In this article, we will cover the right approach for IAS preparation from A to Z!

1. How to Start IAS Preparation?
Following are some of the important things one should keep in mind if they want to
see their journey in the IAS success stories.
Understanding the Exam Pattern is an Important Part of the IAS Preparation
Strategy
Your exam is a curriculum heavy paper that is divided into three stages
• The Prelims
• The Mains
• The Interview
• You cannot reach the next stage without successfully crossing the previous one.
• Each stage will be more difficult than the previous one.
• The first two stages demand sound knowledge from the candidate on a plethora
of topics.
• The candidate is expected to showcase their diagnostic and conceptual skills
within a tight time frame, in the first two stages.
• Even though the final stage a.k.a personal interview round is not a test of your
writing abilities, it still requires as much alertness and knowledge as the former
ones.
Be Realistic about the Competition
Along with being the toughest exam, it is also one of the major qualifying exams in
the country. Just like you, there are lakhs of aspirants out there who are eyeing the
coveted position of an Indian civil servant.
Let’s take a sneak peek at the approximate scenario of this mega-crucial exam :

2. • Step 1: Registration – 10 lakh or more aspirants every year.
• Step 2: The prelims candidates – An average of 4.5 Lakhs per year.
• Step 3: The candidates who clear the preliminary step – An approximate 15000
every year.
• Step 4: The candidates who have cleared the mains – Around 3000 per year.
• The approximate number of candidates who appear in the rank list post-
interview: 1000 per year.
If you are from the general category, you may need to be in the top 50% to get a
spot in the final rank list ( since 49.5% of seats are reserved).
Another Perspective:
• In a year, lakhs appear for the IAS prelims exam.
• In the prelims, only about 25% of those who wrote the exam manage to clear
and move forward to the next round.
• Once the mains are done with, there is only a meagre 15% that actually get to
the personal interview stage.
• There is a success rate of 50% in the IAS interview stage.
• Clearly, the overall success rate of this examination series is only 1 % thus
making it one of the toughest exams in the country.
These figures are not to scare you! But to help you realize that your dream is shared
by many and achieved by only a few. While you’re thinking about how to start
UPSC preparation from zero levels, you must have a strong IAS preparation
strategy in place to move ahead in the right direction!
Extra Steps You Must Take for Self-Study Plan
• You must have a foolproof plan in place.
• You must seek advice from limited people. The more people you talk to, the
more your brain will be full of noise!
• Watching topper videos and reading up on the internet regarding the right self-
study approach is a great way to start.
• You must get only the most favoured books to prepare from. Before you select a
particular book, make sure it consists of all topics given in the syllabus.
• Do not miss out on the mock test series offered by coaching institutes. This is a
great test-based approach to understand where you stand with your preparations.
IAS Classroom Coaching
• The other method is one where you can enrol yourself in a traditional coaching
institute.
• Unfortunately, for all the hype it has in India, it fails to cater to the needs of
individual students.
• Coaching classes take in big batches of students and teachers with the aim of
finishing the syllabus.
• It is only common logic to decipher that in a class of 100+ students, it will be
difficult to teach as per the individual needs of an aspirant.
• Some students might be too shy to voice their doubts.

3. • If you’re a student/ working professional, the time constraint will make you lose
out on quite a few classes.
• Getting to the address of your coaching class can be difficult for many.
• Most importantly, coaching classes are very expensive. For many, taking this
big monetary decision involves crucial after effects.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article is all you were looking for and answers all your doubts on
how to start IAS preparation. If you have any more queries, do leave it in the
comments below.