How tough is it to prepare for UPSC being SBI PO?

Many UPSC aspirants who have cleared SBI PO or any other competitive exam feel disadvantaged as compared to those who don’t have a job because they think that they are not able to spend full time for ...

How tough is it to prepare for UPSC being SBI PO?

Many UPSC aspirants who have cleared SBI PO or any other competitive exam feel disadvantaged as compared to those who don’t have a job because they think that they are not able to spend full time for the preparation of the UPSC examination, the luxury which other aspirants have. However, that amounts to only looking at the difficulties while missing out on the advantages that others without a job are devoid of. What you should do instead is to leverage what you have towards your mission of becoming an IAS. This is the gist of how you can achieve success in the Civil Services with your fulltime job. Remember, you have to crack the UPSC ‘with’ your current job, not ‘without’ it! You may have heard of the famous saying: ‘realise your strengths and weaknesses.’ This dictum is not merely confined to the mental state and strength; it is equally applicable to your material state and shows hidden potentials behind the veil of weakness. So, focus on what you have and capitalise on it.

How other successful students have utilized it?

It is true that a lot of the time of your days and weeks is spent on carrying out the duties of your job as an SBI PO. Still, you are left with some time each day as well as more time on the weekends. You may also avail of leaves at appropriate times. There are many students who have not just cleared the UPSC examination while doing fulltime jobs but have also got high ranks. It is quite amusing when one such student expressed his view that only after starting his preparation for the Civil Service examination while remaining in his job did he realize how many seconds, minutes and hours were left unattended by him earlier. He didn’t know that they existed! For him, apart from fulfilling his dream of becoming a Civil Servant, what his UPSC preparation rewarded him was the ability to ‘discover’ time and his capacities to use them. He appeared very happy with this bonus, which will also help him in his job as a Civil Servant. With this ‘mastery’ over time, he can also easily balance his life and work. Once you start your UPSC preparation, you will feel the same for sure.

Why you should prepare for UPSC after clearing SBI PO?

Despite having a job and the attached security, you are endeavoring for a bigger challenge. That is commendable. The efforts required to win any challenge is proportional to the magnitude of difficulty inherent in that challenge. At the same time, the reward of a challenge is also proportional to the level of that difficulty. Once you have taken up the challenge of cracking the UPSC, there is no point worrying about the magnitude of your efforts. For that, you need to simply do an effective ‘task management’ and use the available time optimally through the help of technology that is at your disposal.

How you can prepare for the UPSC examination with your current job?

 You know that human being has made a lot of advancements over the period of its existence. Still, it is yet to create a tool whose efficiency is directly proportional to its usage. God has created one – your mind. The more you use it; the better would be its efficiency. It is also an interesting fact that the tool created by the human being that is functionally closest to our mind is a computer. It shouldn’t sound surprising that the creation closest to the human mind is created by the mind itself. You have at your disposal both of these tools – your mind as well as the computer. In the current era of information technology, with the aid of computers, one can achieve many such things which were earlier inconceivable and studying for the UPSC examination while working fulltime could be the easiest of them all. These days, a computer is as small as your smartphone and you can use your phone not just for reading materials online, but you can also store your own collected materials and notes in its memory and read them offline. By the way, with the salary you are getting in your current job, you can now afford the best smartphone available in the market, can’t you? You can also do a Distance Learning Course or appear in Mock Tests through your smartphone.

During the weekends, when you have relatively more time, you can collect the study material, take notes, organise them in a proper manner in folders and transfer them to your mobile phone. Also, spend some time on weekends to plan for the weekdays. Make concrete plans for every hour that you may grab each day after office. If you have the study material ready and properly organised on your mobile phone, you can read them easily whenever you get some spare time during the day. You must keep in mind to focus on ‘task management.’ This is the key to ‘discover’ the time in a day, which consists of twenty-four hours. The number of hours remains constant for each day and for everyone. In this regard, it is also important to highlight the necessity of abstaining from some of the luxuries of life while preparing for the UPSC.

You should also not forget that by clearing the Bank PO examination, you have already proved that you have the much-needed skill to be successful in a competitive examination. In that process, you also have got a fair amount of command over several areas of study and that will come in handy while preparing for the UPSC examination. Even in those areas of the UPSC syllabus, which has not yet been touched by you, your tested methodologies would be very helpful. Remember, the Civil Services examination is as much about skills as it is about knowledge.

In essence, I would suggest you to consider yourself at an advantageous position and derive strength and confidence out of the security provided by your current job. Furthermore, the personality test is an important component of the Civil Services examination and the activities associated with a fulltime job are often instrumental in improving your personality. Do realise these assets, as it would enable you to do your preparation for the UPSC in a relaxed manner.

Your mind is so strong that merely imagining that you are going to report to the Prime Minister as a Cabinet Secretary would flow a stream of energy throughout your body. If you continuously think about what you are going to be, you will find yourself inadvertently picking up the phone and reading your study material while standing in a crowded bus as you return from your bank after a tiring day. Just cherish your dream, capitalize on what you have and surely you will soon be able to succeed in the UPSC examination as well.