UPSC Indian Forest Services (IFS) Exam: Tips that can help you prepare better

With hardly 2 months left for one of the most coveted exams in India – Indian Forest Services (IFS), the serious aspirants must already be ramping up with their syllabus and preparations. Just like UPSC Civil Services Examination (UPSC-CSE) for Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS) and Indian Foreign Services (IFS), the examination for Indian Forest Services, this year is going to be filled with cut-throat competition. It would be essential for aspirants to utilize their time wisely, in order to ace through this competitive examination.

The exam for Indian Forest Services consists of three phases – The prelims, Mains and Personal Interview (A written exam plus a personal interview makes up the main exam.)

The need of the hour for such aspirants is of rigorous practice and dedication towards their preparation. Here are some tips and strategies, which can help one in with better preparation –

1. Create a Schedule: While most serious aspirants must have covered their syllabus by now, and understood their weak areas, thus it is now necessary to make a feasible schedule to focus on the weak areas and strengthen their fundamentals. Make a schedule based on an analysis of your condition long before the exam.

2. Mix your schedule with study and revision – While revision is the key for long lasting memory, keep revising your previous (strong) subjects simultaneously while you prepare your weak subjects. organise your study strategy so that you can read and review the required material as often as you can or until you feel secure in your preparation.

3. Read Newspapers regularly – Read newspaper regularly in order to keep a track of the current happenings as well as to skill up your vocabulary. Though English newspapers are preferred to keep up thorough knowledge rather than just having a superficial knowledge of the topic, other regional newspapers can also be gone through. A news story could be covered in one newspaper with scant details while being covered in great depth in another.

4. Current Affairs are Crucial – Even though one may have been preparing for years, but keeping in track with the current affairs is a daily must task. This section is important as the exam aims to test the comprehensive understanding of the candidate.

5. Put Your Personality and Communication Skills in front: The interview is one of the most crucial components of the test. One must be able to express themselves to the interviewers in a clear and concise manner. So, focus on honing your verbal and nonverbal communication abilities. Candidates with such talents are in high demand.

In order to excel through the Mains exam, personal interview plays an equally pivotal role as the written test. In determining an aspirant’s rank, the correct plan, strategy and time management are of great importance. Aspirants should prioritise reviewing, retaining accuracy and quality by practicing more number of Mock tests, the time till exam should be intelligently used to enhance conceptual knowledge, reasoning and common sense based questions. Focus on both written and oral communication, by overcoming the weaker areas one should use this opportunity to strengthen their preparation.

Author A.K Mishra is Director, Chanakya IAS Academy. Views expressed here are personal