Well formulated strategy for IAS preparation along with optimum time management is the only two ladders for your dream goal. It’s very important to formulate your own strategy for IAS preparation as it pays to be yourself. The knowledge, analytical ability and personality of the candidate developed within a span of around 20 years is tested in this exam. Of course, the foundation can be polished to the tune of UPSC requirement in last one year, but for building a strong foundation it requires long-term effort. If you have built a strong foundation, the job is half done!

One mantra for UPSC aspirants, “If the thing is already been done by somebody. Then you can also do it. If the thing is not been done by anybody. Then you have to do it”.

To tackle Civil Services Examination, here are some of the Strategy for IAS Preparation are:

Understand Syllabus

The most important strategy for IAS preparation is to understand UPSC exam structure. Go through UPSC Syllabus and previous question papers of IAS Prelims and Mains so that you will get a clear idea about the areas from which questions are normally asked. Be thorough with your NCERT Books as it’s the basis. Think and ponder over what is stated in your textbooks and develop writing practice. The second important thing to do is to make a habit of reading newspaper. (Reading The Hindu/ The Indian Express is advised).

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Start preparation with sufficient time in hand

The best strategy for IAS preparation is from the middle of May or the beginning of June, which is soon after your final exams of Graduation or Post Graduation. If you are appearing for the Graduation or Post Graduation exam in May and your aim is to prepare for Civil Services Exam then this gives you one and a half years to prepare before the Mains Exam. This is a sufficient time frame to be successful in your first attempt.

Make a detailed time-table

Ensure that the next six months would be used perfectly, so you can devise a day to day time-table. Assign one week to each subject, and ensure that you could complete the whole syllabus. You have to restart everything. Your study environment should continuously motivate you.

Familiarity with the optional

Decide on the optional subject after analyzing UPSC syllabus and previous question papers (applicable only to college going students and pass outs), start to collect materials on the same. A thorough familiarity with your optional reduces your mental burden at the first sight itself. Try to finish optional subject first, as this will definitely give you an edge.

Also Read: How to Write Essay for IAS Exam?

Prepare notes

A must strategy for IAS preparation is to prepare short notes so that you can revise the entire study material as the exams approach. But to sustain the effort for such a long time, you need to remain motivated throughout this period and maintain good health.

Remain focused

You must realize that properly preparing for the civil services exam is not a part-time job. It is a fact that if you are fully devoted to prepare for the Civil Services Exam without pursuing any other studies, competitive exams or job, your concentration level will be at its peak and this would give you the best results. The desire to grab one job or the other and playing it safe leads to failure on all fronts.

Have positive views in your Mind

Go for preparation with a positive mindset. Usually, it happens that negative thoughts would start entering to your mind. Especially, who are preparing for the first time. So be positive and think right.

Socio-economic Issues

After current affairs, socio-economic issues would the most important topic of conversation during your strategy for IAS preparation. The reason behind this is, as a civil servant you would be part of the governmental machinery deputed with the task of solving these issues. Therefore, it is very important for the examiner to know and understand your stand, opinions and in few cases the prospective solutions that you have to offer for such issues. Therefore, it is important to build a basic foundation for these issues and have a personal opinion on them.

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The Indian Forest Service is one of the Civil Services of India and belongs to the apex All India Services group, with other two All India Services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). Officers are recruited via a rigorous competitive examination and then trained for about two years by the Central Government. The Indian Forest Service is a Central Civil Service of Group A and Group B under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India (GoI) is the cadre controlling authority of Indian Forest Service.

The main mandate of the Indian Forest Service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which aims to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance which are vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant. IFS officers while in field postings in respective state cadres work for conservation, protection and development of forests and wildlife along with an aim to enhance livelihood opportunities of forest dependent communities of rural and tribal areas.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Indian Forest Service Examination once in a year to recruit officers for this service and is one of the toughest open competitive exams conducted in India. The examination is open to graduates in any science or engineering discipline and has a three-stage selection process. The IFS officers are recruited and trained by the Central government but their services are placed under state cadres, and they have to serve both under the state and Central governments.

Must Read: UPSC Syllabus of Prelims and Mains Examination

UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam Pattern & Selection Procedure

The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (objective type) is done for screening and selection of the candidates for Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination. After passing Preliminary exam you will go through Indian Forest Service, Main Examination which consists written test and interview.

The Indian Forest Service Examination consists of two successive stages:

• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type)
• Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the Indian Forest Service.

Read Also: Civil Service (IAS) Eligibility

Preliminary Examination

All the applicants will have to take an objective type exam called the Preliminary Examination that is common to other Civil Services Examination. It consists of two papers, which are compulsory, and having 200 marks each. The duration of each paper will be of 2 hours. They are tested on areas such as economics, politics, history, geography, environment, awareness of current affairs, reading comprehension, logical reasoning, basic numeracy skills, inter-personal skills and decision making. The marks of Preliminary Exam is not counted in making final overall merit.

Mains Examination

Mains Examination consist of six descriptive papers. Each candidate has to select two optional subjects (two papers each) from among the subjects allowed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and has to take one General Studies paper and an English language paper.

The Indian Forest Service (Mains) written examination consists of the following papers:-

Paper I – General English – 300 Marks

Paper II – General Knowledge – 300 Marks

Paper III, IV, V, VI – Any two subjects to be selected from the optional paper list; each subject will have two papers –  200 marks each

The syllabus for optional subject is based on the Bachelors Degree and lowers than the Master Degree.

Interview for Personality Test: The Interview/Personality Test is worth 300 Marks. Only candidates who clear the written examination would be called for the Interview.

Must Read: Role of Civil Servants (IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS and IES)

Interview/Personality Test

Candidates securing highest marks in the Main Examination are called for the interview conducted by UPSC board members.

Interview or personality assessment is followed by a medical check-up and a physical test which requires all male candidates to complete a 25 km walk/run in less than 4 hours. For ladies the distance is reduced to 14 km. The test is usually conducted at the National Zoological Park in Delhi.

After selection for the IFS, candidates are allocated state cadres. There is one cadre for each Indian state, with the exception of three joint cadres: Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur-Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT).

Read Also: Things to Keep in Mind While Preparing for UPSC Interview

Eligibility Conditions

Nationality

A candidate must be either :‐

• a citizen of India, or
• a citizen of Nepal, or
• a citizen of Bhutan, or
• a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Srilanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Provided that a candidate belonging to above categories shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

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Age Limits

(a) A candidate must have attained  the age of 21 years and must not have attained  the age of 32 years on 1st August, 2016, i.e. he must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1984 and not later than 1st August, 1995.

(b) The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable:‐

• upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe.
• upto a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.
• upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during  the period  from the 1st  January,  1980  to  the  31st day  of December, 1989.
• upto a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services  personnel  disabled  in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof:
• upto a maximum of five years in  the  case of ex‐servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2016.

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Minimum Educational Qualifications

The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the subjects namely Animal Husbandry &
Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology, Agriculture, Forestry and in Engineering of any of Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or StateLegislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University or possess an equivalent qualification.

Number of Attempts

• Every candidate appearing at the Examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts at the examination.
• Provided  that  this restriction on  the number of attempts will not apply in  the case of Scheduled Caste and
  Scheduled Tribe candidates who are otherwise eligible
• Provided  further  that  the  number  of  attempts  permissible  to  candidates  belonging  to  Other  Backward
  Classes who are otherwise eligible, shall be nine.
• Provided  further  that  a  physically  handicapped  will  get  as  many  attempts  as  are  available  to  other  non‐
  physically  handicapped  candidates  of  his  or  her  community,  subject  to  the  condition  that  a  physically
  handicapped  candidate  belonging  to  the  General  Category,  shall  be  eligible  for  nine attempts.  Necessary
  action to make corresponding changes in respective Rules/Regulations pertaining to Indian Forest Service is
  being  taken  separately.  The  relaxation will  be available  to  the  physically  handicapped  candidates who are
  eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.

Physical Standards

Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination.

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We all know that we should start to prepare for exam day well in advance. But we all get stressed during exam day irrespective of our level of preparation, we often bring so many negative thoughts with us by starting our day. “I don’t have much time left”, “I can’t complete this topic”, “I don’t like this specific subject”, It is not so easy to get out through these voices out of our heads, but we can try to approach our work differently.

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General Preparation for Building Confidence Before Exam Day are:

• Review your personal skills
• Develop good study habits and strategies
• Manage time
• Organize material to be revised and learned
• Improve and learn from past test performance experience
• Remember that tests are held to see what you know and what you don’t know. So study what you can and don’t stress yourself.
• Remember to do the best you can. If you studied hard before and did everything you possibly could before the test, then you’ve done the best you can do.
• Always think positive and before the test whisper to yourself “I can do it!”

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Stress before an exam is completely normal. However, too much stress will hinder your performance and your results could suffer. Here are some tips to help you stay calm during exams, so that you can reach your potential.

• Use any ‘good luck charms’ that might help you to feel confident and calmer.
• Dress in a way that helps you to feel smart, confident and good about yourself.
• Get a good night’s sleep before the exam day
• Eat sensibly before the exam day.
• Stop studying about an hour before the exam.
• Know the time and place of the exam day.
• Develop positive self-talk.
• Don’t talk about the exam with your classmates
• Read over the questions carefully and plan your approach.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
• Don’t get stuck to any one of the question.
• Wear your watch and keep track of time.
• Study calm before your test
• Relax yourself during the exam.
• Pay attention only to the exam.

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If panic starts to develop in the exam hall.

Make yourself comfortable. Check that you are not too hot or too cold. Take a few deep breaths and sighs of relief to reduce tension. Sit with your eyes closed for a little while. Most people feel tense at this point. Whatever is your state of preparation, your task is now to do your best.

• Take your time to go through all the questions and read instructions carefully. Do it at least twice, to make sure that you get a firm grasp of the questions.
• Pick out the questions that relate to your revision and are well known. Taking adequate time at this point will pay off handsomely. If you can’t decide which questions to answer, pick out those you can answer easily and come back to the others later.
• Plan your answers properly. This is really important! Five minutes spent on a plan and rough notes will help your thoughts to flow.
• Do your best to ignore everyone else while you are at the planning state. Its not easy, but it really helps.
• Do you want to answer the “difficult” or “easy” question first? Doing an easier one can boost your confidence and relax you throughout. Tackling a more difficult one while you are still alert may be best for you.
• Manage your time. Keep an eye on the time, so that you have enough time for your final answer.
• If your panic gets worse stop, put down your pen, and relax. Breathe slowly; close your eyes for a few moments. If it helps, put your head on the desk. Shake your arms. Move your head slowly from side to side to relieve tension. Say something positive and encouraging to yourself. Imagine yourself somewhere else (where you feel happy and relaxed).
• If you feel unwell, ask the invigilator if you may leave the room for a short while. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air or a drink of water may be just what you need to calm down.

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Habits are created slowly and gradually. It’s time to follow a new effective routine that will help you better retain material, manage your time and even help you improve your concentration and focus. Making an effective routine can enhance your learning style, develop a good study routine and start achieving your goals.

Many people have trouble with their habits because they don’t follow effective routine “system” for sticking to them. It’s easy to forget about a new routine when your day is full of dozens of tasks and personal obligations. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem. If you follow an “effective routine” every day, you’ll create a short ritual where you can complete a number of small habits that can improve your life.

Every day we get up, go to work, go home, and go to sleep. Maybe our routines aren’t quite that dull, but they’re rarely perfect. Whether you feel the need to get more done or just feel better in general, we’ve got suggestions to help you upgrade your effective routine.

The trick here is knowing which habits to include in your Effective Routine.

Perform Your Most Important Tasks

Our natural willpower is highest in the morning, which makes it the perfect time to perform your most important tasks; that is, the things you want to do, but never seem to find the time for. Incorporating your most important tasks into your morning effective routine is a surefire way of ensuring they have a chance of getting done.

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Routines Allow You To Tune Into Life Cycles

Life moves so fast these days that we barely have time to notice our own transformation. Everything that goes on outside of us goes on inside too. That means that inside and out, you’re changing as much as your environment changes from day to day and season to season.Routines actually allow us to observe the changes in the seasons. And perhaps even better than that, effective routines provide an opportunity for us to witness and celebrate our own transformation!

Don’t Multitask

Multi-tasking in the morning effective routine, when you have lots of work to do, tons of energy, and it feels like you can do two or three things at once is tempting, but it sets your whole day back. Multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus adequately on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully.

Say “No”

Saying “No” to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them while your mind is fresh. “No” is a powerful word that will protect your precious mornings effective routine. Learn to use “No”, and it will lift your mood as well as your productivity.

Assign times to your to-do list, and monitor your progress against your goals

To-do lists are helpful for making sure you don’t forget anything, but beyond that, they can be misleading. It pushes you to avoid multi-tasking in order to complete things within the allotted time. It also shows you what is and isn’t feasible so that you can prioritize your day accordingly. Look at what you’ve done so far with a critical eye. If you realize you’re behind schedule or doing a shoddy job, it’s important to adjust your goals or your work ethic so that you can move intentionally through your day.

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Don’t attempt to cram all your studying into one session.

Successful students typically space their work out over shorter periods of time and rarely try to cram all of their studying into just one or two sessions. If you want to become a successful student then you need to learn to be consistent in your studies and to have regular, yet shorter, study periods.

Choose a workout split that fits your ideal routine.

Once you’ve figured out what the ideal workout routine for you, the next step is to pick a workout split that not only allows for that ideal workout routine to be reached, but a workout split that will fit perfectly within your daily/weekly schedule and life.

Routines Relieve Stress

Most of us experience some form of stress all day every day, thing is we no longer even recognize it as stress. Routine can help to reduce the stress in some of these situations, by providing a mental/emotional anchor that in a lot of cases can turn out to be a lifeboat!

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep the night before is so important when you’re creating your effective routine, as waking up too late to do anything other than throw on some semi-clean clothes and run out the door will never result in a morning to look forward to. If you want to create an effective morning routine, you need to get enough sleep.

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