants should also cover the majority of the sections in CSAT such as decision making and mathematics at the workplace.

Productive Study At Home

As we said above, at least more than three hours of intensive study is required. At home, you should also practice writing the answers. And one should not neglect taking the full-length mock-tests.

Never Miss Weekends

For working folks, weekends are only the time to chill-out. However, give-up all these things for a while and bear the pain till you reach the success. Aspirants should also focus on their optional subject during weekends only because it requires a continuous study.

To be honest, the success rate is very low in the Civil Services. Other than working professionals, a lot of insecurity is there to many aspirants while preparing due to the lack of a job . This may boost working folks' confidence because he/she is free from this barrier. The key to cracking the Civil Services is not giving much importance to the final result in preparation. Hope this last line is enough!