The strategy for Prelims must include limiting the sources of material, revising them any number of times possible, and taking many mock tests.

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1. Limiting the source material

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A common mistake many aspirants make is going for multiple sources to cover a single area of the syllabus. As a general rule, this is not a very efficient way to go about the exam. Having adequate knowledge of all the possible available source materials and then picking the most suited to oneself is key. Moreover, having belief in one's own decision and sticking with the once chosen material makes all the difference.

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The market for CSE thrives on publishing new material every week. We do not have to run behind every new book/magazine made available.

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2. Revision

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Revising one book 10 times is far better than reading 10 books, each once. Given the ocean load of syllabus that is to be covered for the Preliminary Examination, one has to focus on revising what has been read, again and again, and while becoming more efficient with each subsequent revision.

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What subject is to be revised how many times is a permutation of the weightage of a particular subject in the previous year exams and the candidate's comfortability level with that particular subject. Buying a compilation of the previous year question papers which are segregated into different subjects is always beneficial. 

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3. Mock Tests

 

The most important aspect for most candidates in cracking the Preliminary Examination is taking mock tests. Any good test series providing a mix of sectional tests as well as comprehensive tests can be enrolled in. 

 

The purpose of mock tests is less of scoring higher and higher marks and more of becoming aware of how to spend those 2 hours with the paper. Getting comfortable with the number of questions one is expecting herself or himself to attempt, the number of rounds of attempts one should undertake in those 2 hours, and the accuracy of questions attempted is what is needed to be learned via the mock tests.

 

One common pitfall is giving preliminary mock tests via online mode. Nothing can be further from the demand of the exam. The UPSC demands OMR based marking for the Prelims and that is how the candidate must train herself or himself. All mock tests are best recommended to be practiced without any screens and on OMR sheets. It accustoms one to the pattern of the final examination. Filing the OMR sheet is an art in itself and only with adequate practice can one not face hiccups in the examination center.

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Ps. Previous Year Questions

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Definitely consider making an investment in buying a compilation of previous year questions (for both prelims and mains) which are segregated into different subjects. I used Disha Publications' Compilation edited my Mrunal Sir. It was one book that always stayed on my study desk and was referred to whenever I began or completed revising a particular subject. Gauging the demand of the exam is as important as studying for it.

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