Anika M.

I think like any competitive exam you should always start your preparation the moment you make up your mind that you will be taking such an exam.

Start by assessing what kind of material you need, watching YouTube videos of people who cleared those exams and what were their strategies.

In my experience before actually starting your main examination preparation, you need to gather all the required materials that you will need. You need to sort out the materials that you are going to study, the books that you will need to study from to clear the exam.

So, I would suggest that now since you have time before the main exam, start small and acquire the materials, this will help up prepare your mind for the exams. In about a 1-2 months of intense research and strategising, you will know yourself about when you need to start the actual hard preparation.

Having said that, no effort is a waste. Instead of getting overwhelmed at 5-6 months before the exam, start your prep now. Mentally prepare yourself for the exam. That is the first step. Watch videos of people who have qualified and build what you need. Also, for G.K., start preparing now because that is never-ending.