Hardwork Pays You

This is one the most difficult questions which pokes in the mind of every aspirant at whatever stage he/she may be. I have been flooded with similar queries, specially from the candidates placed outside Delhi. Let me share my experience. Phase 1: Kerala I started my preparation when I was stationed at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala for my job. I came to know about Kerala State Civil Service Academy which was very popular academy among the aspirants there. Here is what I felt. Pros: I felt that this academy introduced me to the process of civil service preparation. Being from a engineering background (B.Tech), I was totally stranger to the world of humanities,  and here I came to know about existence of subjects like Polity, Economics, History, etc. I learned about some of the important books, materials, etc interacted with like minded candidates and obtained some basic notes. Cons:  However after spending some time I soon realized the futility of attending all the ...

There is a reason why UPSC Civil Services is called the mother of all exams!  What makes this exam difficult is following factors: Candidates: this exam attracts one of the best minds of our country spanning across all the fields sitting together and writing same papers. Competition : According to news reports the number of candidates registered for UPSC Prelims 2016 were approximately 11.36 lakh and around 5 lakh candidates appeared in the examination. Elimination: with each passing stage, UPSC filters out candidates and hence the difficulty level increases. Subjectivity: there is no escaping route to the fact that this exam has lot of subjectivity and hence one can never be sure of the performance. Seats: ultimately the whole fight is for around 1000 seats of which IAS (the dream of many) is merely 180 Syllabus: there is nothing under the Sun which is not part of this exam. You name it and you have to study it Keeping these points in mind, I have come to co...

Many aspirants are messaging me on how to take optional. Some are confused on how to select it and some are not sure about switching from a graduation subject to a different optional. I will try to answer that in this post. First, let me start about myself. I did my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Guwahati. Although my alma meter imparted me a sound knowledge about the subject, but finally I ended up taking Geography as optional. When I started my preparation I understood that a good optional should have following credential: High scoring potential : In CSE-2016, my final marks tally was 1023 out which optional contributed a hefty 285. Hence its importance can never be overstated. Easy guidance, materials, notes: I started my preparations when I was working and posted at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. I know how difficult it is for a person outside Delhi to arrange for materials, books etc.  Help in General Studies, Essay.etc: A good optional's work does no...

Hi You can post your queries on the blog itself as I am getting multiple questions on the same topic. Thus your query can be answers to many! I will try to revert back to you as soon as possible however there can be certain instances where unavoidable delays can happen (hope you understand!!) Also you can message me at https://www.facebook.com/kapoor.iitg If you still want any further help, please post your e-mail ids and nature of your query in the comments, I will be more than happy to help you out :)

Hi This is Gaurav Kapoor, AIR-190 UPSC CSE-2016. I certainly believe that hardwork does really pay you, provided one has put all one has to offer. I did my best and almighty has showered me with his blessings. My Credentials: I completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Guwahati in 2012. Job Experience: I joined Indian Space Research Organisation as Scientist SC. UPSC Experience: 2016 was my 3rd attempt (other two being 2014 and 2015)