Are you appearing for UPSC? One of the nightmares that most aspirants often have is forgetting what they learnt in the nick of time in the exam hall. UPSC is considered one of the toughest examinations in the country. While some students have their game plan on and are well-prepared to face the examinations, others are nervous, finishing their last-minute revisions.
In order to achieve good results, revision is undoubtedly key. However, revision demands the right strategy or else, it can go in vain. Revision of the topics making up the UPSC syllabus is one of the most important parts of IAS preparation. Therefore, we’ve come up with the best revision techniques for you with the hope they will help you revise better.
Before starting with the revision tips, we would like to advise the aspirants of the Civil Services Exam that they should take the Current Affairs Quiz on a daily basis because it is also one of the best ways to retain things in memory.
Tips to Ace Revision for the Civil Services Exam
- Set a timetable for revision – Creating a revision timetable is crucial for exam preparation. A lot of time in the day to revise what you have studied, preferably early mornings because our brains are the sharpest in the morning, but if you’re not a morning person, don’t fret; you can fix a time in the day to revise. When you do this daily, your brain gets used to the time and is ready for revision.
- There should be a time out – Inculcating periodic breaks between the study hour allows your memory to recover what is learnt. This act helps absorb information efficiently. It would be best if the content is revised, go through the concepts and sleep over, then review it the next morning.
- A quiet place is always solace – Get yourself a quiet and calm place for a concentrated revision of the topics. That quiet place may be your room, library, terrace, dorm, etc. To put it simply, you need a place where you do not get distracted. It’s obvious that you cannot revise in a coffee shop or while watching TV. Some instrumental music might be a good option as its soothing tune may help in concentrating and aids in revising.
- Sleeping time and duration – Sleep is the best way to recharge yourself. One may come across people giving advice on studying non-stop without any sleep. Discard such advice immediately because it is scientifically proven that for normal functioning of the human body and mind a good amount of sleep is crucial. Follow a set pattern for your sleep and rising. Despite putting in all the effort, if your mind and body are not in good health, then you have surely lost the battle. For revision, it is also extremely important to have that zeal and energy for the IAS exam that you had when you were learning.
- Previous years’ question paper – The importance of previous years’ question papers cannot be ignored when it comes to revision. The saying, ‘practice makes a man perfect’ stands true here because the more you solve question papers from past years, the more you will be able to cover up the topics that you had covered while studying.
At the very least, if one does not carry out regular revision of the topics covered, then all the efforts will go in vain. No revision or irregularity in revision would make it impossible for a candidate to recollect every topic with all its fine details accurately in the examination hall. Hence, allocate some time for revision at the end of every day, and keep a habit of revising all the topics covered in the week over the weekend.
The revision will help you recollect all the topics with ease, and as time progresses, you will be in a better position to answer the questions accurately. Aspirants of the UPSC exam are advised to imbibe a habit of reading Yojana magazine for a comprehensive coverage of the current affairs section.
