IAS Officer Claims 18-Hour UPSC Preparation Blogs Are 'Misleading', Internet Reacts

The Civil Services Exam (CSE), conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is one of the most competitive exams in India. Every year lakhs of aspirants take the CSE and only a handful of these candidates clear the three-step selection process that includes the preliminary exam, the main written exam, and the interview. The overall UPSC exam pass percentage of candidates is estimated to be less than one per cent. In recent years, there has been a rise in UPSC preparation content on social media.

Alongside online classes and study hacks, many self-professed experts claim that one must prepare for 18 to 20 hours to be able to crack the civil service examination. Recently, IAS officer Awanish Sharan shared screenshots of UPSC study blogs titled, “18 ghante ki padai (18 hour study)” and “Subah 3 baje se raat 11 baje ki padai (Studying from 3 am to 11 pm)” and labeled these videos as “misleading”. He wrote, “’Misleading!!! Stay away from these blogs. Itna bhi padhna nahi hota hai (You don’t have to read this much).”

His post got over 2 lakh views since it was posted on April 12. A person asked Sharan how to beat sleepiness and wrote, “Sir can you suggest to me how to fight sleepiness during study Hours?? It’s something that I find it hard to deal with, especially during noon time.” To this, the bureaucrat responded, “Take rest in between. This is your body and you are not a machine.”

One of the UPSC aspirants commented on Sharan’s post and wrote, “Sir I recently watched one of these vlogs. They are misleading us and they are not giving correct information about related exams. Thank you sir for raising this type of issue.”

Another highlighted the importance of smart work over “extra” work and wrote, “Hope the aspirants understand that it’s the productivity that matters, not the number of hours that you spend in front of the books..And on top of that each one of them should understand their capabilities and try not copying others.”

An X user wrote that such vlogs contribute to anxiety amongst UPSC exam candidates and wrote, “Sir, Such vlogs increase anxiety and create pressure which makes no sense. Aspirants must avoid watching all this nonsense.”

The 18-hour study schedules start before sunrise and do not incorporate seven to eight hours of essential sleep time. Meal time is squeezed into less than 30 minutes. Such taxing schedules can make one unwell.