Meant for aspiring Civil Servants, this is perhaps the first text providing a comprehensive, in-depth strategy for all those who aspire to be at topmost positions in administering the nation.
Written by highly-placed Civil Servants and including first-hand experiences and advice from toppers in this exam, this book gives an overview not only for the examinations, but also for cultivating the correct attitude for the exams and the services. Additionally, it will enable all users to cut through the clutter and emerge successful from among more than five lakh students who appear for this exam every year by enabling the right kind of preparation. As the title suggests, it tells you what to prepare, from when to start the preparation and how to go about it.

About the Author

Madhukar Kumar Bhagat is an officer of the 1995 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (I.R.S.) in the rank of Additional Commissioner of Income-tax. He is also the author of several popular books brought out by McGraw Hill. Garima Bhagat is an officer of the 1996 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (I.R.S.). Ms. Bhagat secured the first rank in the Indian Engineering Services Exam conducted by UPSC in year 1996.

Table of Contents:
Section 1: Aiming for CSE 1–58 1. The Civil Services Examination: An Introduction 3–13 2. Target CSE: Preparation by the Undergraduates 14–22 3. Taking the Plunge: Beginning the Preparation for the CSE 23–37 4. Preparing for the Optional Subject 38–53 5. Preparing for General Studies of Main Examination and Essay 54–58 Section 2: The Preliminary Examination 59–224 7. Preparation for Paper I of General Studies: Prelims 72–95 8. CSAT: An Introduction 96–224 Section 3: The Main Examination 225–458 9. Main Examination: The Big Battle 227–237 10. Profile, Prospects and Preference of Services 238–255 11. Tips from the Toppers 256–304 12. Preparing for the Essay 305–322 13. General Studies—Paper I 323–332 14. General Studies Paper II 333–345 15. General Studies Paper III 346–365 16. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude 366–412 17. Optional: Key to Success in CSE 413–458 Section 4: The Personality Test 459–534 18. The Personality Test: The Final Frontier 461–534 Section Summary 497 Section Summary 502 Section 5: CSE and Beyond 535–550 19. Failure is not Final: Try Again 537–543 20. Success is Sweet: An Epilogue 544–550