At the beginning of the IAS exam preparation, download the Prelims Syllabus from the official site and read it. It may take you even 1 month to understand the syllabus completely but it is going to be very beneficial. Understand the difference between UPSC Prelims Exam and Main Exam, then start studying according to the Prelims.

Follow these tips to cover the entire UPSC Syllabus-

• Create a Timetable You Can Follow.
• Stick to the above timetable.
• Must read NCERT to clear the basics.
• Do not use more than 2 books/sources for a single topic.
• Divide the syllabus then start reading.
• Take small breaks between your schedule.
• Do revision after every week, do not skip it.
• Take out time for CSAT also as it is also a part of the syllabus.
• Practice Mock Tests

Hard work is not enough

• Hard work is not enough to crack the UPSC IAS exam in the first attempt, you have to understand that smart work is going to be more useful for you than hard work. Before preparing for the exam, you must understand its pattern, and what kind of questions the commission has been asking for the last few years, you must make a different strategy for which topic more questions come in the exam.
• Suppose you like to study history and you are giving a lot of time to it but only history will not yield UPSC. It is very important to work hard in the right direction, it is important to study for 8-10 hours but more than that it is also important that what you are studying in those 8 hours. So do smart work, give more time to those subjects and finish first in which your interest is less but UPSC has more interest. It will boost your preparation and confidence level.

Make Hand Written notes for Revision

• For any exam, it is most important how much you can recall at the time of examination, many times you leave some questions in the exam because you are not able to recall but you have read about them. If you also face this kind of problem then there is only one solution, you should make notes in your handwriting because when you do revision at exam time then these notes help you a lot.
• These handwritten notes are going to be very useful for you to recall even at the time of examination. If an aspirant wants to crack a tough exam like UPSC on the first attempt, then he should keep in mind that he must make handwritten notes.

Coaching can help to clear IAS in First Attempt

If you are not familiar with the UPSC (CSE) exam and you want to crack this prestige exam in your first attempt itself then you can take the help of any good coaching institute like Physics Wallah here you will be guided according to your need. A proper strategy for UPSC Prelims to Mains exam and Interview everything is included in it. Coaching gives you updated study material which can be very useful for you to give good results in less time. Coaching covers UPSC Syllabus completely in less time, after which you also get time for revision.

Honest use of previous year’s papers

• If you solve the previous year’s papers from the very beginning, then you will be able to understand the exam pattern of UPSC very well and it is very important that you can analyze the exam. Once you understand the exam pattern, you will understand what to study and what not in the syllabus.
• Solving previous years’ papers can save you a lot of time that you might have spent reading unnecessary topics. It can be a major part of getting selected on your first attempt that you analyse the exam pattern with old papers.

Prepare Well for Current Affairs

• Make a habit of reading newspapers daily. It may be a difficult task in the beginning but it is a very essential part of the UPSC exam. Do not get confused about newspapers, read any 2 good newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express etc. Apart from this, you can also watch the session on UPSC Current Affairs at Physics Wallah’s official YouTube channel.
• There will be some students who may find it difficult to read the English paper, the best way for them is to read the daily English paper and write down the meaning of the word that they do not know, believe it if you do this continuously for 2 months. your vocab will become so strong that after this you will hardly find any word that you cannot understand.

Write more to clear UPSC IAS Mains

The amount of writing practice you can do for the IAS Mains exam is less, so you have to pay more attention to writing practice. After clearing UPSC Prelims, divide and practice equal time for the GS paper, Optional paper and Essay, if you have cleared prelims from your self-study and are in doubt about the Mains exam then it will be better for you to Join Special Answer Writing Classes of Physics Wallah, here you will be taught along with writing practice how your answer can be more attractive and you can get more marks.

Some Civilizing Debates can be helpful

• You should have all kinds of information for the UPSC Exam, just reading books will not clear your exam. Some previous IAS toppers who have cleared the IAS exam in their first attempt themselves explain why this type of debate boosts your confidence. Whether you are talking about UPSC Prelims or UPSC Mains exam, this debate will provide you with a lot of knowledge.
• The last step of UPSC is the interview. If there is anything that can increase confidence, then it is a debate, it will bring that quality in you so that you will be able to talk to your UPSC interview panel without getting nervous and will also be able to give the right answer.

Believe in yourself

It is possible to crack the IAS Exam in the first attempt but for that, you should also believe in yourself. Many times, students start preparing but it takes them 1 year to understand the UPSC exam completely. There are some who are overconfident that they are the toppers of the class and will easily crack the exam. But you do not have to do this, believe in yourself, and follow the right strategy, you will be able to clear the exam in the first attempt.

Keep these additional tips in mind

1. To improve concentration and for mental peace, do yoga or exercise.
2. Keep a normalised diet, the healthier you stay, the more time you will be able to study.
3. Take at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep, otherwise, you will be exhausted.
4. Take out time for your hobby. It can be the best way to refresh you.
5. Stay away from any kind of negativity and distraction (especially social media), sometimes it helps but you should not be addicted.
6. Along with preparing for prelims also keep in mind the negative marking, always remember you can reach the cutoff even by elimination.
7. Before the exam, cover the entire syllabus and revise it also, do not try to read anything new a few days before the exam.
8. Stay focused and prepare honestly, follow your daily routine, and you will be able to clear the exam.