u/VirtualDragonfly823

What if a person preparing for this exam (or any competitive exam) is not able to improve their concentration and focus ?
What if for 9-10 months before prelims, they have only two options -

1. Wing it without a schedule, study when they feel like it, best focus and concentration on some days but large gaps between the days they study
2. Poor focus, wavering mind, mostly passive reading, fighting background thoughts and struggling with drowsiness and distractions through the pages, but keeping at it every single day, completing the syllabus and revising, being consistent every single day.
   Following a fixed schedule daily without fail.
   Does choosing number 2. increase their chances of clearing in any way? Would you call it "hard work"?

What if a person preparing for this exam (or any competitive exam) is not able to improve their concentration and focus ?
What if for 9-10 months before prelims, they have only two options -

1. Wing it without a schedule, study when they feel like it, best focus and concentration on some days but large gaps between the days they study
2. Poor focus, wavering mind, mostly passive reading, fighting background thoughts and struggling with drowsiness and distractions through the pages, but keeping at it every single day, completing the syllabus and revising, being consistent every single day.
   Following a fixed schedule daily without fail.
   Does choosing number 2. increase their chances of clearing in any way? Would you call it "hard work"?

What if a person preparing for this exam (or any competitive exam) is not able to improve their concentration and focus ?
What if for 9-10 months before prelims, they have only two options -

1. Wing it without a schedule, study when they feel like it, best focus and concentration on some days but large gaps between the days they study

2. Poor focus, wavering mind, mostly passive reading, fighting background thoughts and struggling with drowsiness and distractions through the pages, but keeping at it every single day, completing the syllabus and revising, being consistent every single day. Following a fixed schedule daily without fail.

Does choosing number 2. increase their chances of clearing in any way? Would you call it “hard work”?

Question for those who cleared prelims
2026 - did you make your own notes from the Indian Express or The Hindu?
How long should it normally take ?
Reading the paper properly is by itself a time consuming task and note making adds more to it.
If you didn't make notes, how did you revise and retain so much information over the course of the year? Please clarify.

Question for those who cleared prelims
2026 - did you make your own notes from the Indian Express or The Hindu?
How long should it normally take ?
Reading the paper properly is by itself a time consuming task and note making adds more to it.
If you didn't make notes, how did you revise and retain so much information over the course of the year? Please clarify.

Question for those who cleared prelims 2026 - did you make your own notes from the Indian Express or The Hindu? How long should it normally take ? Reading the paper properly is by itself a time consuming task and note making adds more to it.
If you didn’t make notes, how did you revise and retain so much information over the course of the year? Please clarify.

Context : https://www.reddit.com/r/UPPSC\_PCS/s/wwYSrmRvB1

I’m still stuck with the old photo and signature. And today’s a fourth Saturday. Commission says helpline active on working days. What to do ?

I started filling the 2026 pcs application form. Synced OTR details. I saw the photo was old and Hindi signature was missing in the previous one. So I logged out of the application , modified the OTR and uploaded new photo and signature. Logged into the form application dashboard again. Application shows old photo and signature. I clicked on “sync your data with otr server” many times but the new photo and signature aren’t getting uploaded. Stuck with the old ones. Any suggestions?

If my name is Alex Bill Clarke (for example) and I sign my name as a stylised “ABC” using only the first alphabets of my first name, middle name and surname, how do I sign in Hindi ? Never had a Hindi signature before. Please help.

1.Which State specific sources are the bare minimum for GS and Current affairs for non-Uttar Pradesh candidates?

2.Can outsiders hope to get top ranks and posts in PCS? How open is the state to people from other states manning its top state level posts?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

Can any of these three magazines serve as viable sources for current affairs as far as UPSC CSE is concerned? :

1. Competition Success Review
2. Pratiyogita Darpan
3. Civil Services Chronicle by Lexicon
   They are standalone publications, not connected to any coaching institute. As they are popular sources for English speaking state PCS aspirants, wondered if they could work for UPSC CSE too, especially if paired with daily reading of IE or The Hindu. Those who have cleared any exam reading these, please advise.

Can any of these three magazines serve as viable sources for current affairs as far as UPSC CSE is concerned? :

1. Competition Success Review
2. Pratiyogita Darpan
3. Civil Services Chronicle by Lexicon

They are standalone publications, not connected to any coaching institute.
Wondered if they could work, especially if paired with daily reading of lE or The Hindu.

Can any of these three magazines serve as viable sources for current affairs as far as UPSC CSE is concerned? :

1. Competition Success Review

2.Pratiyogita Darpan

4. Civil Services Chronicle by Lexicon

They are standalone publications, not connected to any coaching institute. Wondered if they could work, especially if paired with daily reading of IE or The Hindu.

Can someone who has cleared any stage of the exam answer this please?

I counted the total number of pages I will have to read of a bare minimum, if I’m preparing for both mains and prelims, across the 5 GS and Essay papers and the 2 Optional papers (PSIR Optional), and GS1 paper for Prelims across the static books. PSIR optional standard book set (Shubhra Ranjan Ma’ams set of notes plus other textbooks) has 9000-10,000 pages in all. And the rest of the books for GS and Essay also have around 10,000 pages. So the total is 20,000 pages.
Is this right or am I missing something, or have added something I won’t need ?
I have removed every book which I felt wasn’t necessary. Please have a look at the booklist if it’s right :
•M Laxmikant Polity and Governance both books,
•2nd ARC Reports notes (Pavneet Singh),
•Indian Society Themes and
social issues,
•Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania, •Science and Technology Ravi Agrahari, •Internal Security and Disaster Management Oxford publications, •PMFIAaS Environment,
•4 NCERTS of classes 11-12 geography,
•1 Atlas,
•3 old Ncerts for History,
•Spectrum for Modern History,
•Arjun Dev World History,
•World History class 11 NCERT,
•Lexicon Ethics book,
•Disha 151 Essays book.

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.