10 Tips to help remember points for UPSC Civil Services Exam

Preparing for UPSC Civil Services Exams is not easy. It requires dedication, commitment and a lot of willpower. If you are an IAS aspirant, you would already have an idea of the vast syllabus and the amount of information you will have to feed yourself to ace the exams.

Many IAS academy in Chennai have trained aspirants to achieve their UPSC goals. Based on our experience with many students, we have seen that one of the most required skills to score well in both prelims and mains is the ability to remember large volumes of information and reproduce it on paper. Simply reading a piece of information is not merely enough to remember it at the time of examination.

Most of the information our human brain interacts with is mostly stored in the short-term memory of the brain. Eg: phone numbers and addresses. To be able to remember it for longer, it needs to store in the long-term memory location Eg: names of people and places. Long term memory is usually activated when the information is linked to a core memory or other personally linked elements for better recollection.

When stored in short term memory, the information will be subject to what is called The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve.

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

A German Psychologist conducted research in 1885 to analyze how long the human brain could retain and recollect information. He began by memorizing random syllables and plotted what he could remember in a graph which he called the forgetting curve. He observed that he remembered 100% of the information at the time of acquisition. After 20 minutes, he had forgotten 42% of the information and further forgot 67% of the information in 24 hours. After a month, he could only remember 21% of what he memorized. This could happen to anyone. But an IAS Aspirant cannot afford to lose as much because every single detail is important for a competitive exam of this kind. With the right learning techniques and strategies, you can remember information indefinitely. Remember, the key is to activate the long-term memory function of the brain while studying for longer retention. Here are 10 tips to help you remember information the right way:

1. Create Mind Maps

Mind maps are a great way to visualize the information you read and remember it for longer. How mind mapping works is that you create a central theme point or a focused subject and make branches from the point to other related events. Each event is connected or associated with the central theme and further leads to other events. Each of these events is remembered by relating it or the keywords with real-life events. For instance, if you are studying inflation, you can associate it with your experience with the hike in petrol prices. It can further lead to the oil crises and other challenges faced by the sea route to and fro oil canals. It can then lead to political discussions between the eastern and western countries and their effect on other countries around the globe. This not only helps you diversify your knowledge base and dig deeper, but it also helps you retain data for longer periods with links and visual aids. At Kamaraj IAS Academy we help IAS aspirants with creating mind maps and help with self-assessment to improve their process and knowledge of the subject.

2. Use Flash Cards

Using flashcards has two benefits. Firstly, you will be writing down the information you learnt on cards. Secondly, you would be using them to revise over and over again. These cards can be as creative as you want them to be with diagrams or visual aids to help you relate the data to visuals. This helps to retain information for longer. In Kamaraj IAS Academy, we conduct regular assessment sessions where flashcards can be used as aids for students trying to present their subjects. This gives them the ability to express and gain confidence in the data.

3. Use the Reading Technique

The reading technique involves reading the topic multiple times until you achieve 100% recollection during a test or mock. The first time you read a topic, read it like you are simply a reader, going through a novel or magazine The second time, begin to read it with the intention of preparing for an exam. Once you have read it, try and recollect the information. If you are able to recollect it fully, you can proceed further. If not, give it another read. Most people will only be able to recollect 50% of the information even after reading it several times. The third time you read it, focus on one chapter at a time and test yourself after each chapter. Aim to solve prelims and main questions related to that chapter, both objective and descriptive. Until you are able to comfortably solve questions from the chapter, don’t stop. This requires dedication and a lot of patience but will be worth it in the end.

4. Note Making- Find the Right Tech

Make notes in your own words and make them look legible and organized. Practice using color codes and stick notes to make side notes and highlight important points. Keep coming back to these notes during revision or read them during your free time. A great way to stay in touch with your notes is to use technology for note-making. For instance, One Note by Microsoft lets you make notes on the fly and helps you access them at any time from anywhere. You can also keep a handy diary with you to keep logs on the information you learn on the go and update it to your main note-making journal. Use flowcharts, diagrams and other visual aids to keep it interesting and easier to understand and for quick revision. Kamaraj IAS Academy encourages aspirants to write and note down important information as part of the teaching and mentorship methods.

5. Get Enough Writing Practice

One of the main challenges for IAS candidates is finding adequate time to write descriptive answers during the exams. Most often, there is a lot of information that has to be reproduced in the paper but very little time. It can be hard to complete the paper on time without enough writing practice. Set a clock or timer and get good practice to write or solve mock questions. Use comfortable writing material that you will also use in your examination to write easily and fast. At Kamaraj IAS Academy, we conduct regular mock tests to give students enough practise with writing and to help them remember the points better.

6. Make Use of Mocks

Reserve a day to attempt mock papers. Consolidate the week’s learning and use them to solve a mock paper. Analyze your performance and spend adequate time to study the answers you did not know or got wrong. Force yourself to relearn a concept you were not happy with or got it wrong on the first try. This is very important to make sure that the information you learn is correct and that you are able to replicate your progress on the paper.

7. Revise for Better Recollection

Revising the topic multiple times can help you etch the topic in your mind for longer. Make sure that you learn the correct information and revise as many times as necessary. Revise until you remember the information even in your sleep! Frequent mock tests, revision papers and interactive learning sessions at Kamaraj Academy help the students stay in touch with the learnt information for longer.

8. Teach While you Study

One of the best tricks to remember what you study is by teaching it or pretending to teach it to someone. This helps you understand what you learn and also makes you question the information, forcing you to dig deeper and widen your knowledge. If you are able to fluently teach the topic to someone, it means you have understood the topic well and can remember it for a longer time.? At Kamaraj IAS Academy, we host several student seminar sessions where students get the opportunity to teach certain subjects to other peers. This helps enhance their memory better.

9. Practice Healthy Eating, Sleeping, and Exercising

Make sure that you get enough sleep, eat a well-balanced diet with adequate nutritional value and exercise your body. This activates your brain and enhances its cognitive functions. It can keep you active and alert throughout the day.

10. De-clutter Workspace While Studying

Studying in a messy environment tends to distract or divert your attention. De-clutter the table or workspace and only keep your essentials with you while studying. This will not only help you focus better but will also motivate you to study with complete concentration.

Level Up and Crack UPSC Civil Services Exam

Cultivate the desire to learn and stay motivated until you achieve the end goal. Using the right tools and techniques that best suit you can help you remember what you study easily. Kamaraj IAS Academy, the best IAS academy in Tamil Nadu recommends using these 10 tips to help you remember the information and elevate your knowledge base. Kamaraj IAS Academy has been training IAS aspirants for years with skills, knowledge and other qualities to become officers of standards. Get in touch with us to improve and enhance your learning techniques and resources.