11 Main Reasons why IAS Exam Aspirants Fail!

In our country, lakhs of IAS aspirants opt for the IAS exams. Every year around 15000 out of 5 lakh candidates qualify for the IAS Prelims exam, which means the qualifying rate is only 3%.

Even after clearing the prelims exam, some fail to cross over the Mains bridge. A few leap over the Mains Exams but stumble at the UPSC interview round. The figures are depressing as the rest; 97% represent broken dreams and lost aspirations. 

Those who fail in the IAS Exam have certain things in common, and therefore the same mistakes are also repeated by others. Every aspirant delivers their 100 percent, but still, they fail to make it through this venture because there is not much difference in IQ. Still, the victory lies in the fundamental difference of approach between the failed and successful aspirants. Let us take a look at a few reasons which lead to failure in the IAS Exam.

11 Reasons of failing in IAS Exam

1. Absence of Strategy

Anything initiated without a strategy leads us nowhere. When an aspirant starts his preparation without a plan, there is no road map to guide him on which subject is covered in how many days, when to give mock tests, revision period, and other stuff. Aspirants fail in the IAS Exam either they did not have a strategy or did not religiously follow their process. Giving up on the plan in the middle of preparation indeed leads you to failure.

2. Considering Prelims as a Qualifying Exam

Many of the aspirants tend to take the prelims lightly, giving more emphasis to the main exam preparation. This is because they feel the syllabus of Prelims is not too difficult to wrap up. But the truth is that the IAS exam syllabus is like an iceberg. If you are not taking the prelims exam seriously and delaying your preparation, you will not succeed in the IAS exam.

3. Lack of Knowledge about the IAS syllabus

Many aspirants do not give the IAS Exam syllabus its due importance. However, the UPSC always sticks to the syllabus, and even the current affairs questions are connected to the syllabus.

Focusing on various study materials while ignoring the primary IAS Exam syllabus will only prove to be a very costly mistake.

4. Poor Time Management in the IAS examination

The widespread problem that aspirants face is they tend to get carried away, giving more time to a few questions while spending less time on other questions in the IAS Exam. To score smartly, spend less time on direct questions. The areas that are asked for adequate knowledge can be attempted at last, and that is how an aspirant can balance time among all questions and avoid failure.

5. Not Giving Mocks and Test Series

The IAS Exam is not about how much knowledge one has; it is about writing down to the point yet quality answers within the allotted time. Those who do not attempt enough mocks and test series go blank in the IAS Exam when they read the question paper. This is because they take a lot of time to understand the question and choose the correct answer. If you do not want to fail in the exam, attempt numerous Mock papers to write the best answers within the least time possible.

6. Choosing Wrong Optional Subject

The common mistake that is repeated by most of the IAS aspirants is choosing the wrong optional subject in the IAS Exam. They pick the optional subject which is the choice of previous years’ toppers. Or they follow the statistics and select the one which is the most popular of them. 

They keep trying to mug it up but if the subject is not liked by them then all their efforts go in vain. If you also follow this guessing game then you will also not get success in the IAS exam. Choose the optional subject that excites you to achieve good scores in the exam.

7. Reading Anything and Everything 

There is a plethora of study material available in the market for the IAS Exam and the aspirant hears about it and buys it. This leads to nothing but hoarding of unnecessary study materials and ignorance of the actual syllabus. Aspirants should gather the materials which are necessary and stick to them only. Except for current affairs, collecting everything and trying to study them only confuses and frustrates you leading you to failure.

8. Lack of Revision

There is no doubt that the IAS Exam Syllabus is vast. That is why most of the aspirants keep studying new topics till the last minute. However, lack of revision is one of the biggest reasons for failure in the IAS exam. No matter how small your mistakes are, the IAS exam will hugely impact your score, and revision is the only way to analyze your mistakes and correct them.

9. Lack of Conceptual Understanding 

IAS Aspirants generally focus only on the advanced level books forgetting to brush up their basic skills. They must understand that the IAS Exam is not only about the bookish knowledge, but your approach is also checked. The essays of the Main exam are designed to check your conceptual understanding of the topic.

10. Lack of Confidence

The IAS Exam is the toughest in India, so a bit of nervousness is expected. But fear, lack of confidence lead many aspirants to failure. Even if an aspirant is well-equipped with the answers, facts, and figures, he wastes a lot of time thinking about the same.

11. Relying on Coaching

Those aspirants who rely a lot on coaching centers and do not self-study make their notes fail in the IAS Exam. You must research a given topic, find creative techniques to memorize things, and identify your weak points before the exam.

Failures believe that coaching is enough, and they do not dedicate enough time to self-study, self-assessment, and an effort to understand things on their own.

These are the few common mistakes that aspirants make in the IAS Exam, which leads to failure. So make sure you consider them, take a lesson from them, and do not repeat the same mistakes during the next preparation.