Concept
Basic concepts from your 11th and 12th class mathematics should be very clear and you should be able to derive and apply the formulas to any given situation. If the concepts are clear you will be able to relate and then solve each problem confidently.
Mock Papers
Solving mock question papers is the easiest road to cracking any Maths paper and the same applies for the civil services optional of Mathematics. Get hold of the last ten years papers and try solving them within the given time frame.
Timing
Don’t just solve questions, solve them quickly, and keep track of them time you take to solve a question. You will have limited time during the papers so stick to your time limit and solve mock papers within the stipulated time. Keep a stopwatch if required.
Relax
Anxiety will lead to chaos. Do not get carried away and be in a haste to solve the paper. Relax and read the paper carefully before you sit down to solve it.
Identify
Identifying the problem is the most essential for solving any question. First and foremost read the question carefully before starting with the solution. The data and conditions have to be kept in mind at all times. Before starting to solve the question one has to be clear about what exactly has been asked.
Be Choosey
Solve the simple questions first. The question paper comprises of easy and stereotype questions as well as the complex and challenging ones. Identifying and solving the easy ones first ensures that at least one section is off your mind then you can proceed with the difficult questions.
Skip
If you get stuck on a particular question move ahead and jump to the next question. You can come back to the tricky question after you have finished solving the rest of the paper.
Negative Marking
Negative marking means losing marks over guess work so avoid guessing. These papers are not set with probability in mind and so do not expect the answers to be in a probability and answering all A’s won’t do the trick.
Elimination
Since it is a multiple-type question paper the best strategy would be to eliminate all incorrect answers first and then work on the remaining choices. That ways you will have less work on any one question.
Re-checking
After solving each question the most important thing to do is to re-check it for its accuracy. A thorough revision for you answers is a must.
