How to start basic preperation for upsc

Dear aspirant,

UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) consists of 3 stages. The stages are:

• Preliminary Exam (objective)
• Main Exam (written)
• Interview (personality test)

In this age of the internet, you can clear the IAS exam by self-study and online preparation. Classroom coaching is not necessary.



ClearIAS as a self-study portal for UPSC aspirants has been giving equal importance to knowledge part as well as skills. Our unique products like ClearIAS Prelims Online Test Series incorporate both subject-knowledge as well as exam-skills. We recommend the below steps, to start your preparation.


Step 1: The first step you should make while you begin IAS preparation is to enroll in ClearIAS Prelims Online Mock Test Series. The ClearIAS test-based approach is faster and will keep you focussed.



Step 2: Buy the recommended UPSC CSE Preparation books from the links ‘IAS Books‘. Refer ClearIAS Test Series Timetable, and collect textbooks mentioned in it. The mock exams cover NCERT textbooks (Class 6-12) as well as other standard reference textbooks. Read the textbooks on weekdays and take mock exams on weekends.



Step 3: Take your UPSC Mains preparation side-by-side with UPSC Prelims preparation. There are some topics relevant only for Mains (for example, Ethics, Internal Security, World History etc). We have explained when and how to cover those in our Prelims cum Mains approach.



Step 4: Mock Exams are equally important for Mains, just like Prelims. You need proper answer writing practice to structure your answers in a time-constrained environment. Get your answers evaluated by experts and seek their suggestions for improvement. You can refer the feedback given for answers in our Answer Writing Practise sessions.



Step 5: For UPSC Interview, your bio-data (Detailed Application Form or DAF) is the most important thing. Try to figure out the most-probable questions from the DAF. ClearIAS Team can help you with DAF analysis. Once you register for ClearIAS Interview program, we will send you a list of 30 most probable questions based on your DAF. Also, take mock interviews to polish your communication and presentation skills.




Hope the answer is helpful.

All the best!

Dear aspirant,

I would prefer you to start from N.C.E.R.T go thoroughly from the ncerts of 6th to 12th standard of history, civics or polity, geography, economics and disaster management.
Also go through ncerts of science and technology but for this only from class 8th to 12th. You might not go deep in class’s 11th nd 12th for science.
Also if you are planning to take sociology or psychology as your subject then have through reading of these two subject's ncert also.
If you are planning to go for coaching make sure you have read all these ncerts at least twice religiously.
Make it a habit of reading a newspaper daily The HINDU preferable and INDIAN EXPRESS' Sunday edition.
I would also prefer some magazines such as India Today, Frontline, Kurukshetra and Yojana.
Studying all these will at least help you cover 40% of the prelims syllabus and for further detailed books of each subject after the ncerts you can contact me back.

Hope this helps.

Good luck