IAS officer Namrata Jain secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 12 in the UPSC CSE 2018 examination. She shares her preparation process 30 days before prelims.
Make revisions your best friend: “The more time you spend in revision, the higher your chances of coming on top. Avoid delving into any new topic at this point.”
Use mock papers also for revision: More than solving any mock papers just prior to the examination date, use them to revise topics well.
Maintain a balance in your attempts: “If you find the paper easy, do not over-attempt the questions. Similarly, if the paper is tough, refrain from under-attempting,” she says.
Previous year papers will help understand a pattern: Aspirants should spend more time going through at least the last five years of question papers.
Rely on the elimination method: If there are four options, eliminate the ones you are certain do not fit the answer, then by logical deductions, try and arrive at the answer.
Follow this elimination method only in situations where you are unsure of the answer and not when you have no idea about the answer.
Reset your body clock: Different aspirants have different study schedules. While some may stay up the entire night, others have a habit of getting an afternoon nap.
“About 15 days before the prelims, it is important for aspirants to reset their body clocks,” she says.
Do not go into panic mode: If by nature you are someone who panics easily, she says, work on reducing that and focus on revision and staying calm.
Make dinner table conversations informative: “Steer dinner table conversations to topics that you are studying. This will allow you to assimilate various opinions on it,” she adds.