Every year, thousands of young Indians begin their journey towards the civil services with a dream to become an IAS, IPS, IFS or another civil servant and contribute to the country. The aspiration is admirable. But soon many discover that the challenge is not merely the vast syllabus or competitive examination. It is knowing what to study, what to leave out, how to organise time, assess progress and change course when necessary. This is where a mentor can make a significant difference.
A mentor is not a shortcut to success, nor a substitute for hard work, but is a compass, a mirror and a sounding board. The compass helps choose the direction; the mirror reveals strengths and weaknesses; the sounding board helps the aspirant think through difficult choices.
The modern aspirant faces an unusual problem: not lack of information, but information overload. Books, websites, videos, coaching programmes, test series and social media offer endless advice.
An inexperienced aspirant may spend months collecting material without mastering it, repeatedly change strategies or follow too many sources. The result can be activity without progress.
A mentor can help answer fundamental questions: What should I study? What should I leave out? Where do I stand? What are my weaknesses? Is my method working? The mentor’s greatest contribution may therefore be not adding more material, but removing unnecessary material and confusion.
Mentor is not the same as coach: A coaching institution can provide lectures, study material, tests and a structured programme to many students. Mentoring is more individual.
A mentor should understand the particular aspirant—their educational background, strengths, weaknesses, available time, learning habits, writing ability and level of preparation—and help develop a realistic strategy.
There is no universal timetable for success. There is only a disciplined timetable that works for the individual aspirant.
The first task of the mentor is diagnosis. Before prescribing a plan, the mentor should identify whether the student’s difficulty lies in knowledge, writing, comprehension, time management, revision or consistency. The second is planning—converting an intimidating examination into manageable stages. The third is prioritisation. Not everything interesting is important for the examination. The fourth is feedback. Constructive criticism can reveal gaps in structure, content, analysis and presentation. The fifth is course correction. A strategy that worked three months ago may not work today. A good mentor should be willing to say, “This is not working; let us change it.”
Aspirants should exercise caution in selecting a mentor. Fame on social media, a large following, photographs with successful candidates or promises of guaranteed success are not sufficient criteria.
One quality deserves special emphasis: positivism.
Civil-service preparation inevitably involves uncertainty, disappointment and failure. A mentor must be realistic about the difficulty of the examination, but should not cultivate fear, cynicism or helplessness. A good mentor identifies problems without making the student feel that they are insurmountable.
True positivity is not telling every student, “You will certainly succeed.” That may be false reassurance. True positivity is the ability to face an uncomfortable reality and still say, “Let us work out the way to go.”
The aspirant should ask: Do I leave a discussion with this mentor clearer and more confident, or more confused and discouraged? A mentor who constantly criticises, compares or undermines confidence may create more problems than he or she solves.
Mentoring has a paradox: the better the mentor, the less dependent the student should eventually become. A civil servant must exercise independent judgement, examine competing viewpoints, take decisions and accept responsibility. A mentor who expects approval for every small decision may weaken that quality. The mentoring relationship should therefore move through three stages: Direction → Development → Independence. Initially, the mentor may provide greater structure. As understanding improves, the mentor should ask more questions and give fewer ready-made answers. The objective is not to create a well-coached candidate, but a self-directed learner and independent thinker.
Mentoring works only when both sides do their part. A student should come to a mentoring session prepared—not merely asking, “Sir, what should I study?” A better question is: “I have completed these topics, attempted these tests, identified these weaknesses and reviewed my performance. These are the problems I see. What do you suggest?” That is a mentoring conversation.
The Bhagavad Gita places emphasis on approaching the wise, questioning and learning. The lesson is relevant: the student must have the humility to learn and the courage to ask questions.
How do you know whether mentoring is working? Better marks are not the only measure.
Ask: Is my study more organised? Am I using fewer but better sources? Is revision regular? Are my answers improving? Is time management getting better? Am I identifying my own mistakes? Am I becoming more confident without becoming complacent?
Most importantly: Am I increasingly able to diagnose my own problems?
If yes, mentoring is adding value. A simple cycle can help: Assess → Plan → Execute → Review → Correct.
Assess where you are. Plan where you want to go. Execute with discipline. Review the evidence, not merely your feelings. Correct what is not working. Then begin again.
Listening to several sources is useful. Following several competing mentors can be confusing. The danger begins when an aspirant changes strategy every time someone offers a new idea. Listen to many. Learn from many. But own your strategy.
Civil services is not merely an examination for obtaining a prestigious career. It is preparation for public responsibility. A mentor should therefore encourage curiosity about society, empathy for vulnerable citizens, constitutional values, ethical reasoning, communication skills and an understanding of India’s diversity.
Prepare for the examination, certainly. But prepare also for the responsibility that lies beyond the examination.
The simplest test of a mentor is this: After every few months, is the student becoming more capable, disciplined, knowledgeable, self-aware and independent?
If yes, the mentoring relationship is doing its job. The mentor cannot honestly promise success. The responsibility is different: to help the aspirant avoid avoidable mistakes, recognise weaknesses early, use time intelligently, develop sound habits and remain steady through uncertainty.
The student’s responsibility is equally clear: Listen. Question. Work. Reflect. Take ownership.
A mentor can show you the road. A mentor can warn you about the wrong turns. A mentor can walk the talk but you have to work the talk.
The finest mentor is not one who creates dependence, but one who gradually makes himself or herself less necessary. The purpose of mentoring is not to carry the aspirant to the destination. It is to make the aspirant capable of reaching it independently—and ultimately capable of carrying the responsibilities that await there.
Dr PM Nair IPS (Retd), Former DGP, NDRF
*Dr. P.M. Nair, IPS (Retd.), is a leading global expert on Anti Human Trafficking and has served as Chair Professor at TATA Institute of Social Sciences. He retired as Director General NDRF and Civil Defence, Govt. of India. Now Working on National SOP on Missing Children and Child Trafficking on the directives of the Supreme Court of India. At Trivandrum, he is involved with Cosmo IAS Civil Services Academy as one of its Patron and Mentor