IFS officer Vikas Singh Meena, who cleared the UPSC-CSE 2023 examination, with an All India Rank of 672, shatters several stereotypes about Hindi medium aspirants based on his own experience.

1. Psychological barriers Vikas says that many Hindi medium aspirants are told to join coaching institutes because it is believed that success is unattainable without it.

“There is a seniority culture in the lanes of Mukherjee Nagar. New candidates are expected to seek guidance from those who have given multiple attempts. They place blind faith in these seniors and regard those who cleared the exam as infallible,” he shares.

2. Limited study material Vikas points out that compared to English medium aspirants, there is limited study material for Hindi medium aspirants. “While there are standard books available in both languages, there is a lack of good study material for subjects like Environment and Ecology,” says Vikas.

3. Optimise sources “Conduct a trend analysis of the kind of questions that are asked in both prelims and Mains. Prepare accordingly. Do not waste your time mugging up from various sources,” he adds.

4. Do not neglect current affairs Aspirants are usually advised to read newspapers like The Hindu or The Indian Express, both of which are available only in English. Vikas says, “If you are unable to comprehend the language, then regularly follow YouTube channels that organise editorial discussions.”

“For instance, check out Harshit Dwivedi and Prashant Tiwari, who provide current affairs notes on Telegram,” he adds.

“Most of the Hindi medium aspirants come from BA and BSc backgrounds and may lack reasoning and mathematics abilities,” he says.

“They lose confidence in CSAT and end up focusing more on other subjects. Remember, it’s important to give equal weight to this paper as well,” he emphasises.