Delhi is a hub of coaching centers. One can easily find a right coaching center for preparation of almost every competitive exam. Every year thousands of students flock to the city in search of a good coaching center that can help them in UPSC or other competitive exam preparation. Some of the areas including Mukherjee Nagar, Jia Sarai, and Rajinder Nagar are the hub of IAS coaching centers.

Everything seems to be very exciting and adventurous when someone comes to the city for the first time. However, students should take care of a few do’s and don’ts to get maximum benefit from their stay in the national capital. This is not just about the coaching center or the exam preparation techniques but also about the location of your residence and time management in the city. So, here are major do’s and don’ts for the students coming to Delhi for the preparation of UPSC exam.

Do’s

Look for shared accommodation: If you have to live in a rental home, instead of looking for a single room, go for a 2-3 BHK flat. You can ask other classmates to share the accommodation to save money on other facilities like food, AC, electricity etc. Further, it will also help you in the preparation of UPSC mains test series as you can discuss the topics with the peers living with you.

Find a residence close to your coaching center: Finding a home close to the coaching center helps you save a lot of time on the commutation. Delhi is popular for its long traffic jams and for the students preparing for IAS every minute is precious. Coaching institutes like Vajiram and Ravi have been strategically placed in locations where students can easily find cheap accommodation in nearby areas and have easy access to metro station.

A study in groups: When living in a new city, most of the time you have is for studies. You can utilize this time to the fullest by opting for group studies and this is possible only when all the IAS aspirants live in the close vicinity. There are specific areas, where most of the accommodations are occupied by the Civil Services exam aspirants.

Don’ts

Don’t pay all the attention to the cheap dwelling: Undoubtedly, every penny is important for the students and they try hard to save as much as they can. Sometimes to find a cheap room, students end up living in far flung areas or in the homes that don’t even have the basic amenities. This will only make your preparation difficult.

Don’t live with too many people: Forming group for the collaborative study is good for IAS exam preparation, but it should have a limited number of participants. Making a group doesn’t mean creating a huge crowd where most of the time goes in gossips. It should be a group of serious and likeminded people.

Don’t join coaching center in a hurry: Some students are in so much hurry to join the coaching center that they just check 2-3 options and pick one out of them. It is not just about the money you are going to pay but also the guidance and the success in the exam. Judge the coaching center on the basis of their success rate, location, fees and the quality of study material that includes notes, Prelim test series, and GS mains test series.

Don’t get swayed by the dreamy world: Delhi is a glittering dreamy world, with a lot of distractions and many students get swayed by it. This needs strong willpower to be focused on the goal and ignore the fancy life.

These are some of the points every should coming to Delhi for Civil Services exam preparation should keep in the mind.