654upscsaid

Hi All, I am not sure if I was the oldest here among the aspirants for 2019 but definitely not the youngest. 

Have been an upsc aspirant since 2011. Yes it's been 9 long years.

Brief about me-

Graduate from a decent national college in engineering 

Working professional in a reputed MNC in India

6 Prelims, 5 Mains and 4 interviews (no guesses on why the name now 😊)

3 years of teaching upsc aspirants, proud to have 2 of them clearing the exam in 2017 and 2018.

Hoping for another 3 to break the ranks in 2020. (Watch out 😋)

The Gyan-

1. Working in a private firm, you need to know how to manage your time both for preparation and work life balance.

2. For working people, discipline is the key and there is no substitute to it. My schedule transformed to waking up at 4 and scrapping away 2-3 hrs on weekdays for preparation and 10-12 hrs on weekends. Define weekly hours of preparation and move your way forward, last weeks acceleration is of little use

3. Always and always seek professional help in your preparation and areas of syllabus(most of us have not even read the actual syllabus completely- I did read it completely only after 3rd attempt). Joining classes for mains and optional is important - Don't think you can read and know it on your own in isolation. Study in a class and have a group to discuss your newly acquired knowledge.

4. Choose your optional wisely. I had geography as my optional (and I have taught 2 batches of students of it as well 😊). It wasn't my core +2 subject nor was it my graduation subject. Hence if you pick such an optional, join a class and seek coaching from a regular teacher. It will only help you as the person teaching you knows better on providing conceptual clarity and better understanding of the topic. Also his/her analysis of previous year papers is not something easy to find.

5. It's not about the number of books you read, it's about re-reading the same old multiple times. ( Golden Rule). Authors of any book cant change the facts on the ground, hence all books are good in terms of content. For conceptual clarity some are better, but for that refer point 4.

6. Dont plan multiple times on your strategy, just execute any strategy once. That's the most important thing to remember. We usually plan more than execution.

7. Maintain a work life balance - Dont over burden your self with preparation and think this exam is your life and only career option. Take breaks, they actually ease your mind to prepare better. Extended studying days develop mental fatigue and builds frustration. So take small breaks to meet your friends, go for a trip or something that your like.

8. Analyse the papers and even your mocks on what went wrong and what went right as well. Usually aspirants dont analyse their answers but only check their mark ( inclusive of prelims as well).

9. Know where to stop, many topics are always over prepared and few under prepared. You should have a balance of ticking off all the points of the syllabus. Any topic you read you should only have about 500 words of notes on it and not more. There can only be one question and one question only on a topic. Hence maintain a balance within the syllabus.

10. Key areas missed by many aspirants - 

a) Give mocks essays - atleast 5 to 6

b) Focus on ethics paper, it's not a book to read or knowledge to acquire in a couple of weeks but a process of atleast a month or two

c) Read newspapers of atleast two years before appearing.

d) Dont give multiple back to back attempts, take a break and prepare better. Then give it your last and best shot.

Overall, gyan as always thoda lamba hee hota hai.

Currently I have no regrets or feeling of sadness about the missed opportunity. Just enjoy the process it will transform you completely and you need to feel proud of your hardwork that you have been putting. 

Always there to assist and help anyone in their prep. 

Thanks if you have read it till the end. Hope it was of value to you.

Cheers

654upscsaid

Hi All, I am not sure if I was the oldest here among the aspirants for 2019 but definitely not the youngest. 

Have been an upsc aspirant since 2011. Yes it's been 9 long years.

Brief about me-

Graduate from a decent national college in engineering 

Working professional in a reputed MNC in India

6 Prelims, 5 Mains and 4 interviews (no guesses on why the name now 😊)

3 years of teaching upsc aspirants, proud to have 2 of them clearing the exam in 2017 and 2018.

Hoping for another 3 to break the ranks in 2020. (Watch out 😋)

The Gyan-

1. Working in a private firm, you need to know how to manage your time both for preparation and work life balance.

2. For working people, discipline is the key and there is no substitute to it. My schedule transformed to waking up at 4 and scrapping away 2-3 hrs on weekdays for preparation and 10-12 hrs on weekends. Define weekly hours of preparation and move your way forward, last weeks acceleration is of little use

3. Always and always seek professional help in your preparation and areas of syllabus(most of us have not even read the actual syllabus completely- I did read it completely only after 3rd attempt). Joining classes for mains and optional is important - Don't think you can read and know it on your own in isolation. Study in a class and have a group to discuss your newly acquired knowledge.

4. Choose your optional wisely. I had geography as my optional (and I have taught 2 batches of students of it as well 😊). It wasn't my core +2 subject nor was it my graduation subject. Hence if you pick such an optional, join a class and seek coaching from a regular teacher. It will only help you as the person teaching you knows better on providing conceptual clarity and better understanding of the topic. Also his/her analysis of previous year papers is not something easy to find.

5. It's not about the number of books you read, it's about re-reading the same old multiple times. ( Golden Rule). Authors of any book cant change the facts on the ground, hence all books are good in terms of content. For conceptual clarity some are better, but for that refer point 4.

6. Dont plan multiple times on your strategy, just execute any strategy once. That's the most important thing to remember. We usually plan more than execution.

7. Maintain a work life balance - Dont over burden your self with preparation and think this exam is your life and only career option. Take breaks, they actually ease your mind to prepare better. Extended studying days develop mental fatigue and builds frustration. So take small breaks to meet your friends, go for a trip or something that your like.

8. Analyse the papers and even your mocks on what went wrong and what went right as well. Usually aspirants dont analyse their answers but only check their mark ( inclusive of prelims as well).

9. Know where to stop, many topics are always over prepared and few under prepared. You should have a balance of ticking off all the points of the syllabus. Any topic you read you should only have about 500 words of notes on it and not more. There can only be one question and one question only on a topic. Hence maintain a balance within the syllabus.

10. Key areas missed by many aspirants - 

a) Give mocks essays - atleast 5 to 6

b) Focus on ethics paper, it's not a book to read or knowledge to acquire in a couple of weeks but a process of atleast a month or two

c) Read newspapers of atleast two years before appearing.

d) Dont give multiple back to back attempts, take a break and prepare better. Then give it your last and best shot.

Overall, gyan as always thoda lamba hee hota hai.

Currently I have no regrets or feeling of sadness about the missed opportunity. Just enjoy the process it will transform you completely and you need to feel proud of your hardwork that you have been putting. 

Always there to assist and help anyone in their prep. 

Thanks if you have read it till the end. Hope it was of value to you.

Cheers

654upscsaid

Hi All, I am not sure if I was the oldest here among the aspirants for 2019 but definitely not the youngest. 

Have been an upsc aspirant since 2011. Yes it's been 9 long years.

Brief about me-

Graduate from a decent national college in engineering 

Working professional in a reputed MNC in India

6 Prelims, 5 Mains and 4 interviews (no guesses on why the name now 😊)

3 years of teaching upsc aspirants, proud to have 2 of them clearing the exam in 2017 and 2018.

Hoping for another 3 to break the ranks in 2020. (Watch out 😋)

The Gyan-

1. Working in a private firm, you need to know how to manage your time both for preparation and work life balance.

2. For working people, discipline is the key and there is no substitute to it. My schedule transformed to waking up at 4 and scrapping away 2-3 hrs on weekdays for preparation and 10-12 hrs on weekends. Define weekly hours of preparation and move your way forward, last weeks acceleration is of little use

3. Always and always seek professional help in your preparation and areas of syllabus(most of us have not even read the actual syllabus completely- I did read it completely only after 3rd attempt). Joining classes for mains and optional is important - Don't think you can read and know it on your own in isolation. Study in a class and have a group to discuss your newly acquired knowledge.

4. Choose your optional wisely. I had geography as my optional (and I have taught 2 batches of students of it as well 😊). It wasn't my core +2 subject nor was it my graduation subject. Hence if you pick such an optional, join a class and seek coaching from a regular teacher. It will only help you as the person teaching you knows better on providing conceptual clarity and better understanding of the topic. Also his/her analysis of previous year papers is not something easy to find.

5. It's not about the number of books you read, it's about re-reading the same old multiple times. ( Golden Rule). Authors of any book cant change the facts on the ground, hence all books are good in terms of content. For conceptual clarity some are better, but for that refer point 4.

6. Dont plan multiple times on your strategy, just execute any strategy once. That's the most important thing to remember. We usually plan more than execution.

7. Maintain a work life balance - Dont over burden your self with preparation and think this exam is your life and only career option. Take breaks, they actually ease your mind to prepare better. Extended studying days develop mental fatigue and builds frustration. So take small breaks to meet your friends, go for a trip or something that your like.

8. Analyse the papers and even your mocks on what went wrong and what went right as well. Usually aspirants dont analyse their answers but only check their mark ( inclusive of prelims as well).

9. Know where to stop, many topics are always over prepared and few under prepared. You should have a balance of ticking off all the points of the syllabus. Any topic you read you should only have about 500 words of notes on it and not more. There can only be one question and one question only on a topic. Hence maintain a balance within the syllabus.

10. Key areas missed by many aspirants - 

a) Give mocks essays - atleast 5 to 6

b) Focus on ethics paper, it's not a book to read or knowledge to acquire in a couple of weeks but a process of atleast a month or two

c) Read newspapers of atleast two years before appearing.

d) Dont give multiple back to back attempts, take a break and prepare better. Then give it your last and best shot.

Overall, gyan as always thoda lamba hee hota hai.

Currently I have no regrets or feeling of sadness about the missed opportunity. Just enjoy the process it will transform you completely and you need to feel proud of your hardwork that you have been putting. 

Always there to assist and help anyone in their prep. 

Thanks if you have read it till the end. Hope it was of value to you.

Cheers

UncleDeadpoolsaid

Hi everyone,

2020 will be my 5th attempt. I cleared prelims thrice and could not clear mains even once. In my 4th attempt that is in 2019 I couldn't clear prelims. I did accumulate a lot of knowledge but to no avail. One thing I realised is we have to stick to the syllabus no matter what for each line of syllabus make sure to learn things so we can write a 400 worded answer. This is the major thing in clearing mains.

Piyadassisaid

I have almost grown up along this very forum. From a 22 year old writing mains in his first attempt to having exhausted 5 attempts without an interview call is no cause to look at this journey with any nostalgia. This whole journey has been punctuated by so many failures ( including 2 PCS Interviews ) that I even thought lesser attempts ( 4 attempts of pre 2014 era ) would have been much better to atleast give people like me a chance to forcibly exit this cycle and save some productive youthful years. But then this process was never a burden for me on the contrary the Mains Season is almost like a festival .. many people here could relate with it I guess 😅 . So the thought came and went. 

So what is my takeaway from this process - a few constitutional principles ? Some basic economic concepts ? Insights into the history and geography of India ? I don't think think so , because the very purpose of this learning was to crack an exam and that did not happen. However we emphasize the great role of this syllabus it is not something which shapes or builds our personality or even make us a better person for that matter. But but but .. the amount of reading definitely helps you navigate any conversation any where out there and it  sharpens the learning curve .. learning new stuff is fun and easy .. for me I have dived into another 2 optionals for my upcoming state forest service Main exams to maybe break the streak of failure finally 🤞

However an  exam should be taken like an exam and nothing more. I made the mistake of taking it way too seriously as a kid and associating so many other stuff with the outcome and now I am a prisoner of my own desires. 

Although advices emanate from struggle and a failure story becomes a struggle chiefly from a winners hindsight still I will say something - If you think you can do something better with your time rather than investing so much in this journey it's better to switch now however if you don't think there's anything better to do than to prepare for this exam irrespective of the outcome .. you my friend will definitely win this journey. 

सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,

मेरी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए।

मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही,

हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

Piyadassisaid

I have almost grown up along this very forum. From a 22 year old writing mains in his first attempt to having exhausted 5 attempts without an interview call is no cause to look at this journey with any nostalgia. This whole journey has been punctuated by so many failures ( including 2 PCS Interviews ) that I even thought lesser attempts ( 4 attempts of pre 2014 era ) would have been much better to atleast give people like me a chance to forcibly exit this cycle and save some productive youthful years. But then this process was never a burden for me on the contrary the Mains Season is almost like a festival .. many people here could relate with it I guess 😅 . So the thought came and went. 

So what is my takeaway from this process - a few constitutional principles ? Some basic economic concepts ? Insights into the history and geography of India ? I don't think think so , because the very purpose of this learning was to crack an exam and that did not happen. However we emphasize the great role of this syllabus it is not something which shapes or builds our personality or even make us a better person for that matter. But but but .. the amount of reading definitely helps you navigate any conversation any where out there and it  sharpens the learning curve .. learning new stuff is fun and easy .. for me I have dived into another 2 optionals for my upcoming state forest service Main exams to maybe break the streak of failure finally 🤞

However an  exam should be taken like an exam and nothing more. I made the mistake of taking it way too seriously as a kid and associating so many other stuff with the outcome and now I am a prisoner of my own desires. 

Although advices emanate from struggle and a failure story becomes a struggle chiefly from a winners hindsight still I will say something - If you think you can do something better with your time rather than investing so much in this journey it's better to switch now however if you don't think there's anything better to do than to prepare for this exam irrespective of the outcome .. you my friend will definitely win this journey. 

सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,

मेरी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए।

मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही,

हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

Shuklamonsaid

Hello everyone! 

Today I want to pour my heart out and also want some guidance. Basically, I am already iIN IRS since 2012. Cleared in the age of 23.however, wanted to be an IAS always. Went for an Eol. However, didn’t get interview call. Shattered my confidence. Married by batchmate. Field and family life kept me busy. This year , I realised that I had  two attempts left, but getting age barred next year. So started preparing. As luck should have it, got pregnant.despite that, began preparing , only to see changed prelims date to October very close to my due date. Had a c section yet on 5th day went and gave prelims.

however, not sure whether I will clear. Not blaming anyone. Just feeling that had I taken leave/eol while still not a mother, I would have fulfilled my dream. I am waiting for an extra attempt if possible as per Supreme Court direction.

Shuklamonsaid

Hello everyone! 

Today I want to pour my heart out and also want some guidance. Basically, I am already iIN IRS since 2012. Cleared in the age of 23.however, wanted to be an IAS always. Went for an Eol. However, didn’t get interview call. Shattered my confidence. Married by batchmate. Field and family life kept me busy. This year , I realised that I had  two attempts left, but getting age barred next year. So started preparing. As luck should have it, got pregnant.despite that, began preparing , only to see changed prelims date to October very close to my due date. Had a c section yet on 5th day went and gave prelims.

however, not sure whether I will clear. Not blaming anyone. Just feeling that had I taken leave/eol while still not a mother, I would have fulfilled my dream. I am waiting for an extra attempt if possible as per Supreme Court direction.

Shuklamonsaid

Hello everyone! 

Today I want to pour my heart out and also want some guidance. Basically, I am already iIN IRS since 2012. Cleared in the age of 23.however, wanted to be an IAS always. Went for an Eol. However, didn’t get interview call. Shattered my confidence. Married by batchmate. Field and family life kept me busy. This year , I realised that I had  two attempts left, but getting age barred next year. So started preparing. As luck should have it, got pregnant.despite that, began preparing , only to see changed prelims date to October very close to my due date. Had a c section yet on 5th day went and gave prelims.

however, not sure whether I will clear. Not blaming anyone. Just feeling that had I taken leave/eol while still not a mother, I would have fulfilled my dream. I am waiting for an extra attempt if possible as per Supreme Court direction.

NWSsaid

Let me share my painful story:

Year 2010 ->Passed out from a top NIT

October 2013 ->left a highly paid job and came to Delhi to prepare for Civil Services

Gave 6 attempts back to back from CSE 2014 to CSE 2019

Wrote Mains in all the attempts

Gave Interview in CSE 2016 and CSE 2019

Missed Final list narrowly in CSE 2016,also missed Reserve list by 2 marks

On 4th August 2020, i was not able to find my name in the final list again. Not able to accept the reality till now. For CSE 2019, i had given all. Wrote more than 60 tests (joined multiple test series of GS,Essay, & Public Ad) and consistently scored good marks in all the test series. Moreover, i used to get better rank/score than this year's topper (AIR-1) in Pawan Kumar Sir's Public Ad test series.But all my hardwork has become meaningless. Life has become very difficult. Since i belong to obc so still i have attempts left but no courage left inside me. It seems Yeh andheri raat kabhi khatm nahi hogi