General
- Follow the exam pattern with consistency and PATIENCE
- Strategy to prepare
- Focus on one step at one time but with a broadened vision to incorporate Mains and Interview along with Prelims.
- Donot be afraid of the negative marking in Prelims
- Time Management
Main Exam
Here are some of the tips and techniques to score well in mains examination. Follow them at the best. Good Luck.
1. Writing skills matter a lot in the IAS Mains. Most of the candidates appearing for the Mains examination have a lot of knowledge, but lack writing skills. You should be able to present all the information/knowledge in a coherent and logical manner, as expected by the examiner. For example: Quoting with facts and substantiating your answer with related concepts and emphasizing your point of view.
2. Preparations for Mains examination should be done intensively.
3. It always helps if the choice of the optionals for the Prelims examination is one of the subjects chosen for the Mains.
After deciding the optional one should sort out the Main question papers according to the syllabus topics of the Mains examination. If one analyses these questions, after sometime the questions are repeated in one form or the other.
4. Prepare a standard answer to the question papers of the previous years. This will also make your task easy at the Mains examination.
5. Do Not miss the concepts. Questions asked are of the Masters level examination. Sometimes the questions are ‘conceptual’ in nature, aimed at testing the comprehension levels of the basic concepts.
6. Get a list of standard textbooks from the successful candidates, or other sources and also selective good notes. The right choice of reading material is important and crucial. You should not read all types of books as told by others.
7. Always target for Mains even while preparing for Preliminary examination. As there is much in common for study and there is little time for preparation for the Main examination after the results of the Prelims examination are announced.
8. While studying for the optional subjects, keep in mind that there is no scope for selective studies in IAS. The whole syllabus must be covered thoroughly. Equal stress and weight should be given to both the optional you have opted.
9. Note that in the ultimate analysis both subjects carry exactly the same amount of maximum marks.
10. For subjects like Mathematics and Statistics and Geography maps etc, practice is very important. One should also practice other subjects and should not treat the same examination, as an “experience gathering” exercise to get a chance for writing mains is a great thing, which you may not get again.
11. Go through the unsolved papers of the previous papers and solve them to stimulate the atmosphere of the examination.
12. Stick to the time frame. Speed is the very essence of this examination. Hence, time management assumes crucial importance.
13. For developing the writing skills, keep writing model answers while preparing for the Mains examination. This helps get into the habit of writing under time pressure in the Mains examination.
14. Never be over confident with your writing skills. It is too subjective and behavioral.
15. Develop and follow your own style of writing. Try not to be repetitive and maintain a flow in the style of your writing.
16. Never try to imitate others in the style of writing.
17. Sequential and systematic style of answering comes after a lot of practice and analysis of standard answers.
18. Try to stimulate the actual examination hours to judge the performance and to plug any loopholes.
19. Try not to exceed the word limit, as far as possible. Sticking to the word limit that will save time. Besides, the number of marks you achieve are not going to increase even if you exceed the word limit. It’s the quality that matters not the quantity.
20. Revision of subjects is very important. The reason is that you have been preparing for months or years together. It is a human tendency to forget something after some time.
21. Donot bother yourselves if you are unable to revise everything before examination. Write it legibly as it will simplify the evaluator’s task and he can read the answers easily.
22. Highlight the important points which are important.
23. Follow paragraph writing rather than essay form. A new point should start with a new paragraph.
24. If the question needs answer in point format give it a bullet format.
25. Keep sufficient space between two lines.
26. Try to maintain uniformity in your writing throughout the paper.
27. Under time pressure, the script should not go from bad to worse in the later stages of the answer sheets. This may irritate the evaluator.
28. Don’t count words after every answer. If you have practiced well you should reflexively know the approximate limit you made.
29. Give space and divide it by a dividing line between two questions.
30. One should target 1300/2000 marks in the Mains. The main cut off also varies from year to year.
31. Above all be patient and believe in God.
