Every year, thousands of candidates write one of the most competitive exams UPSC, but only a few can make it to the final list with good marks. IAS officers say that smart revision is the ultimate key to managing a good score.
These IAS officers share revision techniques that aspirants can adopt.
A typical day for an aspirant: IAS officer Naveen Kumar Chandra secured an all-India rank of 490 in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2017. He says that candidates should revise at least 15 to 20 current affairs daily, and each day, they should also choose one topic. To revise well from general studies paper.
Minimum Course, Maximum Revision: IAS Akshita Gupta secured All India Rank of 69 in UPSC 2020. She scored 299 marks out of 500 in Medical Science optional subject due to smart revision.
“Revision gaps lead to memory loss. Since the syllabus is vast, one has to revise the content frequently so as not to get overwhelmed. I scored well in my electives because I revised daily. Smart revision is the ultimate key,” she says.
Akshita suggests writing important facts of every subject in a clean thin register. It helps to revise a day before the exam and retain facts in almost every subject.
“When you start your day, revise what you learned the previous day. It’s not time-consuming and helps you retain knowledge. Keep your syllabus to a minimum, but revise to the maximum,” says the IAS officer.
Read-modify-correct-repeat: IAS Himanshu Gupta who cleared UPSC thrice, recently with an all-India rank of 139 in 2020, advises aspirants to study less and revise more, without resorting to any formal coaching.
He says that unless one revises enough time, any kind of preparation for UPSC CSE is pointless. “Keep your resources steady and ensure that you follow the simple technique of read-revise-revise-repeat. This will ensure that you are well prepared to face the exam,” he said.
Edited by Pranita Bhat