A large share of candidates who clear government exams were employed while preparing. It takes longer than full-time study, but it removes the financial pressure that pushes others into bad decisions.
Pick one main exam and one or two with an overlapping syllabus. Spreading across six different patterns does not work on ten hours a week.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Weekday mornings, 60 to 90 minutes | New topics, when your attention is best |
| Commute or lunch | Current affairs, vocabulary, formula revision |
| Saturday | One full mock and its analysis |
| Sunday | Weak areas from the mock, and rest |
Save leave for the two weeks before the exam and for exam days, not for the early months.
Turn the official syllabus into a checklist and tick topics off. See how to build a study plan from the syllabus.
Government and PSU employees usually need to inform their employer or obtain a no-objection certificate before applying elsewhere. Private employees should check their notice period against likely joining dates.
Keep an eye on new openings without checking daily: the latest government jobs list and private jobs section are enough once a week.