Does hardwork really produce results in the UPSC Civil Service Examination?

Yes hard work does pay off but then you need to keep in mind following considerations:

• Everyone of us have different level of aptitude, concentration and ability to grab things. This will determine the amount of time one needs to prepare for services. So never judge your hard work from comparative perspective and feel bad if you fail.
• Hard work can help you to build up your knowledge quotient,but UPSC is much more than that. It demands articulation and application of that knowledge on paper .That requires smart work and ability to deliver in 8 minutes.
• Most Importantly hard work without direction, with low motivation or pessimism will never bear results.

So hard work is very important and probably the most important tool but it needs to be complimented with some aptitude, common sense, articulation and analytical skills , and yes positive attitude. If you have it you will reach your destination. Just don’t doubt yourself.

I have one person with me in services who got visually impaired at age of 4, worked for years as a laborer, after metric did not went to a regular school. Still managed to become a civil servant. Point is enjoy your journey and your efforts, things will automatically start falling for you.

And yes if you want something badly, failure can only delay things but not stop you from getting it. Most of the people who appear for services fail( odds are less then 0.1%) but it is people who don’t give up make it at the end to the list. Majority of people have subsequent attempts to their profile. They failed, they felt bad but they faught back. Analysed their mistakes, worked on them and ensured their success.