BOOKS AND BEYOND
The exam of civil services seems daunting and impossible, considering it’s dynamic syllabus both in terms of quantity and quality not underestimating the media buzz around it. In my opinion I can say that the preparation of this exam is not just a matter of your intelligence or study but also very importantly a test of your emotional quotient and temperament. So your preparation plan must be such that gives a room for not only aptitude but also attitude.I will honestly put forth my preparation plan in following points:
BOOKS AND MATERIALS-
Today the material available is huge in the market, be it prelims or mains or even interview. The sources and books are immense but I always stuck with my traditional books and material and revised them again and again. For example I revised Laxmikant book for polity about 5-6 times before my prelims and mains, this may be different for different people. For books like Independence for India etc which are themselves very vast, I suggest making succinct notes which come handy at the time of revision. Sometimes I also used to write small questions on the sides of the book or at the end of a chapter so that I can evaluate how I fared when I revise it again. So in my opinion I would tell all the aspirants to keep your books limited but revise them again and again.
GUIDANCE-
I believe that your teachers and mentors are like a lighthouse to look up to. I had the privilege of being guided by wonderful mentors. IASBABA guidance program of ILP, Karam Sir from Nirvana IAS academy and Alok Ranjan Sir of Law ambition were instrumental for the guidance part. I took their words honestly and tried my best to complete as they said. Trust in their strategy and just concentrate on your own hard work. We often tend to get swayed away by lot of opinion written online or by various people but my tip would be to trust your teachers/ mentors, any one that you trust completely and honestly try to follow what they suggest but don’t be in a race to hear from everyone. Just like your books, keep your guidance limited too.
POSITIVITY-
The course of the preparation is sometimes so arduous and tiring in itself that anyone can lose hope or feel dejected. I too was sometimes angry, frustrated and used to waste my days contemplating the future. I realised that those negative thoughts in me always attracted negativity while positive thoughts gave me relief and happiness. I know it’s difficult said than done and we all despite our positive nature can feel low but just don't be too harsh on yourself, do your study, give yourself breaks and most most importantly surround yourself with people who give your positivity so that even in times when you feel low or negative, these people fuel you back with positive energy. I would mention my father, Mr. P.K Jain, my mother Mrs. Manju Jain, my brother Rishabh Jain and my friends Sagar, Sadhna and Shivani who have throughout been my stress busters and given me only positivity. This looks like a very small contribution but in fact it plays a huge role in keeping you relaxed during study time.
TIME SCHEDULES-
In my preparation itself, the preparation was based on a rough time schedule as to when a particular topic should be completed with at least one revision. For instance at time of prelims I completed Modern India in 12 days while left 3 days for revision. It can vary from person to person and your strengths and weaknesses. But please remember that time schedules/ Timetables should be realistic and humane. Make small targets but achieve them. Nothing feels better at the end of the day than a completed target. I suggest you must divide your remaining preparation time into monthly targets or weekly targets rather than yearly or quarterly as small targets are easily measurable while huge targets become vague to achieve.
ATTITUDE-
This exam has drawn undue attention from people around us and media alike and we know that many wonderful intelligent students don’t translate effort into success. It can be because of varied reasons but one thing that is extremely important is one’s temperament or attitude. Keeping cool is extremely important as it makes you more proactive, your decision making improves and you tend to perform much better. My tip would be to take as many mock tests in exam-like environment and evaluate yourself honestly. Don’t be shy to get less marks in mock papers and learn rather than fearing to attempt these mock papers itself. This way your aptitude and attitude can both be easily tested many times before you appear for the D day.One more important tip is to think this as any other exam just like in a school or college and not ‘UPSC’. After all no exam is bigger than you yourself.
TALENT IS OVERRATED-
It’s a complete myth that only candidates from top colleges or universities can give you top ranks because talent is an overrated concept. I agree that a sharp IQ or a top school can you a little edge but it cannot in any way guarantee you success. In my opinion it’s a test of sheer hard work and dedication which does not depend on your background, financial status, or so called ‘talent’ or your social status. So your true hard work is like an investment you are making every single day of your preparation which all is adding up to give a fat bonus on maturity. So be patient till your hard work shows you results but during the process try to give your best every single day. That entirely is enough.
These are a few tips that I honestly feel can be of help. No one strategy can be golden but taking few tips from some, few from others and a great belief in your own self can make it the right combination.
All the very very best, may you all achieve the best in your lives! Always!
-Dr. Neha Jain
AIR-14, CSE 2017