Exclusive Prelims Preparation is Crucial. Why?

Candidates for the UPSC frequently wonder whether they should begin studying for the IAS Mains at the same time as the IAS Prelims. Many of you are probably considering that it would be best to take this exam in stages.

• Candidates tend to think it is wiser to focus on the IAS Prelims first, and then if they pass, they should begin preparing for the Mains. This would not be a wise course of action, let us make that clear right away.
• The main justification is that you won't have enough time after the Prelims to begin your Mains preparation.
• However, Prelims current affairs preparation calls for a different ability. You should be able to recall the facts that you have read in newspapers or any other magazine. Also, analytical questions may come, so, it is always better to be prepared.
• Create separate notes for Prelims, because reading style for Prelims Current Affairs is slightly different than reading Mains Current Affairs.

Points to Consider

Time Given to Prelims

• The ideal period is exactly one year prior to the examination date. However, there is no perfect time to begin preparation. You must give it your 100% over the entire year, with perseverance and hard work.
• It won't just be a preparation; it will also be a voyage that will teach you a lot of valuable lessons and expose you to the harsh realities of the outside world. Even so, you will start your Prelims preparation three months in advance so that you have plenty of time to get used to the Prelims environment.

Focusing on Static Portion

• Every subject which comes under the scope of the syllabus of UPSC has both static portion as well as contemporary portion, i.e., current affairs.
• So, we first have to read the static or better to say the basic elements of every topic like polity, economics, geography, etc. Then one year before you are going to sit for the exam, all you have to do is to revise the static portion and learn the contemporary portion. We will give you an example in this regard:
• There are two categories of bills introduced in the parliament: public bills and private bills. A private bill may be introduced by any MP other than a minister, but a public bill must be introduced by a minister.
• The former was more likely to be approved by the Parliament than the latter. It comprises inquiries into any bill that has recently been passed by any member. If a public measure is rejected, it may result in the resignation of the government; however, if a private bill is not passed, nothing of the sort occurs. It will outline the key aspects of the proposed legislation as well as any problems that may have arisen.
• So, to answer these kinds of questions, you have to be thorough with both the static as well as the contemporary portion because both supplement each other. If you don’t know the static portion, you will not be able to answer the contemporary portion. So, first start with the basics and then move onto the current affairs part. Remember, questions being asked these days tend to be dynamic.

How Many Questions to Attempt in Prelims? Many candidates wonder how many questions they should attempt in the Preliminary exam in order to advance to the Main exam. However, how could anyone possibly know the answer to this query? It all depends on the kind of study you did and the kind of question paper that will be asked in the test. There is no set or prescribed number of questions to attempt in the GS; instead, you should attempt a question only after carefully considering whether you are sure it is accurate or not. If you have prepared honestly and can control your nerves for the first 10 minutes after receiving the question paper, you should be able to answer 20 to 30 questions with ease. Additionally, this will boost your confidence and reduce your initial nervousness. When answering questions in the second round, aim for elimination. I hope you'll cover 10 to 20 here. Last but not least, try making educated guesses for not more than ten of the questions in this round. Of course, this is only a guess and not a commitment. You may know much more than this, but don't feel obligated to answer X number of questions in order to fulfil a pre-set goal! Later on, when you check your answers and find that you might have many wrong because of guesswork, then that may cost you the exam. So, always think while attempting the paper. Do not make haste and be competitive regarding the number of questions that you are going to attempt.