UPSC Exam Preparation
UPSC Exam Preparation
MENTAL PREPARATION
Even though you have spent the last several months preparing for the exam, you are probably feeling slightly anxious about the Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam. In addition to developing an approach to each section of the exam, you need to be mentally prepared for the challenges presented by the exam. Most test takers feel some anxiety, and the most prepared are those who have worked hard and learnt to manage that anxiety. Having a plan to manage stress is essential for achieving your optimal score.
Be Positive
If you encounter a situation expecting to be successful, you are much more likely to be successful than if you expect to fail. Consider the following two statements by two different students:
— I am never going to get this. If I mess the Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam, I will be a failure in life.
— I am well prepared and deserve to do my best. I know what to expect and I am ready to succeed.
Know the Test
When you take an aptitude test such as the Civil Services Aptitude Test, you have a lot of work to complete in a limited amount of time. Mastering the huge quantum of syllabus, by its very design, makes the Civil Exams a stressful experience. However, you have worked hard and learned how it works, and you know what to expect.
Keep in mind:
An easy question appears on the test – handle the easy question with extreme caution. Most of the aspirants will get an easy question right. Even you will get it right, but even on an easy question there is a chance of you making a silly mistake. So, if a question seems easy to you, take a moment extra to double check on the answer, before you finalize and choose the answer.
A hard question on the test is a good sign , not a bad one. A bulk of students would not have prepared properly for the exam and such students will not be able to handle a difficult question. Remember that you have to “earn” the hard questions on this test. The hard questions are the differentiating factor-they separate the grains from the chaff. By getting difficult questions right, you ensure your selection to the next stage.
If a question looks really strange or too difficult for you, take a breath and remain calm. Try to figure out what is it testing, and apply the appropriate technique. If you are absolutely stumped, just move on. Maintain the pacing and approach you have learned from your practice tests. Do not let a horrible question shake your confidence.
Accuracy vs. Attempts – Your selection does not depend on attempting more questions, but on getting more questions right. The sword of Negative Marking also hangs on your head.
Control the Physiological Responses to Anxiety
It’s normal to feel a little nervous on the day of a big event. Your breathing gets shallow, and you may even feel a little sick in your stomach. Something that you can do, that will ameliorate these symptoms, is deep breathing. Close your eyes and imagine that your torso is an empty cylinder. Take a deep breath, filling the cylinder. Slowly release all the air from the top of the cylinder to the bottom. You will feel yourself that you have started to relax within the first few breaths. Your breathing should be deep and regular. This exercise will generally take about half a minute. It is time well spent because folks who are highly stressed are not going to give their best performance. Once you have given your brain that little extra oxygen and gotten yourself focused back on the task at hand rather than on your stress, get back to the test and start cracking the questions.
Take Care of Yourself
In the days leading up to the test, try to get regular exercise and adequate sleep. Exercise, even a short walk, helps you manage your stress. You may have a little trouble sleeping the night before the test, so you want to be well rested in the days leading up to the test. To be at your best, your body must be conditioned to be awake and ready to work at the time that your test paper is given. Become accustomed to waking up at the proper time for the entire week leading up to the test.
It is also important not to go to bed at a ridiculously early hour the night before the exam. Fourteen hours of sleep the night before the test is not necessary, and any deviation from the sleep schedule you have established in the final week is a dangerous idea.
Continue with Your Visualization Techniques
The final week leading up to the Prelim can inspire all kinds of negative thinking. Being excited about the test is normal, even helpful. Letting the importance of the Prelims inspire feeling of dread is not.
Use your stress management techniques to keep yourself in proper focus through the end of the exam: Now is not the time to start thinking that you are going to fail.
The Night before the Test
Do not over study the evening before your test! Your performance depends on your work over the last several months, not in the last few hours before the exam. Have a light dinner or watch a movie. Do not do any more practice work because you are as ready as you are going to be.
A Final Word
It is important that you chase success in the exam with the single mindedness of a cricketer who wants to win at least the man of the match award, if not the man of series award.
What is most important is just to retain your cool and take the exam with the Attitude of a Winner. You can be the master of your destiny if your attitude is right.
Do not get into the habit of sitting in your room and studying endlessly. Instead, freshen up a bit and interact with your peers who are also preparing for the exam. Learn what they are working on, which books, what problems they are facing etc. This will keep the fire burning in your belly and will give you reasons to work harder
Note: Courtesy : Rau’s IAS Study Circle, New Delhi, Jaipur and Bangalore