Hidden costs surprises

5 things to consider before you apply for IAS exam

by

Have you ever wanted to apply for the IAS exam and becoming an IAS or IPS officer?

Maybe you were charmed by all the nice things you hear about being in the civil service- The power, the uniform, the respect and social status etc.

Or maybe someone in your family inspired you to go down this road.

Are you doing this because society expects you too?

Perhaps clearing the IAS exam is your definition of ‘success’, as it was once mine.

But I was completely WRONG.

Whatever your reasons might be, if you haven’t really questioned your motivations about wanting join the civil services, maybe you should/ want to spend a few minutes thinking about some things.

It could make All the difference for the rest of your life.

Before you apply for the IAS exam, consider these questions-

  1. What are the costs involved?
  2. Why do  you really want to do this?
  3. What your real interests are?
  4. What the job really is like?
  5. Are you a good fit for the job? Will you be happy once you get it?

This article will cover Question number one – the costs.

The costs of attempting the exam

This may not be obvious from the start, but it should be.

Attempting the UPSC exam as a serious contender comes at considerable costs and you should know what they are.

no free lunches

MONEY

It is not obvious, but the amount of money involved in preparing for the IAS exam can be a LOT

Coaching institutes, books, reading material etc are usually quite expensive.

Most people join some kind of coaching or courses or Test series.

It is not uncommon that a typical candidate will spend anywhere between 50,000 to 1,50,000 Rs during preparation. Possibly more.

Let us assume 1 lakh for you.

You must be logged in to read further Login

37 thoughts on “5 things to consider before you apply for IAS exam”

  2. Hi Sir,

    I worked in private company but inside me always wanted to appear for CSE and now finally decided to appear. Please help me to sail this journey in enthusiastic manner. Happy to Learn!

  3. Yes si! i am willing to do it without much expenses and in an easier or faster way, I was thinking about UPSC when i have completed my bachelor in 2015, after that i did job for 3 years to support my family (still thinking about UPSC), then i did masters for 2 year for myself and completed in 2020 (still thinking about UPSC), Now i am pretty sure that time has come for give myself for preparation without giving thought about its result.

    Hoping for reply from ur side to boost my energy in positive way.

    • Hi Rajani,
      Good to know that you have decided to plunge in and attempt the exam.
      I suggest taking the USPC SYLLABUS CHALLENGE detailed here–>https://becomingias.com/upsc-syllabus-challenge/

      Let me know if you survive the challenge and what you learned from it.

      All the best!

  9. Wonderful Article ..first person who talk about Hidden secret of UPSC Syllabus ….. sir how to get more cheat sheets please send sir

    Thank you for Supports

    • Thank you Pankaj!
      Pls subscribe to the e-mail list. I will be publishing cheat sheets as i prepare them. First ones to be released soon.
      I will e-mail them to you.

      Thanks 🙂

    • Hi Divya,
      If you are subscribed to the e-mail list, you will be the first to get them. I hope to release the first ones soon.

      Thanks for reading
      tc:)

  12. Thank you so much for your guidance ,sir. I would be very grateful if you could share afore mentioned cheat sheet .

  13. Yes sir, I am going to do this with your guidance and support. Please educate us on problems what had you face during preparation? and how to tackle, this is with relation to subjects and general.

  14. Yes sir, I am going to do this with your guidance and support. Please educate us on problems what had you face during preparation? and how to tackle, this is with relation to subjects and general.

      • Sir
        Please guide how to prepare effectively , as i am fresher in Preparation and confused about sources and materials for study.
        Please help

        • Hi Anuj,
          Dont worry.

          TO begin with just do the following—
          I want you to read the UPSC syllabus very very carefully.
          Google each and every WORD one by one in the syllabus and just read the basic stuff about it.
          For example- when you see Indian national Movement in the syllabus, just google it and go through the wikipedia page.
          Do the same thing when you see the word Economic Development etc.

          Dont read any books at the moment.

          Once you have done this, we can go on to the next stage.

    • Hi! thanks for reading..I have added your e-mail to my mailing list and will send you the link to the cheat-sheets as soon as they are released. In the meantime pls keep checking back for updates. Cheers!

      • Hi Satish,
        Sure. I have added you to the e-mail list. You will be the first to know when i release them. Hopefully within a few weeks.

        Thanks for reading!
        all the best

        • Yes sir, I am going to do this with your guidance and support. Please educate us on problems what had you face during preparation? and how to tackle, this is with relation to subjects and general.

        • Hi sir,

          I am a bit late to get here (both in terms of age for preparation and the commencement of the articles and strategies on this site). I am a working professional (10-6 job at PSU) with a lot of time which i spent binge watching for past 3 years. And I think what better way to utilize my time than setting up a target and use my time for Good. I devised a strategy in may 2020, and tried to follow it (not with ease). Eventually after 1.5 months of studying I am lagging behind as per the strategy I made. Was looking for some divine intervention to help me from this deadlock I am in right now. Reading the articles so far have given a hope of breaking this deadlock. I am aiming for next year, and by the looks of it yet so far I fear for the next year. I would surely be obliged if you help me a bit out of this.

          Regards

          PS.:Would you kindly send the cheat sheets to me too.

Leave a Comment



This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.