Why Going to Delhi Reduces your Chances of Success in UPSC?

With a success rate of only 0.2% or less, UPSC civil service examination stands as one of the toughest exams in India as lakhs of people aspire to get selected in the ranking of top ranks among the selected thousands.

People beginning with the UPSC preparation often encounter the confusing question of “Is it necessary to go to Delhi for UPSC?” However, to get the answer if it is worth going to Delhi for UPSC preparation, one should consider the pros and cons of preparing in Delhi concerning his or her circumstances.

Delhi is among one of the best cities with UPSC coaching institutes and study materials; however, UPSC preparation from Delhi does not confirm someone’s success in the examination on its own. The city you prepare in for the exam can play a significant role in your journey, but it is the candidate and his or her determination that overpowers any such factors.

What is the Selection Percentage of People Going to Delhi?

There are lakhs of aspirants preparing for UPSC in Delhi, from which only 10 to 17 IAS aspirants get selected on an average per year. This number of applicants keep on fluctuating, but for the top ranks, only a small percentage of aspirants from Delhi get selected per year. Although Delhi is among the top cities producing the most IAS officers per year, it is still unfortunate that the selection percentage of people going to Delhi is less than 0.001%.

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What has been the Trend for UPSC from Delhi?

Being the capital city of India, Delhi is composed of many reputed universities and schools, and hence it stays among the most educated cities in the country. The growing number of selected aspirants in UPSC reflects the availability of resources and knowledge that is provided within Delhi.

The trend of young people from Delhi going towards civil services was set in the 1990s when Delhi was producing the highest number of IAS officers in the country, and gradually as the country started becoming educated as a whole, aspirants from other parts of the country also started rising. It was after the 1990s when the Delhi aspirants for UPSC started declining because of the growing private sector.

What are the Different Success Rates in Each Stage of UPSC?

If we go through the success rate for UPSC, only 50% of the registered candidates appear for prelims and out of the appeared only 5% of the candidates make it to the mains examination. For the final stage, only 20% qualify from the mains examination, and in the end, only 40% of the qualified 20% make it to the final list.

If we analyse the statistics of UPSC 2019, 8 lakh candidates applied for the examination out of which 2034 candidates made it to the interview, and only 892 candidates got selected; hence we find a lakhs of candidates getting filtered out to some hundreds of selected candidates making the final success rate for the examination less than 1%.

What are the Major Distractions in Delhi for UPSC Aspirants?

The decision of moving to Delhi for UPSC preparation changes your surroundings completely. It proves to be challenging to move to a new environment and prepare for one of the toughest exams in the country. People move to Delhi to stay connected to their coaching centres and live near them to save time and prepare effectively. However, it takes a lot to survive in Delhi on your own and prepare for the exam at the same time.

Excessive Utilization of Internet and Phones

Loneliness is the first thing that you may encounter in the beginning days of your preparation in Delhi. You will long for your family and friends and will keep getting distracted to connect with them through phones and the internet. Your roommate can be your friend, but then it will be another distraction to indulge in another social life.

Time Management can be the Major Issue

Managing household chores on your own becomes a big task if you are not habitual of doing it at your home. Getting essential food supplies and cooking healthy becomes more difficult and time-consuming. Rent and other bills get piled up if you lack management skills, and in the end, it becomes more about survival than preparation. Moreover, in a populated city like Delhi, it is challenging to arrange accommodation according to your coaching institutes.

How Competition in Delhi affects the Aspirants?

While competition can be a plus point to stay motivated, it also carries the potential to make you feel low on days. You may feel intimidated by the score or number of preparation hours of the fellow aspirants and will end up focusing on others rather than your preparation.

People surrounding you influence you in a significant way, and if you end up surrounded by a bad company, it may disrupt your dreams towards success.

It has become a trend for aspirants preparing for UPSC to come to Delhi, but not all of them have plans and strategies to prepare in the environment. Before coming to Delhi, one should be clear about why he or she wants to move to Delhi, and what factor will be overpowering at this decision.

Also Read : UPSC Interview Questions of Toppers and Interview Tips to Achieve your UPSC Dream

Why Choose Online UPSC Classes Over Going to Delhi?

Online classes can prove to be helpful for people who are not able to come to Delhi or any other coaching institutes in the country for various reasons. Suppose you are working professional or a person living far away from the privileges of coaching institutes and quality study materials. In that case, you can always go online and start preparing for the UPSC examination.

Save Time and Money

Online classes will help you save time and money at the same time that may get wasted in a physical classroom. Going for online classes than moving to Delhi will not only cut the expenses but will also provide you with enough time for self-study.

Studying Material Available for Free

Those who cannot afford certain online coachings from a renowned coaching institute of Delhi can also go for the online material that is available free of charge on the internet. You can subscribe to online magazines and newspapers analysis online and can also prepare your NCERTs and other static parts effectively on apps like UPSC Pathshala or the web itself.

Keeps your Revision Regular and Effective

Online classes or online study material will help you in keeping your revision regular and effective. For NCERTs and static parts, you can go for quizzes and previous year question papers that will keep enhancing your knowledge at various levels of the journey. Online coaching also reduces the stress that comes with the rush of physical classrooms, comprising hundreds of students.

Conclusion

To answer your question on “Should I go to Delhi for UPSC preparation?”or “Is it necessary to stay in Delhi for UPSC preparation?” , aspirants should keep in mind their situations, qualifications, selection percentage in Delhi and their own goals before making a decision.

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