6 days ago, results for the CA finals were announced in India.

To be brutally honest, the odds of winning admission to #Harvard are higher than clearing the CA exam in India (in one go).

A thread : 1. The exam takes years of persistence, and perseverance - and yet after clearing the exam - many switch careers or sectors (via civil services, or #MBA).

2. There are many exceptional CA aspirants who end up wasting their 20s appearing/reappearing for this exam unsuccessfully

How to bounce back after a failed UPSC Attempt?

Two days ago, when #IAS results were declared many dreams were shattered, and a few ‘lives' were made.

Life isn’t a zero-sum game.

Here's some practical advice your #UPSC coaching centers will never give you.

Read ON, ReTweet 1. Do NOT drop another year: Out of 1 million who appear for UPSC only around 80 become IAS officers. For no fault of yours, UPSC is a game of luck - after a point of time. (1)

What does life look like if you don’t clear UPSC?

5 years ago, I missed the #UPSC final list by 8 marks. My score in optional was among the highest in India, and my interview score of 204 was the second-highest.

A few years down the line, I’m in Istanbul..

Read On, ReTweet. - discussing with one of India’s entry-level diplomats, whether it makes sense for him to leave the services and do an #MBA.

1. India has changed: We aren’t a 20th-century socialist economy anymore. (1)

During one of my Harvard Classes, a person who always sat next to me was a 26 years old multimillionaire.

He had worked in Bain & Company and thereafter dabbled into F&O trading amongst other things (where he made his fortunes).

He audited my class for four weeks, and I was (1) naively dazzled by his millionaire stature.

After classes, we gallivanted around Cambridge Restaurants and Pubs meeting other important people from his own country. I found it exciting, and I enjoyed the feeling that I was entering these rarefied social circles. (2)

[How I aced my #UPSC]🧵

On the day of my #IAS interview - I was sleep-deprived, overburdened with my office work, and was clearly underprepared

To make matters worse, a week ago -my then-girlfriend had broken up with me. And there were a million emotions running through my mind Unlike my friends who had prepared full time for #UPSC, I had prepared along with a full-time job, and therefore, could take only 2 days off of my work to prepare for the interview. Long behold, my interview scores were amongst the highest in India that year.
What worked for me?

A few years ago, I was able to crack multiple stages of the #UPSC exam cycle in a relatively short span of time.

Here’s my 5 step approach on how you should actually prepare for #IAS - especially when the exam is 2 months down the line.

A thread ↓ Step 1: Don’t join a coaching institute. It is a waste of time and money.

Step 2: Download all the standard books for GS. And read them cover to cover at least 3 times. (List in the conclusion of the thread)