The government of India conducts the Civil Service Examination on a national level under the UPSC to recruit candidates for civil services of India, i.e., Indian Administrative Service(IAS), Indian Foreign Service(IFS), and Indian Police Service(IPS).
Stages of the Exam
Stage 1 – Preliminary
Preliminary exams consist of two objective type papers. General Studies Paper 1 and General Studies Paper 2. This is also known as the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). The exam is held in June every year, and the result is declared in August.
Stage 2 – Mains
The main examination consists of nine papers. However, out of nine, only seven are counted, and the remaining two are qualifying papers. Mains are held in October every year, and results are announced by January.
Stage 3 – Interview
The interview phase is the personality test of the aspirant. To serve in such positions, one needs to have an excellent personality and communication skills. Interviews are held in March, and the results are announced by May.
UPSC Preparations for IAS, IPS and IFS
Preparing for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations is the second step. The first step is to prepare yourself for the journey; physically and mentally. Being one of the toughest exams, it requires commitment and focus.
This exam is about studying, creating and maintaining a personality that reflects your values and opinions.
The different levels of this exam are; Preliminary, Mains and Interview. Each phase has its difficulties and requires unique preparation and patience.
Common Mistakes by UPSC Aspirants
Each year, the UPSC conducts an examination for civil services to recruit and train IAS, IPS and IFA. There are many who do not clear the exam at one go; here are some common mistakes made by UPSC aspirants and how it should be avoided.
- Lack of Skillful Writing
Many aspirants forget to give attention to their writing skills. When you appear for papers in the main phase, your writing skills can become a barrier for clearing the selection process.
- Time Management
Time management is a very big problem in many people’s lives, and when it boils down to UPSC aspirants, it turns out to be a big deal. Aspirants usually don’t allot their time properly over the respective subjects, which affects their quality of preparation.
- Zero Self-Analysis
It is one of the most common mistakes by UPSC aspirants. They do not focus on their strengths and weaknesses and end up preparing in an unstructured way.
- Revision as an Option
There is a lot to remember when it comes to the syllabus of these types of examinations. Generally, candidates consider revision as an option and do not allocate proper time for it.
- Ignoring Newspapers for Current Affairs
Current affair is a major part of the IAS syllabus. Reading the newspaper every day helps the candidate stay updated with the country’s current affairs. Students sometimes avoid reading paper every day and opt for compact books for current affairs, which can be hectic to read.
- Previous Year Papers
Not going through previous year’s papers to understand the scoring structure and question pattern of the paper is a mistake that can cost you your career.
Mistakes to Avoid in UPSC
We have already gone through some common mistakes by UPSC aspirants and mentioned below are some ways how these can be avoided.
- Realistic Time Table
A time table is easy to make, but difficult to follow. Make sure that what you are designing is realistic and suits your lifestyle. A time-table should be made after you have a brief idea about all the subjects so that you can decide the best hour to invest in them. However, the real task is to follow a time table strictly.
- Practice for Perfection
Whether it’s your writing skill or fluency over a language, both require a lot of practice to reach near perfection. It is challenging to define perfection but easier to reach there.
- Choose Optional Subjects Wisely
Optional subjects need to be chosen by the candidate; you should only choose the subjects based on your interests. If you choose a subject that you are not passionate about, it might backfire and lower the quality of your preparation.
Who is Eligible to Appear for this Examination?
When it comes to the IAF, IPS and IAS preparation, the candidate must be a citizen of India. To appear for this exam, make sure that you are a graduate degree holder, and above 21 years of age, but not exceeding 32 years.
However, these may vary according to the candidate’s class and background.
How Many Attempts Can You Give?
| Category of Candidates | No. of Attempts |
| General | 6 |
| Other Backward Caste | 9 |
| Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe | Unlimited (Till the age of 39 years) |
Note – Appearing to attempt one of the papers in the preliminary examination is counted as one attempt, which includes disqualification/ cancellation of candidature. However, applying for the exam, but failing to attend is not counted as an attempt.
Examination Language
There are many languages in which one can appear for the examination. However, when it comes to the interview round, fluency over the language is very important. Most of the candidates prefer to give the exam in the English language.
Conclusion
We hope that now you have understood the common mistakes by UPSC aspirants, and how they can be avoided. While UPSC preparation is possible without coaching, having a personal mentor to prepare for the UPSC is a great way to ensure constant improvement. If you are not willing to make any mistakes, join UPSC Pathshala‘s network of 200+ qualified personal mentors, who are UPSC experts with years of experience. Visit our website to know more!
