IPS officer shares key tips to crack UPSC exams, says 'self-study better than coaching'

Cracking civil services exams in India is a matter of pride for many as it requires a lot of hard work and dedication. However, people who have cleared their UPSC exams would never suggest doing hard work as their only mantra for success is smart work. A young IPS officer has some very good tips on how to prepare for UPSC exams doing smart work, where aspirants must apply “minimum books, maximum revision’ technique and are even allowed to use social media if they like. 

'Quality not quantity' 

Lakshay Pandey, who is Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Delhi, shared a few points on Twitter for UPSC aspirants who are preparing for upcoming examinations. Pandey starts by saying, “self-study is better than any coaching”, and solving and revising tests would go a long way than rote learning. Pandey’s key tip is to manage the time accordingly based on his belief in “quality and not quantity”. 

Pandey shared a four-page note titled ‘How to start preparations for UPSC civil services?’. Pandey advises aspirants to purchase all the books mentioned in his post and then to make a timetable keeping certain points in mind. Pandey advises to participate in physical activities and to sleep for 7-8 hours every day, important tasks many UPSC aspirants ignore in order to keep up with the syllabus. 

Pandey further recommends aspirants never isolate themselves and always keep in touch with family members and friends. Pandey says that the most important thing to do while preparing for UPSC examinations is to keep solving and reassessing tests. The IPS officer suggests reading newspapers for a minimum of 45 minutes each day, but never more than an hour. In the end, Pandey said he will share more tips for mains-related queries in addition to the above-mentioned strategy.  

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