Preparing for competitive exams like JEE, UPSC or GATE?

IFS officer Himanshu Tyagi, an IIT Roorkee graduate, shares how picking the right books and reading them effectively helped him during his exam preparations.

He asks candidates to focus mainly on quality over quantity. “The number of books you read is immaterial if you don't understand the concept,” he shared on X (Twitter).

Here are the five tips shared by the IFS officer for effective & efficient reading for exams:

He urges students not to fall in a trap of buying every book recommended by toppers. “Select good books and stick to them,” he wrote.

1. Pick the right book

“Before starting, understand what the book is about. Understand the design of the book,” he added.

2. Read the index

The IFS officer says that students mustn't worry about reading every page of a book. “Be selective about what you want to read,” he wrote.

3. Read the interesting chapters first

Read in two stages, he says.

He introduces a concept that he calls “superficial reading” — fast reading of the chapter you are interested in.

4. Stage 1: Superficial reading

Highlight/underline keywords. Summarise a chapter in one paragraph.

Now, come back and re-read the chapter slowly. He advises students not to make notes while reading.

5. Stage 2: Deep reading

“Make notes after completing the concept without referring to the book,” he opined.

His main funda is, “Read one book multiple times rather than reading multiple books.”