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How to Prepare for the UPSC Prelims 2023 Exam?

Ritesh Kumar May 20, 2023 01:19 5253 0

How to Prepare for the UPSC Prelims 2023 Exam?

UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy 2023: UPSC Prelims exam is the first stage of the IAS selection process. Every year, the Union Public Service Commission conducts civil service examinations to recruit eligible civil service officers in various departments.

As per the official UPSC calendar, UPSC Prelims 2023 is scheduled to be held on May 28, 2023. As there are less than two weeks left for the exam, candidates should adhere to the robust UPSC prelims preparation. strategy to crack the exam in one attempt.

Going by the previous trends and analysis, the difficulty level of the UPSC IAS prelims exam has been reported as moderate level. Thus, the candidates require a solid preparation strategy to maximize their qualifying chances in this round.

In broader terms, the first selection stage,i.e. Prelims exam contains two papers of objective type. This round is considered the easiest among all the rounds, however, it still takes a proper approach on the part of the aspirants to ace it with flying colors.

In this blog, we have shared the detailed UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy 2023 recommended by experts and previous year toppers along with the best prelims preparation books.

UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy 2023: Important Topics and Exam Format

Before commencing the preparation, it is crucial for the candidates to understand the UPSC Prelims syllabus and exam format prescribed by the commission. This will help them to align their UPSC prelims preparation strategy with the actual exam requirements.

UPSC Prelims 2023 Exam Important Topics

The first step of preparation is to check and follow the IAS Prelims syllabus. Basically, the prelims syllabus is divided into two parts i.e. General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II. Check the paper-wise important topics below:

UPSC Prelims Important Topics
Paper I Paper II
Current events of national and international importance.

Indian Polity and Governance

History of India and Indian National Movement.

Indian and World Geography

Economic and Social Development

General Science.

Environmental ecology, Climate Change, and Bio-diversity.

Comprehension

Interpersonal skills

Decision-making and problem-solving

General mental ability

Logical reasoning and analytical ability;

Basic numeracy

Data interpretation

UPSC Prelims Format 2023

After knowing the important topics, one should also check the exam pattern in order to align their UPSC Prelims preparation strategy with the exam format.

  • As per the UPSC prelims exam pattern, there shall be two sections in the UPSC prelims 2023 exam i.e. GS Paper I and GS Paper II (CSAT).
  • The question papers will carry objective type (multiple choice questions) with two hours duration for each section.
  • The General Studies Paper-II will be a qualifying paper with a minimum mark of 33%.
  • The medium question papers will be in Hindi and English.
  • A negative marking of one-third (0.33) marks will be applicable for every incorrect answer marked by the candidates.
Subject Maximum Marks Duration
General Studies I 200 2 hours
General Studies II (CSAT) 200 2 hours

7 Magical UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy on How to Study for IAS

Acing the UPSC prelims 2023 exam is extremely important in order to get shortlisted for the further selection round. Lakhs of candidates appear in the prelims, but only a handful of them are declared qualified for the next rounds.

Thus, the candidates should adhere to the unique IAS prelims preparation strategy to cover all the aspects of the exam. Let’s discuss the top 7UPSC prelims preparation strategy by toppers and experts for ease of the aspirants.

Analyse IAS Prelims Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The first UPSC prelims preparation strategy is that the candidate should check the IAS syllabus and exam pattern so that they can study only the relevant topics and get an idea of the exam format and weightage of questions prescribed by the commission. This will allow them to focus only on the topics from which questions can be asked in the exam.

Clear the Basic Concepts

The next UPSC prelims preparation tip is that one should build a strong grip on the basic concepts of all the topics prescribed in the UPSC syllabus. For that, begin with the NCERTs textbook.

Make sure to cover the entire NCERTs in order to learn fundamentals of all subjects from Class VI to XII and then refer to the subject-specific books to cover the advanced level topics.

Focus on CSAT preparation

The CSAT is paper 2 of the prelims exam conducted to assess the aptitude and logical reasoning skills of the candidates. Even though it is a qualifying paper, still if aspirants fail to secure minimum qualifying marks in this paper then they will not be called to appear in the further selection round.

Thus, it is crucial for the IAS aspirants to build the foundation and practice unlimited questions to excel in the section.

Read Current Affairs

Current affairs are the most crucial part of the UPSC prelims preparation strategy. It has been observed that a lot of questions are asked about current affairs directly or indirectly in the prelims exam.

So, candidates should inculcate the habit of reading newspapers and journals every day in order to stay updated with the latest events happening across the globe. Also, memorizing and revising current affairs regularly will help them to answer all the questions correctly in the civil services exam.

Practice mock test papers

The right UPSC Prelims preparation strategy is to solve the maximum number of questions correctly in less time. For this, one needs to practice unlimited mock papers, sample papers, etc to understand the question paper format and boost their question-solving speed.

Moreover, they should also analyze their performance after attempting the test in order to improve the areas they are weak.

Solve Previous Year Question Paper

Solving UPSC previous year’s question papers for the prelim exam is one of the best resources to revise all the covered concepts. Thus, the candidates should practice UPSC prelims PYQ papers of the last 5 years to get familiar with the exam trends, difficulty level, and types of questions frequently asked in the civil services examination.

Revise Regularly

Revision should be a part of the UPSC Prelims preparation strategy in order to excel in the exam. Moreover, candidates should prepare the study plan in a way that they get enough time to revise everything at the end of the day. With this, they should create short notes for all the topics as it would be beneficial in last-minute revision

Best Books for UPSC Prelims Preparation 2023

When preparing the IAS prelims preparation strategy, candidates should refer to the books recommended by the UPSC toppers and experts. The right books will help them to cover all the aspects of the syllabus. Hence, we have shared below the highly-recommended UPSC books and resources to simplify the preparation of the aspirants.

  • Ancient and Medival History by OnlyIAS
  • Art and Culture by OnlyIAS
  • Art and Culture Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Complete Geography by OnlyIAS
  • Disaster Management by OnlyIAS
  • Environment and Ecology by OnlyIAS
  • Environment and Ecology Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Geography and Disaster Management Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Government Scheme by OnlyIAS
  • Indian Economy by OnlyIAS
  • Indian Economy Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Indian Polity by OnlyIAS
  • Polity and Governance Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Science and Technology by OnlyIAS
  • Science and Tech Current Affairs by OnlyIAS
  • Modern History by OnlyIAS
  • Monthly Current Affairs Magazine by OnlyIAS
  • OnlyIAS Kurukshetra Magazine
  • OnlyIAS Monthly PSIR Bulletin
  • OnlyIAS Sociology Current Affairs Magazine
  • OnlyIAS Youjna Magazine

UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy 2023 FAQs

Q1. How can I start preparing for UPSC Prelims?

Ans. To commence the UPSC prelims preparation, one should cover the vast IAS syllabus by using expert-recommended books and attempt unlimited mock tests to obtain favorable results in the civil services exam.

Q2. How much time is required to prepare for UPSC Prelims?

Ans. Candidates need to devote 7-8 hours daily in order to prepare well for the UPSC prelims exam.

Q3. Are UPSC Prelims difficult?

Ans. Going by the previous trend and analysis, questions asked in the IAS prelims exam are of moderate level. So, candidates should adhere to the unique UPSC prelims preparation strategy to excel in the exam.

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Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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