Yes, you can clear UPSC exam without studying provided you have completed your OPTIONAL subject,General studies paper 1,2,3,4.for mains exam.You have made your hand written notes for revision and practiced essay and answer writing and MCQ for UPSC PT & mains examination.
1.Can I clear my UPSC without preparation?
Yes,but you must have read all standard books for prelims and mains multiple times covering subjects like POLITY,GEOGRAPHY,ECONOMY HISTORY, CULTURE, SCI/TECH,ENVIROMENT.
You have practised MCQ questions for prelims and you are well versed in CURRENT AFFAIRS by reading newspaper like THE HINDU,INDIAN EXP.,FINACIAL EXP.,YOJNA MAGEZINE,ECONOMIC SURVEY,BUDGET and PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU(PIB) sites for last 12-15 MONTHS .
You have made notes for last 12 months of current affairs on paper or on online apps like EVERNOTE for revision.
You have made a list of 100-300 current and static topics for general studies and your optional subject and made 1 page short notes in 200 words for all topics for quick revision.
You have practiced at least 20 test series each for both prelims and mains .
You have understood the UPSC syllabus and have studied past 10 year previous year question paper of both prelims and exam completely to understand the nature and trend of exam.
With such in depth preparation for 12-15 months , YOU CAN EASILY CLEAR UPSC EXAM WITHOUT STUDYING.
You now have command over all the subjects and you are well versed in current affairs to be able to answer 200 word answer in 9 minutes each (20 x 9= 180 minutes ).Each mains paper has 20 question to be completed in 3 hours.
2.Can a weak student clear UPSC?
Yes, a weak student can clear UPSC exam as its not a technical exam like IITJEE.The preparation level of all UPSC aspirants may vary and some students may take more time to understand the subject. But all aspirants has to cover his OPTIONAL SUBJECT, last 12 MONTH CURRENTS AFFAIRS,4 papers of general studies.
3.Can I crack UPSC in 1 year without coaching?
Yes, you can crack UPSC without coaching and do self study at home as every one is well connected to internet .Today there is no need for expensive coaching classes in DELHI.With rising monthly expense for aspirants in big cities its better to prepare for UPSC at home
3.Is NCERT enough for UPSC?
No, NCERT are not enough for UPSC.as they cover basic topics and doesn’t cover complete UPSC syllabus.Yes they are good for concept building but you need to cover standard upsc books too .
Here I share book list for UPSC exam :
- CURRENT AFFAIRS-The Hindu,indian express,PIB,yojna magezine.
- ANCIENT HISTORY-RS sharma (old ncert), 11th std. TAMIL NADU book
- MEDIEVAL HISTORY-satish chandra ncert
- MODERN HISTORY-spectrum,bipin chandra(india since independence)
- INDIAN CULTURE-Nitin singhania, NIOS,CCRT, current affairs.
- POLITY-laxmikant,11th ncert
- GEOGRAPHY– ncert 11-12th, goh cheng leong, atlas map
- ECONOMY-budget,economic survey,ncert,ramesh singh or sanjeev verma
- SCI/TECH– current affairs of last 12 months
- ENVIRONMENT– shankar ias, NIOS,current affairs
4.How many hours to study for IAS?
A basic 5-6 hours of daily serious study with proper strategy and time table can help you easily crack UPSC.
1 hour – newspaper reading
3 hour – optional
1 hour – general studies
1 hour – MCQ and answer writing practise
5.Which part of UPSC is toughest?
Prelims is toughest part of UPSC exam as success rate to clear prelims is just 1.96 %.
6.Is one year preparation enough to crack UPSC?
Yes,one year preparation is enough for UPSC.
7.Why is it so difficult to crack the UPSC in the first attempt?
Most UPSC aspirants fail to understand the nature of exam and focus on hard work instead of smart work.understanding the UPSC syllabus and studying the previous year question paper is far important than endless reading unnecessary books .
Try to fous on few resources and linkage with current affairs,clearing of concert,anser writing practice,MCQ prcatise,CONSISTENCY AND DISCIPLINE is more important for UPSC preparation.
8.What are the initial steps before starting preparation for UPSC?
Study the syllabus and past 10 year question paper to understand the trend of exam and then prepare strategy and time table accordingly keeping your strength and weakness in mind .