How to Prepare for UPSC without Coaching, Preparation Tips for Beginners

How to Prepare for UPSC without Coaching

Candidates must comprehend the entire UPSC Syllabus 2023 and paper structure and develop a successful self-study plan in order to prepare for the UPSC without coaching. The applicants who desire to take the highly sought-after Civil Services Examinations are challenged by the question of how to prepare for UPSC without coaching. Every year, the UPSC holds the Civil Services Examination, which is regarded as one of the most difficult tests in India.

The Prelims 2023 exam was take place on May 28, 2023, and UPSC Prelims 2024 will be held on 26th May 2024. You can prepare for the exam without enrolling for expensive coaching services. Within a year of your preparation, the appropriate approach, method, and timing can help you accomplish the goal.

Understanding of UPSC Exam

The UPSC CSE exam is a highly competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit candidates for various positions in the civil services of the Indian government. It consists of three stages: Prelims, Mains, and the Personality Test. The exam has a vast syllabus covering subjects like General Studies, Aptitude, and optional subjects.

Candidates must immediately begin their preparations with all of their focus and attention if they want to appear in the upcoming UPSC exam. Many people study for the UPSC exam on their own each year and succeed in passing the test. Check all the basics of the UPSC Civil Services exam from the table below to begin your at-home preparations:

Tips to Prepare for UPSC without Coaching

Go through Previous Year Questions

In addition to assisting you in evaluating where you stand, UPSC Previous Year Questions will also give you some insight into the general trend and structure of the questions asked in the UPSC CSE exam. You can then fine-tune your planning and change the pertinent portions as needed. PYQs will assist you in developing the skill of relevant studying.

Prepare a Robust Study Plan

Read the preliminaries and mains syllabus after finishing the previous year’s test questions. Know every single detail of the exam format before creating a thorough study schedule. Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals to effectively complete the whole curriculum. Create manageable, small goals. In order to ensure that you don’t forget what you’ve read, reserve the weekends for revision. You’ll be able to develop and maintain concepts by doing this.

Start with Making Your Foundation Strong

Each subject needs to have a solid basis, which is crucial. It will assist you in expanding and strengthening your study plan so that you can thoroughly cover the full course. Start by reading the NCERT textbooks for history, politics, economics, geography, and general science to get started. Map-reading exercises can help you better grasp Indian and global demographics.

UPSC Book List for Prelims & Mains Exam

Make Newspaper Reading a Habit

Once you’ve done that, reading the newspaper will be enjoyable for you since you’ll be able to relate it to your theoretical knowledge. Make reading prestigious publications like The Hindu and The Economic Times a habit. At the very least, read the editorial on these pages and any significant news stories that might be relevant to the test.

For comprehensive news coverage, check our daily current affairs analysis and monthly current affairs. Add monthly publications like Yojana and Kurukshetra to your education as well. They have excellent information on both static topics and the most recent headlines. Make a list of crucial details that will help to substantiate your responses.

Practice, Practice & More Practice

Read the literature recommended for each paper after you have strengthened your foundation. The complete StudyIQ Publication Book List is available here. Practice is the next step. Write your answers with rigour. Additionally, don’t forget to practice for the CSAT. Although it counts towards qualifying, you still need to earn more than 66 to be eligible for the Mains. So, practice it by taking practice exams. Join a reliable test prep programme that can handle the CSAT and GS paper. You can prepare for the UPSC CSE Prelims and Mains concurrently because the syllabus is not divided into two sections. But start preparing strategically for the preliminary exams in January or February.

UPSC Preparation for Beginners in English

You must take a methodical and deliberate approach before starting your English-language UPSC preparation. You can build a solid foundation for your journey by mastering the syllabus, understanding the exam, using high-quality study materials, and practising writing answers. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current events, use time management skills, and seek advice as needed. You will succeed in the UPSC exam if you maintain consistency, perseverance, and a positive outlook.

UPSC Preparation for Beginners in Hindi

UPSC की तैयारी शुरू करना नए छात्रों के लिए कठिन हो सकता है। हालांकि, सही दृष्टिकोण और मार्गदर्शन के साथ, आप इस प्रक्रिया में सफलता प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। इस ब्लॉग पोस्ट में, हम एक कदम-दर-कदम मार्गदर्शिका प्रदान करेंगे जो आपको UPSC की तैयारी की शुरुआत करने में मदद करेगी।

1. परीक्षा को समझें: UPSC परीक्षा को समझने से आरंभ करें। प्रारंभिक परीक्षा (वस्तुनिष्ठ प्रकार), मुख्य परीक्षा (वर्णनात्मक प्रकार), और साक्षात्कार (व्यक्तित्व परीक्षण) जैसे चरणों के बारे में विस्तृत जानकारी प्राप्त करें। पात्रता मानदंड, पाठ्यक्रम और अंकन योजना का अध्ययन करें ताकि आपको यह स्पष्ट रूप से समझ में आ सके।
2. पाठ्यक्रम को समझें: UPSC के पाठ्यक्रम को विस्तार से अध्ययन करें। इसे विषय और विषयों में विभाजित करें और एक सम्पूर्ण अध्ययन योजना बनाएं। पाठ्यक्रम इतिहास, भूगोल, राजनीति, अर्थशास्त्र, विज्ञान, और करंट अफेयर्स जैसे विभिन्न विषयों को कवर करता है। पूरे पाठ्यक्रम को समझने के लिए समय निकालें।
3. अध्ययन सामग्री इकट्ठा करें: हिंदी में आवश्यक अध्ययन सामग्री इकट्ठा करें, जिसमें मानक पाठ्यपुस्तकें, संदर्भ पुस्तकें, और UPSC के लिए विशेष अध्ययन सामग्री शामिल हैं। कुछ सुझाए गए पुस्तकें विषयवार निम्नलिखित हैं:

• इतिहास: ‘भारतीय स्वतंत्रता की लड़ाई’ – बिपन चंद्र, ‘आधुनिक भारत का इतिहास’ – स्पेक्ट्रम पब्लिकेशन्स।
• भूगोल: ‘प्रमाणपत्र भूगोल और मानव भूगोल’ – जी.सी. लियॉन्ग, ‘ओक्सफ़ोर्ड स्कूल एटलस’ – ऑक्सफ़ोर्ड यूनिवर्सिटी प्रेस।
• राजनीति: ‘भारतीय राजनीति’ – एम. लक्ष्मीकांत, ‘भारतीय संविधान का परिचय’ – डी.डी. बासु।
• अर्थशास्त्र: ‘भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था’ – रमेश सिंह, ‘आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण’ – भारत सरकार द्वारा प्रकाशित।
• विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी: एनसीईआरटी की कक्षा 6 से 10 तक की पाठ्यपुस्तकें, ‘विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी’ – स्पेक्ट्रम पब्लिकेशन्स।

4. करंट अफेयर्स पर ध्यान केंद्रित करें: समाचार पत्र, पत्रिकाएं और ऑनलाइन स्रोतों के माध्यम से करंट अफेयर्स में अद्यतन रहें। हिंदी में The Hindu, द इंडियन एक्सप्रेस, या हिंदुस्तान टाइम्स जैसे समाचार पत्र पढ़ें। इसके अलावा, योजना, कुरुक्षेत्र और इकोनॉमिक एंड पॉलिटिकल वीक्ली जैसी मासिक पत्रिकाएं भी पढ़ें। महत्वपूर्ण करंट अफेयर्स विषयों और उनके विषयों के संबंध में नोट्स बनाएं।
5. उत्तर लेखन कौशल विकसित करें: UPSC में उत्तर लेखन को महत्वपूर्ण रखा गया है। पिछले साल के प्रश्न पत्र और नमूना प्रश्नों के उत्तर लिखने का अभ्यास करें। अपने उत्तरों की संरचना, स्पष्टता, और सुसंगतता पर ध्यान दें। सवालों का प्रभावी विश्लेषण करना, प्रासंगिक जानकारी प्रदान करना, और तर्कों को तार्किक ढंग से प्रस्तुत करना सीखें।
6. समय प्रबंधन: UPSC की तैयारी में समय प्रबंधन महत्वपूर्ण है। एक नियमित अध्ययन अनुसूची तैयार करें और उसे अपनाएं। ध्यान दें कि आपका अध्ययन स्थिर और नियमित होना चाहिए। अवकाश, खान-पान, और मनोरंजन के लिए समय भी निर्धारित करें।
7. संघटित और मेंटर की खोज करें: ऑफ़लाइन या ऑनलाइन संघटनाओं, कोचिंग प्रोग्रामों, और स्टडी ग्रुप्स में शामिल हों। आपको अनुभवी मेंटरों से मार्गदर्शन प्राप्त करना चाहिए और उनसे संबंधित सवालों का उत्तर प्राप्त करना चाहिए।

हिंदी में UPSC की तैयारी शुरू करने के लिए एक सिद्धांतमय और ध्यानसंपन्न प्रयास की आवश्यकता होती है। परीक्षा को समझें, पाठ्यक्रम को समझें, अध्ययन सामग्री को इकट्ठा करें, करंट अफेयर्स पर ध्यान केंद्रित करें, उत्तर लेखन कौशल को विकसित करें, समय प्रबंधन करें, और संघटित और मेंटर की मदद लें। धैर्य, समर्पण, और सकारात्मक मानसिकता रखें, और आप UPSC परीक्षा में सफलता को हासिल करेंगे।

Preparations Phase and Problem Faced by Aspirants

The Civil Service Examination’s extensive syllabus is the feature that makes it so challenging. Therefore, one of the main issues experienced by students who prepare without any professional coaching is the absence of appropriate materials and competent supervision. When it comes to pertinent booklists or study tools, students are at a loss. There are endless amounts of resources available online and in bookstores. As a result, recent graduates always have “too many books and too little time”!

When it comes to covering the full syllabus, the approach is the crucial component. While several topics are really important and score well, many others can be missed. The abundance of the syllabus and free resources may overwhelm new candidates, and they may waste a lot of time trying to align them. Next comes effective time management. Coaching’s assist candidates in creating a schedule. Because of this, it is challenging to effectively manage time while lacking it.

You might also need assistance with your problem areas; without coaching, it would be quite difficult to fulfil this demand. Furthermore, no candidate is capable of evaluating their own descriptive responses. But does that imply that joining a coaching programme is a must for a UPSC aspirant? Well, the answer is still no. But while studying for the IAS Exam without coaching, there are several important considerations to take into account.

Preparing for the UPSC exam without coaching is challenging but certainly achievable. By following a disciplined study routine, utilizing available resources, and staying motivated, you can excel in the exam. Remember that consistency, self-evaluation, and continuous learning are key. With determination and hard work, you can pave your own path towards success.

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