IT was my Third and Last attempt. i went for 2012, 2013 and 2014.
in 2012 i just went for the exam to enjoy it. before appearing in the exam i thought it would be a really tough one, but when i had a look of the the essay and precis papers, i realized that the exam is not that tough as we perceive it to be. i was short by 9 marks to pass the written part.
the 2013 attempt was with good preparation. I had a good exam and was sure to get through. but the result was complete disaster.
in 2014 attempt, i appeared without any preparation again. but because of the pattern of the papers i was able to attempt the papers in a good manner. i am satisfied with my performance in my last attempt and am expecting to get though this year. and if i don't get through, i will have no regrets, because i learnt lots of things that i didn't before going for CSS.
From my CSS journey i learnt that the only thing you need to be a civil servant is to have craze for it. determination is the first step. CSS written is not something really tough but it needs over all grooming and not bookish knowledge. Just be determined and have craze for it.