New: all of today's current affairs in 10 minutes, free Start reading FLAT 15% OFF ON ALL COURSES Know More Admissions open Starts 21 Oct: Live Mini Mains Test Series for UPSC Mains 2027 Starts 25 Oct: Live Full Mains Test Series for UPSC Mains 2027 Starts 11 Dec: Live Essay Module + Essay Test Series for UPSC Mains 2027 Live Essay for UPSC Mains 2027
Decode Civils
App

When & How To Start Answer Writing Practice?

When To Start? Answer writing is game of both what and how. You must first know what to write and then see how to write. Therefore, you cannot start answer writing till you have not covered fare amount of syllabus. If you start it too early, you won't know what to write and then…

Decode Civils · 1 min read
When & How To Start Answer Writing Practice?

When To Start?

  • Answer writing is game of both what and how.
  • You must first know what to write and then see how to write.
  • Therefore, you cannot start answer writing till you have not covered fare amount of syllabus.
  • If you start it too early, you won't know what to write and then you will end up doing research work on question, wasting precious time.
  • Researching and then writing doesn't make sense. It is like creating notes and not practicing answers!
  • There is no need to panic and rush. First read course material, preferably revise it too and then start answer writing.
  • This will make sure that you revise your notes and practice answers, thus truly testing yourself.
  • Say, you start answer writing 3 months into your preparation and write 1-2 answers per day for next 9 months, then you will end up practicing 100s of questions!

How To Start?

  • Before Prelims exam, practice 1-2 questions per day at home.
  • There is no need to join year long test series.
  • Very next day of Prelims, join a test series or download freely available tests online.
  • Therefore, test series has to be joined only after Prelims.
  • One test series, including 10 tests, is enough.
  • Test series with sectional + comprehensive tests in one module is the best one.

Coaching Or Not?

  • If you follow My Answer Writing Strategy, then you can trust it blindly as it is tried and tested one. I scored 340, 387, 426 & 463 in GS using this strategy.
  • This means that if you are confident while using it, you can self-evaluate your answers as per strategy.
  • So, coaching isn't a panacea.

0 comments

Discussion

Comments are read before they appear.

No comments yet. Be the first.

← All articles

Preparing for UPSC?

Talk to us about the right programme for your attempt.

+91

By continuing, you agree to our terms & conditions.

Keep reading

Diagrams for CSE Mains 24 May 2026

Mains · Answer Writing Strategies

Diagrams for CSE Mains

Hi all, It is well established fact that answer writing in Mains is all about being unique and innovative. Presentation matters more than we think. Reasons to draw diagrams Break monotony of answers. Uniqueness. Despite knowing that diagrams are needed, not many draw them. To…

Decode Civils · 24 May 2026

Sonali Dev (AIR-41 CSE-21) Strategy 24 May 2026

Mains · Answer Writing Strategies

Sonali Dev (AIR-41 CSE-21) Strategy

Hi All, Sonali Dev cracked CSE-21 with AIR-41 in her 2nd attempt and she did it while scoring a huge 443 Marks in GS Mains! Following is her Answer Writing Strategy. Hi everyone, this is Sonali Dev. I have secured AIR-41 in UPSC CSE-2021. I am utilizing the platform to write…

Decode Civils · 24 May 2026

My Answer Writing Strategy 23 May 2026

Mains · Answer Writing Strategies

My Answer Writing Strategy

Answer writing is of course the foundation of CSE MAINS. Once you develop a good answer writing skill, you can be confident of clearing MAINS 10/10 times. My scores in GS: 340 --> 387 --> 426 --> 463. My Strategy involves more than just answer writing. Let’s move in…

Decode Civils · 23 May 2026

Our programmes

View all courses →