2/16/2015 HowToPrepareForPrelims,TipsForCivilServicesPreliminaryExam,HowToPrepareCivilServicesPreliminaryExamination,CivilServices

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20title%3D%22How%20To%20Prepare%20For%20Prelims%20(CSAT)%22%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20 1/2

HowToPrepareForPrelims(CSAT)TheCivilServicesAptitudeTest(CSAT)includestwoobjectivetypequestionpapersoftwohundredmarksandtwohourstimedurationforeachpaper.OneisonGeneralStudiesandtheotherisGeneralAptitudePaper(whichhasnowreplacedtheoptionalsubjectthatwasthereearlier).WiththeCivilServiceexamhavingverylimitedseatsit'saverydifficultexamtocrack.Manystudentsappearmultipletimestoclearit.

Changesinformatsofquestionpapersalwaystendtocreatealotofmentaldiscomfortinstudents.Manystudentsarefearfulofsubjectslikemathematics.Thisfearmaybebaselessconsideringthechangeslaygreateremphasisonthe"aptitude"whichmainlyinvolvesreasoningskillsandnotjustmathematics.

Thecivilservicesexaminationisbasicallyatesttochoosesuitableadministrators.Itteststhecandidaterightfromthestagewhenonestartsthepreparation.Onecommonmisconceptionabouttheprelimsisthatitisatestoffactsandfigures.Thatwasneversoandspeciallynow.Acandidateshouldhavetherightframeofmindandthewillpowertosucceedintheexam.Aproperactionplanisneededforthepreparationitselfsincehe/shewillbetestedforsomeessentialqualitieslikepowerofretention,clarityofconcepts,abilitytoidentifythecorrectalternativeswithefficiencyandaccuracy.Allthisrequiresaquickdecisionmakingpower.

Withthenewpattern,morestressisonlanguageskillsandanalysisanddecisionmakingcapacities,soworkontheseonaconsistentbasisastheseareskillsthataredevelopedoveryearsandnotjustinafewmonths.Itwouldbeadvisedtostartfocusingonyourproblemsolvingandlanguageskillsassoonasyoudecidetotaketheseexams.

Paper1isonGeneralStudies

Thisincludesareaslike1. IndianNationalMovement,IndianPolity,BasicEconomicUnderstanding,Geography2. Whilethedynamicpartincludescurrentaffairs,GKandhasnoproperdefinitionandsyllabus

makingquitevast.

Paper2includesmathematics,reasoning,analyticalability,andinterpersonalskills.Unlikepaper1whichhasastaticpart,paper2isdynamicinmanysense.

Unlikepaper1wherequantityofquestionsisamajordeterminantforthestaticsection,paper2cannotbetamedwithoutsolvingdynamicquestions,thatrequiresonthespotmentalability.

Sincethepreliminaryexaminparticularisatestofendurance,candidatemustprepareonthephysicalaswellasmentallevel.Themainconstraintisthetimeonegetstoanswerthequestions.Onanaverageonegetsaround40secondsforeachquestion.

Onesurewayofdealingwiththisstressistotakeafewdeepbreaths.MeditationandYogaalsohelpindealingwithstresstoagreatextent.

Theprelimsexamsinceisamultiplechoicequestiontest,itneedsadifferentpreparationandaproperstrategy.Thefirstthingacandidateneedstobearinmindisthattheexaminationisdesignedtoevaluatecertainqualitieslikeasharpmemoryandbasicretentionpower.Therearewaystoincreaseone'smemorylikepreparingcharts.Onegetsconfusedwhenfacedwithmindbogglingfactsandfigures.Importantfactsandfigurescanbesimplifiedandrepresentedonchartsandtheycanarrangedintheformoftablesorgraphs.Anotherthingtorememberistomakeshortandbriefnotesoneach

2/16/2015 HowToPrepareForPrelims,TipsForCivilServicesPreliminaryExam,HowToPrepareCivilServicesPreliminaryExamination,CivilServices

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Ch1%20title%3D%22How%20To%20Prepare%20For%20Prelims%20(CSAT)%22%20style%3D%22boxsizing%3A%20 2/2

topicsothattheentiresyllabuscanberevisedafewdaysbeforetheexam.

Itisbettertousediagramsandlinkwordswhichmakeiteasiertounderstanddifficultconcepts.Onemoretechniquetohelpinretaininginformationistheuseofabbreviations.Sincethesyllabusinvolvesexhaustiveinformationabbreviationshelpyoutorememberitbetter.Itisagoodmethodtorememberdates,factsandfiguresinapictureformatandtobreakupcomplexnamesandplacesintosmallerandsimplerwords.Thelastandthemostimportanttechniqueistodoregularrevision.Thishelpsinretainingthemaximuminformation.Aseparatetimeslotshouldbegiventodoingnotonlyregularbutmultiplerevisionslikedaily,weekly,monthlyetc.

Manycandidatesmakeamistakeofoverloadingthemselveswithlotsofinformationandenduprememberingnothing.Oneshouldbeabletodifferentiatebetweenrelevantandirrelevantinformation.Sincethepreliminaryexamisaneliminationroundthecandidateshouldalsolearntofocusonlyontheinformationneededandfilterouttherest.Ithelpstodiscusswithfriendsandteachersbutthemostreliablewayistosolvepastyearsquestionpapers.Oneshouldalsokeepabreastwithcurrenteventsandinformationrelatedtothem.

Animportantthingtorememberisthatforthisexamitisnotjustenoughtorememberinformationbuttounderstandtheconceptsaswell.Insteadofmemorizingfactsandfigures,conceptualclarityinneeded.Thequestionsaskedareof10+2level.Thereforeemphasishastobeonconceptualclarity.Anyconcepthastobeunderstoodwithitsorigin,meritsanddemerits,thenitneedstobeanalyzedwithotherrelevanttopicsandlastlyithastobecorrelatedwiththeeventsthathavetakenplaceduringtheyear.

Thepreliminaryexamrequirescandidateswhohavetheacumenandtheabilitytochoosetherightoptionfromfourgivenoptions.Thisneedsapropermethodofelimination.Itisagoodideatogothroughpreviousyearsandmodelquestionpapersandsolveasmanyofthemaspossible.TakingamocktestofacertainnumberofG.S.questionsandmathematicsandgeneralabilityquestionswouldbeagoodpracticeworkandhelptopickoutthemostappropriateoption.

Eachprelimspaperisfortwohoursbutalotoftimeiswastedinsigningattendancesheetsetc,thereforethereisalotofneedforeffectiveTimeManagementisneededfortheactualexam.Itisnotenoughtoknowtherightanswerbutithastobemarkedcorrectlyontheanswersheet.SpeedandAccuracyareimportant,sosolvingmodelquestionpapersonaregularbasiswouldbeagreathelp.

Agoodpresenceofmindisneededtoeliminatetheleastappropriateoptionsandarriveattherightone.Howeverbewareofnegativemarkingsoitisbettertomarkonlysureshotanswersthanmakingguesses.

Throughoutthepreparationfortheprelimsexam,itisimportanttorememberthatanytopicorconceptshouldnotbestudiedinisolation.Itisbettertounderstandandestablishacorrelationbetweenrelatedconceptsfromothersubjectsandcurrenteventsandhappenings.

Evenwithallthispreparation,itisnecessarytohaveapositiveattitudeandagreatamountofwillpowertosucceedtoachieveyourgoalthatofgettingthroughthecivilservicesexaminationwithflyingcolors!