Many aspirants start with a timetable of 12 hours a day and give up within a week. A timetable that works is one you can follow consistently for months. Here is how to build one, whether you study full-time or alongside college or a job.
Start with the syllabus and the exam date
Download the official syllabus and exam pattern for your exam. List every subject and its topics, and count the number of weeks until the exam. Divide the time into three phases:
- Learning phase (about 60% of the time): complete the syllabus topic by topic.
- Practice phase (about 25%): topic-wise questions, previous year papers and sectional tests.
- Revision and mock phase (about 15%): full mock tests and revision of notes.
Decide your real daily hours
Be honest. A full-time aspirant may manage 6–8 focused hours. A college student or working professional may have 2–4 hours on weekdays and more at weekends. Four focused hours every day are better than ten hours once a week.
A sample day for a full-time aspirant
- Morning (2–3 hours): the most difficult subject, when your mind is fresh – for example quantitative aptitude or reasoning.
- Late morning (1 hour): current affairs and newspaper notes.
- Afternoon (2 hours): English or the language section, plus general studies.
- Evening (1–2 hours): practice questions or a sectional test and its review.
- Before sleep (20–30 minutes): quick revision of what you studied today.
A sample day for a working aspirant
- Early morning (1–1.5 hours): one core subject.
- Commute or lunch break (20–30 minutes): current affairs or vocabulary.
- Evening (1.5–2 hours): practice questions and review.
- Weekends: longer sessions, one full mock test and weekly revision.
Build revision into the plan
Without revision, much of what you study is forgotten within weeks. A simple rule: revise a topic the next day, again after a week and again after a month. Keep one day every week for revision only.
Use mock tests wisely
Start sectional tests early, but take full-length mocks in the last phase – one a week at first, increasing closer to the exam. Spend as long reviewing a mock as you spent taking it.
Protect your health
Sleep 7–8 hours, take short breaks every hour and get some physical activity each day. A tired mind makes more mistakes and remembers less. Burnout is one of the main reasons aspirants give up – plan for rest the same way you plan for study.
Review your timetable every two weeks
If you are consistently falling behind, the plan is too ambitious – adjust it rather than giving up. The best timetable is the one you are still following on exam day.
