u/Due_Extreme_2448

20M here . I have started preparation today.
I wanted to learn from people who are in this journey right now , are confident of their preparation or have cleared it ,especially those who’ve made mistakes, faced failures, or even cleared it. just have some questions

If you could go back to Day 1 of your preparation:

• What would you do differently?
• What were your biggest mistakes that cost you time/attempts?
• What should a complete beginner absolutely avoid in the first 6-12 months?
• What’s the current trend of UPSC (Prelims + Mains) that beginners often misunderstand?
• How should someone with average academic background build strong basics?

Also, would you recommend starting completely from self-study (NCERTs + standard books), or is coaching/test series necessary at some stage?

please help your younger brother out