As the name suggests, the IAS Prelims exam is preliminary to the Mains that is followed by the Interview. What should never be forgotten is that the Prelims is the qualifying exam. An IAS aspirant must qualify the CSAT paper. There is also a provision for 1/3rd of the negative marking.
The Paper I of the Prelims is evaluated only after you clear the CSAT. Thus, it should always be kept in mind that without qualifying the Prelims, you cannot even think of clearing the IAS exam. UPSC will simply not allow a candidate to appear for the Mains, in case he fails in the Prelims exam.
But a number of the aspirants simply fail to realize that unless and until you step successfully on the lowest step of the staircase, you cannot even think of reaching the top. Most of the aspirants visualize themselves as IAS officers. UPSC would allow you to join the Indian Administrative Services only after you clear the Interview. Prior to that, you must clear the Mains with a hank rank i.e., a good score.
And that’s where candidates usually underestimate the importance of the Prelims. The majority of the IAS aspirants perceive the Mains to be the major part of the UPSC exam. It, of course is, as the name suggests. But how are you going to score well in the Mains, if you do not qualify the Prelims first?
So, the Dos and the Don’ts for the IAS exam are highly important for all the IAS aspirants. However, apart from preparing well for the exam, i.e. exhaustive studies of the subject-matters of the syllabus, writing numbers of UPSC test series there are a number of the factors that may make or mar your performance in the Prelims exam. Quite a few of these are specified below:
Dos:
- Take a hard copy of your e-Admit Card:The Admit Card may be downloaded from the UPSC website. Print it and be sure that the photo on the Card should be quite clear. It is a good idea to carry one more photo ID card with you that is approved by the government. For example, it may be your Aadhar card, voter ID, driving license, passport etc.
- Carry 1 or 2 of the black ball point pens:It should be noted that the answers on the OMR i.e., the Optical Mark Recognition sheet are to be marked with black ball point pens. Use of pencils is not allowed.
- Reach the Exam Centre a little early: It is advisable to reach the exam centre a little earlier, say before 9 in the morning. There is likely to be great crowd before the notice board for all of the candidates have to find that in which of the rooms their seat is located. So, it is only advisable that you reach the Exam Centre a little early.
- Do not forget to carry the important notes to revise for the CSAT Paper II: You will be getting a time of 3 hours in between the GS Paper I and the CSAT i.e., the Civil Services Aptitude Test. the Paper II of the Prelims. So, it only makes more of sense to carry the relevant notes to be revised for the CSAT Paper II.
- However, it is best to keep your mind relaxed. Thus, the revision should be a quick one. Besides, do not ignore to throw a glance on various questions related to the Decision Making and Mental Ability.
- Mark most suitable of the answers on the question paper: It is highly advisable that you mark the most suitable of the answers on the question paper. It would help a great deal when you tally and check your answers later.
Don’ts:
- Do not be impulsive: It is best not to begin answering the questions in an impulsive manner. Besides, it should not be forgotten that there is a provision for negative marking also. So, either beginning to answer impulsively and/or just trying to answer all the questions will only result in choosing the incorrect answers, and hence getting some marks deducted from your score due to negative marking.
- Keep your mind relaxed, there is no scope for panic: Anxiety and panic is not going to serve any purpose. These are the negative thoughts that you should not allow yourself to fall a prey to neither before nor during the exam. You will find that with a relaxed mind, you will be able to answer the questions better.
- No mobiles or gadgets in the examination hall:Do not carry any gadget, or mobile phone to the examination hall. It is advisable to place them safely out of the examination hall even if you carry one.
Finally, it should always be kept in mind that time management is of paramount importance not only while facing the exam, but also when you have been preparing for the exam. Nobody can deny that it is your preparation for the exam only that is finally reflected on the answer sheet while you solve the question paper.
Thus, once again, the Prelims must not be underestimated. Prepare well for qualifying the Prelims would pave the way for being an IAS officer. Those who ignore the initial step, cannot climb the next one.
However, what should always be kept in mind is that though it is essential to qualify Prelims, you must not spend too much of time on reading a pile of the books. It is best to stick to the syllabus prescribed by UPSC. Once you acquire the study material that is suitable as per the UPSC syllabus, make a study plan and follow, leaving sufficient time in the end to revise what all you have studied.