What mistakes should be avoided while preparing for the MPPSC/UPSC?

What mistakes should be avoided while preparing for the MPPSC/UPSC?

   Kautilya Academy    23-07-2021

These Mistakes to Avoid during MPPSC/UPSC Exams

 

Mistake 1: Relying on someone else

 

Candidates should remember that since they are taking the exam, they should be responsible for the preparation as well. A lot of people rely on external factors like a teacher, mentor, friends or online videos, etc. to help them understand certain topics or motivate them. The first thrust should come from within them. Help should be taken only when needed. These factors are acceptable up to a certain extent for learning topics and motivation. However, the zeal to crack the exam must come from within. Take help of others only when required. Don’t become too much dependent on anyone.

 

Mistake 2: Relying on past credentials

 

Some people make the mistake of thinking, ‘Since I am from IIM/IIT, I can easily crack this exam. Every exam is different and different sets of attributes are tested in each. So, candidates should treat each exam as new and prepare adequately.

This is why you shouldn’t think like, “I had cracked that exam in the past. It will be easier for me now.”

 

Mistake 3: Planning but not executing

 

When it comes to exams, actions speak louder than words. Merely thinking and planning about preparation will bear no fruits. Those plans have to be worked upon. Everybody creates plans for study and preparation. But when it comes to proper execution, things don’t go as planned. Success comes with well-executed plans.

 

As well said by Felix Dennis, “Ideas don’t make you rich. The correct execution of ideas does.”

 

Mistake 4: Collecting hordes of study material

 

This is indeed a common mistake. A lot of material is available especially for the Civil Services Exam and there would be a tendency to buy everything available. Also, these days a lot of material is available online as well. Candidates tend to horde all that electronic data with them. This exercise is pointless since it is humanly impossible to study everything. It is advisable to select the most recommended study material and prepare from them. For a complete list of books to read for the civil services, click on the link below:

 

Mistake 5: Ignoring self-study

 

Candidates can choose to attend coaching classes or stay away from them. It is a matter of personal liking and interest. However, self-study should not be ignored at any cost. Only actual studying will help in writing answers in the exams.

 

Mistake 6: Focusing on too many exams

 

Again, this is a matter of personal choice whether the candidate wants to take any competitive exams or not. But, for better results, it is better to focus on one exam at a time.

 

Mistake 7: Not focusing on Mock Tests

 

A lot of candidates keep on studying. So far, so good. But for competitive exams, it is extremely important to take mock tests. Only this will actually help them assess their strengths and weaknesses and also make them exam-ready. There are a lot of things at play here like negative marking, time constraints, etc. that decide the outcome.

Many students work hard, choose reliable MPPSC coaching in Indore and other cities in Madhya Pradesh, refer to the best books, but don’t take mock tests seriously.

 

This is another common mistake that makes the efforts go in vain. Mock tests are essential for almost every government exam today to understand weaknesses, strengths, and improvement areas.

 

Mistake 8: Not pacing the preparation properly

 

This is particularly true for the Civil Services Exam exam. Unlike the other competitive exam, the UPSC/MPPSC exam is a long-drawn process stretching out to at least ten months. If candidates start their preparation at 8 hours of reading per day, it is possible that they would suffer from burnout sooner or later. It is always prudent to start in smaller steps. Pacing the preparation in smaller chunks and slowly building it up to the exam day is the right approach.

 

Mistake 9: Wasting time while “studying”

 

This is another common mistake. Candidates might have observed how easy it is to become drawn into the world of rumours especially on the net during the preparation. Out of a total of ten hours that were spent at the study table, effectively only 5-6 hours were spent in actual exam-related studies.

 

Mistake 10: Not studying smart

 

A lot of candidates fail to cut seemingly having done everything. They would have studied hard and spent a lot of time practising tests and previous questions papers. Then, why didn’t they clear the exam? The reason lies in ‘the right approach’. It is important to know how to study, what to study and what not to do during the preparation process. It is not enough to solve papers; one must know which the best mock tests are. One must also know which the most relevant topics for the exam are. One must know how to study smart for the exam.

 

Mistake 11: Ignoring previous years’ papers

 

Question papers of previous years hold a lot of potential for the aspirants of MPPSC/UPSC exams. These papers help you understand the patterns and trends of the exam and give an idea about the kind of questions appearing in the exam.

 

If you ignore previous years’ question papers, you will be less prepared for the exam. In this competitive scenario, you simply can’t afford to prepare less. When you are done studying the entire course, jump to the exam papers. This is the best strategy for preparation.

 

Mistake 12: Not leaving time for revision

 

UPSC/MPPSC exam has an ocean-like syllabus but it can be covered mostly with proper planning and execution. Along with focusing on the full syllabus, you need to leave some time for revision. If you haven’t included revision as a part of your strategy yet, it’s time to do it now.

 

Many aspirants focus on learning new topics and ignore the revision. This is a big mistake because you might end up messing up things during the exam. Revision helps you to regain everything that you have studied.

 

Mistake 13: Not giving Equal importance to all topics

Most aspirants don’t give equal importance to all the topics provided in the syllabus, rather they read more on selected topics or so-called important topics prescribed by experts or read more on topics which he/she is interested to read.

 

Aspirants should develop a habit of giving equal importance to all topics since it is a competitive examination UPSC/MPPSC may quiz you on any topic. It is better to be prepared with all topics. It is said that in UPSC/MPPSC preparation aspirants should know something about everything so that they can handle any kind of question in the UPSC Prelims and Mains exam.


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