Hi Pradeepa, Begin your IAS preparations thinking that you have already cleared your Prelims. It puts you in a better situation mentally, as the pressure of the Civil can be huge! We recommend that you start your preparation at least 18 months before the Mains exam. So from February/ March of the previous year, start with the optional papers and wrap it up in about 6 months. Then about a year before the Main exams, start preparing for GS (both for Mains and Prelims), the General Essay paper and Prelims optional preparation and continue till 6 months before the Prelims.

At 6 months before the Prelims, slow down your GS for Mains and General Essay paper and continue with the GS Prelims and Optional Prelims preparation. Write the Prelims and continue with your Mains preparation in full swing for GS, General Essay and Optional. Whatever might be the Prelims result, keep preparing this way till the Mains time. And the cycle continues.

Once you clear the Mains, you need to start preparing for the difficult Interview. Concentrate mainly on GS and OLQ (Officer Like Qualities) – read published interviews of successful candidates to understand the behaviour and pattern. Besides this, keep yourself updated with the latest happenings, the controversial ones for sure! It can give you a chance to steer the interview your way. It is a tough job, even if you don’t perform well in the interview; don’t lose heart, ultimately only your total score matters. Plus, for anybody who has performed well in the Prelims and Mains, it is very tough to foul it up! And on that note, all I will say is that you should keep up your winning stride and you will realise that it is a cake walk!

Click here for a sample test paper for IAS free!
Click here to know more about IAS and IPS as a career and motivate yourself! Good luck.

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