In any exam preparation, maintaining the same level of consistency in study is difficult. There will be moments when the student will get distracted. But, for an exam like UPSC CSE, consistency matters a lot as the syllabus is so lengthy. So if aspirants are not consistent, then, they might be not be able to complete the syllabus on time. They would be left behind in the race and the competition would get even tougher as lakhs of new entrants join the fray every year.
So, when it comes to CSE, ‘consistency’ is a key factor and even a below average candidate with not so great academic track record can beat more qualified ones with sheer consistency and hard work. Consistency improves knowledge and skills day by day. While, on the other hand even brilliant aspirants with extremely good memory and academic records may fail in this exam, if they are inconsistent in their study.
In a thread on social media platform Twitter, IITian Abhijeet Yadav, who cracked CSE twice but did not take up any service, gave six ‘ideas’ on how to maintain consistency in UPSC exam.
START SLOW, START SMALL
In his first tweet of his long thread, Abhijeet advises to start slow but steady. He cites the example of the rabbit and the tortoise story, where the tortoise won the race because it was steady, while rabbit was fast but lost because it was not consistent.
“Start slow, start small. If your plan means you give 110% every day, you’re going to fail sooner rather than later. Start with small targets and build momentum.”
“TIP: Start with studying 4 hours every day. Increase that to 6 next week, and then 8 the week after.”
“Can divide it into like: Week 1-2 hours daily study. Week 2-4 hours daily study. Week 3-6 hours daily study. Week 4-8 hours daily study.”
SHOW UP EVERY DAY
In his second tweet, he talks about studying every day. “Show Up, EVERY DAY. You don’t need to study 10 hours every day. But you need to study every day.”
“TIP: Every time you feel like taking a break, set yourself a short task before you get up. E.g.: Let’s study just 1 page, or 5 minutes. 90% of the time you’ll end up doing the full task.”
USE SCHEDULE
In his next tweet, he shares his thought on schedule: “We are creatures of habit and schedules are a great way to build consistency.”
“TIP: Wake, sleep and study every day at the same time.”
FIRST PLAN YOUR BREAKS
In his next tweet, he talks about how should you start your day. “First Plan Your Breaks. We start procrastinating when we keep working without breaks. But when you plan your break time first, you give yourself clarity that this time is free by design. For example: In my day 6-9 am, 2-3 pm and 6-7 pm would be free. NO STUDY ALLOWED.”
“This allowed me to do other things besides prep and whenever I felt like taking a break I could bargain with myself that the next break was just around the corner. Make it easier for yourself to keep studying.”
BE PATIENT
In the next tweet, Abhijeet writes about why aspirants need to learn calmness and patience. “Be patient, progress is not a smooth ride. It is bumpy and there are downturns. Learn to be patient when things don’t make sense.”
MOTIVATE YOURSELF
In his next tweet, he writes, “Motivate Yourself. JUST DO IT! Brilliant idea. Why didn’t I think of this before? Generic motivation messages can help but they can only do so much. We need to look at motivation in a structured manner. Who knows what motivates you best? YOU.”
“It’s your responsibility to keep yourself motivated. Be it exercise, talking to friends and family, or simply watching some feel good movie/series. Find out what works and make it a part of your day. No one else is going to do it for you. Do it for yourself.”
BELIEVING IN YOURSELF IMPORTANT
He concludes with a tweet on the importance of always believing in yourself. “Don’t stop believing and having faith in yourself, it is the foundation for everything else. Trust that:
• You have what it takes.
• You will do what is needed.
• You will show up everyday.
• You will grow from each challenge.
And YOU will become unstoppable.
(Abhijeet Yadav gave five years of his life to the UPSC CSE journey. He made 6 attempts, which covered 4 Mains, 2 interviews, 2 selections, and got AIR 653 in CSE 2017 and R-List in CSE 2018. He is now an UPSC mentor and the founder of UPSCprep.com. An alumnus of IIT Delhi, he also has his YouTube channel with over 124,000 subscribers, where he helps aspirants to prepare better for UPSC exams.)
