(Article) SCIENTIFIC REVISION TECHNIQUES FOR UPSC

The UPSC Civil Services Examinations are considered as one of the prestigious & toughest examinations in the country. It needs a lot of strategic preparation & smart work to crack this exam. In all these preparation strategies, revision is considered as the key to success.

However, It is not advisable to read so many book’s sources, but important is to refer only to fewer sources and compiled study notes & to revise it multiple times.

Revision makes you confidant to excel in the exams. Revision is just like going with the same route again & again and your mind will remember everything on its way automatically. 

We will discuss some scientifically proven techniques used all over the world to do the most important thing of any learning process i.e. REVISION.

How our mind works :

‘Hippocampus’ is a structure inside the Temporal Lobe of Cerebral Cortex that forms a part of the mind, which is responsible for memory. Hippocampus is made up of densely packed neurons. It plays a vital role in regulating learning, memory encoding, memory consolidation, and spatial navigation.

How to improve the capacity of the ‘Hippocampus’ :

Improving the capacity of the Hippocampus means improving the learning process i.e. memory. Hippocampus can be polished & improved as below :

• Low or Nil intake of sugar- Yes, sugar creates an artificial layer over the Hippocampus just like fog & facilitate the memory fading process. It is very much advisable to either completely stop or minimize the intake of sugar or any sugar-based products. Definitely, its not an easy task, but can be done in a phased manner. 

• 7-8 hrs of daily sleep - A good sleep is required to recharge your mind & to accelerate the memory building process.

• Sufficient physical exercise - Moderate exercise/ yoga of 45-60 mins on daily basis is required to maintain blood circulation & supply of fresh oxygen to mind & blood.

• Fresh air- Fresh oxygen is like a fuel for the body & the mind.

• Healthy diet - Healthy, balanced & nutritious diet is a complement to fresh air & necessary for the memory storing & building process.

• Be happy & confident - Extreme worry will not lead to anywhere. The only way to combat worry is to act towards your goal. The more you act towards reaching your goal, the more you complete your stepwise revision task, the more you feel confidant. Be happy & feel confidant. 

Some necessities before getting up ready for the revision :

• Eat a healthy diet: No & never ever skip breakfast. A healthy diet is essential to give your mind the required capacity to re-process the knowledge.

• Put your phone away: Minimise the use of your phone or keep it away for at least one hour while doing revision. Nothing is more important than your revision except a few medical emergencies.

• Start early - Start your day early & try to finish your revision prior to the scheduled time, because every time you revise, your revision time should be reduced considerably.

• Teach somebody- If possible teach somebody, this will revise your concepts & also helps to reorganize your thoughts along with regular revision.

• Use of highlighter - Highlighter should be used judiciously. Like all the facts can be highlighted in red color, the key concept can be highlighted in green , any new concept/ words can be highlighted in yellow color. After finishing the first reading of any chapter, highlighter should be used in the second reading, so that unnecessary highlighting can be avoided.

• Regular break - On an average 10-20 minutes break is required after every hour of studies. This will helps in processing & storing knowledge in your memory.

Revision Techniques:

Standard Revision Method -

This is the commonest revision method employed by most of the civil services aspirants. 

Whatever you studied in the first five days, revise those studies in the last two days of that week. 

Hence every week or month your revision time should increase continuously. In this way, you will be able to learn new chapters along with the revision of previous materials.

During the completion stage of your syllabus,90% of your time should be used in revision while 10% of time should be used in learning new things.

Frequent Revision Method-

This method is commonly used by aspirants who are preparing for exams having a limited, defined & syllabus having more of a static nature. Since this requires frequent revision giving a toll on timely completion of the syllabus. However, if implemented giving sufficient time & planning, this method also proved to be beneficial for civil services preparation.

In this method, revision to be done on 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th & 21st day of the same topics/chapters. This is just like learning car driving. An initial one or two revision you will take some time but while doing subsequent revisions, the mind automatically gets trained to move ahead on the desired path. 

Best Way Forward :

Adopt any method of revision based on your needs & applicability. Keep your studies sources judiciously minimum instead of scattering on many sources. Make maximum possible revisions & check your progress through mock tests to sail successfully through this examination process.

Happy Studies!

Printed Study Material for UPSC IAS Exams

Online Coaching for IAS PRELIMS Exam

© IAS EXAM PORTAL

<<Go Back To Main Page