Almost 486952 students appeared in UPSC 20 Prelims out of 1056835 applications, but only 10343 students were called for the UPSC Mains Exam. The Preliminary Exam for UPSC is the most competitive stage of the entire process of civil services examination. But what you need to know is that you need one seat. Now does it sound very arduous? To increase your score, you need to follow a structured and strategic approach. Several tips can help you improve your score in the UPSC Preliminary Examination. Some of these include:

Tips & Tricks to Improve Your Score in UPSC Prelims Exams

Having a clear attitude:

Pupils give little attention to their attitude. However, this is the most important thing to take care of while preparing for the UPSC Prelims Exam. That is why the emphasis should be on the right mental state or attitude. Your mindset should be very positive. We, humans, tend to overthink the results. Therefore, we feel pressured all the time. Avoid thinking about the outcome and focus on your studies as much as possible.

Knowing and understanding your exam pattern and syllabus:

Make sure you thoroughly understand the UPSC Preliminary Exam Pattern and Syllabus. It will help you to focus on the relevant topics and prepare accordingly. The best way to understand the exam pattern is to go through the Prelims Previous Year's Question Papers and understand the nature of the questions that have already been asked. It would be best to focus more on topics that are asked recurrently.

Revisit previous years' questions:

Solve UPSC Prelims Previous Year's Question Papers to understand the exam pattern, question types, and difficulty level. It will help you to manage your time and improve your accuracy.

Make a detailed study plan:

Once you have covered the fundamentals, make a study plan that covers all the topics and gives you enough time to revise. Allocate sufficient time for each subject and try to stick to the program.

Take a rest of an hour every day to do what you love most:

Take proper sleep of a minimum of 7-8 hours; your body should feel well-rested. Take a day off from studying at least once a month. Avoid negative people.

Focus on conceptual clarity:

Build conceptual clarity rather than just memorising facts. Try understanding the underlying concepts and their application in real-life scenarios - Mug up NCERT books for UPSC (VI to X and XI & XII from Old and New Syllabus).

Revising regularly:

Revise the topics regularly to retain the information and reinforce your understanding. Make notes of important points and formulas for quick revision. If you have prepared well and need help remembering what you studied at the examination center, all your hard work is useless. Go through the NCERT Books for UPSC time & again. You jotted all the learning on your notes while reading the books. Remember, don't start anything new. Your handwritten notes are the best things to study for the UPSC Prelims Exam.

Read newspapers and current issues magazines:

Daily News Analysis (Current Affairs) is essential to the UPSC Preliminary Exam, and you should stay updated with the latest news and events. Read newspapers like The Hindu and Indian Express and magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, Down to Earth, and Economic and Political weekly.

Practice mock tests:

Take mock tests regularly to assess your preparation and identify your weak areas. Analyze your performance after each test and work on improving your mistakes. Therefore, you should practice every day to improve your accuracy and speed.

Avoid negative marking:

UPSC introduced negative Marking in 2007 and a wrong answer can make your rank slip by a significant margin. If you have doubts, keep them for later, and once you give all the answers, attempt the hard questions.

Read the question carefully:

Many students choose the wrong option despite knowing the answer because they didn't read it correctly. Double-check your answer before rounding it out in the OMR sheet.

Revise your syllabus:

Don't try to do something new when the test is two months away. Revise subject-wise, follow your notes, and don't start something new. Have confidence in your plan.

Trim your syllabus and read minimum sources:

The UPSC Prelims Syllabus is lengthy. Trimming your syllabus means removing some topics which are worth very fewer marks. It would help if you were very particular about what to read and what not to read. You will learn that many topics require less attention if you scrutinise your syllabus and fewer questions are asked in the exam from such topics. Thus, you must find and pay less attention to such topics in your preparation. It will save you time, and you can focus on essential topics.

•    Time Management during exam hours:

You will only get 120 minutes to solve 100 questions in Paper I and 80 in Paper II. You will miss many questions if you don't spend time prudently. So, if you get stuck on any question, move on to the next without wasting time. 

Revision:

It is imperative to incorporate efficient revision techniques to improve your score in the UPSC Preliminary Examination. It plays an extremely vital role in the entire UPSC Preparation. However, it is even more critical during the last few days before the examination. Some revision techniques can significantly improve your final UPSC Prelims Examination score.
1.    Mind-Mapping - Mind mapping is a simple, visual way to organise ideas for better clarity and recall. It's a powerful technique that helps you visualise and communicate your thoughts to others. Mind maps focus on only one central concept or idea and are based on radial hierarchies and tree structures.
2.    Memory-Hooks - Memory hooks are techniques that help you remember things more easily. They can be anything that triggers your memory, such as an emotion, an image, a place, a person, or a piece of music1. A good memory hook often appeals to the primary senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
3.    Use of Mnemonics - Mnemonics allow you to retain information through different means. Make your mnemonics include otherwise lengthy and bulky information.
4.    Calculated Guesswork - Calculated guesswork refers to making an educated guess based on available information. For example, in exams with negative Marking, calculated guesswork involves eliminating options and only attempting a question if you have a 50% probability of getting it right.
Preparation for UPSC preliminary examination requires consistent efforts and a strategic approach. Stay motivated and keep practicing, and you will surely succeed. Believe in yourself.