General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions | Crack Civil Services in First Attempt by Divey Sethi, IRS - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


General Traps, Myths and Frequently 
Asked Questions
1. I am from IIT. Thus, I must take physics, chemistry, and 
mathematics as optional subjects.
This is the most prevalent myth among the IITians, and why not should 
it be so? They have cleared the toughest entrance to the engineering 
field by playing with P/C/M. However, one must not extrapolate their 
knowledge without concrete facts. Whatever we have studied at the 
intermediate level in P/C/M amounts to only a minuscule fraction 
of the course of these science subjects at the graduate level for CSE. 
One must be aware of the fact that the physics of CSE as an optional 
subject is very unlike what we have studied at the intermediate level, 
which calls for the least use of memory – most of the formulas can be 
derived if you are conceptually sound. This phenomenon is missing 
in the optional subject of physics. You have to remember a lot, and in 
that, too, in diversified areas, empirical in nature, with a set pattern of 
solving questions.
However, it is not that one should not take a science subject – it is 
blessed with the static nature of the subject itself. Thus, a thorough 
study of the subject can work miracles for you. The point is that one 
should not take P/C/M as an option in CSE solely because he/she finds 
past performance in these subjects magnificent. The idea should be 
that a prior acquaintance with the subject, along with the fact that it 
requires one-time hard work because of its unchanging nature, will 
work in the exam.
Digging deeper, if a comparative analysis of P/C/M is asked, then I 
would prefer chemistry to physics and mathematics because of the 
simple reason that the course is a little more well-defined and less 
Page 2


General Traps, Myths and Frequently 
Asked Questions
1. I am from IIT. Thus, I must take physics, chemistry, and 
mathematics as optional subjects.
This is the most prevalent myth among the IITians, and why not should 
it be so? They have cleared the toughest entrance to the engineering 
field by playing with P/C/M. However, one must not extrapolate their 
knowledge without concrete facts. Whatever we have studied at the 
intermediate level in P/C/M amounts to only a minuscule fraction 
of the course of these science subjects at the graduate level for CSE. 
One must be aware of the fact that the physics of CSE as an optional 
subject is very unlike what we have studied at the intermediate level, 
which calls for the least use of memory – most of the formulas can be 
derived if you are conceptually sound. This phenomenon is missing 
in the optional subject of physics. You have to remember a lot, and in 
that, too, in diversified areas, empirical in nature, with a set pattern of 
solving questions.
However, it is not that one should not take a science subject – it is 
blessed with the static nature of the subject itself. Thus, a thorough 
study of the subject can work miracles for you. The point is that one 
should not take P/C/M as an option in CSE solely because he/she finds 
past performance in these subjects magnificent. The idea should be 
that a prior acquaintance with the subject, along with the fact that it 
requires one-time hard work because of its unchanging nature, will 
work in the exam.
Digging deeper, if a comparative analysis of P/C/M is asked, then I 
would prefer chemistry to physics and mathematics because of the 
simple reason that the course is a little more well-defined and less 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
complex in chemistry than in the other 2. This is my personal feeling 
drawn from the experiences of my peers, consisting of their journey 
through the course, the practice required, and finally, the results 
that it yielded in various attempts. The aspirant may have his/her 
independent, different, but firm views regarding the same.
2. People do not choose engineering subjects as their optional.
This myth takes root because we do not see many people opting for 
engineering subjects as optional, and thus, we do not find many in 
the final list. This fear of engineering subjects is the result of 2 things. 
Firstly, those engineers who decide to sit for CSE are mostly average and 
below-average students with insufficient knowledge of the engineering 
subject taught in college. Secondly, the coaching industry has yet to 
market engineering subjects as a fruitful option in CSE.
Dear aspirants of engineering background, do not be afraid of 
engineering subjects despite performing poorly in your graduation. 
Though the subject will take more time to be thoroughly studied, the 
results will be productive. These subjects are objective in essence; that 
is, you will get close to one hundred percent marks if your answer is 
correct.
Thus, I request you that in this scenario, where the weightage of GS 
has increased leading to a high level of subjectivity in evaluation, it is 
better to take an optional which is objective in its essence. Engineering 
subjects are fit in this regard, in fact, better than the science subjects!
3. One should take an option that is interesting to study.
Not necessarily. It is another myth. Your solemn interest should be 
to clear CSE and nothing else. How can you decide before studying 
any subject, just by its name or its content, whether this option would 
be interesting enough to study? Further, studying always suffers from 
procrastination (the habit of wasting time on activities apart from 
studying). Thus, it is better to choose optional rationally than by what 
you perceive is your interest.
Page 3


General Traps, Myths and Frequently 
Asked Questions
1. I am from IIT. Thus, I must take physics, chemistry, and 
mathematics as optional subjects.
This is the most prevalent myth among the IITians, and why not should 
it be so? They have cleared the toughest entrance to the engineering 
field by playing with P/C/M. However, one must not extrapolate their 
knowledge without concrete facts. Whatever we have studied at the 
intermediate level in P/C/M amounts to only a minuscule fraction 
of the course of these science subjects at the graduate level for CSE. 
One must be aware of the fact that the physics of CSE as an optional 
subject is very unlike what we have studied at the intermediate level, 
which calls for the least use of memory – most of the formulas can be 
derived if you are conceptually sound. This phenomenon is missing 
in the optional subject of physics. You have to remember a lot, and in 
that, too, in diversified areas, empirical in nature, with a set pattern of 
solving questions.
However, it is not that one should not take a science subject – it is 
blessed with the static nature of the subject itself. Thus, a thorough 
study of the subject can work miracles for you. The point is that one 
should not take P/C/M as an option in CSE solely because he/she finds 
past performance in these subjects magnificent. The idea should be 
that a prior acquaintance with the subject, along with the fact that it 
requires one-time hard work because of its unchanging nature, will 
work in the exam.
Digging deeper, if a comparative analysis of P/C/M is asked, then I 
would prefer chemistry to physics and mathematics because of the 
simple reason that the course is a little more well-defined and less 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
complex in chemistry than in the other 2. This is my personal feeling 
drawn from the experiences of my peers, consisting of their journey 
through the course, the practice required, and finally, the results 
that it yielded in various attempts. The aspirant may have his/her 
independent, different, but firm views regarding the same.
2. People do not choose engineering subjects as their optional.
This myth takes root because we do not see many people opting for 
engineering subjects as optional, and thus, we do not find many in 
the final list. This fear of engineering subjects is the result of 2 things. 
Firstly, those engineers who decide to sit for CSE are mostly average and 
below-average students with insufficient knowledge of the engineering 
subject taught in college. Secondly, the coaching industry has yet to 
market engineering subjects as a fruitful option in CSE.
Dear aspirants of engineering background, do not be afraid of 
engineering subjects despite performing poorly in your graduation. 
Though the subject will take more time to be thoroughly studied, the 
results will be productive. These subjects are objective in essence; that 
is, you will get close to one hundred percent marks if your answer is 
correct.
Thus, I request you that in this scenario, where the weightage of GS 
has increased leading to a high level of subjectivity in evaluation, it is 
better to take an optional which is objective in its essence. Engineering 
subjects are fit in this regard, in fact, better than the science subjects!
3. One should take an option that is interesting to study.
Not necessarily. It is another myth. Your solemn interest should be 
to clear CSE and nothing else. How can you decide before studying 
any subject, just by its name or its content, whether this option would 
be interesting enough to study? Further, studying always suffers from 
procrastination (the habit of wasting time on activities apart from 
studying). Thus, it is better to choose optional rationally than by what 
you perceive is your interest.
I will take my example. I had always been interested in psychology 
throughout my college days. Sigmund Freud fascinated me to the 
extent that I read his 7 books and made notes out of them rather than 
studying civil engineering, which I was supposed to do to become 
a BTech civil engineer from IIT Roorkee. However, even though I 
found psychology to be an interesting subject, I did not opt for it as 
my optional subject in CSE. My decision was based on pressing needs 
such as the urge to be secure professionally, reducing the subjectivity 
of assessment, and introducing a static study of one-time hard work.
Thus, my dear aspirant, let me assure you of the fact that no subject is 
interesting to study. The motivation to study will arise not from your 
interest in the subject but from your desire to achieve the goal.
4. Optional, which is a part of GS or related to it, should be taken. It 
will make your work easier.
This statement is partly correct. Look at the explicit listing of the GS 
syllabus. Try to decipher which optional subjects share their course 
with GS. History, geography, political science, economics, philosophy, 
sociology, public administration. The list will expand further. In the 
above list, some subjects are more closely represented in general 
studies, while others are represented to a minuscule extent. Thus, if we 
base our choice of optional only on the criterion that it should suffice 
our study for GS as far as that portion is concerned, then the clear 
choice is History and Geography, in that order of preference.
5. Some optional subjects have a section that is generalist in nature. 
Taking that optional will reduce the effort.
This is a risky myth. Subjects such as sociology, political science, and 
philosophy contain sections of paper that even engineering students 
may answer with knowledge of general studies. However, this argument 
doesn’t absolve the aspirants from not studying those portions 
specifically. More insight and intellectual deliberations are expected of 
aspirants from these particular sections, which are general in nature. 
Page 4


General Traps, Myths and Frequently 
Asked Questions
1. I am from IIT. Thus, I must take physics, chemistry, and 
mathematics as optional subjects.
This is the most prevalent myth among the IITians, and why not should 
it be so? They have cleared the toughest entrance to the engineering 
field by playing with P/C/M. However, one must not extrapolate their 
knowledge without concrete facts. Whatever we have studied at the 
intermediate level in P/C/M amounts to only a minuscule fraction 
of the course of these science subjects at the graduate level for CSE. 
One must be aware of the fact that the physics of CSE as an optional 
subject is very unlike what we have studied at the intermediate level, 
which calls for the least use of memory – most of the formulas can be 
derived if you are conceptually sound. This phenomenon is missing 
in the optional subject of physics. You have to remember a lot, and in 
that, too, in diversified areas, empirical in nature, with a set pattern of 
solving questions.
However, it is not that one should not take a science subject – it is 
blessed with the static nature of the subject itself. Thus, a thorough 
study of the subject can work miracles for you. The point is that one 
should not take P/C/M as an option in CSE solely because he/she finds 
past performance in these subjects magnificent. The idea should be 
that a prior acquaintance with the subject, along with the fact that it 
requires one-time hard work because of its unchanging nature, will 
work in the exam.
Digging deeper, if a comparative analysis of P/C/M is asked, then I 
would prefer chemistry to physics and mathematics because of the 
simple reason that the course is a little more well-defined and less 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
complex in chemistry than in the other 2. This is my personal feeling 
drawn from the experiences of my peers, consisting of their journey 
through the course, the practice required, and finally, the results 
that it yielded in various attempts. The aspirant may have his/her 
independent, different, but firm views regarding the same.
2. People do not choose engineering subjects as their optional.
This myth takes root because we do not see many people opting for 
engineering subjects as optional, and thus, we do not find many in 
the final list. This fear of engineering subjects is the result of 2 things. 
Firstly, those engineers who decide to sit for CSE are mostly average and 
below-average students with insufficient knowledge of the engineering 
subject taught in college. Secondly, the coaching industry has yet to 
market engineering subjects as a fruitful option in CSE.
Dear aspirants of engineering background, do not be afraid of 
engineering subjects despite performing poorly in your graduation. 
Though the subject will take more time to be thoroughly studied, the 
results will be productive. These subjects are objective in essence; that 
is, you will get close to one hundred percent marks if your answer is 
correct.
Thus, I request you that in this scenario, where the weightage of GS 
has increased leading to a high level of subjectivity in evaluation, it is 
better to take an optional which is objective in its essence. Engineering 
subjects are fit in this regard, in fact, better than the science subjects!
3. One should take an option that is interesting to study.
Not necessarily. It is another myth. Your solemn interest should be 
to clear CSE and nothing else. How can you decide before studying 
any subject, just by its name or its content, whether this option would 
be interesting enough to study? Further, studying always suffers from 
procrastination (the habit of wasting time on activities apart from 
studying). Thus, it is better to choose optional rationally than by what 
you perceive is your interest.
I will take my example. I had always been interested in psychology 
throughout my college days. Sigmund Freud fascinated me to the 
extent that I read his 7 books and made notes out of them rather than 
studying civil engineering, which I was supposed to do to become 
a BTech civil engineer from IIT Roorkee. However, even though I 
found psychology to be an interesting subject, I did not opt for it as 
my optional subject in CSE. My decision was based on pressing needs 
such as the urge to be secure professionally, reducing the subjectivity 
of assessment, and introducing a static study of one-time hard work.
Thus, my dear aspirant, let me assure you of the fact that no subject is 
interesting to study. The motivation to study will arise not from your 
interest in the subject but from your desire to achieve the goal.
4. Optional, which is a part of GS or related to it, should be taken. It 
will make your work easier.
This statement is partly correct. Look at the explicit listing of the GS 
syllabus. Try to decipher which optional subjects share their course 
with GS. History, geography, political science, economics, philosophy, 
sociology, public administration. The list will expand further. In the 
above list, some subjects are more closely represented in general 
studies, while others are represented to a minuscule extent. Thus, if we 
base our choice of optional only on the criterion that it should suffice 
our study for GS as far as that portion is concerned, then the clear 
choice is History and Geography, in that order of preference.
5. Some optional subjects have a section that is generalist in nature. 
Taking that optional will reduce the effort.
This is a risky myth. Subjects such as sociology, political science, and 
philosophy contain sections of paper that even engineering students 
may answer with knowledge of general studies. However, this argument 
doesn’t absolve the aspirants from not studying those portions 
specifically. More insight and intellectual deliberations are expected of 
aspirants from these particular sections, which are general in nature. 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
In fact, in these sections, aspirants have to work a bit harder to create 
the difference between their answers and those written in a generalist 
approach.
6. Some subjects that contain a lesser course are easier to study.
Optional subjects have very different proportions of course content. 
Some are elaborate, such as the science and engineering subjects, 
and even some arts subjects like history, while others are concise 
in their course, such as philosophy and sociology. However, after 
understanding the concept of normalization, one must not decide on 
the optional subject based solely on this criterion. If the course of a 
particular option is shorter, more students will opt for it, increasing 
the competition. Thus, standing in the top 1 or 2 percent of students in 
that optional subject would become difficult. Therefore, the notion that 
subjects with less content require less study is entirely frivolous. Dear 
aspirant, if you choose such a subject, be prepared to revise it 2 or 3 
times to achieve the perfection needed to rank among the top students 
in that optional subject.
7. Without coaching, you cannot clear CSE.
I haven’t seen a single candidate, whether successful or unsuccessful, 
who has not been associated with a coaching institute in some manner 
or another. You may take the full package of GS, coaching for the 
optional, or go for subject-specific coaching; you may take only the 
test series or the interview guidance. In any case, you are associated 
with the coaching, and however minuscule, the contribution of 
a coaching institute does exist in your success or perhaps in your 
failure!
But the irony is that very few candidates clear CSE in the same year 
as that of the coaching. And why is this so? Because it is a challenge to 
balance the time between coaching and self-study. Coaching becomes 
treacherous the moment you attend only the coaching and study less in 
your room. It becomes your enemy when the maximum time of your 
Page 5


General Traps, Myths and Frequently 
Asked Questions
1. I am from IIT. Thus, I must take physics, chemistry, and 
mathematics as optional subjects.
This is the most prevalent myth among the IITians, and why not should 
it be so? They have cleared the toughest entrance to the engineering 
field by playing with P/C/M. However, one must not extrapolate their 
knowledge without concrete facts. Whatever we have studied at the 
intermediate level in P/C/M amounts to only a minuscule fraction 
of the course of these science subjects at the graduate level for CSE. 
One must be aware of the fact that the physics of CSE as an optional 
subject is very unlike what we have studied at the intermediate level, 
which calls for the least use of memory – most of the formulas can be 
derived if you are conceptually sound. This phenomenon is missing 
in the optional subject of physics. You have to remember a lot, and in 
that, too, in diversified areas, empirical in nature, with a set pattern of 
solving questions.
However, it is not that one should not take a science subject – it is 
blessed with the static nature of the subject itself. Thus, a thorough 
study of the subject can work miracles for you. The point is that one 
should not take P/C/M as an option in CSE solely because he/she finds 
past performance in these subjects magnificent. The idea should be 
that a prior acquaintance with the subject, along with the fact that it 
requires one-time hard work because of its unchanging nature, will 
work in the exam.
Digging deeper, if a comparative analysis of P/C/M is asked, then I 
would prefer chemistry to physics and mathematics because of the 
simple reason that the course is a little more well-defined and less 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
complex in chemistry than in the other 2. This is my personal feeling 
drawn from the experiences of my peers, consisting of their journey 
through the course, the practice required, and finally, the results 
that it yielded in various attempts. The aspirant may have his/her 
independent, different, but firm views regarding the same.
2. People do not choose engineering subjects as their optional.
This myth takes root because we do not see many people opting for 
engineering subjects as optional, and thus, we do not find many in 
the final list. This fear of engineering subjects is the result of 2 things. 
Firstly, those engineers who decide to sit for CSE are mostly average and 
below-average students with insufficient knowledge of the engineering 
subject taught in college. Secondly, the coaching industry has yet to 
market engineering subjects as a fruitful option in CSE.
Dear aspirants of engineering background, do not be afraid of 
engineering subjects despite performing poorly in your graduation. 
Though the subject will take more time to be thoroughly studied, the 
results will be productive. These subjects are objective in essence; that 
is, you will get close to one hundred percent marks if your answer is 
correct.
Thus, I request you that in this scenario, where the weightage of GS 
has increased leading to a high level of subjectivity in evaluation, it is 
better to take an optional which is objective in its essence. Engineering 
subjects are fit in this regard, in fact, better than the science subjects!
3. One should take an option that is interesting to study.
Not necessarily. It is another myth. Your solemn interest should be 
to clear CSE and nothing else. How can you decide before studying 
any subject, just by its name or its content, whether this option would 
be interesting enough to study? Further, studying always suffers from 
procrastination (the habit of wasting time on activities apart from 
studying). Thus, it is better to choose optional rationally than by what 
you perceive is your interest.
I will take my example. I had always been interested in psychology 
throughout my college days. Sigmund Freud fascinated me to the 
extent that I read his 7 books and made notes out of them rather than 
studying civil engineering, which I was supposed to do to become 
a BTech civil engineer from IIT Roorkee. However, even though I 
found psychology to be an interesting subject, I did not opt for it as 
my optional subject in CSE. My decision was based on pressing needs 
such as the urge to be secure professionally, reducing the subjectivity 
of assessment, and introducing a static study of one-time hard work.
Thus, my dear aspirant, let me assure you of the fact that no subject is 
interesting to study. The motivation to study will arise not from your 
interest in the subject but from your desire to achieve the goal.
4. Optional, which is a part of GS or related to it, should be taken. It 
will make your work easier.
This statement is partly correct. Look at the explicit listing of the GS 
syllabus. Try to decipher which optional subjects share their course 
with GS. History, geography, political science, economics, philosophy, 
sociology, public administration. The list will expand further. In the 
above list, some subjects are more closely represented in general 
studies, while others are represented to a minuscule extent. Thus, if we 
base our choice of optional only on the criterion that it should suffice 
our study for GS as far as that portion is concerned, then the clear 
choice is History and Geography, in that order of preference.
5. Some optional subjects have a section that is generalist in nature. 
Taking that optional will reduce the effort.
This is a risky myth. Subjects such as sociology, political science, and 
philosophy contain sections of paper that even engineering students 
may answer with knowledge of general studies. However, this argument 
doesn’t absolve the aspirants from not studying those portions 
specifically. More insight and intellectual deliberations are expected of 
aspirants from these particular sections, which are general in nature. 
General Traps, Myths and Frequently Asked Questions
In fact, in these sections, aspirants have to work a bit harder to create 
the difference between their answers and those written in a generalist 
approach.
6. Some subjects that contain a lesser course are easier to study.
Optional subjects have very different proportions of course content. 
Some are elaborate, such as the science and engineering subjects, 
and even some arts subjects like history, while others are concise 
in their course, such as philosophy and sociology. However, after 
understanding the concept of normalization, one must not decide on 
the optional subject based solely on this criterion. If the course of a 
particular option is shorter, more students will opt for it, increasing 
the competition. Thus, standing in the top 1 or 2 percent of students in 
that optional subject would become difficult. Therefore, the notion that 
subjects with less content require less study is entirely frivolous. Dear 
aspirant, if you choose such a subject, be prepared to revise it 2 or 3 
times to achieve the perfection needed to rank among the top students 
in that optional subject.
7. Without coaching, you cannot clear CSE.
I haven’t seen a single candidate, whether successful or unsuccessful, 
who has not been associated with a coaching institute in some manner 
or another. You may take the full package of GS, coaching for the 
optional, or go for subject-specific coaching; you may take only the 
test series or the interview guidance. In any case, you are associated 
with the coaching, and however minuscule, the contribution of 
a coaching institute does exist in your success or perhaps in your 
failure!
But the irony is that very few candidates clear CSE in the same year 
as that of the coaching. And why is this so? Because it is a challenge to 
balance the time between coaching and self-study. Coaching becomes 
treacherous the moment you attend only the coaching and study less in 
your room. It becomes your enemy when the maximum time of your 
entire day is consumed in the institute, and at night, you are too tired 
and fatigued to study alone in your room.
If you decide to join coaching, then enroll in the month of June/July/
August so that the course may be completed by the month of March/
April the following year, which will give you at least 2 or 3 months of 
self-study before the preliminary exam. If you have missed September, 
it is advisable that you study on your own. Read the preliminary and the 
main sections of this handbook, and you will find all the aid required 
for a starter to begin the studies from scratch.
Further, it is advisable that coaching should not be more than 3 hours a 
day and that too for not more than 3 or max. 4 days a week. Trust me, 
you need 2 or 3 days in a week to consolidate what you have studied in 
coaching. I must tell you the story of a girl who joined a very reputed 
coaching company targeting CSE 2014. I had written preliminary in 
2013 when she had just joined the coaching. After a year, I got selected, 
and by that time, she had decided to quit her preparations. When I 
asked why, here is what she had to say, “Continuously for 3 months, I 
attended the coaching without any break, not even on Sundays, from 9 
am to 5 pm. The course piled up, and registers of class notes had to be 
kept on a separate bed. I then realized that I can’t target CSE 2014, and 
I may not even try for 2015 also!”
So, my dear friends, coaching should ease your preparation. A teacher 
must guide you as a philosopher and friend, and in the end, your 
decision to join coaching must help you come out with flying colors. 
Thus, one must be careful when choosing a program that suits your 
requirements rather than just going for the brand and crowd!
8. I am financially weak and want to join coaching, but I can’t 
afford it.
There exists a huge difference in the fee structure of coaching institutes. 
Some may charge in lakhs, and others may charge around £40,000 
for the same program. But you must understand that the fee is not a