What should be the first priority if someone starts preparing for IAS after 20 - pravinnath/upscpreparationguide GitHub Wiki

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Even if you start after 20 years of age, you still have 4 years to appear in this exam (assuming you are a general candidate and the extant upper age limit is 32), and that is enough time to prepare for this exam normally and clear it in my opinion. You don’t have to be in firefighting mode.

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Having said that, when you are starting this late there will be certain problems which you must guard against.

Firstly, It will be difficult to keep yourself motivated. Also you will be under a lot of pressure so you need to watch out for the burnout.

Secondly, at this stage of life, it is difficult to sit and study for long hours. Trust me it won’t be easy. So go for small chunks of study time. Take frequent breaks.

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Thirdly, put your house in order. Don’t jump into preparation by burning everything down. Have a backup plan. Be financially secure. Trust me it would do you a world of good, otherwise the pressure will wreck your nerve.

Lastly, take care of your health. At 28 your body and mind will not be as agile as younger people. Sit with a good posture otherwise you will suffer with spinal problems as I did. Be active.

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So the first priority should be to take care of yourself!

As for preparation strategy, be Clean, Lean & Mean.

Let me explain:

Clean: De Clutter your preparation. Go for minimal standard reference books (only one book/source for each topic). Read only one newspaper. Don’t refer to too many sources.

Lean: Be minimalistic. Focus on the absolutely important subjects as well as topics. Don’t read bulky books, and certainly not from cover to cover. Just cover topic wise. Don’t buy material you won’t read. Get rid of the dead weight.

Mean: Have single minded focus towards preparation. Don’t waste your time in fruitless discussions. Get rid of all the distraction. Learn to say NO.