Many dream of cracking the UPSC Civil Services Examination and get into IAS, IPS, IFS and the like, but only a select few actually clear it. Why? Because it is one of the toughest examinations of India. Every year, thousands of aspirants sweat it out to clear this prestigious exam. And even after repeated failures, many of them are willing to appear in it again and again. Such is the aura of UPSC CSE in India.

But, at the same time, there are also many myths surrounding it. From how life changes after clearing the exam to unlimited power and a luxurious life, there are unending talks, gossips, stories and myths floating around. And it’s not surprising! We have seen people leaving lucrative jobs in MNCs abroad just to prepare for UPSC CSE.

But, what exactly are the myths? In a long thread on social media platform Twitter, an IITian who cleared this prestigious exam twice, Abhijeet Yadav, tried to bust some common myths around UPSC. In an attempt to get real and call a spade a spade, he shared some interesting information.

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He spent five years of his life on the UPSC journey. He made 6 attempts, which covered 4 Mains, 2 interviews, 2 selections, and got AIR 653 in CSE 2017 and R-List in CSE 2018.

An alumnus of IIT Delhi, he has a YouTube channel with over 115,000 subscribers, where he helps aspirants to prepare better for the UPSC CSE exam. His Twitter thread about myths might be some months old, but it is still relevant for all UPSC aspirants. He had started off with this tweet: “UPSC prep is overhyped in India. As with anything overhyped, there are a lot of myths attached to it. A thread on top myths related to UPSC prep.”

LIFE IS SET!

In the first tweet of his Twitter thread, Abhijeet Yadav tweeted: “UPSC kar lo, life set hai (Give UPSC, life will be set). Life is never set, once in service, you’ll be competing for posting and cadre marriages. Life is only set if you know what YOU want. If you don’t, figure it out. Most people spend their lives figuring it out, so don’t be in a rush.”

NCERTs ARE THE HOLY GRAIL

Some people suggest that NCRTs are most important and a sureshot recipe for UPSC success. They even say that NCERTs are the holy grail. So, in his second tweet, Mr. Yadav wrote: “NCERTs are important, but just doing NCERTs won’t get you far. They are simply the starting point from which you need to build expertise in each subject.”

EARLY PREPARATION

In his third tweet, he busted another myth that UPSC preparation should start from school or college days. He wrote: “Start preparing after Class XII for IAS for sure.Why not start from Class VI?Most people recommend reading NCERTs from Class VI onwards, so why not start there?Get out of this loop. Get some experience, figure out what YOU want and then decide if you want to do this.”

IIT/IIM AND TOP COLLEGE

You have surely heard that only people from IIT/IIM/top colleges can clear the UPSC exams. Mr. Yadav thinks that such thoughts can make you pessimistic even about life. You cannot clear the exam with this attitude. He tweeted: “If you start out with that attitude, you won’t be clearing it. It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is where you’re willing to go to achieve your goals.”

ASPIRANTS KNOW EVERYTHING

The most common myth about UPSC aspirants is probably that they know everything.  Mr. Yadav wrote: “UPSC ki taiyari kar rahe ho ye to aata hi hoga (If you are preparing for UPSC, then you must be knowing everything). Preparing for this exam doesn’t make you a know-it-all. More than anything, it makes you aware of how much you DON’T KNOW.”

PEN MATTERS

There is also an advice for mains answer-writing that if you use some particular pens that toppers usually choose, you will write better. Mr. Yadav’s advice to the aspirants is different! He wrote: “The pens you use in Mains will matter. Everyone has different writing styles and grip pressure. Find what works for you. Don’t run after topper’s pen choices.” In essence, he says that you should select a pen you are comfortable with and one that suits your writing style.

KEEP TRYING, BUT TILL WHEN?

This is his most important advice for all UPSC aspirants, as well as for others. Actually, this is a common piece of advice that every person gets in their life at some point or the other – keep trying, hard work never goes in vain. But, Mr. Yadav said: “Statistically, 99% of people appearing for UPSC CSE fail.Working hard is good, but you must also work in the right direction. Comment on YT, “Ferrari leke Delhi se Kanpur jaoge, to kitna bhi tez chal lo, Bombay nahi aaega”. (If you go from Delhi to Kanpur in a Ferrari, no matter how fast you go, you will not reach Bombay).

ISOLATION

People also suggest that for UPSC preparation, isolation is necessary. But this is not true for everyone. Even Mr. Yadav seems to suggest that when he wrote in one of his tweets: “Isolate yourself completely. Depends on you. Some thrive in isolation. Some get stifled by it. Figure out what works for you. But yes, you must be FOCUSSED.”

GAP YEAR

He also busted a common myth about taking a gap year. “A gap year will affect my interview score. First get to that point. When you talk to the board, you will realise that it doesn’t matter. What matters more is what you know then and how you present it in that moment.”

COACHING IN DELHI

And, last but not the least, there are millions of gossips and myths around UPSC coaching. Some say that coaching is a must for UPSC exam, some say that it depends on you, and some even say that self-study is sufficient if you are hard working. And then there are also others who say that coaching in Delhi is a must for clearing UPSC CSE.

But, Mr. Yadav would like us to believe something else! “Delhi coaching is must. Might’ve been true 5 years ago. At present, all the information you’ll ever need is available online. You just have to look for it.”