Enhancing one's capacity for memory and retention is essential while getting ready for the UPSC examination, a demanding and all-encompassing assessment. First and foremost, it's critical to create a disciplined study plan with frequent breaks. Study sessions that are brief and targeted are more productive than long ones because they reduce mental weariness and improve the assimilation of knowledge. Making use of mind maps, mnemonic devices, and visualization approaches can help with the retention of difficult material. Memory consolidation is further strengthened by testing oneself on the content that has been learnt and engaging in active recall exercises.

Another important component is getting enough sleep, which is necessary for the brain to properly absorb and store information. Sustaining a healthy lifestyle with consistent exercise and a well-rounded diet enhances cognitive performance in general. Understanding and retention can be improved by making connections between newly learned material and previously acquired knowledge. Last but not least, maintaining organization with succinct notes, emphasizing important topics, and going over them frequently guarantees a continuous reinforcement of the knowledge gained. UPSC candidates can improve their memory and recall skills and prepare for exams more successfully by implementing these tactics.
Here is a detailed list of Ways to Boost Your Retention and Memory Power to crack UPSC 2024.

1. A Good Environment for UPSC Exam Preparation
First of all, if you have already decided to take the exam, you must be aware that passing it requires careful, thoughtful, and thorough preparation. To be more focused while studying, you need to keep your study space serene and quiet. To focus better, you might need to set up a space for study—a library, your study room, etc.—for at least an hour at a time. Your study space is crucial to helping you concentrate and learn more effectively for that reason.

2. Identify your strengths and establish a goal.
Before you start preparing for the UPSC exam, it’s important to understand your strengths and how you can use them much effectively. Also, you should understand and identify your weak areas and work hard to improve them. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you focus on key points during your studies. It’s very important to know why you want to become an IAS officer. Once you find your purpose, it will definitely inspire you to work much harder every day to reach your goal.
3. Taking notes and revising
It is a clever strategy to comprehend and take brief notes during your UPSC exam preparation, particularly for the Mains exam. Self-notes allow you to review material many times before an exam, saving you time by reducing the need to go back to the syllabus. One cannot expect to pass in the Main Examination without putting in a lot of effort, being well-prepared, and constantly going over their notes. It makes sense to forget what you've studied once or twice when faced with a curriculum as large as UPSC's. Most of the time, forgetting what you have previously learned may also be rather annoying. Thus, the secret to keeping everything is revision. Make a review program for yourself that works for you on a daily, weekly, monthly, and exam-specific basis. That undoubtedly aids in covering and comprehending the complete course.

4. Visualize
After you've completed reading, keep learning and picturing everything you're studying. This may facilitate better absorption on your part. Use images such as maps, photographs, movies, and diagrams to help you visualize the information you've studied. This can help with memory retention in addition to adding excitement to your study. Mnemonics, picture palaces, and acronyms are a few other strategies that might help you recall more.

5. Taking A Vacation
UPSC aspirants always push themselves to study for extended periouds of time, but this is a terrible idea. The best course of action is to study for short periods  , as prolonged study sessions weaken your ability to retain information. Take breaks in between, then pick up where you left off each time. To make sure you comprehend all you read, schedule a quick yet productive study session.

6. Teach what you learn
Teaching is another way to learn. You learn something new every time you impart knowledge to someone else. We're not advocating that you become a teacher, but if you are really knowledgeable in a field, you may tutor your UPSC friends in the areas where they lack proficiency. In this way, you may refine your knowledge and impart it to others. Teaching improves your recall, knowledge, and self-confidence, which works like a charm when you're under exam pressure. One crucial step in the learning process is the exam. You have to evaluate what you think you know and see if you can still remember it. Self-quizzing and taking exams regularly might have two benefits. We don't easily forget our mistakes, so one benefit is that you may find out what went wrong and, at the same time, correct it while remembering it for a longer period.

7. Continue with Your Daily Schedule
A crucial component of UPSC exam preparation is discipline. However, utilizing the internet, social media, YouTube, and other platforms has altered our daily routine. The world was far more structured than it is now, pre-Internet revolution. We're not saying the internet is bad; it's a tremendously useful tool, after all, but it has drawbacks as well. Studies show that about 75% of Indians check their phones both before and after going to bed. What if we told you that it is interfering with your routine, which should be on track to help you pass exams like the UPSC and maintain your memory? You might be asking how it has anything to do with memory-boosting or UPSC. Get up early, go to bed on time, sleep for a minimum of 7 to 8 hours each night, eat on schedule, eat well, and maintain excellent health.

8. Maintain emotional equilibrium
Although none of us is happy, we have managed to find contentment in the face of adversity. On the other hand, give up on everything and concentrate on three things each day: eat, sleep, study, and repeat if your goal is to become a public servant and see yourself as an IAS. When you let your obstacles overcome your drive to become an IAS, you lose your effective memory and replace it with disappointments and agony. Delete them and tell yourself that everything is OK and that it will continue to be OK even if you become an IAS. The majority of you will be able to connect to this argument, even if it may not apply to everyone.