IAS Preparation | How to prepare for IAS, IPS?

Hi friends, so you have completed your graduation and are looking for jobs. There are two sectors where you will search for jobs. First being Public sector and second is Private sector. If you have zeal to serve your country and want a government job then IAS and IPS is what you need to do.

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What is IAS/IPS?

IAS means Indian Administrative Services. IPS means Indian Police Services. If you want to become IAS or IPS officer you need to rank UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam. This exam is carried out by government of India. All the candidates appearing for the exam must be citizen of India.

Now let’s talk about UPSC exam, its exam pattern, syllabi etc. UPSC is conducted in three steps:

1. PRE
2. MAINS
3. ORAL

PRE exam is an eligibility test. By cracking it only one can appear for UPSC mains. PRE exam contains 2 papers each of 200 marks. First paper is based on general knowledge. Second one is related to aptitude. Marks of both this exams are combined together and cut off list is decided accordingly. This is done so that total numbers of candidates which get short listed are 12 times the no of vacant seats. The short listed candidates are eligible for appearing in UPSC mains.
For the year 2013 UPSC PRE will be conducted in MAY 2013.

UPSC PRE is divided into 2 papers as talked earlier. Now let’s know them in detail.

1. Social Study

Social study includes various topics some are listed below;
1.1. State Organization
1.2. Constitution
1.3. Geography
1.4. Economics
1.5. History
1.6. National Movements
1.7. Science
1.8. Latest Events
Each of these topics covers 25 to 30 marks. So you need to study each of this section thoroughly.

2. Aptitude

This paper has been included in UPSC from this year. Earlier candidates were given preference to select any subject of their choice. But from the year 2013 it has been made compulsory. Topics that come under this category are:

2.1. Common sense of the candidate
2.2. Communication skill
2.3. Thinking ability
2.4. Presence of mind
2.5. Maths
2.6. English grammar
2.7. Problem solving

Mental Ability has also been included in this category from the year 2013 onwards. If you are good in English then it will help you a lot as there is lot of weightage on this subject. For scoring good marks in this category you need to be strong in English Grammar and Maths. This two topics cover most of the marks.

So we have seen UPSC pre exams. Now let us talk about books that you should refer for the exam and how you need to prepare for the exam.

Must Read: UPSC Latest Updates

Everyone knows UPSC is a tough nut to crack. There are various books available in the market you can also get them from college library. They cost around 40 to 50 thousand. That is very less, so many colleges can easily buy them and provide to their students. Moreover you can also purchase them individually as per your requirements. If you are thinking for saving some bucks you can buy them from second book stores.

• Here is the list of some of the books you need to refer.

NCERT, IGNOU, Manorama Year Book, India Year Book, India Policy, Indian Constitution, Indian Parliament, Indian economics and Future Trends in India. There are many other books you can read.
Reading books is not sufficient you need to be updated about current affairs in India and World. For this you can read magazines like India Today. Moreover you should read Newspapers which focuses on national and International Issues. You should watch news channels like BBC, CNN etc. They help to keep you updated and also improve your vocabulary.

If you have graduated from other than science stream then you should prepare well because at least 25% of the questions are from this field. You must select two subjects that you want to prepare for UPSC mains. This will buy you some time to study.

Must Read: UPSC Books for Preparation

Preparing for such exam is not easy. You need to prepare your daily time table. Divide time for each subject wisely. For this you need to study for at least 10 hours a day. 

You can divide your time in the following fashion.

• Reading Newspaper for at least 1 hour

• Social study for 3 & half hours

• Aptitude study for 2 to 3 hours

• Elective subject 1 for 2 hours

• Elective subject 2 for 2 hours

Study for at least 2 hours or what you prefer and take rest. Studying in group will definitely help you. It helps in exchange of information, ideas and thoughts from different persons.

Finally, I will just say that studying is important but more important is staying optimistic. Stay focus, be confident about yourself, be patience and do hard-work.