Civil Service Exam Interview Tips


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Civil service exam time table
You can plan as per the scheduled time table given by UPSC for Civil Services Exam 2024.
Name of Civil Service Exam Start Date of commencement of Exam and its duration
Civil Services
(Preliminary) Exam, 2025
25.05.2025
(Sunday)
1 Day
Indian Forest Service
(Preliminary) Exam, 2025
Civil Services
(Main) Exam, 2025
22.08.2025
(Friday)
5 Days
Indian Forest Service
(Main) Exam, 2025
16.11.2025
(Sunday)
7 Days

Tips for Civil Services Exam

The IAS exam or the Civil service exams are one of the toughest exams conducted by the UPSC in the country. It needs utmost dedication, clarity and commitment towards this prestigious exam. Here are some tips for you to follow;

  1. First, you must become familiar with the UPSC pattern and the syllabus of the IAS exam and accordingly schedule your own preparation. This you have to do much before the filling up the form to write the exam. You can commit to take the exam only after you have acquired certain grip over the syllabus and the pattern of the exam.
  2. Preparing the syllabus threadbare and solving old question papers is a must, but not an end in itself to clear the IAS exam. Hard work is essential for preparation but should be in the right direction and aimed at mastering the UPSC exam syllabus. You must gear your preparation and implement your study schedule after giving considerable thought to the pattern of the UPSC exam.
  3. Civil Services exam is not a short term process, in fact it is a yearlong cycle that completes the three tired exam. Most of the times just one attempt is not enough, so you must be prepared to take a call on the number of attempts you may like to dedicate to this exam.
  4. The UPSC exam schedule is stretched for a long period stress is something that is bound to grip you during preparation for the exam. To overcome it you must indulge in fun activities with friends and family and also by following some active sport. This will keep you rooted through the tough times preparing for the IAS exam.
  5. In such case, it is essential for you to set your target time frame of getting through the IAS exam and accordingly follow your preparation regime with outmost dedication.
  6. Civil Services exam preparation is a continuous process and it is important to stay motivated all through the exam process. No one can stop you from achieving the goal of becoming an IAS officer, if you have the zest and the zeal do so, and you honestly prepare to for this coveted UPSC exam.

Civil Service India wishes you all the best for the Civil Service Examination!



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UPSC Preparation Books List - Prelims

NCERT Textbooks
  • NCERT Text Books from Class 6 – 12

GS Manuals for Prelims (All-in-One Guides)
  • General Studies Paper 1 Manual by Pearson
  • General Studies Paper 1 Manual by McGraw Hill
  • General Studies Paper 1 Manual by Manohar Pandey
  • General Studies Paper 2 Manual by Pearson
  • General Studies Paper 2 Manual by MHE

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers
  • Kiran Prakashan’s book for GS Paper 1
  • GS Paper 2 (CSAT)
  • IAS General Studies Preliminary Topic wise Solved Papers (Paper I and II) – New Vishal
  • 24 Years UPSC IAS/ IPS Prelims Topic-wise Solved Papers 1 & 2 (1995-2018) – by Disha Experts

Indian History and Culture
  • India’s Ancient Past – R.S. Sharma.
  • History Of Medieval India – Satish Chandra.
  • History Of Modern India – Bipan Chandra.
  • India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra.
  • The Wonder That Was India – A.L. Bhasham.
  • Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania.
  • Ancient and Medieval India – Poonam Dalal
  • Modern Indian History – Sonali Bansal
  • A Brief History of Modern India – Spectrum

Indian Geography and World Geography
  • Oxford School Atlas – Oxford.
  • Geography of India – Majid Husain.
  • World Geography – Majid Husain
  • Physical Geography – Savindra Singh
  • Human Geography – Majid Husain
  • Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong.

Indian Polity and Constitution
  • Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth.
  • Introduction to the Constitution of India – D. D. Basu

Indian Economy
  • Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh
  • Indian Economy Key Concepts – Shankarganesh
  • The Indian Economy – Sanjiv Verma
  • Economic Survey.

Science and Technology
  • Science and Technology – Sheelwant Singh
  • Science and Technology in India – Ravi P Agrahari.

Environment – Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
  • Environmental Studies: – Dr. Narendra Mal Surana.
  • Environment – Shankar

Current Affairs
  • India Year Book
  • Manorama Yearbook.

CSAT (For those weak in CSAT)
  • Cracking the CSAT – Jatin Kinger
  • Analytical Reasoning – M. K. Pandey
  • Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R. S.Aggarwal
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