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IES All I Know

I am posting here everything I know about
Indian Engineering Service exam. Must read
answer

May it guide you.

It was written during my preparation ph...

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Facilities and Power

A D I TI SA I NI

I am more often than not supposed to give a

insight into power and facilities i get being IES
Officer. I am tired of
answering/rebuking/refuting this question
again and again. I don't suppose i'll ever be
able to run away from being this
motivator/informer. I don't even know what
"power" do people want! If given a choice i
would want power to be invisible and
nowadays stop people from asking stupid
personal questions like why don't you marry?
,what do you live alone? and blah blah blah.
At least on Quora, i can choose to reply or not
to. And nobody here stares me back with,"You
are going insane looks"
So i have decided to answer this question
Head on! I am going to state my reasons of
being happy here.

1) I get a decent salary of around 45k. It is

more than enough for me,my comforts and
given that i don't have to pay house rent i am
able to save too. I don't know what your
expectations are, but luxury was never my
thing. Maximum salary goes upto 1.7 lakh. I'll
be in between both limits.

2) I get a decent house to stay. It's 2

BHK,broken at few places, not fancy and
completely unfurnished. Sometimes i get
water leakage from roof and taps. What i love
the most that it is surrounded by unattended
greenery, almost wilderness.

3) I don't have a car now. After one or two

promotions i'll be eligible for one and i am
okay about it. I never wanted red/blue beacon
anyways. I have purchased my own activa and
i am extremely glad to drive it around. No, no
bodyguards.

4) This job is pretty much permanent, so i

don't have to worry about how to keep it. This
helps me concentrate more on the output and
places where i can contribute. I do try to keep
my boss happy,but might as well disagree
with him when the time comes. This feeling
that my basic needs will be taken care off
gives me a sense of peace and i can
concentrate on living in the moment, career
wise and in general.

5) In my first posting, i am responsible for

200 people's work. It provides me enough
opportunity to improve my management
skills and yes, their respect too. I get at least
100 greetings per day. It makes me proud
when RPF guy salutes, its not often ,but i
cherish it. These 200 people have welcomed
me into their hearts, homes and families.I
consider that i am blessed.

6) Everyone knows Railways. I am not

unknown person. I get admiration among
random strangers when i mention my job. No
one messes up with me,as a rule. My mother
is proud of me, and she makes a point to
mention me and my job with any person she
meets. Her glowing face makes it all worth it.

7) I can travel. Tickets and accommodation is

often taken care off. Though i have ended up
in some poorly maintained rest houses but
they are safe and usually available on short
notice. I need not to plan much for the trips.
8) Retirement is taken care off with new
pension plan.

9) If i want to pursue higher studies, after two

promotions i can do it by taking leave. I am
not aware of much of the details, but ill search
when the need arises.

10) The feeling that i am doing something

meaningful to the country make me at peace
with myself. Whenever i watched any saving
the world type movie i felt dejected as i won't
get such chances,ever. But i recently watched
Martian, and i felt i am doing a job which
makes a difference. I am no more jealous of
NASA guys.

11) I have never minded living away from

where i was born. Secretly,i feel far is better
and "Home is where the heart is". In no other
job, i could have resided in so many states
long enough to understand their culture.Its a
privilege, as I wanted the tag of "well lived"
and "well travelled". Transfers after every 3
years is almost a rule,though even early
transfers are frequent. You have stay in your
alloted zone for 10 years or more.

12) My working timings are usually 9:00 am

to 19:30 pm. It may go even go late/early
than this.There is considerable pressure to
produce results and being in diesel shed my
job tilts towards technical side. I often need to
go for night inspections and god forbid
derailments/loco failure. There are no fixed
work timings. There is no Saturday Sunday
holiday promise. Running trains is not a 9 to 5
job. But I thrive among challenges and my
work offers a lot of it. If you want to switch
private for government thinking of work life
balance, you will end up regretting it in no
time.

13) I realised this yesterday. I didn't go home

for diwali and I had dinner invitation from an
officer. That's how we are! Once someone
knows other one as officer we will go all the
way to help the person. It's a brotherhood
which connects each railway employee.

Thats all for now will post more when I recall.

27,047 views 391 upvotes Written Nov 10, 2015

Upvote 391 Downvote Comments 12+

How to start!
A D I TI SA I NI

This is for people who are still in their colleges

or even jobs and don't have time/money for
coaching. IES is not only for coaching guys,i
truly believe that!
1) Take a print of ESE your branch syllabus
and paste it on your wall. Memorise it. It
is work half done. (Don't ignore or skip it!
Please )

2) Buy a thin formula copy,colour pens and a

thicker ones for each subject.

3) Preferable pattern:

1. Read Notes: First reading,casually. It

takes time to absorb the new words. In
second reading,try to associate technical
words with their meaning. In third refine,
go deeper find the
implications,applicability of the concept.

2. Read book. Notes only give simplified

version.Books is where you build your
knowledge.Follow the rule of repeated
reading given in step 1.
3. Write concepts in your own words (Notes
copy). This is the most crucial step,where
you internalise the knowledge gained and
put it into tangible form. Consider it your
memory/thought tank from Harry potter.

4. Attack solved questions(with your own

bare hands and calculators,no cheating)
Got struck? Don't worry, Go to step
3,2,1,in same order. Update your own
notes copy,if you find anything missing.
Look at the solved question,compare.

5. Write formulas/units/tips down( Formula

copy) Again a vital component of your
preparation. Without formula copy,you
are a soldier in foreign territory without a
map. You might not use it or read it but
you can explore it whenever you get lost.

6. Try to solve unsolved questions. We

read,we forget,we write,we forget, but we
do, we remember. Visualise the neural
 connections in your brain being made
when you struggle with the application of
the concepts you just read. These will
help you fight questions in exam.

7. Mark the ones you find interesting These

are your enemies which will destroy you
in battlefield until conquered. Encounter
them,before you go to battlefield. After all
you want to save time for new enemies in
exam.

At any point if time,don't get frustrated. Pick

up yourself and hit again,this time real
hard,harder than the last time.

Perseverance is the key.

kay, one more quote I read which helped
O
me in my preparation.
So, one step at a time!
21,259 views 418 upvotes Written Nov 8, 2015

Upvote 418 Downvote Comments 11+

All the motivation you

need..
 A D I TI SA I NI

Jim Stone's answer to What's an efficient way

to overcome procrastination?
18,365 views 46 upvotes Written Oct 19, 2015

Upvote 46 Downvote Comment

The ever eluding concept

of wasting time!
A D I TI SA I NI

If an ever preparing, almost forever student of

forever elusive competitive examination,just
stops thinking about "Wasting time".He will
be over!! If he won't feel guilty about hours
spend in imaging about wonderful fantasy
(Fill your own colours), or that useless chat in
front of coaching centre with tea that is
supposed to relax you up but got you late for
dinner instead, he won't be called a serious
student!.

This guilt is a part of being a sincere student.

This is your friction/necessary evil/oxygen.
Until you are not thinking about succeeding
for every second of your wake time,you re not
really putting efforts. Perhaps you are fooling
yourself. If you don't feel guilty about
overtime you hit snooze button, that delay in
getting dinner and that long chat over phone
you could be damned.

But as they say, overdose is not the answer.

So,next time you get frustrated about wasted
day,days,weekends please remind yourself
that time isn't going to come back. Never
ever. And that's all right. It's true you could
have completed that chapter, finished those
notes and you are running late according to
your self-made plan. But please take a deep
breath and don't freak out. Everyone screw
up, every student needs that extra hour or
sleep,socialising and day dreaming. We can't
be focussed and have one track mind all the
time. Immediately, when you recover and hit
the panic button remind yourself you are
human too. Trust me, it's allright.

"To lose time in preparation,is a

preparation for longer study hours to
come"

Even if you didn't study for a month, or even

since you joined coaching it's okay. Don't lose
hope. Not that i advise you to do it. But we all
are after all engineering students and we have
this superpower of last minute study, which in
IES can be a last 4-5 month study. You will be
hating yourself during those months, I can
assure you. But just don't regret for the lost
time. NO time is enough to prepare and no
time is less. Keep your calm and brush off that
self loathing; that would be the best course of
action. This is called perseverance.

P.S.: This is not to encourage procrastination,

but to let bygones be bygones and looking
forward or not killing yourself with guilt.

Because then you will need another round of

wasting time ritual, to freshen up the mood
that that my dear friends is highly counter
productive. Break the cycle. Soon you will
learn to forgive yourself and put your mind
where it is foremost needed.
19,244 views 181 upvotes Written Oct 1, 2015

Upvote 181 Downvote Comments 3

 10 best study methods..
A D I TI SA I NI

User's answer to How can I study more

effectively?
16,804 views 97 upvotes Written Oct 1, 2015

Upvote 97 Downvote Comments 1+

How not to be an IES!

A D I TI SA I NI

Sometimes i feel people find more reasons to

not to do something or not to be someone
that actually conquer it and do it. I feel like
giving them the sarcastic eyebrow raised look
when they say they really want to become and
IES... BUT

1) I am from a private college

My explaination : So, what?? Aren't people
who graduated from private colleges barred
from giving UPSC? They read only out of
syllabus books? Engineering only belongs to
IIT'S/NIT'S? They should be writing I am from
a private college and i am ashamed about it. I
have a huge inferiority complex fromm
IIT/NIT dudes and no, i won't do anything
about it. I am not going to study hard, harder
or heck i am not going to even try. Even if i
get this faint ambition, i will only put half
hearted attempts and pull out because i know
my place,because i happen to attend private
college. Please if you feel bad about it,get
over the feeling and brace yourself for
tougher competition ahead. Don't give
excuses.
p.S. I am from a private college.
2) I didn't study in my college days/i had
backs
Okay,you did a wrong thing you feel guilty
about it and probably a case of inferiority
complex again. What stops you from catching
up now! So,what if you missed classes,copied
the assignments,did last night rattafication.
Who cares? And trust me even the people
who studied well in my college didn't feel
confident about their knowledge.UPSC
questions doesn't care you were an average
or below average student in your life. It has
given you syllabus, read that study well do
your questions and that's it. It has nothing to
do with your background.
P.S. I didn't study in college and got a back!

3) I got terrible rank in GATE

Yeah, so what? GATE and IES are completely
different exams. Poles apart. They check
different parameters. Success/failure in one
doesn't predict anything in the other. I got
rank of 3500 in 2012,the year i qualified for
IES.

4) I have terrible marks/grades

So, you didn't had wisdom to watch out for
your grades. You were young,foolish and
were fond of smoking,or that girl who left you
for another guy. Don't let your grades define
you,or tell you what you are. Prove them
wrong. You have only one way to go and that
is to improve.

5) I am from a small city,small

school.whatever.
Nobody cares from where you are,but how
that fires burns inside your heart to be
something and do something and how you
act on it

6) I work/worked in IT
I am like, Upsc prefers people like that!Come
on they won't know this until you come up for
interview. And if you had mettle to clear
written, they are not going to think any less of
you if you worked for "n" number of years or
in "n" number of companies. In fact you will
be appreciated for keeping a job. Not
everyone has luxury to sit idle and prepare.

7) I dropped an year or 5 after

B.tech/12th.
Well,until you are still eligible to write the
exam,please go ahead. Yes, UPSC members
might grill you but they won't judge you
harshly if you are honest and technical sound.
Just don't lie.
p.s: I dropped 2 years. They asked me what i
was doing. I said, preparing and they moved
on!

8) My basics are really weak: Again my

answer is so what? No one can be sure of
Basics if you ask me. I ve met many people
with amazing knowledge,but they always feel
they are weak. To give an embarrassing
example, yesterday in meeting officers were
talking about Torque and for a minute i had
no idea what it is? Then i recalled a bit but
they moved on to discussing "radius" and i
was so clueless. I felt ashamed of myself.
That's how fleeting knowledge is! Nobody was
born with it,and you can always learn it!

My sole purpose of writing this blog is "Don't

let your past decide your future".
Whatever it is you have inferiority complex
about please don't let it stop you. Conquer it!!

Will update later!

17,997 views 340 upvotes Written Sep 30, 2015

Upvote 340 Downvote Comments 10+

Mistakes you will do.. Part
1
A D I TI SA I NI

I know many of you are enrolled somewhere

or the other. You must be aware that i did
coaching twice. I got a message by Saurabh
Mishra and he suggested this interesting
topic. So, here i am. This might be a series of
advices. Please follow the blog!!

When you are in coaching phase, you are

highly susceptible to doubting yourself,asking
yourself why are you here and your mind
playing games with you telling you all of your
friends are having lives and not you. You
might even regret leaving your job or that M
tech opportunity. If you are a dutiful
son/daughter you might even cry about the
waste of your parents money. If you are age
conscious you might even worry about hitting
25 or worse without being someone or doing
nothing. And,guess what, when are you most
likely to think about all this? WHEN YOU
MISSED YOUR CLASS. You heart knows you
committed crime and your brain won't let you
go unpunished. This guilt will eat you away.

NEVER MISS CLASSES. I want you to emboss

these 3 words in your mind. No matter how
worse the teacher is, it's too late, you know
the subject by heart or the opposite,you won't
get you "Fav Seat", your friend is not coming,
your crush has started talking with another
guy,it's diwali,you are super sleepy,you are
feeling feverish,you have a headcahe,it is too
hot/cold/raining outside, You had a fight with
your BF/GF/PARENTS , you did not do the
homework,your calculator is not working, and
the most lethal of all.." YOU WANT TO DO
SELF STUDY" and classes are not letting you
do that. That is the most common and stupid
excuse we give ourselves. I can write a whole
article about why we never study,when we
miss our classes.

Even if you are not attentive the audio visual

element of classes help you to grasp concept
quicker and you tend to recall in examination
hall,where it matters. Trust me,there have
been times when teachers words have echoed
in my mind during a grave confusion
situation.The examples they give,the jokes
they crack,their unique teaching style does
makes a dent in your memory though you
won't be able to access this information while
attempting a question in your room. You
might feel attending class is useless but it is
not.

Your dingy room filled with books and notes

might give you depression. You are a human
being and a social person. You need to come
out for interactions. And what's a better place
than being with people with similar goals as
your's. Attending classes keeps you in high
esteem of your classmates and it will help you
when you couldn't grasp a particular
concept,missed notes or need a ride to
examination center,even that cute person you
ve been eyeing will have more chances to
notice you.

Attending classes keeps you connected to

purpose of your life,for now! Seeing
teachers,hearing few technical terms, making
notes no matter how absentmindedly will take
you to places. Don't find fault in
teachers,classroom air conditioning ,last night
too many friends episode,lack of coffee,bad
food or even that pinching comment you
heard from people you love regarding your
present joblessness. Feel the emotion,take a
deep breath and let it all go and come and
attend class. I promise in half an hour you will
be fine. World will seem a better place and
your ambitions will swell again.

By taking this small step/decision/self

coercion ,everyday, you will be a little closer
to your goal. This act of discipline will
determine your success. Thank me later..
16,640 views 198 upvotes Written Sep 28, 2015

Upvote 198 Downvote Comments 4+

One stop solution for IES

aspirants
R A H U L VENU G OPA L

Place of posting

You gotta pack your bags..

Aditi Saini's answer to I heard that IES/ESE has
many transfers. Is this true? Is it possible to
stay in one job location at least after a few
years of service, say, 6-7?

About the word "central" in Central Govt job.

1)Aditi Saini's answer to What jobs are
available in the NCR through the Indian
Engineering Services?(Best)

2)Aditi Saini's answer to Are Indian Railway

officers (Group A) not given the option of
taking their home state/city (as filled up in the
DAF) as their posting? If yes, what rule applies
to this?
1/3 rule of posting. .
Aditi Saini's answer to If I try to secure the top
ranks for the UPSC Engineering Services
Exam, will I get a posting to a place according
to preference?
My Salary(You can RTI,though)

Lowest and highest..

Aditi Saini's answer to What is the starting
salary of an IES officer and how much
maximum salary can an IES officer end up
with?

No difference for training period.

Aditi Saini's answer to What is the salary of an

IES (Indian engineering service) officer on a
training period and after the training period?

Cheers!,I get almost equal salary as IAS.

Aditi Saini's answer to What are the other
central government services apart from IAS,
IPS, IFS in UPSC? Do they have same salary
structure as IAS, IPS, IFS?

My success story
Because people can change..
Aditi Saini's answer to How did Aditi Saini,
once a careless girl (as told by herself in her
previous answer), transform herself to
become an IES officer?

It feels nice!
Aditi Saini's answer to What is it like to
become an IES officer?
One more rags to riches theory.
Aditi Saini's answer to Has anyone struggled a
lot to crack the ESE (IES) exam in more than
three attempts?

Please up vote this answer!!

Aditi Saini's answer to Why in most of the
answers does Aditi Saini present ESE services
as frustrating?(Must read)
The answer is "wait for it" ...."yes"
Aditi Saini's answer to Is there an IES officer
on Quora?
What do i do(Not what you think i do!)

What I thought during my training. .

Aditi Saini's answer to What kind of work does
an IES officer in the railway services do?
Aditi Saini's answer to What is work like for a
mechanical engineer in Indian Railways?

Aditi Saini's answer to What is the daily

routine of an IES officer working in railways?
Practical ones..
One month after my posting. ..
Aditi Saini's answer to What is the work-life
balance in IRSME like? I know the
responsibilities are high. Do we get at least
Sunday off?( I like it)

No,I don't get red/blue/pink beacon car

Aditi Saini's answer to Can Aditi Saini share
her experience in railways and the perks
offered in her first posting?

Motivational porn(Whatever works,right!!)

Aditi Saini's answer to What was your

motivation behind preparing for engineering
services? How much time did you devote for
ESE preparations? What was the most
important ingredient of your preparation,
which made a big difference in your selection?

Kerp calm and work hard!!

Aditi Saini's answer to I dropped a year for the
GATE. Everyone around me demotivates me
that I'll get more bad scores and no one will
give me decent job now. What do I do?

Don't let your past determine where you go!

Aditi Saini's answer to What could be the
future plans of a B.E. Graduate (civil
engineering) having 50% B.E. aggregate
 only?

Aditi Saini's answer to What are the

benefits/opportunities of having a very
good score in GATE (civil engineering)
despite having just a 50% B.E. aggregate?

Aditi Saini's answer to If I get a back in

mathematics in the first semester in
engineering and I have cleared it within
four years, will I be able to sit in an IES or
GATE interview after clearing a written
exam of these IES and GATE exams in
mechanical?

Aditi Saini's answer to I scored 54.2 % in

my 12th. Will I be able to crack the GATE
or IES and secure myself a a job?

How to face adversity when you prepare

Aditi Saini's answer to ESE2016 will be my
2nd attempt, and after coming back HOME
from Delhi coaching days I find it hell difficult
to continue my studies in home due to its
"unfavourable environment". What should I
do?

IES Mechanical Girl(The unholy trinity)

How is the life of a female IES officer? Do

frequent relocations/transfers affect her
personal life and relations?

Too idealistic idea..

Aditi Saini's answer to What are the problems
faced by Aditi Saini in an IES office from a
mechanical background, and as a girl? How
does she handle them?

To do or not to do(As if i know you,for sure!)

Aditi Saini's answer to Am i eligible to write
INDIAN ENGINEERING SERVICES (ies) if am
persuing BE in "electronics and
instumentation engineering"?
It's the reputation.
Aditi Saini's answer to How is the life of an IES
officer different from the one working in PSU
in terms of job profile, work environment,
salary, extra benefits and status in the society?
From what I heard..
Aditi Saini's answer to How does the
department Central Water Commission
compare to Indian Railways in terms of
growth, payscale, transfers, and work life in
IES?
Not exactly...
Aditi Saini's answer to Is it advisable for an
Indian presently doing an MS in the US (or
any other country) to come back to India after
a master's and prepare for the IES/ IAS?

Yupp,in my experience it is!!

Aditi Saini's answer to Is it worth for a
mechanical engineer to clear ies? Comparing
it with mba?
Aditi Saini's answer to Is it true that once an
IES officer quits his/her job they get far better
offers, in terms of money?
Aditi Saini's answer to What would be a better
choice, IRSME or IRSS, according to the nature
of the job, promotion, reputation of officer,
and work load?
Aditi Saini's answer to Why do people who
have cleared IES (engineering services) quit
after and join IAS? Is it because they realize
IES is not worth the effort they had put in?
Aditi Saini's answer to Is IES the right option
for me, or should I go for a PhD in mechanical
engineering?

When you are preparing(Tips,advices,which

you guys often ask)

Aditi Saini's answer to How can I get the

solutions to IES's previous year subjective
questions?
Aditi Saini's answer to What are the basic
preparation tips for an IES aspirant (ECE,
beginner)?
Aditi Saini's answer to How can an Indian
Engineering Services aspirant enjoy the finest
things in life while preparing for the
competitive process?
Choose between friends and preparation.
Aditi Saini's answer to How do I say no to my
friends (without affecting our friendship) who
are not preparing for the IES and keep coming
to my room to gossip and waste my time?

Gotta do your homework!

Aditi Saini's answer to With almost six months
to go, what should be the best strategy to
prepare GS and technical for ESE 2015 in the
mechanical branch assuming one is dedicated
enough to invest this time only for the
preparation?
GS is simple,guys..
Aditi Saini's answer to How do I prepare for
general studies in IES?

My tips. .
Aditi Saini's answer to How should I prepare
for an IES interview?
Really?
Aditi Saini's answer to I have been trying to
prepare for the IES for the last six months, but
I am not successful. What advice can you
give?

Aditi Saini's answer to What strategy would

Aditi Saini suggest to prepare for IES 2015
mechanical?

Simple calculation...
Aditi Saini's answer to What is the per
question weightage (marks) in the
Engineering Service Exam objective paper?

How to face adversity. .

Aditi Saini's answer to ESE2016 will be my
2nd attempt, and after coming back HOME
from Delhi coaching days I find it hell difficult
to continue my studies in home due to its
"unfavourable environment". What should I
do?

Training

I got you,pictures!+
What does the training at the Indian Railways
Institute of Mechanical and Electrical
Engineering (IRIMEE) feel like?

Where there is a will,there is a way!

Aditi Saini's answer to While working in
various ministries/departments of IES (Indian
engineering services), is there any time left for
preparing for the CSE (civil services
examination)?
IES myths(Yeah,right)

You want jack?

As an ESE officer, what kind of contact grown
with resourceful persons like police,
administration or politicians in his/her career
?

No majaraja express for us!!

Aditi Saini's answer to Are IES officers working
in railways allowed to travel in the Maharaja
Express for free?

IAS Content(Yes, i tried,but i am here,for now)

Aditi Saini's answer to I read some of the

blogs of UPSC aspirants, who tell to have
reading and writing practice more, so as
looking towards UPSC exams it is more about
optional questions, so why there is a need of
having writing practice?

How preparation changes you..

Aditi Saini's answer to About 5 lakh
candidates apply for UPSC CSE every year with
the aim of changing at least something in the
country. How do people who fail the exam go
on to achieve their aim?

There is no perfect way

Aditi Saini's answer to Are exams conducted
by UPSC for IAS, IPS etc. no longer relevant in
this age? Do we need to change the process
on a whole to recruit bright minds without
slogging them through the tedious
preparation process, and rather try to make
the government machinery more like the
corporate and private world?

Life is what you make if it..

Aditi Saini's answer to Is the life of an IAS
officer boring?
17,590 views 34 upvotes Written Sep 21, 2015

Upvote 34 Downvote Comments 1+

While preparing for

competitive exams..
A D I TI SA I NI

I know i may not be a authority on this, but i

have gathered a few experiences which i feel
like sharing with everyone

"Everyone knows the way, but only few walk on

it"

This is absolutely true in coaching scenario.

Everybody knows to study regularly, not to leave
the examples, homework pending etc etc. But a
few more tips from my side.

1. Don't get frustrated while solving

questions.
You may not get them at once , you may not see
the solution, you might be making silly mistakes
and there would always be one student in class
who will be doing them alright faster than
you.Yes, there are students in class who are
from NIT'S or IIT'S or even toppers who seem to
know and understand things before hand,
giving answers etc etc. But you have your own
positives too. IES is not about all these things.
It's more about perseverance, constant work
and dedication. And you need yourself a seat
you are not in direct competition with them.
There is place on top for both and many others.
Personally speaking, i did not find the names of
brilliant students of my class in IES list.Some
got PSU's and were lost there, some were
overconfident and god knows for what reasons
BUT they are simply not there.
"Be competitive, but with yourself"
Do your best everyday. Don't get frustrated with
others or even yourself. Trust me frustrations
takes away all the energies and make you
stressed making you waste more time than you
can afford.

2.You tend to forget more than you expect

from yourself.

It is completely normal to forget the subjects

you ve read thrice, wondering whether you
wrote these notes yourself, and the formulas
you solved 100 questions.
It's alright and if you practice and revise there
is a huge chance you will recall them in exams.
But don't forget to revise subjects periodically,
make notes, formula copy etc. These things save
time when exam is near and you need to be
confident.

3. Skipping test, exams..

Yes i know you are not prepared, your study
schedule has not went the right way,test is just
waste of time and i definitely know it's better to
study than face the exam unprepared. We all
give ourselves petty excuses because now we ve
got to face ourselves while attempting the
exam. Please..please,, wash your face and go
and take that exam. You would know what
formulas or areas need revising, what topics
you are not best thus leave then , strong points,
how to manage time, mark bubbles and the list
is long. It's more like facing your fears. Until
you suffer the humiliation of forgetting the
most obvious thing , doing a simple calculation
mistake , rejecting a simple question thinking
it's tough etc etc you will not be ready to take
the real exam. It is so much better to do all this
in mock test instead of real exam. MOst
importantly devise your strategy of attempting
exams and improve it.
I may write the few more things but i would
first like to know the impact of this post.
Without feedback all this effort seems to go all
waste you i may be another big mouth person
teaching you boring things..
15,109 views 185 upvotes Written Aug 30, 2015

Upvote 185 Downvote Comments 9+

Coaching days..
A D I TI SA I NI

I live in a sarai still. I see guys preparing for

something or other on roads, buses, mess etc.
Looking back i realize how difficult it was yet
easy. All the pressure you feel inside, you see
other people getting selections which you need,
friends in private sector going places with their
job like restaurants,tours even foreign trips,
people in your facebook profile getting married
even having kids and even your juniors doing
more stuff than you and your life is stagnant.
On the top of all this you are not even studying
as much as you want to. You struggle to
understand the concepts,wake up in the
morning, trying to sleep at time, try to keep you
attention and sleep in check in class,parents
irritating you , eating the worst food of your
life, may be even getting sick at times and
feeling home sick too. It just seems never ending
path and still when any exam is there you feel
you are grossly under prepared Every exam
gives you a hope and every interview more
hope. For some the wait might be over soon for
some it's more difficult. Some may never get
lucky.

But this is the time when life is still in your

hands.Time when you can launch yourself
anywhere you want. You can place your self at
any orbit. Your identity will depend on the hard
work you do now. Once your aim is achieved
whether it's a PSU or IES or M. Tech this
achievement will stay with you unlike your
college.You might not have been a bright
student for your life (like me) and people would
have told you you have potential or not (again
like me), it's your chance to prove them right or
wrong. It's your chance to prove yourself to the
world. A world or nosy relatives, back biting
neighbours or even showy friends. In fact it is
probably your last chance to go to places with
help of books and knowledge. You can offset a
bad academic record and shut anybody's
mouth Page on forever.it 's a great
opportunity if you know how to use one.

I was always told IES is tough, I hadn't been a

bright student throughout my life, graduated
from a private college with less than 65%
marks. With such a bad track record, i never
thought of making in to ES written leave alone
interview.There were always NIT. IIT people,
toppers, who knew every concept beforehand sir
taught us but i don't Page on know.it 's not
like a studied for every damn day or did
everything told to me by made easy teachers. I
slipped often, was confused often and was so
sure i am a failure that i left mechanical
engineering completely and changed field. You
can sense how much frustrated i was.I was even
rejected for DCE mtech.When i cam do it i feel
everybody can.

You are a person who took a risk instead of a

cushiony private job.You must have dreamt
something when you entered this phase unless
you were pushed by someone. So, make the best
of it. Always keep your goal in mind. You may
digress for a while, get distracted but do not for
God's sake forget why you are tolerating all this
in first place.For a future. A future that will
make all this struggle a worth it. Otherwise all
this suffering will be meaningless, useless. Just a
step more everyday will bring you closer to your
goal. So my friends study with a vengeance and
realize youe own destiny...
13,788 views 208 upvotes Written Aug 30, 2015

Upvote 208 Downvote Comments 9+

When few days are left for

IES and you know you
have not done enough!!!
A D I TI SA I NI

I have reached in a blissful slumber state after

my selection.Though there is boredom now
after 3 and half years of constant tension, i no
longer need to prove myself in life. Thanks to
"Mayank Tiwari" for suggesting a nice topic to
write and i urge other curious people to suggest
topics according to their experiences with IES.

I did not define the time limit in my blog like 3

months or six months or 1 month. It only
depends on your state of mind. In short when
exam is close enough for you to start worrying
which again depends on your state of mind.
Saurav Tiwari sir said in one class "There is no
perfect time to start preparing" and he is
absolutely true. Recall in engineering days one
night was enough for a subject which we were
give a whole semester to study or sessionals
when one lunch hour was enough. We are
obviously not talking about seriousness of the
exam but the point of not losing your heart and
of course time when you feel your preparation
is inadequate for exam. Trust me!! there is no
point worrying over this. You can start your
preparation even a week before exam (not that i
am advising you to do it). Whatever it is you
have not read or done, please don't get
disappointed. Because then you would need a
smoke, good meal or session with friends to so
called cheer you up and you would end up
losing more time than ever and again feeling
guilty about it. My dear friends it's an endless
cycle.
Things often won't go as you planned. You
would wake up an hour late, Food won't come
up in time, Your girlfriend or boyfriend might
take long time to finish off (call or meeting),
Parents may irritate you till your limit. Please
don't be upset and take a deep breath and
remind yourself this time won't stay forever.You
have to take one step at a time to leave this
coaching phase everyday.

Well whenever you decide that time left is less

and some urgent measures are needed then
you can follow my plan which i followed.it
may or may not help.Please make suitable
adjustments according to your need.

1. At whatever time you wake up, wash your

face and start studying. If possible already
earmark the subject you are going to study.
2. At least after 2 hour take a break to eat or
bath. It offers a opportunity to refresh once
more.
3. Try to take two subjects in a day, one
theoretical and one numerical.When sleepy
start solving numericals and when exhausted of
numbers read theoretical one.
4. Time is less, don't aim to finish a subject
inside out or start to end. Meaning don't go too
deep in topics nor you need to do every chapter
at one go.You can change subjects everyday on
your choice, starting from where you left last
time. As you would gradually need to look back
to revise, automatic revision will take place.
5. Read notes (class notes or your own) again
and again instead of books as time is less. If
you start your prep now (october) i would like to
advise solve books now
6. Needless to say start solving previous year
papers. IES is very repetitive and often
questions are asked from same topics every
year. So. even if you haven't studied much you
would have a clear idea about important
topics.
7. If you see a certain topic appearing again
make a point to revise it. If you are planning to
leave a subject completely skim for topics who
have maximum chance of coming, read it once.
8. Don't forget giving the test series as i ve
already explained it's importance.

As i ve told time is less don't bother with tough

topics or subjects. It's unlikely IES exam will be
comprised of all the hard topics. It's a mix,
more often of easy questions with a pinch of
hard ones. You must take steps to grab the easy
ones and leave the hard ones. After all cut off is
hardly 50% of total..

That's it for now...I will update if i recall

anything. Please feel free to comment or ask
any doubts about the post
11,286 views 84 upvotes Written Aug 30, 2015

Upvote 84 Downvote Comments 6+

8 things i wish someone

told me when i was
preparing for IES.
A D I TI SA I NI

I was not perfect. No one in my whole family

or friends never actually thought about IES
leave alone clearing it. Even when my college
friend talked about it in 4 year it was
something achievable at least for (non
studious) me. Ironically he's in BHEL now and
I'll be probably getting railways(touch
wood).Now when i look back there is
definitely an experience advantage. That's
why if one in family become an IAS, his
brother,sister,cousins etc have a huge chance
of making it into services. Well, I wish I was
one of those fortunate with high achieving
family but I belong to a family of
farmers(father's) and milkmen(mother's).
Following are the things I wish I had known
beforehand, though not necessarily in the
same order. Please don't mock me if you
already know!

1. IES is a damn easy exam of course you

need to work your butts off. What i mean
to say that in class all the examples we do
are the toughest one's. IES is a mix bag of
easy, damn easy and little difficult
one's.Most questions are repetitive.Once
you have understood the concepts,they
all seem the same.

2. Objective exam is much easier to score

 but you need to do the subjective
question's practice to get hold of
concepts.Yes, solving only objective one's
will give you half knowledge.It's solved
questions in book will give you complete
picture and prepare you for new
questions just in case.

3. Revise, revise and revise. Your ability to

forget is monumental. I read P K Nag,
Engineering thermodynamics at least 10
times sincerely apart from class notes.
But my mock interview I had forgotten
2nd law. Just like that.This is the golden
rule for success.Don't trust your brain..

4. Comfort level for environment. As you

know Delhi has the harsh environment.
So unlike me (kanjoos makhichoos) invest
in a heater in winter and cooler in
summers. I recall wasting entire
afternoon in summers in my heated up
room and morning and nights fighting
 cold in winters. It's a sheer waste of
time.Buy a comfortable chair and bed and
gadda too.Don't think it's for few months,
Think of it as an investment for
concentration in studies.

5. Don't set a time-table when not following

it up to hilt gives you frustrations. Just get
up and start reading until you feel hungry
or tired. If you waste time in getting your
body to follow your time table, its utterly
useless.

6. Do not buy foreign author books No

matter how much our teachers criticize
Indian authors, they are value for money
and time. Don't forget you are not here
for research purposes, only competitive
exam purposes.I bought Kalpakjian,
Popov and tried to read them. You need
extra brain to actually understand them in
first place and they were of no use at all.
7. Library Oh God!! how much I wish I had
known these library hidden in Delhi when
I was preparing. They are such a nice
place to sit away from the familiarity and
claustrophobic sleepy atmosphere of
your room with no one disturbing you.
Some even give tea and nice lunch. Most
of them have air conditioning and
subscription of newspapers and
magazines.And they are located near the
sarais too. Look for them nearby your
room and you will find them if you're
lucky.

8. NPTEL Videos and others available on

Youtube. You will be surprised to find
huge study material online, But please
don't overdo it. Only in your spare time
take a look to memorize the concept or
understand it.
I was trying to tell 10 but I can't recall
anymore. Comment if anything in this post
interests you.
11,713 views 204 upvotes Written Aug 30, 2015

Upvote 204 Downvote Comments 4+

IES without coaching.

A D I TI SA I NI

Well, its been a long time I wrote a post. In

railways its lots of traveling made worse with
bad wi-fi connection almost everywhere.

I have got a lot of inquiries about clearing IES

without coaching so here we are. Though it is
difficult to imagine how would you stand a
chance when everybody has coaching
advantage but let me tell you its not
impossible.

But you gotta be real serious about it. In my

batch I have few guys who cleared IES with
their college and that too with ranks under
top 20. We even have 5 marine engineers
who passed it with very good rank. Even
people from very normal unknown unheard
colleges are here training with me. So, where
ever you are you should not think you don't
stand a chance. The point is dedication and
time. I really believe that if you get serious
about it early in your second year or third
year or fourth year and you make sincere
efforts you have better chance to clear it
compared to those who are taking time off
and coaching. They have to deal with certain
mental pressure hard living conditions and
almost no time for self-study. In addition, it as
very costly to pay coaching fees and living in
Delhi sarai area. So my point is if you are clear
you want to go for it you don't need to wait to
join coaching to start your studies. You can do
it in your college time studying reasonably
regularly and taking studies seriously instead
of resorting to last-minute measures. I hope
following points would help.

Download and take a print of IES syllabus and

stick it on wall where you can see it regularly
remembering your dream. Kulkarni sir used
to say that if you have learnt syllabus by heart
your work is half done.

2.What ever subjects you are studying in your

semester match them with syllabus topics and
do them well. You don't need to read foreign
author books to clear IES but stay away from
R k Jain sort of books too. I find Khurmi, D S
Kumar, R K Rajput books quite good.

3. Make sure you keep up notes copy and

formula copy side by side. At this moment
you might not see their importance but they
will come very handy when you start
forgetting things, revising subjects in short
time etc. Please please I am begging you take
it very seriously to make re readable notes. Its
the only thing that matters is revise, revise,
and revise no matter how much of sharp
brain you are.

4. You might not understand everything in

one go. It is very usual to take 4 to 5 readings
of a topic at different point of time before you
reasonably understand it. I am saying
reasonably because their might still be
questions you won't have a clue about. Its
normal, you don't need to be exceptionally
bright to clear IES.

5. Try to do previous year questions topic

wise they will appropriately challenge you and
give you an idea about what is expected out
of you. Again not every question in that paper
is needed to be solved by you. Paper is a mix
of easy , mixed and hard questions. Try to
raise your level but do not get disheartened
by difficult questions.

6. Set aside 2 to 4 hours for this prep. Study

the subjects coming in the semester seriously
this would help you to get good grades too.
But try to revise earlier subjects too. You
might be losing some fun time or sleep time
but trust me its an investment you are making
towards future happiness which is far more
worthy and valuable.

7. Once you decide to go for it make sure

every moment is spent to come more near to
your dream.

You know what I wished someone gave me

this advice when I was college. I just wasted
my time there with friends whom I don't talk
to anymore. I feel really sad when I see
college people in a bubble. I want to tell then
so badly "You are responsible for your future
and good things don't magically come to
you". I had chats with lots of people here IES
IAS both. They all claim coaching days were
the worst time of their lives. Dropping a year,
wasting parents money, listening curses from
them, feeling lows often, fear of not getting
selected, insecurity about future etc. takes a
huge toll emotionally and confidence wise.
And entering govt service at later age makes a
huge difference in your promotions and
seniority too. Every year since your birth
almost determines the altitude you will reach
in govt service.
You are in college with the best years ahead of
you. If, you make dedicated efforts you can do
it.

So guys best of luck and please let me know

you are reading it and suggest any topics you
want me to write about not technical though. I
have forgotten all about them.
11,117 views 231 upvotes Written Aug 30, 2015

Upvote 231 Downvote Comments 6+