The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) preparation reminds me of the parable, Blind men and an elephant. Especially, with the rise of social media the elephant has grown new multiple parts, and to complicate matters more, the number of men and women trying to identify the beast too has gone up manifold. In short, information overdose is the norm of the day. I often see aspirants who are unable to clear the clutter, and justifiably so. Also the perils peak during this time of the year.
So here we have 15 Commandments (most of them are in nature of suggestions and questions, though) that touch the heart and the soul of the Exam. These fifteen pointers may help you achieve your dreams faster, or may also assist you in quitting the race at the right time. In either case, you are more successful than getting caught up in a quagmire that comes in the form of an Exam.
Basic questions - before you take the plunge:
1) Why do you want to enter civil service? (Pls get to the core of your thoughts and find the real answer, rather than parroting things like I want to be like Kiran Bedi, T N Seshan, Raghuram Rajan, etc.)
2) Are you planning to prepare full time or part-time along with a regular work? If you have a choice, do not juggle a job and the preparation.
3) Have you/your family done a bit of financial planning for the next 2-3 years? (Coaching class fees, living expenses, travel fares, opportunity costs, etc.)
4) Whether you are ready to spend the next 2-3 years of your life in Delhi or any such hub?
5) Keep a job skill ready - Plan B, in case (due to bad luck or forces beyond control) even after 3-4 attempts you do not find yourself among the 1000 candidates selected out of about 8 lakhs applicants.
Core preparation - before you enrol:
1) Meet/read the experiences of some serving officers and know about the overall job profiles of different services.
2) Critically analyse the past 7-10 years' prelims and mains question (including the paper of your planned optional paper). Note down your observations.
3) Buy NCERT school text books for all the basic subjects from Class VI to Class XII. Read them thoroughly. (Prioritise the subjects based on the question paper analysis. For e.g. you may not need the higher level Maths books)
4) Read The Hindu (esp the editorials) and follow any two good weekly magazines. Keep track of a quality CS magazine. And, stay away from news apps.
5) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a must-read and must-have.
Broad timelines - before you lose track:
1) The Prelims is usually conducted around June. The Mains exam will happen around Sept-Oct. The interviews will start in Feb-March, the following year. The final results in April-May.
2) Generally, the the coaching classes start their sessions around August (Y1) for the next year's exams (Y2). The results will be known in the Y3. So planning is crucial.
3) Even before you sit for the Prelims, you should have prepared well for the Mains exam (including the optional paper). Watch out and plan accordingly.
4) The time between the Prelims and Mains should be mainly used for revisions and taking model exams. It is not for for learning new subjects.
5) Do not wait for the Prelims results to be declared to start preparing for the Mains exams. In that case you are mostly doomed (like many candidates who commit this blunder). Just with a break of 2-3 days after the Prelims exams, (and with a deep sense of confidence), hit the ground running.
I'm sure 2 or 3 out of the list could be debated, but nevertheless for a fresh aspirant these fifteen will serve as a lighthouse. Best of luck!
(PS: Yes, Mr.Raghuram Rajan is not an officer of the civil services)
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