Many selected candidates in SSC, banking and state PSC exams prepared while working. The constraint is not hours; it is consistency. Three focused hours every day beats ten hours on Sunday.
The 3-hour weekday plan
- 5:30–7:00 AM: the hardest subject for you (usually Maths or Reasoning). The mind is fresh; use it for problem solving, not reading.
- Commute or lunch (30 min): current affairs on your phone, vocabulary flashcards, or a 10-question daily quiz.
- 9:00–10:30 PM: reading subjects — General Awareness, English grammar, Polity. End with 15 minutes revising the morning’s mistakes.
Weekends
- Saturday: one full mock test in exam conditions, then two hours of analysis. This is non-negotiable.
- Sunday: 4–5 hours of weak-area practice and the week’s current-affairs revision. Rest in the evening.
Rules that keep the plan alive
- Fix the slots and tell your family. Protect the morning block even on bad days; do 30 minutes rather than zero.
- Use leave for the last 10 days before the exam, not for starting preparation.
- Track with a simple sheet: date, hours, topic, questions solved. Review it every Sunday.
- If you miss a day, do not "make it up" — continue the next day. Backlogs kill plans.
How long it takes
At 3 hours a weekday and 8 on weekends, you get about 23 hours a week. SSC CGL or IBPS PO Tier-1 level can be reached in 4–5 months; state PSC prelims in 6–8 months. UPSC needs a year or more at this pace.