Today’s world has become a more distracting place. Ever-increasing interruptions impact UPSC aspirant’s productivity and if remain unchecked could end up in a catastrophic result. In this article, we will be sharing few feasible ways in which a student can improve both his efficiency and productivity-two most important attributes in civil services examination preparation.

Develop a plan/routine: Aspirants feel that they are running against the time as they are under a constant popular belief that everything under the sun should be known and that too in a limited amount of time.  A student should always remember that UPSC has a well-defined syllabus and it is incumbent upon him/her to follow it religiously and sincerely. UPSC is less a platform to evaluate your knowledge and more to show how effective one has outlined his strategy that should preferably be weekly and executed the same for the exam. It becomes imperative for a candidate to design an executable strategy.

An organized way of study consumes less time and increases productivity as the aspirant defines a well-demarcated boundary under which he navigates. One must heed the saying that, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Revision and Mock papers: We all have heard the cliché that “practice makes a man perfect” and certainly clichés have their own value. A timely revision is a sine qua non for this exam especially because one has to study so many different subjects. Revision increases our productivity as it helps us in remembering topics, facts, concepts that we have studied and equally make us more efficient as we become well acquainted with the subject and syllabus. It also increases our confidence and reduces our anxiety as aspirants find their preparation far more predictable and manageable.

A serious candidate should also join mock test papers of prestigious coaching Institutes such as GS SCORE. Mock papers are designed in the Institute in such a way that it covers almost every syllabus of the topic and hence solving at least two mock papers every week will help students in getting a systematic revision of the syllabus in a very coherent manner.

Both solving mock papers and regular revision mechanize our entire preparation for the exam and an aspirant will find himself into a structured rhythm. This continuous momentum would eventually increase the productivity and efficiencies of an aspirant.

Relaxing and de-stressing: A student should understand that Human beings aren’t designed to expend energy continuously. We are meant to pulse between spending and recovering energy. The overwhelming syllabus of UPSC mold students in such a way that he ends up living an unsustainable life which eventually reduces his productivity during study hours. We must understand that both time and energy are finite but energy is renewable.A student must incorporate a healthy lifestyle like eating nutritious food, regular exercise, Yoga, sufficient sleep, and meditation to reinvigorate his body and mind which will logically boost his productivity. Also, spending time on hobbies such as jogging, singing, poetry, playing video-games, etc not only makes us happier and more relaxed but also improves our productivity, focus, and creativity, and eventually, it will allow a candidate to excel in the exams.

Minimize distractions: The technology of the internet has made us capable of entertaining our desires and fancies so affordable and accessible but it should for no reason affect one’s productivity especially that of a UPSC aspirant. Incorporation of social media platforms such as Telegram, YOUTUBE has become imperative and unavoidable for the aspirants but it must not come at the cost of valuable and irretrievable time. The student needs a mentor who can guide him to find lectures or shows on YOUTUBE and to participate in which virtual community of like-minded people to share and discuss their doubts that are important, meaningful, and relevant to him. Candidate must cultivate the ability to use the empowering tool of the internet to increase his productivity by accessing only those resources which would add value in one’s preparation.

MS Dhoni once said that the “process is more important than outcomes”.We all know that UPSC is a very long drawn, rigorous and multi-level examination, so in such case making small but significant targets which are in sync with our larger aim of qualifying for the exam are extremely helpful in increasing productivity. Candidate should not live in the delusion that there is a commodity in the market that will overnight increase their productivity. It will take some time. During exam preparation, we must learn to value and cherish our long but meaningful journey because as nature has taught us “evolution is the real revolution”. We at GS score hope that a candidate by steadfastly following the above-suggested measures, along with the personal guidance under our reputed faculties and being honest with himself the aspirant would experience a positive gradation in his productivity and logically would qualify in the civil services examination.

About the author- Manoj K Jha, Director G S Score