Some clarifications regarding Telugu Literature in civils mains

[For those who are planning to give mains 2011 and opting for telugu, I suggest that they join Nagaraju sir's classes as early as possible. I think classes started on June 27, 2011. You can call sir on 9492849025.]

I opted for Telugu literature as I wanted my preparation to be enjoyable and not too heavy. Also, I felt other option would make my preparation monotonous. Some of my background also helped me in preparation – I was telugu medium student till 10^th class, I used to read telugu magazines and news papers, telugu stories and few novels. This background and Nagaraju sir's solid classes made me ready for the exam within short period of five months. There are some negatives as well – my engineering background etc. but I feel these are not hurdles.

Now, every one is unique, so depending on your interest, background and patience the subject will suit you and your time for preparation may vary.

For those who are interested in telugu but not taking this option due to some ill founded fears, here are some clarifications:

1. Telugu Literature doesn't mean that you have to mug up many verses/poems. But if you can remember some, it would be better.

2. It also doesn't expect you to master telugu grammer.

3. Before choosing this option, talk to faculty, discuss with friends who are attending classes/gave exam in Telugu Literature, think about your capabilities and interests. Go through the syllabus fully, clarify all your doubts and then start. You will be ultimately responsible for your decision.

4. The subject is

   1. [Paper I]scientific study of language, history and evolution of language, history and evolution of literature, application and usefulness of language.

   2. [Paper II]Few illustrations/text both from classical and modern literature.

5. Now, let me try to differentiate between language and literature in simple terms. Language is mainly meant for communication and includes some rules (syntax, grammer etc.) to avoid mis-communication. Literature is using language for beautiful expression (say, of our thoughts), for sharing knowledge(eg. Literature on nuclear energy, computer literate) etc.

   Eg. “Beloved of Gods” is expression used by Ashoka in his inscriptions.

   The above sentence contains three words- beloved, of, Gods which if arranged in different fashion – “Gods of Beloved” etc. will make no sense. The individual words, their arrangement etc. is the language aspect. The divinity in the expression, the inferred love and compassion of Asoka towards his people is literature aspect.

   Another example is “do or die”. You try to see what is language in it and what is literature.

6. If you like the subject, you could do reasonably well in exam. You'll read some aspects like language syntax, influence of other languages on telugu, translation, standardization of language, dialect, terminology, fork arts(which is really interesting for people from villages) etc. which is applied language. You'll read about poets and their contribution, different literary movements like feminist literature etc.

7. Paper II has set of verses from classical literature like Mahabharata, poems from modern literature, few stories and novels. Again this is enjoyable if you follow classes well and enjoy the beauty of expression.

8. You should try to rectify some short comings like – very slow writing, lot of spelling mistakes, too bad handwriting etc. But don't worry too much about these. Some spelling mistakes are acceptable and your writing should be legible.

About mugging up poems --- when you listen to classes or read a story (in verses) you are obviously going to like some lines from it. For eg. "Vachinavadu phalgunu davasyamu geltu manunga radu" [Srikrishna Rayabaram]. In each chapter you'll find more and more such lines if you really enjoy telugu. It's like remembering movie dialogues. You should appreciate the beauty of expression and quote it in your answers at appropriate place. If you can remember full poem and quoting it with right pre text, it is much better. I feel our time and effort should not be wasted in mugging and we should focus on analyzing the chapter from different perspectives, which is more helpful.

About paperII, i'll write soon.

Books for Telugu Literature:

I have read mostly from Nagaraju sir's notes for paper I and II. I also read text books prescribed for part II as much as possible. Apart from these, you can refer to

For Paper I part A

Telugu-Bhasha-Charitra · Velamala Simmanna or

Telugu-Bhasha-Charitra-by-Bhadriraju-Krishnamurti

For Paper I Part B

Andhra Sahitya Charitra by NagayyaNagaiah

For Paper II

Nagaraju sir's notes

GV Subrahmanyam sir's material(Hyderabad study circle) – a bit tough

my patent application

WIPO

http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/search/en/WO2011050292

US Patent office

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220110099442%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20110099442&RS=DN/20110099442

Other websites

http://www.patentbuddy.com/Patent/Profile/20110099442/6072123

For those who are writing civils in Telugu medium

Every year, many aspirants are clearing civils by writing exam in Telugu medium. It's better to write exam in Telugu than to stay away from exam due to fear of English. But then, you must start developing your English language skills for following reasons:

1. For Prelims question paper will be only in English/Hindi and its only marking the right choice on OMR sheet. So, medium doesn't really matter.

2. English knowledge will be helpful in our career.

3. For mains question paper will be only in English/Hindi but you can write answers in Telugu.

4. Recent prelims paper-II had many questions on reading comprehension(passages). Hence, speed reading and grasping helps in scoring more.

5. Some good reference books are available in English only.[eg. The Hindu, Frontline etc.]

English doesn't mean knowing the rules of grammer. It means reading and understanding a paragraph given in english, understanding spoken english, being able to write (say, a letter) in english and being able to speak some thing in english. Only thing you have to make sure while communicating is your words should resemble your thoughts as much as possible. If you intend to say some thing and your spoken words / written words are taken by others in different way, there is a need for improvement. This is where minimum grammer and vocabulary can help.

Below are some tips to help telugu medium students:

1. Telugu Academy books are useful and good for GS as well as optionals like pubad, polity, economy etc. Explore different books available like international affairs etc. These are written by highly qualified professors.

Text books till 10+2 can also be referred.

2. RC Reddy's Vivek magazine is good source of current affairs. We can refer to Udyoga Sopanam also.

3. News papers, Eenadu is good source as it gives background information also. Bhavita in Sakshi is also useful.

4. Prof. K Nageshwar's articles in Eenadu, Eenadu sunday magazine(Cover story) etc. will be useful for GS and Essay.

5. You can refer to blogs like http://civilsintelugu.blogspot.com/

6. You can attend english classes at M. Sateesh Reddy's DEEP (Dynamic English Education Point) which is available at Ameerpet, Nacharam, and RTC X roads. [I didn't attend this but my friends said this is very good.]

7. For Prelims Paper I you can also refer to:

a. Choppadantu prasnalu,

b. Science lo sandehalu

For Perlims Paper II(CSAT) you can refer to

c. Medaduku padunu

d. Medaduku meta

All of them written by Mahidhara Nalini Mohan and Published by Vishalandhra Publishing House(Abids/Sultan Bazaar. They are interesting and useful. You can refer to some other books by same author.

8. It's better to refer to Oxford Pocket Dictionary every time you come across new word while reading. Write the meaning on the text book itself(not separate notes) so that it'll be easier to revise.

Civil Services Exam 2011 Pattern

The exam pattern, broadly is as follows: details are available at http://www.upsc.gov.in/exams/exams.htm

Notification came on 19 Feb, 2011.

Stage I : Preliminary. [June 20]

400 marks. But only for qualifying to mains. Not considered for

Paper I : General Studies [200 marks] [No. of Qs this time was 100 but may vary next year]

Paper II : Mental ability and Reading Comprehension [No of Qs this time was 80 but may vary]

Stage II: Mains: 2000 marks [29 Oct - 21 Nov, 2011]

English Language: For 300 marks. 10th Class level.

Indian Language: For 300 marks. 10th Class level. Telugu language paper contains - Essay(100 marks), Reading comoprehension, Translation from english and to english, using words in own sentences etc.

Above two are qualifying in nature. The marks obtained are not added to mains score. But if we dont pass one of these, we'll be disqualified for exam.

General Essay :

200 M

General Studies :

Paper I 300M

paper II 300M

Optional I :

Paper I 300M

paper II 300M

Optional II :

Paper I 300M

paper II 300M

Total : 2000.

Results will be out somewhere around 1st week of March .

Stage III: Interview: [Mid March - April end]

300 marks.

We'll have medical test on the next working day after interview.

Results will be out around Mid May.

Every stage is full of surprises - questions unpredictable, result unpredictable. Always try to be optimistic- this is the best thing to do. Remember that everyone will be anxious about results at every stage and some time will be wasted in this. You have to strike balance between being serious and being stressedout. Controlled and small amounts of stress is useful and constructive - in a way that it concentrates our mind.

Some useful websites for civils preparation

Search engine

www.google.com

For information on various things

http://www.wikipedia.org/

job seekers

http://www.freejobalert.com/

http://www.upsc.gov.in/

http://ssc.nic.in/SSC.html or http://ssc-cr.org

RBI

http://www.rbi.org.in/home.aspx

PMO

http://pmindia.nic.in/

Press Information Bureau

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/mainpage.aspx

National Advisory Council

http://nac.nic.in/

Planning Commission

http://planningcommission.nic.in/

Finance terminology

http://www.investopedia.com/

Srujan

PM's Inaugural address at Civil Services Day

April 21, 2011 [The text in italics is more relevant for us]
"I am very happy to be amidst you on the occasion of the sixth Civil Services Day. I welcome all of you to this gathering. I also extend my greetings to all members of the Civil Services on this occasion.

Let me also congratulate the officers who have won awards today for excellence in their work. I am sure their example will inspire other civil servants to higher levels of commitment and performance in the service of our nation.

I am happy that one of the sessions today is devoted to the issue of Ethics and Transparency in Governance. This is a subject which has attracted a great deal of attention in the recent days. There is a growing feeling in the people that our laws, systems and procedures are not effective in dealing with corruption. We must recognize that there is little public tolerance now for the prevailing state of affairs. People expect swift and exemplary action and rightly so. As I have said earlier, corruption is an impediment to faster growth, and hurts the poor most. It is a challenge that we must tackle boldly and we stand committed to doing so.

Our aim is to strengthen the legislative framework, revamp administrative practices and procedures and fast track a systemic response to fighting corruption. A Group of Ministers is looking into the legal and administrative measures that can be taken in this regard. The group has a wide ranging mandate and I expect its recommendations to be available very soon. A committee of Ministers and representatives of civil society is at work to finalize the draft of a Lokpal bill, which we hope to be able to introduce during the monsoon session of Parliament. Two bills relating to judicial accountability and protection of whistle blowers have already been introduced in Parliament. We will soon ratify the United Nations Convention on Corruption. We are committed to bringing more transparency in public procurement and to ensuring that disinvestment of public utilities and allocation of public resources are done in a manner that best safeguards the interests of the asset-owning public. I urge all civil servants to contribute to our efforts in fighting corruption. Each one of you is in a position to do so in many meaningful ways and I hope to see renewed energy emanating from you in this fight. I expect you to be honest and fearless in advising your superior authorities, especially the political leadership. Those of you who serve in senior positions would do well to also encourage your subordinate officers in this direction.

People value the work done by honest and dedicated civil servants and look up to them. I would like all of you to work to strengthen the trust and faith which people still have in civil servants. The spontaneous support of the people of Malkangiri, when the Collector of the district was kidnapped by left-wing extremists, is a pointer to the extent of goodwill that well meaning and honest civil servants can achieve. I do believe that the core of the Civil Services is sound and rooted in values of integrity and fair play. It is a pity that instances of individual waywardness, of lack of moral courage, and of surrender to pressures and temptations tarnish the image of the Civil Services and lead to immense criticism and dissatisfaction. I believe it is only upto the Civil Services as a whole to set the highest standards of probity and integrity in public and personal life and to create an atmosphere and a work ethic which encourages honesty and integrity. Disapproval and even ostracization by peers and colleagues can be a powerful deterrent for those who tend to stray from the path of rectitude.

I understand that another session today has been devoted to the challenges of economic management. Our economy has been in reasonably good shape in the past seven years. We have achieved an impressive rate of growth which we were able to sustain even in the midst of the worst global financial crisis of recent times. But, during the past year and a half, persistent inflation, especially in the food sector, has become a cause for concern. Our consistent policy has been to control inflation without hurting growth. We have strived for a delicate and difficult balance to achieve this. Food prices rose following the drought in 2009. Although the situation has improved in recent months, and food inflation has come down to single digit levels, the long term solution lies in increased production and productivity in the agriculture sector. The needs of a growing and increasingly more prosperous population can only be met by enhanced production of a diversified basket of agricultural products. We have to make a concerted effort to enhance our food security. The Civil Services again have a major role to play in achieving a higher rate of growth in the agriculture sector. I hope you will pay more focused attention to this area, and more specially to the preparation and implementation of district level agricultural plans. At the state level some of the brightest officers should be appointed to critical position of agricultural development commissioners and similarly every efforts should be made to upgrade extension services.

I would also like to take this opportunity to lay stress on the importance of strengthening local level governance through panchayats and municipalities. Our country is too large to be governed effectively from the Centre or even from the State capitals. We have to decentralize power, decentralize decision-making and decentralize the implementation of various development schemes. This is the only way to involve and empower people in shaping their own future. The success of the third tier of governance is critical to improved delivery of services and better design and implementation of schemes. While the constitutional framework has been in place for some time, most states have shied away from giving effective powers and responsibilities to the third tier. Our civil servants must do their utmost to facilitate real decentralization of governance in our country.

While our overall security situation has been reasonably satisfactory in the past few months, there is no room for any relaxation of vigil on our part. Combating Left Wing extremism, meeting terrorist challenges, countering insurgency in parts of the North-East and maintaining communal harmony and effectively dealing with atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes continue to be our top priorities. There is now evidence of better cooperation and coordination between the Centre and States in fighting terrorism. As I have stated earlier, we have drawn up an Integrated Development Programme for sixty districts affected with left-wing extremism. We are working in partnership with State Governments to provide employment to the tribal youth and to revamp the social and economic infrastructure in these remote areas. We are working for the development of the far flung areas of our vast country in an ecologically sustainable manner. We believe all these efforts will go a long way in strengthening our internal security.

The provisional population totals for Census 2011 have been released recently. While most of the news appears to be good, the falling child sex ratio is an indictment of our social values. Improving this ratio is not merely a question of stricter compliance with the existing laws. What is more important is how we view and value the girl child in our society. Our girls and women have done us proud in classrooms, in boardrooms and on the sports field. They have broken existing barriers to prove their worth in almost every sphere. It is a national shame for us that despite this, female foeticide and infanticide continue in many parts of our country. The social bias against women has to be fought with all the physical and moral resources at our command. There has to be a national campaign to counter this bias and I expect civil servants to play a big role in launching a crusade against it.

The need to re-fashion our Civil Services as effective instruments for delivery of services and as agents of improved governance is an ongoing process. The aim should be to evolve new and imaginative solutions for the problems facing us. Success would, to a large extent, depend upon a cultural change in the Civil Services. Excessive caution, reliance on precedents and following the beaten path have to give way to innovation and inventiveness and to trying out new methods. Merit, capability and quality should matter more than mere seniority. To deal with the newer challenges, civil servants also need to continuously update themselves. They have to continuously expand their horizons through learning and training. Only this would equip them to keep pace with the changing times. I hope the deliberations today will also focus on these aspects and attempt to chart a path for such change.

Before concluding, let me once again congratulate the officers who have received the Prime Minister’s Award for excellence today. I wish them and other members of the Civil Services all the very best in their efforts to build a modern and prosperous society and country."

In Prime minister Dr Manmohan singh's words

0. [Quoting Victor Hugo] Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come-Victor Hugo.

India is an idea whose time has come.

1. I find democracies sometimes a crisis is a blessing. That it concentrates the mind. If things are moving alright I think-- you do not get the momentum to get a cohesive consensus built in favor of change. In '91 I said to my colleagues and I said to the leaders of the opposition that if you don't cooperate with me I will have to declare India bankrupt and hand over the economy to the IMF and international--

2. I've always believed India is a country blessed by God with enormous entrepreneurial skills. Now these entrepreneurial spirits were kept suppressed by the command and control system. That started off well with good intentions, maybe it served us well in the beginning. But after time it became a factor on further progress.

3. I would like government to have greater concern as a facilitator rather than as a regulator. There, I think, we have some distance to go. We have also problems in modernizing our political system. There are several states in our union where-- I think-- the politicians are not preoccupied with the great dynamics as I believe they should be. They're still mired in the old-- the-- religious controversies, the past controversies. So India's political system also would need to be modernized.

4. I've always believed that the ultimate purpose of economic policies and development policy is to meet the basic needs of our people. And for that we needed fast expanding economy. Meaningful solutions to the problems of mass poverty that prevails in our country I believe can really be found in the framework of an expanding economy. If the economy is not expanding redistribution of income becomes a zero sum gain. And therefore all the class struggle and it becomes much more vicious.

Civil service interview

C: What are your optionals?
C: What are your service preferences?
C: Why had you chosen IRS as second option. Generally people choose IPS?
C: What kind of tax reforms are happening? ----- Specifically do you have
anything in mind?

M1: Do you support wikileaks?
M1: But don't you think states craftmanship(?) should not be revealed?
M1: What are govt instruments to sensor their documents? Keep them secret?
M1: You said you are interested in economy. Given your background dont
you think you realized it late and that too at the cost of exchequer?
M1: Don't you think india needs more contribution from engineers than
civil servant?
M1: What is the cause of terrorism?
M1: Why do they target innocent people?
M1: If you are secretary to govt what policy measures would you
suggest to control terrorism?

M2: In wiki pedia, what is the meaning of wiki?
[background related]
M2: are micro technology and nanotechnology related?
M2: where is microtechnology used?
M2: in Medical field?
[hobby related]
M2: what is difference between trekking and mountaineering?
M2: what is difference between trekking and hitchhacking?
M2: What are characteristics of UPSC chairman?

M3: Is not age qualification for UPSC chairman. Why didn't you mention it?
M3: Do you know PURA?
M3: If you are responsible for implementing PURA, what amenities do you provide?
M3: Don't you think Primary Health Centres are functioning well?
M3: do you feel income generating activity will stop migration?
M3: What is utility computing?

M4: What is 4D image?
M4: How do you computerize work of a medical practitioner?
M4: Don't you need software to do that?
[hobby based]
M4: what kind of children do you teach?
M4: are they poor?

C: What kind of short stories do you read? … which language?
C: Have you read recent stories that have come on india?
C: What novels have you read?
C: Danbrown had written something after Davinci code?
C: Not Angels and Demons.. something after that?
C: You were working for 3.5 years... then you are preparing for
civils.. have you ever had time to teach children?
C: Ok you read news paper no.. what is Collateral damage?
C: Thank you your interview is over.

Public Administration for civils mains

Its better to cover topic by topic and have some thing to write about everything in syllabus. Remaining all depends on our understanding, application and awareness of current happenings. Hence, we should read news items critically from the Hindu, Yojana, Kurukshtra, Frontline etc. and quote them in our answers appropriately.

Initially, it would be difficult to comprehend the complete subject. I took guidance from Shambulingappa sir, IFS, Bangalore and Krishna Pradeep sir, 21^st Century Pubad, Hyderabad. This was very helpful and made my preparation easy.

Some books for pubad both for paper I and II:

1. Pub Ad – Laxmikant [this was for prelims but ok for mains too]

2. Administrative thinkers – Prasad and Prasad [Covers all thinkers but then we have to refer to Laxmikant to structure our answers and to get clarity of Classical Thinker, Human Relations School and Behavioural thinkers, Leadership theries, Motivation theories etc].

3. Public Administration by Avasti and Maheshwari – It is easier to frame answers from this book.

4. Nicholas Henry book – For paradigms of pubad/evolution and for budget types. Many refer this for public policy as well.

5. Indian Administration by Ramesh Arora and Rajni Goyal : This was written long back so doesn't cover some latest topics of Paper II. But it is interesting to read.

6. New Horizons of Public Administration – Mohit Bhattachary.

   Mostly for New Public Admin, New Public Mgmt, good governance, Comparitive PubAd, Development Administration.

7. Many read Fadia and Fadia for Indian Administration. I understand it is one point reference for Paper-II but I couldn't read it.

   8. Organization Behaviour - Stephen Robbins [Good book but i couldn't read it]

   9. The Hindu, Yojana[including old editions], Kurukshtra, Frontline.

   10. All topics which are latest can be taken from Wikipedia or other sources in internet. [Eg. New Localism, Self Help Groups, Civil Society etc., Democracy vis a vis Bureaucracy.]

Apart from these, it's better to understand various issues from pubad point of view. Eg. Lokpal – Will it play effective role in checks and balances system or does it contradict with priciple of 'superiority of democratically elected parliament'. Etc. We should see role of civil society in creation of Lok Pal institution-- is it proper to have civil society members in Bill drafting panel and not to have any representation from opposition parties etc.

Flowcharts, figures, etc. are suggested in exam, but I couldn't think innovatively in exam so didn't draw them. Major thing is our answer should be crisp, comprehensive and should have some enriching examples/citings.

Coaching centres in Hyderabad

For GS, i attended Dr. DB Kumar's institute, Hyderabad. He is very committed, and his teaching is excellent. He is master of Geography, polity and economy. History is taken by Seenaiah sir, who teaches it like a story, science taken by other experienced faculty. DB Kumar sir also does map pointing (world geography) on daily basis. For us he used to do General Knowledge also in class. In Hyderabad i feel this is the best institute for GS. I don't know any institute(even in Delhi) other than this, which covers syllabus in 6 months(Nov - April).

For Public Administration, it's Krishna Pradeep sir, Hyderabad. He's also dedicated. I remember that he taught pub ad in detail even for crash batch attending prelims coaching. He's committed to complete syllabus. For pub ad, i heard Ravi Kumar sir is also good, but i didn't attend his classes.

And since GS and pub ad are current subjects, a candidate shouldn't expect spoon feeding from faculty. One should complement coaching classes with his own preparation from internet, news paper, magazines. All current affair related notes, opinions candidate should frame him/herself. Guidance from aspirant who are selected, cleared mains, cleared prelims will also be useful as exam is becoming more and m ore dynamic.

For Telugu literature, it's Nagaraju sir, Hyderabad-ph.9492849025. He is master, multi facited, professor and every thing. His classes are interesting and enlighting.

For interview, I took guidance from Kerala State Civil Service Acadamy, Trivandrum.

For those who are from Telugu medium, and want to improve their English language, i would suggest M. Sateesh Reddy's DEEP (Dynamic English Education Point) coaching which is available at Ameerpet, Nacharam, and RTC X roads. [I didn't attend this but my friends said this is very good.]

Though all these have been very instrumental in my preparation, you should be care full not to expect any spoon feeding from coaching centers and should always supplement the coaching with your home work.

[<=Thanks to Intiaz for image.]

civils preparation

Civil service preparation is an opportunity to know our surroundings and country in a better way and enhance our knowledge holistically. Even if we don't get into services, we will be an "informed citizen" and can help positively in building our society. We should keep this in mind while preparing and start moulding our personality such that it suits the kind of work we'd do once we get into service. We should try to develop grasping, active thinking, comprehension and decision making skills. Our preparation for civils also helps in cracking other exams like state services, bank jobs, etc.

Tips for overall prepartion:

1. Study the complete pattern of exam – from prelims to interview. Go through employment news notification.

2. As General Studies is common for all start knowing it more and more. Once you are comfortable with GS, go through ooptionals' syllabus and choose the one-
1. which is most interesting to you. [In case of unsuccessful attempt you may have to read the same again and again]
2. Which can be covered in comprehensive manner.
3. Which can cover some of GS syllabus.
4. For which guidance/material is available.
5. Based on your strength and weakness [eg. If you like literature and can write reasonbly fast, you can take telugu literature]
6. Based on senior's advice, previous rankers scores etc.

3. Now you are get set to go. Plan well, so that you are "reasonably well" prepared at each stage of exam. Plan for complete process- Prima facie consider that you are going to clear every stage of exam and schedule accordingly. Even if you fail at particular stage, it's better to stick to that schedule and under go the process [eg. try giving mains exam in your room on same day or next day of exam].

For prelims -
give more stress on neglected areas like General Science esp. Biology, S&T, Environment,economy etc.  Other important areas are geography, economy, polity and freedom struggle.

For mains -
     a. It's better to answer more Q's than to answer some Qs perfectly.
     b. Focus more on optionals while preparing. Syllabus paper and current relevance should guide our preparation.
c. Prepare well for international affairs, S&T.

For interview,
    a. Know everything of your summary sheet: Your place of birth, schooling, dist, state, subjects you've studied, work experience, hobbies, prizes etc.
    b. Show concern for country and people.
    c. Understand surroundings well and appreciate them.
    d. Have some designs for improvement of country, to provide better services etc.
    d. Understand India well - esp North East and J&K related issues.


Remember -
0 Half hearted efforts will take us no where.
1 Confidance and Hardwork matters not our intelligence.
2 Don't try to be perfect in all, which is not practical.
3 Don't try to skip some thing because you are familiar with it.
4 Don't lose confidence. Self doubt is our enemy.
5 Go through syllabus and previous question papers. This should set boundary for our preperation.
6. Finally, life is much bigger than exam. We can make our preparation and life fruit ful and enjoyable if we realize this. Never be disappointed for not being able to crack the exam. There are many ways of achieving our life goals - be it being happy in our life, serving society, social prestige, or any other. Civil service may provide short cut for these but there are always many routes.

All the best.

You can post your comments but pls don't post any queries.