UPSC Civil Services 2019: Here’s top ranker Nishant Jain’s advice on how to pass the exam

Nishant Jain who had secured rank 13 in UPSC exams, 2014 has some important tips for IAS aspirants.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services is considered one of the toughest examinations in India. Lakhs of aspirants appear, out of which, only a few hundred qualify every year. The exam will be conducted in June next year for approximately 780 vacancies.

Here are the excerpts and videos of the interview of IAS officer Nishant Jain , who secured 13th rank in the examination in 2014. In the videos, Meerut’s Jain provides tips to civil services aspirants while talking to Hindustan.

Pankaj/Anuradha: What to study for clearing the civil services exam?

Nishant Jain: You don’t have to read everything. You don’t have to buy hundreds of books because research is not your objective. Your objective is to study smartly to cover the syllabus and crack the exam. Buy one book each for your subjects that are from reputed publishers and authentic writers. You can get a list of good books for each subject on some reputed websites. Also, develop a habit of reading one good newspaper daily and one monthly magazine that are aimed for civil service aspirants.

Pankaj/Anuradha: How much to study for the exam?

Nishant Jain : A maximum of 7 to 8 hours of thorough study is enough. You don’t have to be inside closed doors and read all day. You should go out and chill. Go for a good movie with your friends, listen to music, spend some time with your friends. You need to be stress-free to study effectively.

Pankaj/Anuradha: How to study for the exam?

Nishant Jain : Even though you have good books with you, it is important to make a proper plan to study. Try to interlink the subjects. Every subject is corelated. What you study in geography is somewhere linked to politics, politics is linked to history, history is linked to geography etc. Everything you study has a link with other subjects as well. Linking and studying can make your preparation even better.

Pankaj/Anuradha: How to chose the right optional paper for the exam?

Nishant Jain : Now that you have to chose only one subject as your optional paper, you should chose it wisely. You should chose the subject on which you have good command. However, it is not always necessary to chose the same subject you had in your graduation. If the subject is vast enough, try to look for the subjects that score well. Go through the syllabus, previous five years’ question paper. Also, see if there are good books and content on the subject available before opting for the paper.

Pankaj/Anuradha: Is it wise to prepare for some other exam alongwith civil services exam?

Nishant Jain : There are students who prepare for state services exam along with UPSC. It is always good to have a backup option. State services exam syllabus is somewhat similar to that of UPSC but the state exam syllabus has more questions related to a particular state. It is good to appear for your state exam which can give you a rough idea about your preparation. However, don’t appear for too many examination or it will drain your energy.

Pankaj/Anuradha: Give some tips for writing a good essay

Nishant Jain : Essay writing is a tricky section in which majority of candidates get stuck. Chose the topics you are more familiar with. Make sure your language is good. While giving your opinion about an issue, make sure you frame it properly. Take some time and make bullet points of the important aspects you are going to talk about in your essay. Using some authentic data and quotes of some great scholar can enhance your essay. Use small paragraphs.

Source: Hindustan Times, 28/11/2018