Is coaching necessary to crack IAS? - pravinnath/upscpreparationguide GitHub Wiki

You don’t require coaching to clear the UPSC Exam: Coaching is essential for you to get a sense of what you need to study and how to grasp the relevant from the seemingly irrelevant. If you can develop a sense of this on your own, your time is better served than attending coaching classes.

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You won’t be able to understand everything on your own: Even though coaching is not needed, don’t think of yourself as an autodidact. However brilliant you are, this exam covers such a broad range of topics, there would always be something that is outside your aptitude. It takes some time to cultivate an aptitude in that subject and there is a good chance that you will need some help. Never hesitate to ask for help while preparing. A student should never be the slave of ego.

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You can afford to watch movies, socialise and surf the net: “IAS Exam ek tapasya hai” (pardon my bad hindi). I have had numerous people say something to this effect to me. I agree that it requires persistent, focussed effort. But that does not mean locking yourself in a room and pouring through endless pages of tomes. Drudgery and monotony will be your greatest foes in the path to UPSC. You will need friends and some place your mind can find solace when the books are not fun anymore.

You don’t have to know everything to clear UPSC Exams: This is an exam like any other and has a very defined syllabus. You don’t have to know about everything under the sun to clear this exam. There are a very limited set of books that you need to be thorough with.

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Don't try to study linearly: Once you have your basics right, try to study in a non-linear fashion. I’ll tell you an example. I tried to finish Laxmikanth (Indian Polity book) the first time by reading it cover to cover. I was growing frustrated with my progress. However much I read, the book never seemed to end. Finally, I decided that enough is enough and started reading random chapters that piqued my interest. I was finished in no time. Linear reading, will mostly, land you in that cursed land of monotony and boredom.

People who clear this exam are not geniuses: I often come across these puzzles as forwards saying IAS Interview Question blah blah. I can tell you that the questions that they ask in UPSC CSE are nowhere as tough as the questions asked in an ordinary engineering entrance exam ( having cleared both myself).The syllabus is wider and therefore very few people are able to complete the syllabus unlike in engineering entrance where there is very less to learn. People who clear this exam are not geniuses. If they were, they won’t aspire to be Secrataries ( the topmost post, so to say).

Everyone who clear the CSE has not done so to serve the society: In fact a large chunk of people clear the exam with power, money, prestige etc. in their mind. They might give lofty answers when interviewed, but closer interaction will tell you that it is not the case.

Civil Servants are “not” alone in serving the society: Many who have cleared the UPSC exam have this snobbish mindset that they are the only ones serving the society. This is simply not true. I firmly believe that I was contributing equally if not more when I was working as a software engineer. I left my software job, when I started to lose the passion for it, because of job compulsions. It was never because I felt lowly about my job. Now in my free time, I am able to pursue my interests in computers without having to meet deadlines.

Finally, remember that luck plays a huge role in this exam. You are competing with around a million people for just a handful of vacancies. It is as much a lottery as it is a test of your skill (I did not say talent). If you believe in God, pray. If you believe in yourself, meditate. Find a way to strengthen your mind and increase your chances of succeeding.