Title : Once Upon An IAS Exam

Author : K.Vijayakarthikeyan

Publisher : Rupa publications

Blurb as on Goodreads:

It’s about a 25-year-old Vishy who is trying to crack the UPSC Civil Services Exam, while he balances the tugs and lurches of love and family. Will there be a happily ever after?

My take :

Vishy, twenty-five years old Mechanical Engineer, is an aspirant of UPSC exam who’s dream was to become an IAS officer. After failing in one of his attempts he decided to join in a Civil Service Exam coaching centre to pursue his ambition.

Meanwhile, he proposed to Rithika who was his friend from school. Would Rithika accept his proposal? Will Vishy be able to pass in his attempt? After all, the attempts are limited to a candidate.

This book made me think of how competitive it is to hold a place for us in this world. Being an aspirant I personally know how much stress these cutthroat competitions are.

Of course, self-doubt and fear were one of the key factors of these mental stress but I liked the way how Vishy composed himself and worked towards his goal in a calm state.

I always do self-preparation so I wasn’t aware of the fees structure of these Civil Service Exam Coaching centres until reading this book. No wonder coaching centres these days became a money-making business and there was nothing to blame on them as long as people are willing to pay them in lakhs. But it’s good to know that there are coaching centres like “Great Minds” still exist.

Coming to the point, this is a motivational book with a real-life example. The book has only 16 chapters yet the author conveys everything he wants to say within these 138 pages. Though I’m not a fan of cricket, I liked the cricket analogies used in this book.

The use of language is simple. The narration is fast-paced yet flawless. It’s a quick one time read. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants a light read.

My rating: 3/5

Thanks to K.Vijayakarthikeyan sir for the review copy.