How to Cope with Stress of Civil

Services Exam
The UPSC Civil Service Exam is one of the toughest and the longest exam system in the country.
With the limited number of attempts and nearly five to six lakh applicants each year, of which only
1,000 or less gets selected, there is huge pressure on the candidates to crack the exam and it may
lead to bouts of depression, anxiety and mental stress.
A civil services candidate faces many issues during the course of the preparation of this exam. Many
candidates leave their homes and move to metro cities for the coaching and preparation. They take
up accommodation that gives them little comfort.
Most of the aspirants do not know to cook, and some in order to save time eat at the road side stalls
or depend on "Dubawalas." Having improper food and uncomfortable living, many aspirants end up
having health issues.
The coaching institutes in order to produce results put pressure on the candidates to increase the
hours of studies. Students are asked to put in 15 to18 hours a day and some resort to anti sleeping
pills. Loss of sleep has impact on the body and the aspirants get totally exhausted.
For an exam like UPSC, where there is cut-throat competition, the only goal of the aspirants is to
somehow clear the exam and they ignore the insurmountable pressure on them.
Living alone, studying till wee hours, little sleep, managing expenses, keeping up with the coaching
institutes, fee and health issues are all being compromised. The societal and peer pressure, along
with the pressure of competition have a telling impact on the mind and the body.
The long drawn out time of preparation leaves a huge impact on the aspirants. They are
disconnected from the outside world, and get physically, emotionally, and psychologically drained
out.
Many civil services aspirants report cases of depression emotional breakdown and anxiety and are
unable to concentrate on their preparation.
They are totally at loss how to overcome these symptoms. In order to cope up with the pressure,
they resort to heavy drinking and smoking, which leads to another set of problems.
So during the course of preparation, it is advised to take corrective steps to avoid such problems.
The first and foremost thing is to have correct food and starving or overeating be avoided. The
second is to have comfortable chair and table with sufficient lights to spend long hours of sitting.
One can start the day with a walk in the park and fresh up before sitting on the chair for studying.
There should intermittent breaks given to relax your muscles.

In order to get de stressed yoga and meditation is highly recommended. One can also play some
light games in the evenings to divert the mind. One can also sit with friends and lighten up some
laughs and jokes.
The final word is one should have sound body and mind for the preparation of the preparation of the
Civil Services exam and for this to remain calm, composed, cheerful and jolly is very essential.

IAS Preparation Strategies

General Strategy
Well formulated strategy along with optimum time management is the only two ladders for your
dream goal. It's very important to formulate your own strategy as it pays to be yourself. However for
the general guidance to tackle Civil Services examination, here are some of the guidelines which will
help the aspirant to achieve success.
1. Familiarity with the optional syllabi: Get yourself well informed about the content of the syllabi
and the topics it covers. A thorough familiarity with your optional reduces your mental burden
at the first sight itself.
2. Thorough insight of the question papers: It is the most important part of your strategy as
investing your time skillfully will reap rich dividends. Go through the question papers of past
ten years to identify the pattern and select the topics which are asked very frequently.
Simultaneously, identify those topics which are particularly useful for conventional essay type
questions. Once you have clearly demarcated the topics for the conventional and the
objective types, the rest will be an easier task. A thorough insight of the past papers will
therefore solve two of your purposes. It would boost your confidence level initially as you
come to know the standards of the question asked and secondly it guides constantly through
your preparation.
3. Selection of books: It is advisable not to go through a lot of books, instead go through one
quality book on each topic which clarifies your basic concept. Standard books not only save
your precious time but also guide you as a perfect teacher. So always rely on standard good
books. Also it is advisable to collect various books on my topics in advance so as to save
time for the last minute hassle.
4. Prefer you own notes: It is always advisable to make notes of the related topics. A well
crafted note solves two purposes. On the one hand the aspirant goes through the syllabus
once and on the other hand it is of immense help on the eve of examination.

5. A specific strategy for the general studies: General studies cover everything under the sun.
But there is nothing to get panic, a glance over the last years question' paper will make
things easier. Broadly we can categories this topic under the following heads.
a. History: A huge stress is given to modern history and freedom movement. Also emphasis is
given to Ancient India. A cursory glance over the medieval history would serve the purpose.
b. Geography: A huge stress is to be given to physical geography and maps related questions.
Get yourself well-acquainted with maps with the help of a good Atlas.
c. General Science: It covers a major chunk, so be well-versed with the topics of general
science from a standard guidebook.
d. Current affairs: Going daily through a standard news paper thoroughly will suffice.
e. General awareness: Any good guide book or year book will be suited for the purpose.
Some more important points:
o

As already said, always rely on yourself prepared notes. Go through your short notes
rigorously.

Prepare out short notes of important topics with relevant points and just before the
examination rely solely on it.

Always rely on revisions.

Take a good sleep on the eve of examination. It is most important for your brilliant
performance.

Never go through any book on the eve of examination.

Don't read any new topic.

Don't get engaged with any confusing question or problem as your prior investment (with
studies) will only bring dividends to you.

Do not loose your confidence.

General Studies

Arabic

Essay

Assamese

Agriculture

Bengali

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science

Chinese

Botany

English

Chemistry

French

Civil Engineering

German

Commerce

Gujarati

Economics

Hindi

Electrical Engineering

Kannada

Geography

Kashmiri

Geology

Konkani

Indian History

Malayalam

Law

Manipuri

Mathematics

Marathi

Mechanical Engineering

Nepali

Medical Science

Oriya

Philosophy

Pali

Physics

Persian

Political Science

Punjabi

Psychology

Russian

Public Administration

Sanskrit

Sociology

Statistics

Zoology

Anthropology

Management

Sindhi

Tamil

Telugu

Urdu

Tips On Choosing IAS Coaching Centers

There are several IAS academies in Chennai, yet to find the best one could be the
toughest task you may face. Here are some tips that may be useful in your search.
1. Even as new IAS IPS academies seem to appear at the drop of a hat, it is
wiser for you to test out the old as well as the new ones talking to the
students enrolled there.
2. The best way to choose a good academy is to find out whether the owner
himself is coaching as it gives an edge over people who are simply hired to
teach you.
3. Check up the credentials of the teachers who may be handling different
subjects. Some institutes have brilliant teacher for a particular subject but
not necessarily for all the other subjects.
4. Try to look at the infrastructure of the academy, the subject material they
provide and any other such details.
5. Please check up the past results of the academy through authentic source
before enrolling in that institute.
6. Don't go by the brand name, some academy have built their reputation and
living in the past glory. Please verify their performances in last few years.
7. There is a huge amount of money that's charged by such academy, please
make a comparison of the fee structure before enrolling yourself.
8. There are some academies who may like to screen you before giving
admission, sometimes it's just humbug but at times it could be genuine. So
the best way would be to talk to the students and get their feedback.
9. Now in the revised pattern of the Civil Services main syllabus, the focus has
shifted from Optional papers to General Studies. So try to find out which
institute has the best staff to handle the revised General Studies papers.

10.Last but not the least, do not forget that any academy is there only to guide
you, in the end you are the fighter who has to fight your battle with the IAS
exam using the props provided by the coaching center. So believe in yourself
and keep your confidence level high, take help of the IAS academies only in
the areas you need them

11. Subject Strategy - How to Choose

your subjects for the Mains exam
12.
How to choose a subject? That's one question that haunts many students who many times,
loose precious time waiting for that decision to happen. Now that UPSC has done away with
specific subjects at the preliminary stage, students should perhaps find it easier to get down
to preprations straight away. Even then, One should chooose one's subject well ahead of
time, so as to have ample time to collect notes and books, and also to form study groups.
13. Normally one should select optionals, which one is familiar with, or has at least studied till the
graduate level. If you are not comfortable with the subject, you should not select the subject
as an optional. But the choice should not only be as per your interests but also be based on
the study material available. Even science and engineering students take up subjects like
history, sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, psychology and public
administration because there is a huge amount of study material available in these subjects.
Also keep in mind that you may have been proficient in a subject, but lack of touch may
make it tougher to crack technical subject where freshers may do better. The competition is
among the people who have opted for the same subject, So try not to choose a subject that
has too many people opting for it as the competition is more there. One should top in his/her
subject to succeed in the examination. The Point is, if you are an electrical engineer with 2
years of experience go for a new subject like pub adm or sociology.
14. Analyse the syllabus of previous years and the question papers, and analyse past trends.
Get some feedback/advice from seniors and fellow students who are well versed in the
subject. Remember no subject is bad. History is good if you can spend more than 4-5 hours
everyday. Geography is a good option if you can spend at least 4 hrs every day. Pub Ad,
more than 3 hours. Sociology, more than 2 hours and so on.... So, it all depends on how
much time you can spend a day and your liking of the subject. You have a very good
memory then a technical subject may help else a social subject would be better.

Please note that while reading the coaching material, we will find that 90% of the
topics are repetitive and useless if we have read the books. So skip those 90% and
quickly read the remaining useful 10% only.
Topic

How did you prepare?

culture

Multiple sources, mentioned here click me

Indian history

Shekhar Bandopadhyay From Plassey to Partition, Bipin Chandra

independence)

world history

Baliyans history optional classnotes. Also read Europe Since Napo

post-independence India

Mentioned above. Most of the questions asked were common kno

newspapers and stories.

Indian society

Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

role of women, poverty etc.

Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

globalization on Indian
society

Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

communalism, regionalism,
secularism

Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

world geo physical

Had some basic idea. Got some coaching notes of Baliyan and Vaj
book. Prepared cyclones from IMD website.

resource distribution

Skipped.

factors for industrial location

Skipped. Most of it is common sense.

earthquake tsunami etc

NCERT, Savinder Singh.

impact on flora-fauna

Skipped.

General studies (Mains) paper 2

Topic

How Did You Prepare?

Indian Constitution, devolution,

dispute redressal etc.

DD Basu

comparing Constitution with

world

Basic comparison everybody knows. So skipped.

parliament, state Legislatures

DD Basu, Puncchi Commission and 2nd ARC reports.

executive-judiciary

DD Basu and also current issues.

ministries departments

Skipped

pressure group, informal asso.

2nd ARC report. But too general a topic, everybody knows ever

Representation of peoples act

Current issues (SC rulings had come on this issue)

various bodies: Constitutional,

statutory..

Internet based study, Wikipedia, expert opinion. Basically find

functions etc. mostly same. Weaknesses and strengths also m

NGO, SHG etc

Everybody knows everything. Still studied 2 nd ARC report for co

welfare schemes, bodies

Vajiram came out with a public pdf analyzing various schemes

social sector, health, edu, HRD

Follow current issues

governance, transparency,
accountability

2nd ARC report

e-governance

2nd ARC report

role of civil service

2nd ARC report

India & neighbors

Newspapers and internet

bilateral/global grouping

Newspapers and internet

effect of foreign country policies

on Indian interest

Newspapers and internet

diaspora

Newspapers and internet

international bodies- structure

mandate

Newspapers and internet

General studies (Mains) Paper 3

Topic

How Did You Prepare?

Indian economy,
resource mobilization

Everything under the sun comes under it. What to prepare.

inclusive growth

Everybody knows everything.

budgeting

I read 2nd ARC report on Financial Management. But obviously question

idea. But still one should read it to cover basic stock issues in the topi
etc. Additionally I think one should read the budget carefully and watc

major crops, irrigation

Report titled State of Indian Agriculture presented in parliament in M

agro produce storage,

marketing

APMC Acts, direct marketing, e-marketing initiatives, FDI in retail, sche

National Food Processing Missin etc. All this can be found on internet.

e-technology for famers

Internet.

farm subsidies, MSP

From economics optional background. Understand what are the issues

leading economists are saying about these. Read a few papers from C

PDS, buffer, food

security

CACP website, FSB, internet based study totally.

technology mission

Internet.

animal rearing
economics

Couldnt prepare except for whatever is given in State of Indian Agricu

food processing

Mentioned above in storage, marketing topic.

land reforms

Prepared it as a part of economics optional. You can see my notes. Bh

liberalization

Internet, newspapers

Infra

Internet, newspapers

investment models

Internet, newspapers

science-tech day to day

life

Coaching material, but all of it was useless.

Indian achievements in
sci-tech

Skipped

awareness in IT, space,

biotech, nano, IPR

Tried to follow current developments. For all effective purposes, skippe

environmental impact
assessment

Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

Disaster Management

2nd ARC report. CAG report on the topic.

non state actors, internal

security

2nd ARC and Puncchi Commission reports covering tribal councils, 5 th a

internal security role of

media, social networking
site

Too general, everybody knows everything. Just keep following current

cyber security

Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

money laundering

Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

border Management

Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

organized crime,
terrorism

Skipped mostly. Read some discussion on anti-terror law in 2 nd ARC rep

security agenciesstructure mandate

Some Wikipedia based study, but mostly skipped. Everybody knows e

General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude

Topic

How Did You Prepare?

ethics and interface, family, society

and all the hathodaa topics

Too general topics. Everybody knows everything about

topic is what is the role of family / society in framing m

attitude, moral influence etc.

Sriram, Baliyan and Vajiram material available in photo

civil service: integrity, impartiality,

tolerance to weak etc

Vajiram and Baliyan material available in photocopy sh

emotional intelligence, its use in

governance

Sriram material for basic definitions. Too general topic,

important question is role of EI in administration.

moral thinkers of India and world

How many thinkers did you prepare? Mostly skipped it.

Baliyans and Srirams notes but found it couldnt be do

ethics in pub.ad, accountability, laws,

rules etc.

2nd ARC report. Everybody knows everything.

corporate governance

Important topics I thought here were recent Company l

these. Otherwise this is too general a topic and everybo

probity in governance, work culture

Everybody knows everything.

citizen charter, ethics code, work

culture etc.

2nd ARC reports on ethics and governance.

challenges of corruption

2nd ARC report on ethics.

case studies on above topics

Bring it on approach.

Any other comments, word of wisdom after going through the mains-2013.
In case studies, I always tried to analyze each option from a theoretical perspective.
I used to take an option and see what the 4-5 school of ethics say about it and then
try to come to an acceptable ethical decision.
GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains 2013
Q. in GS4 ethics papers, please give a sketchy overview of your case study
answers:
Sorry dont remember. But my vision ias mock tests where I attempted such case
studies can be seen here click me
Case
1: RTI: To hide or not to hide
2: Engineer: Bogus flyover vs deadline
3: Child Labourers in Sivakasi
4: Nepotism in Job recruitment
5: Leaking information

6: Narrate one incident in your life when you were faced with such crisis of conscience and how y
same.