1. Having inferior complex that you are not from good college, have less marks or started preparation late or did not take the coaching or your optional is not related to your graduation.It dilutes your confidence which is very important for cracking any exam not only UPSC.
Forget about what you have achieved till now (DAF mains ke form me to bhar dena please). Only thing that matters now is how determined you are to crack this exam. You can easily find students from a government school at LABASNA while those from India’s most prestigious universities may end up in Rajender Nagar for years.
2. Inconsistency in preparation.
Consistency is very important, some aspirants study 15 hours on one day and get frustrate, human being is not machine, we need rest other wise over efficiency too will eroded. So do not get frustrate after 2-3 spikes. Daily 8-10 hour study with efficiency in right direction are enough.
3. Relying too much on internet may result in wasting of your precious time.
Internet is for gaining the edge not loosing the edge, it is double edge sword, even we do not realize when we reach from big picture to big boss.That is different thing that some guys have habit of studying online otherwise books cannot be replaced by any source.
4. Spending too much time on Facebook and other Time pass websites.
UPSC preparation does not demand isolation but even after starting preparation addiction to Facebook is very dangerous, Similarly IAS forums are very important specially for those who are far away form Delhi coaching addas but aspirant get addict to it, anonymity provides them platform to elicit all the frustration they have related to UPSC preparation and UPSC related life. Use these sources prudently.
5. Reading from too many sources for single topic.
No need to love any topic and show loyalty towards that whole syllabus and all the topics have their own importance according to marks. We are here to crack the exam, so there is need to cover full syllabus comprehensively.
6.Reading form too much sources and not compiling them.
If you are reading from too many sources, you need to compile the notes form all the sources, like you are studying many books for history like bipin Chandra, spectrum, Grover. Can we revise from all these books in exam time? Probably no, so compile them.
7. Not making proper notes of newspapers
Newspaper reading is utmost important activity, newspaper cover paper 2 and paper 3 completely and these days current affair question in prelim also, so better make you own notes online or cut article and arrange them separately.
8. Purchasing too many books for single subject.
Believe us, it do more harm than good.
Disadvantages
| 1. | Wasting time, which you could have used in reading other topics, it takes more time to read new books |
| 2. | More books more frustration |
| 3. | More money from home more pressure on you. |
| 4. | Problem in revision in last time, as It is easy to read same book which have read many times earlier than many books once. |
9. Joining too many coaching institutes.
Coaching walas cannot help you to crack this exam after an extent, when we go in fair or famous market, vendors keep asking us sir ye lo, coaching institutes print pamphlets and make attractive advertisement 10000 mein mock bhi, daily answer practice bhi, we gullible and innocent aspirants feeling problem in sci tech like topic having desire to fulfill parents dream get in their trap and waste both time and money.
10. Not doing answer practice.
No book or coaching institutes can give you ready made answers of UPSC questions. They are dynamic and analytical. Students who always feel “Sab pada hai par yaad nahi rehta” will also find it helpful in organizing your thoughts. So the more you practice such questions, the more confortable you will be in writing the ans on the d-day.
11. Not having Plan B while preparing for IAS exam.
When aspirants start preparing for this exam, in first year they say, first and only choice is IAS, no to IPS, IRS and rest, in the second year UPSC ki koi b mil jaye, in the third year, not able to bear pressure of parents, arre bhai koi b mil jaye ssc type. This is situation of common middle class family aspirant. So why not prepare plan B, what if not UPSC? It helps us to throw down the pressure.
It is personal opinion of onlyias.com, earlier toppers used to say in magazines that I never thought about not clearing the exam and did not have back up, please do not do that. Be practical. Every year lakhs appear for the exam but only few are selected, didn’t mean others were not hardworking enough. But there are multitude of factors that facilitate your success and you can’t control all. So work hard for Plan A but do have Plan B.
12. Wasting too much time on making notes.
Notes making is very important because without notes or compiling the material, we will face a lot of difficulties near exam time, But we have to make notes discreetly like Laxmikant of polity does not need notes, it just needs the highlighting of few point with marker, some aspirants tend to make notes of that book that too line by line is wastage of time.
13. Isolating urself from external world.
Some people think ki apne aapko kamre me band karke padhenge to IAS ban jayenge. This kind of people have more tendency to go in depression, do not isolate yourself, its just exam, have some important people in your life with whom you share everything and UPSC Ki frustration nickel sako.
14. Became ascetic.
Some people immerse so much into study that they start eating less and start taking bath once in three days to save time (and disturbing others studies with their smell), UPSC never asks you stop taking baths, keep your surrounding neat and clean, its gives up positive vibes.(Ha Ha Ha)
15. Not preparing according to syllabus, you go directionless.
How can we reach the destination without having map in hand, so always have the syllabus, we have to read every topic according to syllabus, so that we can utilize our time.
16. Doing PhD on any topic.
Strong command on only few topics will not help to crack UPSC exam, it takes time of other topic and also cost benefit of this is very poor, right to equality for other topic, that is different thing that everyone has their strategy like making some topic strong and just go through other topics but doing PhD is altogether different which will not help you.
17. Not doing enough emphasize on essay
First we ignore essay completely and later repent citing its worth in mains exam, essay preparation cannot be isolated, while reading newspapers observe the writhing style of famous writer and note down good points and lines
18. Counting hours while studying
literally people count the hour for which they have studied, having almost nil efficiency.
19. Daydreaming what will you do after becoming IAS.
Having dream is good thing but thinking about scenario of after dream is fulfilled and that accompanied by the wasting time activity is direct antonyum of geeta karam kar fal ki chinta mat kar. bhai pahle pad toh singham baad mein ban jana.
20. Arguing with other students near axis bank and Batra cinema and axis Bank.
This is favorite pass time of some students while having tea, seems there is competition of winning who argue more and I am more knowledgeable than others,only Knowledge, that too scattered cannot help you to crack UPSC, our competition is not with our friends, it is with lakhs of aspirants whom we cannot see, cannot listen, they just reflect in cutoff.
21. Becoming complacent after first attempt
People loose enthusiasm after 1st attempt and start thinking now there is there a lot of time and they never pick the momentum again and start convincing themselves that there is huge role luck and there are lot of toppers who also cracked in later attempts.
22. Just reading but not thinking.
There is difference between reading and studying, you remember in small classes, teacher used to ask us one student stand up and start reading the chapter and that’s all, aise hi kaam chalta toh pandit ji b ias ki taiyari start kar dete sara din slok padte h
23. Spending time on study but not studying.
by keeping in front of us will not transfer data of book to our mind, we need to activate our Bluetooth of our mind, so have clear thought that I m sitting to read this topic and have to cover it, frankly saying, keep all your thoughts regarding chachi,bua,girlfriend, boyfriend,cricket,fb aside and just take that topic of your book is only thing you have to do now.
24. Watching too much videos, just to convince yourself that I am studying but to find later that those videos are of no use.
People see the syllabus related videos all the time convincing their heart that padai ka hi toh h,now tell that will be to watch 20 videos of 1914 world war for this topic,solution is to download and see important video
25. Focus too much on prelim initially later to find that do not have any preparation for the mains.
We have to win the war not battles, yes this battle is essential in winning the war but until your name does not come in final list, does not matter how many battles you win
26. studying while watching the videos on YouTube and TV
Again you are deceiving yourself, watching the video and meanwhile study for a minute convincing your heart and eroding the guilt that padhai bhi toh ki h.
27. Purchase and start studying after observing what others are studying.
This is very common in addas of delhi, you see people studying other source than you, you immediately go to market and purchase that material and start studying, that’s different thing that after studying for one or two days, you say actually ye jyada acha nahi h. If your books are fulfilling the demand of previous year paper and syllabus of UPSC why to waste time?
28.Not making micro notes
Make micro notes for revision, it is very necessary, UPSC preparation is like horse latitudes so throw your horses(means extra things or fodder material, not important for exam) to take your ship further.
29. Studying linearly without frequent self assessment, you may diverge from UPSC demand and proceed in wrong direction,so always keep previous papers and if possible join any topic series to know at times where you lack.Test yourself before UPSC tests you.
30. Reading every book madly from first page to last page.
Always try to go syllabus wise, do not waste time in unnecessary reading like some people suggest India after gandhi, certainly that is good book provided you have sufficient time, but that book is not like laxikant for polity.
31. Preparing for prelim and mains separately.
It is most common mistake of aspirants in first attempt, they read for prelim all the time and after taking prelim only realize that mains is different ball game so always integrate it together. Prelim is more about facts mains is more about analysis part.
32. Planning all the time but not executing it
I will read this, this is my schedule, will cover every thing till last of month, these things are pretty common, first make realistic plans and after that do not go by famous redtapism even before joining the service, action speak louder than words.
33. Discussing all the time with your friends that this exam is too much based on luck.
Luck matters in this exam, there is not doubt about that but we can minimize luck factor by our factors, we do not study but accuse the luck for failure, so be hard working and consistent, One day luck will also have date with you.
34. Getting tensed and frustrated after listening roadside discussion.
You go in market near axis bank or Mukherjee bank, take tea from anil bhaiyya than listen what other people are taking about one say how many rivers flow through uganda and provinces of that country, you feel complex and think that people are studying a lot, I do not know anything. Certainly, people study strange things, have self confidence.
35. Having prelim phobia.
ek baar prelim nikal jaye mains toh main dekh lunga, Mains is far mare difficult than prelim, yes prelim is first stage we cannot proceed further before clearing it, can we proceed further before clearing, certainly no, Our war with UPSC will not end until we find our name in final list. winning small battles may bring temporarily happiness, but ultimately what thing matters is winning the war.
36. Delaying attitude of studying.
Bas aaj last din h kal se aisa padunga,(today is last thing from tomorrow, I will study hard) but tomorrow never comes.so why tomorrow, why not now?
37 Reading too much but not focusing on revision.
And than we say that I study a lot but yaad nahi rahta. Bhaiya revision toh karni padegi, revision is most important term in this UPSC preparation, capacity of remembering the things vary according to individuals so one should do it accordingly.
38. Not underlining or making notes while reading .
Books are like mines of gold, we have to extract gold out of it, So it is important to extract the good good points, not underlining is like seeing where the gold is present in the mine and not extracting, Do you think you will be able to remember when you will read the book again next time.
39. Focusing too much on dynamic topics.
Some topics always remain myth for aspirants like sci and tech, there is no good material available in the market, also syllabus of sci and tech is bottomless and borderless sea. of course, we cannot afford to leave any topic in syllabus but aspirants should also cover traditional part like polity,history, geography before remaining tensed over the coverage of sci and tech. Because they tend to waste a lot of time on net searching for the topics. So first cover the traditional subjects, if we have studied them properly, all our questions may be correct, but one cannot say about sci and tech.
40. Reading something and start asking friends.
Whom we are showing our knowledge to friends, sooner or later friend will be aware how knowledge you are, you have to crack Exam and knowledge here does not matter, it gives false satisfaction for one of two hours, So focus on clearing the exam.
41. Reading everything on newspapers.
Some aspirants read everything in the newspapers except what is needed for exam point of view.Newspaper is most important weapon of the preparation, have to use it prudently, if one use uses the newspaper to best extent, it saves efforts and time in mains and now a days in prelim also, as they have started to focus on current affairs.
42. Having too many friends and tendency to engage in relationship.
Life cannot be run without friends but having too many friends may be harmful for UPSC preparation, your good friends will certainly understand that you are preparing for IAS so busy but rest will deliberately poke you, aree chod na yaar kitna padoge, So who live in Delhi how having too many friends is dangerous, every time you go outside you meet a guy whom you just know and waste 10-15 minutes and go ahead again find this kind of so called nakli friends, this process wastes a lot of time.
43. Ultimately making UPSC as life.
Do not thinks all the time about UPSC, you are CIA agent, now on the mission of cracking the UPSC, do not forget that you have life beyond this mission also, you have your family and everything else so just take it as mission, You would not believe but there are guy who immerse so much in this preparation that one failure jolt them to extent they never recover, So always remain energetic, have self confidence and keep smile on face .
