Preparing for the Civil Services Examination can be stressful. More so as the exam approaches closer. With all the expectations from everyone around, and the time you’ve devoted to the preparation, it feels like there’s no other alternative left but to crack the exam. 

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The preliminary exam is the first stage of the Civil Services Exam conducted by the UPSC every year. And it is important to learn to manage the stress that develops a few weeks before the exam. Anupam Sharma, an IFS officer, recently shared a few useful tips to manage anxiety before the prelims.

While he starts by saying that it’s completely normal for a UPSC aspirant to experience stress/anxiety or even a breakdown, he also speaks the bitter truth that UPSC is not the end.

Coming to practical aspects like sleep, he suggests that it is important for an aspirant to sleep for 6-8 hours depending on their sleep cycle. Also, one should not introduce a lot of variations in their sleep cycle just before the exam.

A lot of aspirants make the mistake of reading new study material just before the exam. But as per Anupam Sharma, this is not the right approach, at least for a UPSC aspirant. Rather it’s crucial to revise what you’ve read and memorized.

It is normal for people to cut off from social life as the exam dates approach closer. But there’s a difference between talking to people who motivate you and wasting time on social media and dating apps.

Lastly, the most important tip – Do not skip meals.

It goes without saying that these tips work for other exams too.

Also Read: From Peer Pressure To Job Security, UPSC Aspirants Reveal Why They Prepare For The Exam