<\/p>
SPS Oberoi, a former Army officer and UPSC mentor at Ekam IAS Academy, has said that mock tests are useless for civil services preparation.<\/p>
He also claimed that students are being pushed into buying unnecessary books and test series because of peer pressure and market pressure.<\/p>
In a podcast with ANI’s Smita Prakash, Oberoi said many UPSC aspirants make the exam more complicated than it actually is by collecting too many books, current affairs material and mock papers instead of focusing on NCERTs and standard textbooks.<\/p>
Don’t Miss:\u00a0<\/strong>\u20b9125 crore dowry for an IAS officer? UPSC mentor reveals shocking status obsession<\/p> One standard textbook is enough<\/b><\/p> The UPSC mentor said that students should begin their preparation with NCERT books, class notes and one standard textbook for each subject.<\/p> \u201cUPSC preparation can become excellent in just three stages. Start with NCERTs. Write proper class notes. Revise them properly. For every subject, keep one standard textbook. That\u2019s the end of it,\u201d he said.<\/p> He also warned students against buying large numbers of books from stationery shops after seeing others do the same.<\/p> \u201cWhat happens is because of peer pressure. Your roommate buys books, you go to the stationery shop for a notebook, you see people buying books in bulk, and then because of fear of missing out, you also buy them,\u201d he said.<\/p> Mock tests are useless<\/b><\/p> Oberoi strongly criticised the growing business around UPSC mock tests and test series.<\/p> \u201cIf I say something about mock tests, maybe people will not like it. They are useless in your preparation process,\u201d he said.<\/p> According to him, many students wrongly believe that solving printed mock papers will help them clear the exam.<\/p> He claimed that one coaching institute in Delhi made around \u20b954 crore from selling a test series for the 2025 UPSC prelims examination.<\/p> \u201cNot even one question came from it. So who got fooled?\u201d he asked.<\/p> Prelims is mostly static<\/b><\/p> Oberoi said the UPSC prelims exam is largely based on static subjects already defined in the syllabus.<\/p> \u201cThe prelims exam is static. Around 74 to 78 per cent comes from the defined syllabus. The cutoff is often below 50 per cent. Then why are you running behind test series?\u201d he said.<\/p> He urged students to trust NCERTs and standard textbooks instead of constantly chasing new material.<\/p> \u201cRevise them and go write the exam. You will pass,\u201d he added.<\/p> Current affairs versus current issues<\/b><\/p> Oberoi also argued that coaching institutes create unnecessary fear around current affairs preparation.<\/p> \u201cTo generate money, a narrative has been created that current affairs are extremely important for prelims. Current affairs are not important for prelims,\u201d he said.<\/p> He said there is a difference between \u201ccurrent affairs\u201d and \u201ccurrent issues\u201d, adding that the UPSC mains and interview stages are more focused on larger national issues and debates.<\/p> He cited topics such as delimitation and women\u2019s reservation as examples of issues that serious aspirants would naturally stay aware of during their preparation.<\/p> <\/div> UPSC preparation, SPS Oberoi, mock tests useless, NCERT books, civil services exam, UPSC mentor advice, UPSC prelims strategy, UPSC coaching criticism, Indian civil services, exam preparation tips#039Mock #tests #useless #trust…039 #UPSC #mentor039s #advice #UPSC #aspirants1779840795<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SPS Oberoi, a former Army officer and UPSC mentor at Ekam IAS Academy, has said that mock tests are useless for civil services preparation. He also claimed that students are being pushed into buying unnecessary books and test series because of peer pressure and market pressure. 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