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Study plan
6-Month UPSC CMS Study Plan
Built by UPSC CMS AIR-1 (2024). A 26-week comprehensive plan for working doctors and final-year MBBS students. ~6 hours/day, 900+ study hours, 5,000+ PYQs covered.
900h
Total study hours
26 weeks
Duration
26
Phases
Daily routine template
A typical day in this plan
Time
Activity
07:00 - 08:00
Wake up + light breakfast + spaced-repetition flashcards (Anki / CrackCMS)
08:00 - 11:00
Deep study block 1 (theory reading: Harrison / Bailey / Park)
11:00 - 11:30
Break + walk
11:30 - 13:30
MCQ practice block 1 (60-80 questions)
13:30 - 14:30
Lunch + rest
14:30 - 17:00
Deep study block 2 (next chapter / subject)
17:00 - 18:30
MCQ practice block 2 (50-60 questions) + mistake log update
Foundation — General Medicine cardio + ECG interpretation
5h/day
Read Harrison ch. 226-241
Solve 50 CMS cardio MCQs
Build first ECG flashcards
Week 2
General Medicine — endocrinology + nephrology
5h/day
Read Harrison ch. 370-410
Solve 50 endo MCQs
Solve 40 nephro MCQs
Week 3
General Medicine — infectious disease
5h/day
Read Harrison ch. 100-180
Cover TB, malaria, HIV
Solve 60 ID MCQs
Week 4
General Medicine — hematology + respiratory
5h/day
Read Harrison ch. 60-90, 280-330
Solve 40 hem + 40 resp MCQs
Week 5
First revision + first CMS PYQ paper (2020)
6h/day
Solve full 2020 CMS paper timed
Mistake log: aim for <20% wrong
Re-attempt weak chapters
Week 6
Surgery — GI + trauma
5h/day
Read Bailey ch. on GI + trauma
Solve 60 surgery MCQs
ATLS algorithm flashcards
Week 7
Surgery — oncology + hernia
5h/day
Read Bailey ch. on oncology
Solve 40 oncology MCQs
Anatomy flashcards: inguinal canal
Week 8
Surgery — acute abdomen + burns + urology
5h/day
Read Bailey ch. on acute abdomen
Solve 50 surgery MCQs
Week 9
Second revision + CMS 2021 PYQ paper
6h/day
Timed paper
Mistake log analysis
Group discussion on weak topics
Week 10
Paediatrics — Ghai growth + nutrition + IMNCI
5h/day
Read Ghai ch. 1-4
Solve 40 paeds MCQs
Growth chart practice
Week 11
Paediatrics — immunization + neonatology
5h/day
Read Ghai ch. on neonatology
NIS schedule flashcards
Solve 40 paeds MCQs
Week 12
OBG — Dutta high-risk pregnancy + labour
5h/day
Read Dutta Obstetrics ch. 5-10
Solve 40 OBG MCQs
Partograph practice
Week 13
OBG — contraception + gyn oncology
5h/day
Read Dutta Gynecology ch. 18-26
Solve 40 OBG MCQs
Week 14
PSM — Park epidemiology + biostatistics
5h/day
Read Park ch. on epidemiology
Solve 40 PSM MCQs
Biostat formula sheets
Week 15
PSM — NHPs + immunization + demography
5h/day
Read Park ch. on NHPs
Solve 40 PSM MCQs
NTEP + RMNCH+A flashcards
Week 16
Third revision + CMS 2022 PYQ paper
6h/day
Timed paper
Mistake log analysis
Identify top 5 weak topics
Week 17
Minor subjects — ENT + Ophthalmology + Anaesthesia
5h/day
Read Dhingra ENT, Parsons Eye
Solve 30+30 MCQs
Week 18
Minor subjects — Orthopaedics + Skin
5h/day
Read Apley ortho chapters
Solve 30 ortho + 20 skin MCQs
Week 19
Fourth revision + CMS 2023 PYQ paper
6h/day
Timed paper
Mistake log
Refine strategy based on weak areas
Week 20
Mock test series — 3 full mocks in 6 days
7h/day
Mock #1: simulate real exam day
Mock #2: next day, analyse
Mock #3: after a 2-day gap
Week 21
Final subject-wise deep revision
6h/day
Re-read top 5 weak chapters
Spaced repetition flashcards
Re-solve all PYQs from 2018-2023
Week 22
Final 2 full mocks + analysis
7h/day
Mock #4 + Mock #5
Time-management analysis
Negative marking risk per subject
Week 23
Last-week revision begins — top 20 chapters
5h/day
Harrison cardio + endo
Bailey GI + trauma
Park epidemiology
Week 24
Last-week revision — PSM + OBG + paeds
5h/day
Park NHPs
Dutta OBG high-yield
Ghai IMNCI + immunization
Week 25
Last-week revision — minor subjects + formulas
4h/day
Formula flashcards: Parkland, APGAR, MMSE, GCS
ENT + Eye + Anaesthesia rapid recall
Week 26
Final 3 days before exam
3h/day
Day 1: skim mistake log only
Day 2: light revision + 1 mock
Day 3: rest. Sleep 8h.
Subject rotation
Subjects covered (in rotation)
General Medicine
General Surgery
Paediatrics
OBG
PSM
ENT
Ophthalmology
Anaesthesia
Orthopaedics
6-Month UPSC CMS Study Plan — FAQs
Is 6 months enough for UPSC CMS?
Yes — 6 months is the standard timeline most CMS toppers use. With 5-6 hours/day, you can comfortably cover Harrison + Bailey + Park + Ghai + Dutta and solve 5,000+ PYQs.
Can I work as an intern and prepare for UPSC CMS in 6 months?
Yes — most CMS qualifiers are interns. Reduce daily study to 3-4 hours on duty days and 6-7 hours on off-days. Front-load Medicine and PSM which carry the most weight.
Which subjects should I cover first?
Start with General Medicine (40% weightage) and PSM (13%) — these together carry over half the marks. Then Surgery (36%), then Paediatrics + OBG.
Should I read Harrison cover to cover?
No — read the high-yield chapters only. We cover the full chapter list in our Book Deep-Dive for Harrison.
How many PYQs should I solve?
Solve the last 10 years of UPSC CMS papers (2014-2023), plus NEET PG last 5 years for cross-pattern practice. Total: 5,000+ MCQs minimum.
Start practising today
PYQs from every UPSC CMS year with AI-powered explanations.
Plan designed by Dr. Ananya Reddy, MBBS, AIIMS New Delhi (2018), UPSC CMS AIR-1 (2024). Last updated 21 July 2026.
