My 3rd year in UPSC Journey; What I learned so far.

 UPSC is a totally different exam altogether. It is like the tip of the ice berg for a beginner, and the actual iceberg only gets revealed after spending a lot of time with it. After a few years you get to realize what this exam is actually, and what it really takes to crack the world's toughest exam. 

What I learned so far about this exam:

1. Money: As far as UPSC is considered, State PSC is not even a distant relative of it. So one may be able to crack the State PSC exam with a minimum amount of money invested, but that is not the case with the UPSC. You have to invest a lot in it like joining a Coaching Program, Study Material, News Paper Subscription, stationary, test series, your personal expenses and a lot more. 

2. Time: It takes time to first understand the very exam pattern and that is not a one day game, it took me almost two years to get familiar with the exam pattern and syllabus of the exam. Second is the duration of the exam that spans more than one year and if preparation is included then it is two years minimum. Third is, if you fail at any step of the way you have to start from the beginning. That is why this exam takes many years to crack. Usually 3 to 5 years is average.

3. Strategy: I failed in the first two attempts because I didn't had any proper strategy how to study, how to revise and how to crack this exam. 

4. Revision: I studied a lot for so much time, did a lot of hard work, but I didn't plan my revision strategy, and after some time I found I was losing what I learned previously. 

5. World's Toughest Exam: This exam is indeed the world's exam the reason for that is:

1. Vast Syllabus:  More than 15 subjects divided into 9 papers
2. Current Affairs: Which constitutes around 40% of the exam, has almost no end to it. 
3. Three Stages: This exam is of three stages, and if one fails at any stage one has to start from the beginning. 
4. Competition: There is a lot of competition in this exam, around 10 lakh apply for 1000 seats, which makes a chance of getting selected to around 0.1%. 

6. Mental State: Maintaining a constant mental state is not possible for anyone. Our mood changes daily, and even hourly. But what is important for UPSC is that no matter what happens you have to be able to focus and study constantly. There will be days of hardship, tough times, but you should have to come out of these very quickly. One way to deal with it is your vision. If your vision of becoming an IAS officer is bigger than anything else, then you will be able to deal with anything. 

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how"  Friedrich Nietzsche

7. Discipline: