IFS officer’s golden tips on preparing for UPSC with a full-time job

IFS Himanshu Tyagi opened up about his UPSC prep (Image credit: @Himanshutyg_ifs/X)

They say that preparing for the UPSC civil services examination is a full-time job in itself. Most candidates who successfully clear this notoriously tough, three-step entrance exam admit to studying for hours every day, putting their social life on the backburner. But some candidates also manage to study for UPSC while employed full-time.

One such candidate, who managed to successfully clear the UPSC civil services exam to join the Indian Forest Service, has shared “golden tips” from his own “UPSC prep and full-time job saga.”

Himanshu Tyagi, an Indian Forest Service officer and IIT graduate, spoke about how he prepared for UPSC with a full time job in a post shared on X.

Tyagi said he would wake up at 3.30 am and study for four hours before getting ready and leaving for work.

While in office, he would continue studying at every opportunity, making use of small breaks between work. To do so, he downloaded study material onto his mobile phone and computer as well.

Even his commute to office was not spent idle – that half an hour was also devoted to studying for UPSC. After office, Tyagi would again study for 30 minutes every day. And his weekends were devoted completely to UPSC preparation – “study 10 hours on weekends,” he advised.

Golden tips from my UPSC prep and full-time job saga:

- Wake up at 3:30 am and study for 4 hours.
- Study for 1/2 hr in the evening after office.
- Watch study videos while travelling to the workplace.
- Keep study material on mobile/PC, Study in every small break you get at…

— Himanshu Tyagi IFS (@Himanshutyg_ifs) December 2, 2023

In a separate tweet, he also spoke about the importance of getting adequate sleep while preparing. “Studying is a mentally exhausting exercise. It would help if you had good sleep for things to settle down in your brain,” he wrote. “Save time from other activities, but don't compromise on sleep.”

Tyagi said that getting 6 to 7 hours of sleep is a must if one is preparing for UPSC.