(TIPS) Top Tips about Civil Services

1. Don't sit for this exam. Far too many people apply for this exam without knowing many of the details. Far too many people sit for this exam without knowing if they are capable of overcoming the huge pressure which the exam brings. As a result far too many people apply again and again, hope again and again, and are shattered again and again. Know that this exam is very difficult, that it calls for a level of commitment which might be a luxury to some. I will say what I was told at an SSB Interview- just because one has been rejected by the SSB doesn't mean that one is less intelligent, that one is hopeless- it simply means that one is better suited to be someone else. I have known a few, and am sure there are lot many others who chase this exam when it is like a chimera to them- they should rather sit for other exams. If you find you are not good enough, you can do two things: study harder so that you are good enough, or bring down your expectations and apply for lower jobs, like the Staff Selection Commission Exams, CPF and CPO, the State Civil Services, the Bank PO exams, etc. It is a folly to think that perseverance, motivation and hard work can make anyone an IAS; however, if you have the basic raw material, then motivation and hard work can work wonders. Here is the dilemma - it is better not to bite more than one can chew, but all the same, without biting one cannot know how much you can chew. You are the best judge of your competence - know thyself. Try, try again and again, but when you still have realistic hope. Don't blind yourself. Switch to smarter but lesser things (maybe) when you still have age in your advantage.