• Like all other important questions in life, this question too has no definitive, simple and straightforward answer to it.

• There is no doubt that cracking IAS exams requires extensive planning and preparation from aspirants.

• However, there is severe confusion and chaos, when it comes to deciding the ideal time-frame to begin preparation for the Civil Services Examination.

• Many students, who come from a family which has seen the rise of several civil servants from amid them, are often inspired to take up IAS preparation right from their school days. Like every coin, even this approach has both advantages and disadvantages.

• Starting IAS preparation at such an early stage in their academic career allows students to build a very strong foundation for further preparation.

• They can start studying NCERT school books in detail during their school days and be well-versed in all the important topics that will be covered during the exam.

• On the flipside, the biggest disadvantage of such an approach is by the time these school kids become eligible to appear for UPSC Civil Services Exam, the test pattern, syllabus, trends and other things might have changed drastically, rendering the school level preparation futile.

• As civil services is an exam which tests all that you have learned in your life starting from your 6th grade , you have already started preparing for it ( Not in a serious and dedicated way though). 

• However it may check your observations may in childhood also. For example the child you must observe change in pen’s shape, when dipped in a glass of water. 

• Later to come to know about refraction and total internal reflection concept of optics. You would be requiring lot of time for preparing for civil services. So the best time you can start preparing is in your end Years of graduation. 

• Some experts think you need to start preparing for IAS exam from the beginning of 10th grade itself you can do it by updating your mind with the news around the world and after you get through 12th grade with good marks then get an easy stream in graduation so that you score good marks because you also will need to prepare for your IAS exam and if you find better coaching centers then go ahead and join it and I wish you good luck.

Ideally 12-18 months are more than enough for preparation of Civil services exam, if you are preparing with a single focused goal.
Keeping the current trend of exam, this exam needs you to be a well read person, one who has ideas and perspectives who can think, analyse and express his ideas. For this you can start following few things along with your graduation: 

• Reading a newspaper daily (like Hindu). The Objective should be to understand contemporary issues & understanding editorials mainly. 

• Read some non-fiction books like Imagining India, Makers of Modern India, India After Gandhi etc. This will provide you a well rounded perspective.

• Follow some websites like with civil services contents. 

Only around 12-18 months prior to the prelims exam you are planning to appear go for full fledged preparation. 

This is the time you can join some Coaching (if need be). But before you join a coaching make sure you read some basic NCERTs of Economy, Polity, Geography, History etc. It will make it easier for you to understand things better, else coaching will be a waste of time.

• Since, you are in 12th Class, I assume your age should be 16 yrs. You are eligible to apply for Civil Services Examinations (CSE) only after 21.

• It means you have 5 yrs in hand. And you also have to complete your graduation in it. Its sufficient time, no need to worry.

• Since you have determined to crack CSE, First go through exam pattern and syllabus.

• It is available on http://upsconline.nic.in current exam pattern, you have to keep a subject as optional.

• I would advise you to make that as your graduate subject. It will firm you grasp on the subject.

• Aspirants, when they begin IAS preparation, are generally confused. They are unsure about how to start, and what to study. 

• They have numerous queries in their mind regarding exam eligibility, exam dates etc. Many are not sure if coaching is essential or not. Their worries are not unfounded.

• Misguidance can cost any aspirant a lot of time and money. Many coaching institutes are unsure how to properly guide aspirants as per the latest requirements of UPSC. There are coaching institutes which charge hefty fees, but provide poor service and low-quality study materials.

• Whether you are a beginner in the arena of UPSC Civil Services Exam preparation or an experienced candidate, knowledge about the requirements of the UPSC is essential for success.

• Your preparation should be aligned with the UPSC Civil Services Exam Cycle, which has three stages – Prelims, Mains and Interview, which normally has a fixed schedule like June (for Prelims), Nov/Dec (for Mains) and March/ April (for Interviews).

• To start Civil Services Exam preparation, it is not a must to attend any coaching institutes. But good coaching, either online or offline can be of great help to the candidates for proper guidance and knowledge.

• Follow a good strategy. Learn what UPSC toppers did. Take periodic mock tests to evaluate your performance.

• As you may know, only when tested in an exam atmosphere with negative marking, you can improve the ability to deliver in the actual exam hall.

• Enroll for UPSC Prelims mock exams. You would be surprised to find how fast you can learn!

• In the last twelve years, women topped the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) for eight times. More significantly, beginning from 2014, women candidates were the toppers for the consecutive three years.

• In recent years increasingly more girls appear and become successful in the civil services exam, but their number is still far less than the boys.

• Anu Kumari, a Delhi University graduate, came second in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam 2017. A woman IRS officer from Karnataka, Nandini KR, has topped the civil services exam 2016.

• This is for the third year in a row that a woman has bagged the top rank in the elite exam, with Ira Singhal having topped CSE 2014 and Tina Dabi CSE 2015.

For every 20 male IAS officers, there are only three female officers. Since 1974, India’s steel frame has incorporated only 687 women compared to more than 3,000 men.

• We can understand. You are not the only one left with just one chance. There must be many and many among them must be preparing with complete devotion because they would not let the past misfortune dominate their spirit. There are two possible approaches from here.

• Give your last attempt with complete dedication or begin thinking of an alternative career. For example our friend Amit Tolani made into IAS, AIR-151, CSE-2015-16 batch, MP cadre in his last attempt.

• If you are already in job then we would not recommend you to leave the job. As it is, you got enough time in your earlier attempts. – The point is there is a world beyond civil services and there is no need to feel disappointed.

• Since there is a world beyond civil services, there is no point to leave this world too because civil services dream could not be fulfilled.

• But for those of you who are really determined, it must come as a piece of good news that there are a large number of students who are through in their last attempt.

• Normally full time civil services preparation is recommended only in the beginning attempts where there is a lot of material to study, grasp and write. 

• Those who have only one or two attempts left should ensure that they have alternative career to fall back upon, so that they don’t have to do the entire thing all over again looking for a job. As it is 30 or 32 is the age when one should be established in a job.

• There are many students who having exhausted the civil services attempt go for state services where the upper age may be 40 or 42 years.

• If nothing happens there, then you are already more than a decade behind your colleagues, so the frustration will go on compounding.

• No each candidate has his/her own unique style of preparation according to their choice and temperament. 

• Yet some aspects are common while there are different aspects.

• Nearly all of them have the habit of reading newspapers and journals. 

• They have the habit of writing small or brief notes while studying. All of them practice writing.

• All of them are serious and determined and therefore have a game plan or the plan of action.

• They differ in the number of hours they study. They are not alike in respect of the time of day or night they study. 

• Some of them may appear to read too much, others may appear to read too little. Some of them are quick readers, others read slowly. 

• Some of them underline the text while reading; others do not follow this practice. 

• Some of them go for coaching, others do not. There are a number of other differences. You will need to explore and develop your own style.