Without a doubt, I can say that solving a test series is absolutely needed for an aspirant to clear UPSC Prelims. Keep in mind that Prelims is the most competitive of all the three stages,  as out of lakhs who attempt the Prelims, only around ten thousand or so candidates clear it. Adding to this, you have just two hours to prove yourself. Hence, questions related to the massive GS syllabus are presented to you, and you have just two hours each for Paper1 and Paper 2

Why are mock tests necessary?

1. Recreates the Environment – Exams are usually stressful while taking, especially since an aspirant has just two hours; stress can eat away quality time. Hence, the mock tests taken will help you reduce exam-related stress over a while. When you approach the actual exam, the aspirant can write it with a clear mind.
2. Helps you Manage Time – Once again since you have just 120 minutes to answer 100 questions in each paper, an aspirant has to make sure that he/she has enough time to analyze the question, decide on an answer and mark them on the OMR promptly.
3. Creates Familiarity with the Syllabus – A good mock test can help you familiarise yourself with the syllabus of the UPSC Prelims exam. As the syllabus is gigantic, the mock tests strategically expose you to relevant areas through the carefully framed mock question paper.
4. To Know your Strong Areas – Every aspirant has areas where they are strong and weak at. By going through the mock tests, the aspirant can understand which areas they are the most strong at and weak at as well. This allows the aspirant to appropriately allocate their time to work on weak areas and to work more hard on strong areas.
5. To Strengthen the Basics – Not only does a mock test help an aspirant analyze his/her current state, but it will also help him/her revise the portions. While the mock tests start with smaller chapters so that the expertise is gradually built, it also allows the aspirant to revise what he/she has already learnt slowly. Click here to go through our free NCERT tests to understand how good you are in your basics.
6. To Understanding the Style of the Exam – The UPSC Prelims is styled to have questions from various subjects while options to questions are of different nature. Hence, you have to understand the nature of the Prelims exam before you attempt the actual exam. For this, an excellent mock exam is of paramount importance. Moreover, it can also give you UPSC quality questions, which can help an aspirant tremendously as it sharpens one’s knowledge and, at the same time, readies one for the exam.
7. To Improving your Knowledge – An excellent mock test helps you cover all the relevant topics of the syllabus. The answer key provided by the mock test gives you the needed explanation for the question. Going through the answer key will help the aspirant understand the answer, and at the same time, it can add any information the aspirant might have missed while preparing.
8. Trying out the Strategies – Each aspirant has their method of answering the questions, and it would be best to try out the strategies, tips and tricks you have acquired overtime on the mock tests to use them in the UPSC Prelims comfortably. Click here to read our article on how you can strategize the Prelims preparation. We advise the same to our students at Officers IAS Academy after we conduct our special Prelims techniques class to try out the different techniques on the mock tests first.

An apt mock test is like a good friend that can guide you through the preparation. Continue revising the crucial areas while taking the mock tests seriously to enhance your chance of clearing the Prelims – Good luck in the upcoming Prelims!