Two days before Prelims, I sat frozen on my bed, convinced I had forgotten everything. Conquering that exact panic is what got me into the IAS. If your brain is short-circuiting right now, close the books. Sunday is not a memory test. It’s a nerve test. Here's some pointers on how to handle the big UPSC Prelims day: 1. Last minute panic. Take a deep breath. Feeling like your mind has gone completely blank right now is perfectly normal. Your brain isn't failing you. It’s just feeling the pressure. I promise, the moment you sit down and see the choices on the paper, the answers will come rushing back to you. Recognizing the right answer is much easier than trying to pull it out of thin air right now. Trust the hard work you've put in. You are entirely ready for this. 2. The 10-second reset. If you open the booklet and your heart starts racing, drop your pen. Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths. Reset. This is not time wasted. This is the preparation to tackle the exam without panic. Ten seconds spent breathing will give you many minutes of clarity. 3. Stay in the current question. When you’re in the thick of the exam, you have to treat every single question as an entirely separate event. If Question 14 is from a topic you thought you should have known, but it still absolutely stumps you and leaves you feeling defeated, draw a hard stop then and there. Do not let that irritation or doubt reach Question 15. Each question is an opportunity to score. Forget the previous question. 4. Difficult/unfamiliar paper If you look at the paper and feel completely shocked because the questions are surprisingly hard or the pattern has changed, stop. Do not panic. Remember: if the paper is tough for you after all your hard work, it is tough for everyone else in that room too. Always remember how GS pre works. You do not need a particular score. When a paper is harder than usual, the cutoff marks will naturally go down. Dont let a tough exam shake your confidence. You must build a mental wall. 5. Put your blinders on during the break. The lunch break between GS and CSAT is a psychological minefield. The loudest voice in the canteen is usually the most wrong. Block out the chatter. Don't match answers. Don't check Telegram. Eat, breathe, sit in silence if you can. Your CSAT score depends on it more than you realise. 6. Attempt strategy When you start solving the paper, don't let your ego get in the way. Attack it in three rounds. In your first round, only look for the easy wins. Answer the ones you know for sure. If a question slows you down, don't get stuck trying to prove you can solve it. Note it and move on. Use your second round for questions that need a bit more time, and your last round for the really hard ones. Always remember: a tough question gives you the exact same marks as an easy one. Don't waste time fighting a hard problem early on, only to miss out on easy marks at the end of the paper. Grab the easy points first, build your confidence, and keep moving forward. 7. Sleep I know its difficult sometimes to sleep before a big exam. Do try. Put away your books and close your eyes. I do need to tell you though, even if you cant sleep, dont panic. I have been unable to sleep whole nights before exams, because I was panicking about not getting enough sleep!! And even if you can't sleep very well, you will still do fine. Adrenaline will cover for the lack of sleep. But do try! 8. Separate your worth from the paper Finally, please remember this: the exam is just a test of how you manage your focus and strategy on one specific Sunday. It is absolutely not a final judgment on how smart you are, your character, or your worth as a person. You had a whole life before this exam, and you will have a full life after it is over. No matter what the result is, simply putting yourself through this challenge has already made you stronger and wiser. Go in there, hold your head high, and just give it your absolute best effort.