Well, right now it is suggested that you should focus completely on your 12th board. After this, you first research a bit about IPM and how much time it will take to prepare. With such data, you can start preparing for IPM and by the time your exam comes, you will be ready.

As much as I know about IPM, it consists of 60% of quantitative aptitude and 55% of which includes higher mathematics, which is basically your complete 11th and 12th mathematics.

• So if you prepare your maths in the 12th nicely, you don't need to struggle after your boards, especially in the quant section.
• As for the verbal section, I would advise you to start reading English newspapers. It will help you in the reading section.
• Verbal section includes questions of antonyms, synonyms; fill in the blanks, idioms & phrases, and analogies which you can prepare from any CAT book.

IPM Aptitude Test Pattern:

• The exam pattern states that IPM Aptitude Test is a multiple choice objective type paper with 100 questions divided among 2 sections.
• The duration of the exam is 2 hours.
• Each question carries 4 marks and there is a negative marking of 1 mark for each wrong answer.
• Quantitative Ability-60, Verbal Ability- 40

As in the interview, the questions which are asked basically depend upon the subjects you studied in 10+2 and your career aspirations. Be well aware of the current events and trends. If you follow these points, your exam would become a lot easier.

Indira Gandhi National Open University is a public university approved by NCTE and AICTE. It offers a number of open learning programs and is well known and recognized among a number of different organizations like the Association of Indian Universities, therefore, doing a B.A. degree from here is a good choice. The following points highlight important aspects of obtaining a B.A degree from the institute.

Academics:

• The BA degrees at IGNOU offer a wide variety of core disciplines in subjects like Economics, Sociology, and Public Administration with a lot of the course work overlapping with UPSC preparations.

• The exams for the coursework are also designed such that they benefit the student if they are appearing for other exams like UPSC.

• IGNOU is known for its well-founded courses that ensure the best interests of the student. Depending on if one plans to choose a distance learning or open course degree, one can choose to appear for UPSC.

BA degree from IGNOU:

• Obtaining a BA degree from the university depends upon if you are a part-time student at the institute or committed to full-time study. The former situation might be a little tough on the student.

• Students are continuously evaluated with assignments, marks from which are counted for the final result.

• Assignments carry a weightage of 30% of the total result. Students are barred from appearing for end term examinations if they miss an assignment.

• The major evaluation component is the term-end evaluation system which carries a total of 70% weightage. These exams are conducted twice a year.

• Students are expected to study from the course material provided and answer accordingly to the point. Most importantly, ensure that one is registered for the exam, failing which results are not declared.

In conclusion, you can definitely prepare for the UPSC CSE at the same time as your BA degree. While it is not very tough to clear the BA degree, a habit of regular study will definitely help one obtain it with a good result.