How To Prepare For Prelims (CSAT) The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) includes two objective type question papers of two hundred marks and two hours time duration for each paper. One is on General Studies and the other is General Aptitude Paper( which has now replaced the optional subject that was there earlier). With the Civil Service exam having very limited seats its a very difficult exam to crack. Many students appear multiple times to clear it. Changes in formats of question papers always tend to create a lot of mental discomfort in students. Many students are fearful of subjects like mathematics. This fear may be baseless considering the changes lay greater emphasis on the aptitude which mainly involves reasoning skills and not just mathematics. The civil services examination is basically a test to choose suitable administrators.It tests the candidate right from the stage when one starts the preparation. One common misconception about the prelims is that it is a test of facts and figures. That was never so and specially now. A candidate should have the right frame of mind and the will power to succeed in the exam. A proper action plan is needed for the preparation itself since he /she will be tested for some essential qualities like power of retention, clarity of concepts, ability to identify the correct alternatives with efficiency and accuracy. All this requires a quick decision making power. With the new pattern, more stress is on language skills and analysis and decision making capacities, so work on these on a consistent basis as these are skills that are developed over years and not just in a few months. It would be advised to start focusing on your problem solving and language skills as soon as you decide to take these exams. Paper 1 is on General Studies This includes areas like 1.Indian National Movement, Indian Polity, Basic Economic Understanding, Geography 2.While the dynamic part includes current affairs, GK and has no proper definition and syllabus making quite vast. Paper 2 includes mathematics, reasoning, analytical ability, and interpersonal skills. Unlike paper 1 which has a static part, paper 2 is dynamic in many sense. Unlike paper 1 where quantity of questions is a major determinant for the static section, paper 2 cannot be tamed without solving dynamic questions, that requires on the spot mental ability. Since the preliminary exam in particular is a test of endurance, candidate must prepare on the physical as well as mental level. The main constraint is the time one gets to answer the questions. On an average one gets around 40 seconds for each question. One sure way of dealing with this stress is to take a few deep breaths. Meditation and Yoga also help in dealing with stress to a great extent. The prelims exam since is a multiple choice question test, it needs a different preparation and a proper strategy. The first thing a candidate needs to bear in mind is that the examination is designed to evaluate certain qualities like a sharp memory and basic retention power. There are ways to increase ones memory like preparing charts. One gets confused when faced with mind boggling facts and figures. Important facts and figures can be simplified and represented on charts and they can arranged in the form of tables or graphs. Another thing to remember is to make short and brief notes on each topic so that the entire syllabus can be revised a few days before the exam. It is better to use diagrams and link words which make it easier to understand difficult concepts. One more technique to help in retaining information is the use of abbreviations. Since the syllabus involves exhaustive information abbreviations help you to remember it better. It is a good method to remember dates, facts and figures in a picture format and to break up complex names and places into smaller and simpler words. The last and the most important technique is to do regular revision. This helps in retaining the maximum information. A separate time slot should be given to doing not only regular but multiple revisions like daily, weekly, monthly etc. Many candidates make a mistake of overloading themselves with lots of information and end up remembering nothing. One should be able to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information. Since the preliminary exam is an elimination round the candidate should also learn to focus only on the information needed and filter out the rest. It helps to discuss with friends and teachers but the most reliable way is to solve past years question papers. One should also keep abreast with current events and information related to them.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:09:25 +0000
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