One Year Strategy to clear UPSC Civil Services 2020
UPSC is not an easy nut to crack, speaking of which, you must be thoroughly
prepared, for it spares no disregard or negligence in your preparation. Here the most common question arises- How long does it take to crack UPSC? What is One Year Study Plan For UPSC?
According to most of the toppers, you need only one year of wholesome systematic preparation with perfect time management. The vital point we
must look over is time management.
With a structured pattern and a planned out routine, UPSC becomes not that touch a nut to crack. The exam pattern and syllabus should be known well enough in order to prepare for UPSC.
Download: UPSC Prelims Question Paper (2014-2019)
Best Booklist For UPSC Civil Services
Booklist For Prelims
Subject/Topic | Book/Material |
---|---|
NCERT Books | NCERT books (6 th -12 th standard) are to be read thoroughly. It gives shape to your foundation of your knowledge. |
Ancient History | Ancient India by RS Sharma |
Medieval History | Medieval India of India by Satish Chandra |
Modern History | i) ‘World History’ by Norman Lowe, ii) Spectrum's Brief History of Modern India (Most Prefered for Modern Indian History) iii) ‘India Struggle for Independence Indepedence’ by Bipan Chandra |
Indian Culture | i) Facets of Indian Culture by Spectrum ii) Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania iii) CCRT website. |
Geography | i)Certificate Physical and Human Geography by GC Leong ii) NCERT Geography books (Class XI-XII) |
Economy | i) NCERT Book (Class XI-XII) ii) Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy iii) Recent Economic Survey as well as PMFIAS Notes. |
Polity | i) Indian Polity by Laxmikanth (Most Preferred) ii) An Introduction to the Constitution of India- D.D. Basu iii) The Constitution of India by P.M. Bakshi (Optional) iv) Old NCERT books for Indian Polity (Optional) |
Current Affairs | i) PIB ii) Jagran Josh iii) The Hindu |
Science and Tech | ISRO website and Newspapers are enough |
Government schemes | Civils Daily |
Environment and Ecology- | Shankar IAS Notes |
Previous Papers | 20 Years Prelims Papers Book |
Download: NCERT Books
Booklist For Mains
Subject/Topic | Books/Material |
---|---|
History | India's Struggle For Independence by Bipin Chandra |
Geography | Geography of India by Majid Hussain |
Culture | The Wonder That Was India by A.L. Bhasham |
Constitution/Judiciary | Important Judgments that transformed India by Alex Andrews George. |
Economy | i) Economic Survey ii) Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy |
Science and Technology | i) Environment Studies From Crisis to Cure- Rajagopalacharan ii) Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains- Dr. Khuller |
Current Affairs | i) India Year Book ii) Manorama Yearbook |
Download: UPSC 2019 Mains Paper
Booklist For General Studies And Essay Paper
Paper | Book |
---|---|
Essay Paper | Essays for Civil Services- Pulkit Khare |
General Studies 1: History | India after Gandhi |
General Studies 1: Indian Society | Social problems |
IAS Mains General Studies 2 Book | Arihant Manual |
General Studies 2: Current Issues | What’s Hot Today(ClearIAS ebook) |
General Studies 2: Governance | Governance in India for CSE |
General Studies 2: Foreign Policy | i) Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor ii) India and the World by Surendra Kumar |
IAS Mains General Studies 3 Book | Arihant Manual |
General Studies 3: International Security | i) International Security:A Reader ii) Challenges to Internal Security of India |
General Studies 4: Ethics | i) Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude ii) IAS Mains General Studies 4- Arihant Manual |
Read: UPSC 2020 Calendar, Exam Dates, Schedule.
How to prepare for PRELIMS?
- You must remember that all the books mentioned above shouldn’t be
mindlessly read to cover the same topics which you can cover
from one book to avoid wasting time. - Your Current Affairs should be very strong. Keep yourself updated
constantly. - Practice Aptitude/ Logical Reasoning skills related CSAT Questions.
- Give as many mock tests as you can to get control over the amount of time you write.
- Facts and Figures are not to be memorized but focus more on the issue
and parties involved in the event- What and how? - Read newspaper not only in print form but also from the OTT platforms where the issues are deeply discussed.
Read: UPSC Prelims 2019 Question Paper Analysis with Detailed Explanation
How to prepare for Mains?
For Modern History
a) Go over the events and find as many links as you can while making
notes.
b) Focus more upon the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of a particular event rather
than just stating facts and figures.
c) Read Bipan Chandra thoroughly for the topics are discussed with
various perspectives.
For Art and Culture
a) Try to find out the significance of art and architecture, whether in
the lines of socio-economic, political, or religious grounds.
b) Analyse the question paper to see what kind of questions are being
asked related to Art and Culture.
Read: SNEAK PEEK INTO ANUDEEP DURISHETTY’S UPSC JOURNEY
For Other Subjects
- Cover International Relations, Governance, Social Justice, and polity using not just books but update yourself with various schemes and policies being changed or created through reliable sources on Internet
- Read a lot of Editorials, for they expose you various viewpoints that
allows you to write from any point of view without being biased. - Prepare diagrams and flowcharts to improve your answers.
- Give innovative sub-headings to your essay.
- Be thorough with various agricultural schemes too. The benefits or
disadvantages might be asked for which you need to have a well-framed answer with few quotes, statistics and facts. - Case studies are your number one priority. Use them in your answers to bring in comparisons.
Read: UPSC 2018 Topper Kanishak Kataria Preparation Strategy
Mistakes you can avoid by doing the following-
- Read few newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express to
avoid killing too much time. - No need of reading the entire ‘India Yearbook’. Rather go over
important recurring issues that you have come across while
reading newspaper. - You don’t have to read all the NCERT books cover to cover as most
of them have the same topics. Just find the chapters relevant to
your syllabus. - Don’t spend too much time on your Detailed Application Form.
Rather spend that precious time going over Mains preparation
Read: Artika Shukla, the girl who Cracked UPSC in Just 8 Months
One Year Study Plan For UPSC
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
Keep practicing. Avoid procrastinating. Nurture yourself. You must also keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle can help you be more focused and efficient. How you will do in UPSC might be a big question in your life, but it is never unachievable.
Good Luck!
If you still have an query regarding One Year Study Plan For UPSC, do inform us in the comments section below, we will definitely help you in making your own One Year Study Plan For UPSC Preparation.
Preparing for upsc very confused need help
WHAT kind of help you would like to ?
Tell me Your email Id…
starting from dec month for 2020 attempt is it ok to give exam if i start with maths optional now.
Excellent Work dear exactly that is what connecting the dot means.
Is there any alternative for news paper because reading news paper daily for working people is some how not easy .if any kindly suggest.
Ek din me kitne ghante study krne ki jrurt hoti h
Sir, Please tell me the online resources by which we can start preparation for upsc and sure crack the upsc exam by the prefered online resources.
Thankyou
How to prepare for prelims GSpaper-2?
What will be the right book and the right source to study for it?
Plz Hume koi btao ki, hum kaise preparation kre upsc IAS ki.. hmne BA hons mass communication and journalism Kiya hai or hum reporting krte hai pr hume upsc IAS ki taiyari krni hai.. prblm yeh h ki hmre ps paise ni Hai or paise k liye hi ab hum reporting chhodna ni chahte Hai, paise kamae taaki preparation kr ske.. kaise time table bnae? Plz hme btao… Math important Hai mains exam mein? Ya math optional Hai?
Aap yeh answer upsc ki official website par easily paa sakte ya kahi aurse platforms hai jaise Quora, Upsc (apps from play store) and many more…
Hope you start for upsc preps and study peaceful!
All the best!
When you really wants a civil service in year it also requires a lot of hark work,dedication,self believe and patience that you can do it!
Hello Sir my self sneha I have completed 2nd puc science (PCMB) I want to prepare for upsc from now itself still I have years to write exam and I have already started my preparation from NCERT u plz guide me how could I cover my preparation with the course biotechnology plzz help me I have an hunger to clear upsc ..plzz