Candidates in a dilemma about how to start UPSC preparation from zero level must remember that hard work, time management and consistency are the most important.
The students who wish to attempt the UPSC exam are scheduled to be conducted on Sept 15, 2023, and are in a dilemma about how to start UPSC preparation from zero level. The students must know these 5 major segments while preparing for UPSC exams which are understanding the UPSC exam pattern and syllabus, strategizing the preparation, using the right learning resources, test series, and time management.
The candidates must consistently prepare for the UPSC exam and devote a set number of hours to studying. The candidates who are wondering how to start UPSC preparation from zero level should manage their time and care for their health while being consistent with their studies.
| UPSC Study Material for IAS Preparation | Best and Easiest Optional Subjects for UPSC |
How to Start UPSC Preparation from Zero Level?
The students can check these 5 major pointers that will help anyone to start UPSC preparation from zero level without any hesitation and crack the exam by working hard and smart.
- The students must take efforts to understand the UPSC Exam pattern, the syllabus, the difficulty level of the exam each year, and more. This will help the students to know where to start with the preparation.
- The students can strategize the UPSC preparation by analysing the subjects and chapters based on the respective student's understanding level, comprehending status, and grasping capacity. The tough chapters can be taken up in the middle of the preparation so the student does not lose hope while starting the study for the UPSC exam.
- Having the right resources is one of the major aspects of starting the UPSC preparation from zero level. The right teacher or coaching center, the right learning materials, practice and sample question papers, etc will guide the students immensely while preparing for the UPSC examination.
- Test Series includes the students being aware of their weak and strong areas in the UPSC question paper, which will ultimately help them to know where to start and work all the way through the current year UPSC question paper.
- The students can work on their time management by continuously practicing the sample and previous years' UPSC papers, the question paper sections based on each subject in the workbooks. This technique will assist the students to know where to speed up and which part of the question paper slows them down etc.
| Negative Marking in UPSC for Prelims and Mains Exams | UPSC Interview Marks |
UPSC Toppers Interview
Students wondering how to start UPSC preparation from zero level must refer to the information below to read in detail about the UPSC toppers interview.
| Name | Rank | Advice |
| Tina Dabi | UPSC CSE AIR – 01, 2015 | "Knowing the syllabus word for word is very important. Whenever you'll come across an editorial or any resource you'll know if it is important or not by relating it to the syllabus." |
| Pujya Priyadarshni | UPSC CSE AIR – 11, 2018 | *Figure out what you want to study and from where and know it page to page. Stick to it and revise thoroughly and focus on the mock tests. I used to do a mock a day.” |
| Srushti Jayant Deshmukh | UPSC CSE AIR – 05, 2018 | “Being from an Engineering background I was quite scared regarding answer writing but I realized that it is one of the most important things. So I tried overcoming this fear and developed a habit of writing 1-2 answers every day. Although I did not write very well at the beginning with practice, I understood the standard of the questions in UPSC Exams and improved.” |
| Himanshu Nagpal | UPSC CSE AIR – 26, 2019 | “It does not matter whether you study for one hour or two hours daily, the most important thing is that you should do it consistently. The continuity should not break and one should not force oneself to focus even if you do not understand a thing of what one is reading. Instead, look for resources that would help you in understanding it better. One should be aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses and make a consistent strategy accordingly.” |
| Pradeep Singh | UPSC CSE AIR – 93, 2018 | “What you need is not just determination but ruthless determination. If you have an aim in your life you should be focused on how you are going to achieve it. You should make it your number one priority and leave behind anything and everything that distracts you. I also made a keyword to motivate myself during the exam ‘T.L.A.M’ – Talk less, act more.” |
| Athar Aamir | UPSC CSE AIR – 02, 2015-16 | “Whatever you read today, after five or ten days only 10-20% will be there in your mind so it is very important to revise things periodically. For this, note-making is very helpful. If you don’t revise things before the exam then in the hall you won’t get time to recall or to think. So it is very important to revise and also make a revision plan.” |
Steps to Choose Additional Subject for UPSC Exam 2023
Candidates must refer to the steps below to choose the additional subject for the UPSC exam 2023 while finding the answer to how to start UPSC preparation from zero level.
- Students must make a list of subjects which they are passionate about studying.
- Afterward, candidates who are confused about how to start UPSC preparation from zero level must check the syllabus and past-year question papers of various optional subjects.
- Then, the candidates should take advice from the seniors or get professional help.
- Eventually, based on the mentioned criteria, candidates must select a subject they think they can score best.
UPSC Exam 2023 General Preparation Strategies
Students must refer to the UPSC exam 2023 general preparation strategies given below and find the answer to how to start UPSC preparation from zero level:
- Students must regularly read the newspaper for current affairs and stay well informed of all the international politics, socio-economic happenings, and science and technology-related news.
- It is important to note every important topic so the candidates can review it during revision. For the most retention, candidates are advised to make subject-wise notes and revise them often.
- Candidates must have a clear understanding of the syllabus to study accordingly.
- The students need to have a good idea of the exam pattern which will be followed while preparing for the UPSC exam 2023.
- The students must go through the mock test prepared by the authorities of UPSC and attempt them well to understand what to expect from the final exam.
- The candidates should practice the previous year's question papers for preparation purposes.
- Students must not only depend on theoretical knowledge but also practice writing answers.
- Candidates wondering how to start UPSC preparation from zero level must be very careful while selecting their additional subject as it can elevate their scores.
Important Dates for UPSC Exam 2023
Students must refer to the table below to understand the important dates for the UPSC exam 2023 and find the answer to how to start UPSC preparation from zero level accordingly.
| Events | Dates |
| Release of UPSC Exam 2023 Notification | Feb 1, 2023 |
| UPSC CSE 2023 Application Form Window Closes | Feb 21, 2023 |
| UPSC Preliminary Civil Services Exam 2023 | May 28, 2023 |
| UPSC Civil Services Exam 2023 | Sept 15, 2023 |
UPSC Exam Pattern
Students must refer to the table below for the UPSC exam pattern. There are two papers for the UPSC prelims exam: GS Paper 1 and CSAT. Likewise, students wondering how to start UPSC preparation from zero level must remember that there are nine papers.
| UPSC Exam Stages | Total Marks | Exam Type |
| UPSC 2023 Prelims Exam | 400 | Objective |
| UPSC 2023 Maine Exam | 1750 | Descriptive |
| IAS Interview | 275 | Personality |
Additional Sources for UPSC Exam 2023
Students must refer to the sources below to study for the UPSC exam 2023 as the solution to how to start UPSC preparation from zero level.
- Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Sanghania
- Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe
- India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
- India's Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra and Others
- An Introduction to the Constitution of India by D D Basu
- Economic Survey for the current year
- Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
- Environment and Ecology by Majid Husain
If the students wondering how to start UPSC preparation from zero level have any queries, they must immediately contact the concerned authorities using the contacts below to resolve the issue.
- Facilitation Counter: 011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591
- Email : feedback-upsc@gov.in
