Does Luck Play a Part in Clearing UPSC Exam?

Sometimes, this question itself seems a little wrong. Does luck play a part anywhere in life? Or is it simply the resort of failures who never ventured to do achieve anything using their own talents and work? Can you get lucky in something as big and decisive as the Civil Service exam? This article attempts to answer the question, ‘Does luck play a part in clearing the UPSC exam?’

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

What do the Supporters of this ‘luck factor’ say?

1. There are lakhs of people as your competitors. So, it is not only your preparation that matters but also how others prepare, and that is out of your hands.
2. In the UPSC prelims where there are MCQs, you can get lucky or unlucky with your guesses.
3. In the IAS mains exam, a lot depends on the ‘mood’ of the examiner, and also on the nature of the examiner.

Why Luck Hardly Matters?

“When it comes to luck, you make your own.” – Bruce Springsteen

If you analyze history, you will notice that the most successful people have been those who have worked hard for their dreams. Those who relied on luck alone have been failures in different aspects of life. Luck is the factor that comes to those who have diligently pursued their dreams and aspirations and done everything in their power to accomplish them. They don’t leave anything to chance.

1. The UPSC may be unpredictable but far from uncertain. They may ask questions from anywhere but remember, anywhere from the UPSC syllabus.
2. If you practice previous years UPSC questions papers, you will be able to predict topics from where questions would be asked.
3. You can negate the effect of luck on the IAS prelims exam by learning tricks to defeat negative marks. Try to learn the techniques of intelligent guessing. This way you can make the odds of getting an unknown answer right more than 50-50.
4. If you study really hard by putting your heart and soul into the IAS preparation, you will clear the exam as you will have put all the factors outside your control aside. Your own knowledge and confidence can beat these uncontrollable factors.

“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” – Harry Golden

Go make your own luck!

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.

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