In It to WIN It!!
The day she had been waiting for a year or more had finally dawned. As the sun rose above the horizon, bringing with it a brand new day, she was suffused with optimism & hoped – for her own new beginning. Having shed all the baggage of the past behind (the failures, bad mock scores, stress and troubles), she was ready to face the challenge that lay in front of her now- Prelims, fearlessly. Prelims wasn’t going to scare her, not anymore! It was an exciting challenge for her now as she had vowed to conquer.
Several of you may identify with the protagonist. You’ll be brimming with confidence & may be eagerly waiting for it . But a majority of you may be anxious, afraid of what will happen in the exam hall – “Is it going to be absolutely random? Will I forget all that I have studied with painstaking discipline? What if I don’t cross the cut-off?” It is completely normal to get scared & nervous, it shows that you care too much and want to do your best. You are not alone. But it’s time to shed that attitude now. You know why? Because Prelims is a mind-game. You read that right! The one who clears comfortably isn’t the one who has done 100 revisions or mugged up every material possible (they may too if they fulfil the below condition). But more often than not, the one who clears is the one who maintains absolute calmness, doesn’t get tensed on reading crazy questions & who is going to be stable like a rock when faced with trying situations .
We’ll tell you something that you’ve got to repeat to yourself when you see the paper (remember this well) – “EVERYBODY HAS GOT THE SAME QUESTIONS, If it’s tough for me; it is equally tough for everyone else too. We have all studied nearly the same material, attempted the same mocks, our knowledge levels are nearly equal, so I can do it & be amongst the 10k-11k who clear.” There is nothing stopping you from doing your best , other than your fear & self-doubt.
Paulo Coelho has written: “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
Remove the fear of failure from your mind. All the energy that you spend worrying & imagining the worst possible outcome , can instead be spent in investing in imagining the best possible result. Be calm & maintain your composure now. It will make a huge difference in your score .
Most importantly keep your positive attitude ready for exams day. What is the differentiating factor – it is YOUR ATTITUDE towards the paper. Do not think that every question in the exam is so random & that it’s out to defeat you. No! You are out there to face the question, apply your skills & conquer it. You will emerge victorious. Believe that whole-heartedly.
Victor Frankl had famously said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Choose your response; you are the one in control. You have the power to win.
If you see tough & super random questions, don’t get flustered. Everybody is faced with the same challenge; you are not stupid or dumb. Majority of them won’t know the answers to several questions. Remember that. Don’t try to be a hero & waste time trying to solve random questions if you have no clue in the first round, you can get back to them in the next round to see if it’s worth guessing(remember negative marking!). Focus on what you do know in the first round. Get all the basic questions right. Be unshakable, a talkative invigilator or a creaky desk, should have no power over your mental composure!
Remove the fear of failure from your mind. What is the worst thing that can happen if you fail? You’ll have to write prelims next year or you get to explore a whole new cool career. Is there a catastrophe waiting to happen? No, right? So don’t fear failure. You, my friend, are indefatigable! You are strong & courageous & we admire that about you! It is going to be a great experience, forget the outcome. Enjoy the process; you’ve done your best, now it’s time to surrender the outcome to the universe. Just be in the moment & soak in the experience. These are the experiences that mould your character & build your personality. Any PSC is just an exam, it is not life, it will never define who you are intrinsically. Your self-worth should be dependent on clearing it. You are special, whether you are clear or not. Remember that!
Mahatma Gandhi had said, “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end up really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
You have to believe in your abilities & carry a winning attitude along with you . Believe that you’ll be getting AIR 1 next year.
Lastly, thank you for being so dedicated & consistent in participating in the various prelims initiatives on the site for the last few months. Your constant encouragement & participation is our biggest gift. We are so grateful for your support!
Team thegurugyan wishes you the very best of luck for. We hope that you will conquer prelims in great style & prepare for mains. We have a tonne of exciting & brand new initiatives planned for you & can’t wait to share them soon!
Wish you all the best!
Conquer prelims! You deserve to & we are confident that you will!
Until next time!