Why am I telling you this? Because every question asked in the Civil Services Examination has very real implications for someone, whether it concerns legislatures, pardons, communication in a hyper-global context, or Swami Vivekananda. Whenever someone asks me, “How should I prepare for Mains?” or “What did it take to improve from AIR 156 to AIR 6?”, this is my personal go-to.
Understand it this way: your preparation for the Mains examination is like a bridge between aspiranthood and the civil services. That bridge forms the foundation not only for succeeding in the examination but also for thriving in the services. Every single thing you read in these months, every corner of your mind that you awaken, every policy paradigm you uncover, and every social reality you explore will eventually become part of your daily work. It must not be frail. It must be strong and resilient. Let us understand how to strengthen it through three important questions.
#1 What has the UPSC journey done to your mind?
The very first step is to assess the current state.
Personally, before I became aware of this way of thinking, I was quietly spending my days reading hundreds of pages. It was frustrating that nine hours of daily study did not translate into decent marks.
The problem was that my “aspirant brain” had gradually outsourced my thinking to coaching institutes, monthly magazines, and lectures.
Over time, my mental machinery rusted to the point where, unless I had read a topic in the previous two or three days, I could barely speak a sentence about it. It was heartbreaking. I felt as though I had undergone an intellectual decline compared to the Zinnia of my college days. After sulking for months, I searched for my problem online. Google led me to analyse it. I did, and the rest is history.
Once I understood what had happened, I identified the symptoms of what I now call the “aspirant mind.”
#2 What are the signs of an “aspirant mind”?
A rote learner whose singular focus is cracking the examination, churning out memorised information in response to simple questions. She reads a hundred pages a day, prioritises clocking nine hours, is conditioned to seek templates and, most importantly, has forgotten what it means to think. Creativity becomes an alien word. Why? Because the question always is, “What does it add to the exam?”
Recognising the ailment is only the beginning. The real question is: how do we rebuild the habit of thinking?
#3 What is the bridge?
Goodhart’s Law states, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” When clocking nine hours becomes your measure of good work, you end up focusing more on the clock than on actual learning.
Pick up any topper’s answer copy. In most cases, you will find something unique about that individual. The answers that personally captivated me all had a strong streak of creativity. It reflected in the way they framed arguments, the originality of their ideas, the clarity of their expression, and the distinctiveness of their presentation.
The first pillar of this bridge is learning to think deeply about the realities the examination asks you to engage with. Most of these are issues that shape the lives of 140 crore Indians.
Think about how the person standing next to you in the metro is affected by inflation merely by observing the phone they carry, the bag they hold, or the company tag hanging from their identity card. Suddenly, inflation is no longer a definition you have memorised. It becomes a lived reality. That is empathetic thinking.
The second pillar is learning to think like a civil servant. To understand this, I read research papers and books and spoke with recently selected civil servants and senior administrators. The insights were remarkable.
A civil servant is the implementer of the philosophy and vision of the Constitution. They carry the State to the last mile. They are expected to:
1. Understand the broader aspirations of the people and their elected representatives, serving as the bridge between the two. For instance, the foundation of welfare lies in the idea of democracy. It is a simple word, but its meaning is profound and far-reaching.
Take a few minutes to write down what democracy means to you. When I did this exercise, I returned to the Aikyamatya Sūktam of the Ṛig Veda, which emphasises consultation, consensus, and shared responsibility, values deeply rooted in India’s civilisational tradition. To understand democracy at the last mile, we must apply these principles to the questions UPSC asks us.
2. Adapt quickly to changing realities and remain solution-oriented. Problematising should not be our only objective. A person who focuses more on karma than vachan often sails better in the services. The same applies to the Mains examination. Be the karmayogi known for solutions rather than problems.
Let us understand this through an example.
Think as though you are living through the question.
My answer began by acknowledging that mainstream discourse has historically reduced tribal development to these two axes. I then analysed each separately.
Displacement: of body, livelihood, economies, communities, identity, religion, and culture.
Rehabilitation: often limited to housing in far-flung locations, creating exclusionary geographies detached from their original nature-based way of life.
The signal this sends is a subtle rejection of tribal ways of living and their social ecology in the name of development. It also raises questions about whether compensation is timely, adequate, or even provided in the first place.
I then argued that we have, in many ways, moved beyond this narrow framework.
Recent initiatives such as PM-JANMAN, Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) reflect democratic ideals by improving access to basic amenities, protecting tribal culture in line with Article 29, and bringing development closer to tribal communities. They also foster collaboration between tribal communities, a humane and development-oriented administration, and local self-government institutions under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.
The central idea was to immerse myself in the community to understand its social, economic, cultural, and political realities, as well as the administration’s vision. Most importantly, I came to see the State and tribal communities as partners rather than adversaries, a perspective that naturally supports people-centric and humane policymaking.
The Civil Servant Within You
Looking back, I believe this shift in thinking mattered far more than any single book, test series, or strategy. It has helped me reflect not only on examination questions but also on the context behind people’s behaviour, the trends around me, and the world I inhabit. So, build that bridge between the aspirant mind and the civil services. Imbibe, explore, ask questions, and think, think, think. That is what helped me improve from AIR 156 to AIR 6.
Ultimately, all of this boils down to becoming one with the question, understanding every stakeholder’s perspective, learning from your experiences, remaining solution-oriented and, above all, keeping your creative spark alive.
Best
Zinnia
(The writer is an Indian Police Service (IPS) probationer and secured All India Rank 6 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025.)
What are your queries about the UPSC examination? Share them in the comments or write to us at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com.
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"Whenever someone asks me, how should I prepare for Mains? or "What did it take to improve from AIR 156 to AIR 6?, this is my personal go-to", writes Zinnia Aurora. 
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