Why should we attempt Test series - UPSC PDF Download

“I had cracked UPSC in my first attempt and still believe that UPSC Mock Test Series has really helped me in doing that. This is something which will never change and I would recommend every aspirant to attempt at least 3-4 Mock Test Series before the exam” - IRS Divey Sethi 
(Cracked UPSC in First Attempt with AIR 256)

“I think mock tests are very essential. It helps to develop your intuitive skills so that you can make intelligent guesses. Further, if you attempt tests, you learn various points that you might find difficulty in memorizing. (For example, if I have a question on the location of a national park in a mock test, there is a good chance that it gets memorized)”. - Siddharth Jain (AIR 13 CSE-2015)

“Giving mock tests is imp as you notice the fine points which you miss sometimes while studying – especially in polity, geography and history. Hence, it is necessary to do mock tests.” - Pulkit Garg (Rank-27 /CSE-2015)

There are few things common in every student who has ever cracked UPSC exam:
1. Worked really hard persistently to achieve the success
2. Attempted at least 1 mock test series before appearing for the final exam. 
3. Revise through those tests and gain additional knowledge

If you’re still wondering, why you should attempt UPSC Mock Test Series, this might help:

1. Getting Familiar With The Final Exam Environment: Before giving the UPSC exam, it is essential to get familiar with the exam environment. Attempting a test series in a time-bound manner would help an aspirant in developing a feel of a real exam-like scenario. One can learn to imbibe tension, stress and doubts in such an atmosphere through mock tests. This would also help you in developing various strategies that you could adopt and adapt to on the D-day of the UPSC examination.    
(MCQ pattern in the Prelims exam)

2. Helps in Time Management: Time is the most important factor when it comes to clearing UPSC, you have to attempt 100 questions in 120 minutes. Attempting questions in the given time is certainly not easy, considering the amount of questions asked in the exam and total time available. Hence, solving mock tests helps! The more papers you solve, the better are your chances of finishing the paper on time.
Q. Just imagine solving 100 such questions in 120 minutes. It’s going to be tricky and practicing mock test series will help you manage your time better during exams.

3. Boost Confidence: Practice not only makes you perfect but also builds confidence. Solving more question papers helps you manage time and performance with great confidence. The more tests you’ll give, the better you’ll understand your strong and weak areas. Online test series also give you the opportunity to solve every question with a positive attitude. Test series for UPSC will help tremendously in this respect.  This would help in better perception of concepts and clarity of understanding. The detailed answer keys also ensure that a chunk of your syllabus is covered as well.

4. Reduces the Chances of Mistakes: It is quite easy to get confused and go terribly wrong while studying. In the UPSC Prelims exam, you have multiple choice questions (MCQs), hence the chances of committing small mistakes like wrong calculation, lack of attention, etc. are high. The more you practice with test series, the more alert you’ll be during the exam. Mock tests allow you to learn from your mistakes and crack Multiple Choice Questions smartly.

5. Immediate Analysis of Your Preparation Status: Test series have unique features like immediate analysis of the test results, understanding weak areas, etc. The moment you finish your test, you can check the results to know where you stand in the preparation level. Further, test series rank candidates and aspirants across the country based on performance and this would help you in gauging the level of competition and identify where you stand in the crowd (All India Rank). A robust feedback system proves to be beneficial in taking leaps and bounds over the course of a year of preparation. It gives you a fair idea about how much more you need to prepare and improvise.

We at EduRev know the hardships you faced & the number of hours you put in, this is why we recommend that every Civil services aspirant “must” take a mock test series, be prepared and not let your attempt be another bygone!

Importance of EduRev Mock Test Series: 

• Nationwide Ranking 
• Relevant as per real UPSC exam pattern 
• Helps you analyse your strengths and weaknesses

Here’s a brief overview of EduRev Mock Test Series: 

• 10 Mock Tests with detailed solutions 
• Prepared by UPSC Experts, who have cleared the exam multiple times 
• Can be attempted through EduRev App & Website

Link to the First UPSC Mock Test 1 to help you getting started - 
This one’s free!

It is due to the above reasons that it is highly essential for aspirants to attempt test series a few months before the UPSC exam. When you check the key and solve the questions you did not get right, you automatically brush up on your concepts and align your thinking pattern to the thinking pattern of the test makers. The best part? Test series have numerous psychological benefits such as the elimination of nervousness and phobia. Even from the financial point of view, they are affordable and can be accessed anywhere through the internet. So, don’t just aspire; prepare rigorously and cross the final hurdle in your journey to becoming an Officer.

• Number of Questions ~ Pattern of the exam 
• Level of Questions 
• Types of Questions Real - time Environment 
• Link to the First Mock Tests 
• Interesting Question 
• Ranking Snapshot Detailed Solutions

Mock test series is the most important aspect of your preparation and with this document, Eduev explains what you need to keep in mind while attempting for one.   Most of the aspirants wonder about the number of hours they need to study, the books they need to refer and the coaching institutes they need to attend, often ignoring the most important aspect of their UPSC preparation – test series/mock tests.  As an aspirant, unless and until you test your knowledge, you wouldn’t be able to develop a perfect picture of your knowledge & weaker concept, which once known can be harnessed better.

Mock Tests are a very important part of the preparation for both Prelims & Mains because it shows us the mirror of our preparation level. It happens many times with students that they complete the book but still do not score in the exam. Here the test series are of special relevance because these help students to assess how well he/she has understood and learned the subject not just completed the books. It helps a student to NOT be overconfident. Irrespective of whether you studied through self-study or through a coaching institute, we at EduRev would always suggest you undertake mock test series and fine-tune your Civil Services preparation. Regular, real-time, feedback based testing and evaluation is a must for any aspirant. With the level of competition associated with the UPSC examination, time, and effort invested into the preparation, you cannot afford to take a chance here.  Making a choice amongst the huge number of test series available in the market can be a tricky affair if you are a beginner.

Following are the things you should keep in mind while choosing a mock test series:

• Cost Quality, 
• Response 
• Support, and 
• Feedback mechanism

Advantages of taking a Mock Test Series of Civil Services Exam
1. Developing a schedule of study: Most aspirants tend to spend a huge amount of time in preparing a study timetable. Most often than not, unrealistic deadlines and heavy burden of work leading to stress and breakdown is the end result. A test series would help you in giving a sense of direction to your preparation, enabling you to meet realistic deadlines in a time-bound manner. 
2. Testing your level of preparedness: The most basic objective of a test series is testing your knowledge and skills. This would help in understanding the progress you make in your preparation throughout the year.
3. Real-time exam environment: Attempting a test series in a time-bound manner would help an aspirant in developing a feel of real exam like scenario. One can learn to imbibe tension, stress and doubts in such an atmosphere through mock tests. This would also help you in developing various strategies that you could adopt and adapt to on the “D” day of the UPSC examination. 
4. Feedback and ranking: An ideal test series would provide you with a feedback mechanism that would enable you to improve upon your preparation. A robust feedback system proves to be beneficial in taking leaps and bounds over the course of a year of preparation. Further, test series rank candidates and aspirants across the country based on performance and this would help you in gauging the level of competition and identify where you stand in the crowd.
5. Analysis: An aspirant must try to analyze the performance of a test. Identifying shortcomings will help you to arrive at the most proper recourse based on the feedback and attempt the paper again after a brief period of time. This would help in better perception of concepts and clarity of understanding. The detailed answer keys also ensure that a chunk of your syllabus is covered as well.

It’s not just enough that you attempt the test papers and leave them aside after that. The crucial part comes after the test, wherein you analyze your attempt strategy, identify your strengths and weakness, evaluate the answer key, and revise the test again. Giving sincere attempts & being honest with your analysis will help you reach the target much faster & much efficiently. We know that an aspirant may fall, slip and tumble on numerous occasions in the journey to attain those highly respected and responsible civil servant jobs under UPSC and a test series provides you that edge to fail and practice before you give your actual attempt. We at EduRev know the hardships you faced & the number of hours you put in, this is why we recommend that every Civil services aspirant “must” take a mock test series, be prepared and not let your attempt be another by gone!
[Give a link to current affairs & revision Tests of UPSC]

How EduRev features of Mock tests help you in achieving these goals:

• Nationwide ranking: We understood that many institutes were providing test series but failed in explaining your position among top students all over the country. 
• Compare with your peers: 
• Time Limit 
• Highly relevant to actual UPSC Prelims