UPSC Exams preparation

This blog was created to share resources with aspirants appearing for examinations conducted by UPSC, especially those meant for Civil Services, Engineering Services and Forest Services. Most of the content on preparation for the exams found here was posted before the result came out and thus, is devoid of boastfulness that creeps in on being successful. I hope aspirants find what they are looking for, in the posts that emanate from links below.

As there is much more to learn and to share, new tabs and posts are in order, but without disturbing the exam material.

Many who enter the arena of Civil Services exam preparation think about the need for coaching classes and the much elusive first attempt crack. My take on it :
On coaching and first attempts
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-coaching-and-first-attempts.html

In times of self doubt and frustration, the will to continue comes from within.
Morale boost
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-continue.html

Reading newspaper is essential to preparing for this exam and also something that requires some skill to extract the relevant and useful.
Newspaper reading and notes
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/making-sense-out-of-news.html
Few examples of note making and categorisation of news:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/6-july-2015-news-bite.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/12-14-july-2015-newsbite.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/07/15-july-2015-news-bite.html

Same goes with India Year Book:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2017/02/on-yearbook.html

Approach, planning, strategy, booklists, previous question papers analysis, etc for prelims, here:
Preliminary examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/prelims.html

All gyan related to mains, here:
Mains examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/mains.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2015/10/shortcut-to-forestry-for-ifos-mains.html

There are many classes and many styles to follow in writing essays, but learning from various sources it came down to this final recipe:
Essay writing
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/essay-writing.html
https://opengyan.blogspot.com/2019/08/cse-mains-essay-previous-25-years-topic.html

Honest account of the interview experience, before and after:
Interview related
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/03/interview-diaries.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/03/interview-diaries-2.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/04/interview-diaries-3.html

Posts related to preparing with Mechanical Engineering as optional branch out from here:
Mechanical Engineering Optional
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-mech-engg-for-csm.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/mech-engg.html

Some extra stuff for those taking up Engineering Service examination as well:
Engineering Services Examination
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-ese.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/02/plan-for-ese-2016.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/07/2017-ese-cse.html

Something that I wrote on a mildly philosophical and quite confused evening in 2016:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/10/another-hare-and-tortoise-story.html

Some posts after being declared successful in the exam:
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/05/fate-faith-fairness.html
http://opengyan.blogspot.com/2016/06/humpty-dumpty.html


Good resources by those who cleared the exam:
Pooja Ranawat has spoken well on her strategy
Anudeep Durisetty has created a very well organized resource base