According to IAS officers, effective revision is crucial for scoring well in UPSC CSE. Drawing from their experiences, they offer revision techniques to assist aspirants in achieving a strong score and securing a spot on the final list.
1.Minimum syllabus, maximum revision
IAS Akshita Gupta scored 299 out of 500 in her optional subject of medical science. “I scored well in my optional because I used to revise daily. Smart revision is the ultimate key,” she says.
She suggests aspirants jot down important facts about every topic in a clean thin register. This helps to revise a day before the exam and retain facts about almost every topic.
“When you start your day, revise what you learnt the previous day. It is not time-consuming and also helps you retain knowledge. Keep your syllabus minimum, but revision maximum,” says the IAS officer.
2.Read-revise-rectify-repeat
IAS Himanshu Gupta, who cleared the 2020 exam with an AIR of 139, advises aspirants to read less and revise more.
He says that unless one revises enough times, any sort of preparation for the UPSC CSE is pointless.
“Keep your sources fixed and ensure you follow a simple technique of read-revise-rectify-repeat. This will ensure you are well prepared to tackle the examination,” he says.
3.Revise current affairs daily
Naveen Kumar Chandra, a 2017 batch IAS officer, says aspirants should revise at least 15 to 20 days’ worth of current affairs daily.
“Each day, they must also pick one subject from the general studies paper to revise thoroughly,” he adds.