During Colonial days IAS is known as Heaven born services. The power of a collector, Collectors Bungalow, the life style of a young civil servant that includes Golf, Bridge, Billiards, Safari, Trekking and Hunting in the dense forests. These royal lifestyle of a civil servant has ended with the British, But IAS still remain as a power symbol in the heart of people. It’s still considered as a terrain of Elite few in the minds of common middle class people of India. Perhaps this mental barrier is one reason many consider it as unachievable to give a try. But the truth is far from this perception with sheer determination, perseverance and hard work anyone secure a top rank to qualify for Indian Civil Services.  

Indian Civil Services Exam is conducted by UPSC every year. It consists of exams in two stages Preliminary and Main. Preliminary exam is purely objective type and will have two papers. 1) General Studies 2) Optional Subject. Main consists of both descriptive written examination and personnel Interview. UPSC conducts civil services examination to recruit in 22 Indian Civil Services which includes IAS, IPS, IFS, 14 Group A services and 5 Group B services.  For complete list of services please refer http://www.upsc.gov.in

The path to the coveted civil services is that of hard work and right emphasis. The first and most important step is the judicious choice of optional subjects for Prelims and Main Examination. Do a through analysis of the subjects available and seek guidance from senior aspirants. Select only those subjects that you have an aptitude and enthusiasm to study. Perseverance is the name of the game, so the subject that you choose should be interesting enough to stick to it for a long time.   

Preparation for General Studies can be done hand in hand while preparing for Optional papers. Good mix of study hours for General Studies and Optionals makes study enjoyable and it becomes easy to sustain for long hours without losing interest and enthusiasm. General Studies, though does not have any limits, yet syllabus as outlined by UPSC gives quite good understanding of the question paper. It is very important to read at least one or two national newspapers.

Never follow the approach of preparing for Prelims only and once the result is out then prepare for Mains. This is not a good and effective approach. Its always better to start prepare for Main examination in the very beginning and immediately after appearing Prelims continue preparation for Main Examination.  The marks you score in the Main examination will very well decide your destiny. Writing skills is very important one. Make it a point to write to the point and sticking to the word limit.

For the final stage of interview brush up your skills, dress yourself in gentle attire and appear it with confidence. As a rule of thump never pretend to know everything under sky. A positive attitude matters a lot. Once successfully through all the stages you have the chance to make a difference in the destiny of the Nation.