Motivation: Courage and Common Sense

As you know, the cutoff for Prelims GS Paper-1 has come down to 75 marks. This indicates the increasingly difficult nature of both Prelims GS Paper-1 and the CSAT Paper. It also reflects the growing uncertainty, especially in the type and nature of questions that are appearing in the question papers.

Tomorrow it’s certain that the exam is going to be difficult and uncertain. In such a scenario, the best bet is to prepare your mind for the worst and to blindly trust your preparation. You must trust your instincts. You must trust your intuition. You must gather all of your common senses and apply it to the maximum extent.

The increasing difficulty level affects everyone in the exam hall, regardless of how brilliant they are or how well they have prepared. It impacts everyone taking this exam. Only those who have prepared their minds to experience, tolerate, and respond to uncertainty will excel in the exam tomorrow.

You must gather all your courage and tell yourself that no matter how difficult the exam will be tomorrow, you will approach it with utmost calmness, confidence, courage, and passion. The Prelims exam, or any other exam for that matter, is not the end for you. After tomorrow, there will be another sunrise. Life will continue. Struggles will continue.

Irrespective of all the difficulties and troubles you are currently facing, and all the expectations around you, you must continue to face the world without any shame or fear of failure. The world really doesn’t care about your success or failure. Inherently, it’s a selfish world. Any attention you might get for failing or succeeding is temporary. It’s your own mind that makes problems bigger than they are. Sometimes, it creates problems that don’t really exist.

So, tomorrow is just another day—a normal day in your life and the lives of all living beings. Go give your best. Don’t become overly conscious. Don’t give too much importance to tomorrow’s occasion. Whatever preparation you have done, it was not just for giving your best in the Prelims exam; it was all to better yourself, to improve your abilities and knowledge. Just apply whatever you know to the best of your abilities tomorrow. Use your common sense. Be present in the moment. Have a strong presence of mind. Don’t let even the smallest or biggest distractions affect your state of mind, both inside and outside the exam hall.

Be passionate and enjoy the choice you have made—the choice of becoming a civil servant and serving the people of India. The Prelims or Mains exam is just a part of the big choice you have made. We wish you all the best. We want you to succeed. We want you to succeed with happiness and joy.

*Calmness is the anchor that steadies the ship of courage in turbulent waters.*