IAS Divya Mittal, who cracked IIT and IIM, shares mantra to stay focused

But, the CSE, usually called as UPSC exam demands an extreme amount of focus, patience, and ability to handle stress, and even after having all three, people still crack or fail this exam with a meager percentage of luck. Focus is something difficult to get and once you are focused, the other two factors (patience and stress handling) automatically fall into line.

In the state of Uttar Pradesh, the District Magistrate of Mirzapur, Divya Mittal remembers the struggle to achieve focus during her preparation. She previously cracked the prestigious IIT and IIM exams, so she had experience in handling exam stress, but UPSC is altogether a different game.

Divya Mittal, an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 68 in the UPSC CSE 2012, accepts that she faced a lot of distractions while studying for all the exams she cracked. In a Twitter thread, she even shared small tips to overcome distractions and achieve great focus. Let’s take a look at her tips:

1. Mobile usage: She directly addressed the elephant in the room- ‘mobile usage’, it is very crucial during preparation to reduce the usage of mobile phones and she even suggested ways to reduce it. First, measure the time one spends on mobile applications, secondly keep the phone away while studying, one can keep it with his/her friend or parent lastly, she also suggested an application for students called ‘Blackout’ which can restrict the internet in phones for six hours every day.

2. Early morning study: Like our parents, Divya Mittal also believes in the benefits of studying during the early hours of the morning and she especially emphasizes it as one has fewer distractions in the morning.

3. Short study sessions: The IAS officer suggests, short/focused study sessions of 90-120 minutes and also stresses the value of 15 minutes break in between.

4. To Improve focus: She suggests practicing focus by focusing on a single object for some time, which can be a flame, pencil, or point on a wall. The IAS officer also recommends listening to Binaural beats which are sound vibrations of 40 Hz, which can be obtained from YouTube.

5. Exercise and Nutrition: Divya Mittal emphasizes the importance of exercise and nutrition during studies. She recommends going close to nature and walking at least 20 minutes daily and also consuming a balanced diet while avoiding munching on snacks.

In this era of distractions, these tips by a senior IAS officer can help aspirants to focus on their studies and achieve their objectives with ease.