{"id":9543,"date":"2017-10-25T23:23:04","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T17:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=9543"},"modified":"2019-07-12T14:46:08","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T09:16:08","slug":"minutes-to-midnight-scoring-better-in-mains-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/minutes-to-midnight-scoring-better-in-mains-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Minutes to Midnight – Scoring better in Mains 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are about 7 billion living people on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And about 98 billion dead people. Throughout human history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we do not remember all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We remember some, who left a mark. On us as individuals, or\non the society as better humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In about ten days the Civil Services Mains Examination will\nbe over.  The day you had been preparing for, all your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you shall write history too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So today, I write for completely selfish reasons.  To\nbe a little part of the grand history you will make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of you may have been preparing for it for about half a\nyear. Some for half a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in an egalitarian exam like this, where time is a\nresource that everyone has an equal<\/em> amount of, the wise utilization of\nyour energy and time, will decide who excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I want you to excel, so here are some pointers, for the\nD Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1 These are days of opportunities, not challenge. All\nyou need is a mental revolution.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Days like these don’t come often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are times of stress, and pressure.  The kind that\nturns the coal into diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the coal often complains of the heat. And the pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So In the next one week, you have to make me two promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. You\n will have the patience to revise as much as you can. Keep your mind busy.\n and Positive.<\/li>
  2. You\n will not let one single person, who has studies less than you, written\n less tests than you, and  has much less to lose than you – beat you\n in Mains.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    That all<\/em> I am asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And here are two things I have to tell you<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. The\n Question Paper will be an evenly distributed one, not taken from any one\n single source. So if you have not done something, don\u2019t you worry.<\/li>
    2. You\n do not need any more preparation than your current levels. In fact the\n candidate likely to beat you  is someone less<\/em> prepared than\n you. By sheer confidence or fearlessness. And performance. On the day of\n the exam.  Don\u2019t let her<\/em> win.<\/li>
    3. You\n may not realize it yet, but On the day of the exam, your biggest problem\n will be to complete the paper, not lack of knowledge.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      So here is how to optimize you\u2019re the score on the D\nDay.  And win Sparta. Or perhaps the Helen of Troy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      #2 If you are nervous, or afraid, accept<\/em> it.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Because everyone<\/em> is. And probably everyone should\nbe<\/em>. and if you are not, its alright too. You are stoic. Its a function of\ntime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So do not try to solve fear problems. Or anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Learn to live<\/em> with it. And practice to perform under\nduress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So Tell this to yourself. Being anxious is not abnormal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It\u2019s the new normal<\/em>. And life will be much easier\nonce you accept that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And acceptance is the key. To inner peace. ( Damn, its hard\ntoo. )<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      #3 Your revision on the last days\/days of the exam have\nto be time based and not topic based.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      By this, I mean that you must focus not on completing any\ntopic back to back. If you decide to complete world history, by all means\nexpect two things<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • You\n will take more than than you  thought in covering it<\/li>
      • You\n will not have the patience to finish it off, because your mind will tell\n you are wasting time, and must study something else instead. ( Your mind\n will tell you the same thing, if you decide to switch subjects. )<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        So a good way to fight it is to follow this approach :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • Decide\n a small “doable” topic – Say the Cold War ( instead of choosing\n World History)<\/li>
        • Tell\n yourself, you will do that topic in 40 minutes<\/li>
        • Speed\n through the topic, flip through the pages, often reading only the\n headings\/ sub headings and do the best you can in 40 minutes<\/li>
        • If\n you miss the deadline, leave the topic.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          A few iterations of this method  will ensure that \nyou won’t panic because of excessively focusing on a single topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Second<\/em>, when you know that you only have 40 minutes\nto do cold war, you will better utilize your time, and be more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Third,<\/em> you will be on your toes, without having the\nspare time to thing over anything negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thus, try to cover the entire syllabus in a time bound\nmanner. To the best of your abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You don\u2019t have to succeed. You just have to try.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          #4 Boost your score by diagrams<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Let me admit at the outset that we all have friends, who\nhave done nothing extraordinary, such as diagrams , flowcharts etc, and yet\nscored good marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          However, I know as a matter of fact, that presentation ,\nwhile may not substitute<\/em> content, does have a multiplier effect on the score<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And here are the four kinds of diagram, I would want you to\nmake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. The\n hierarchy<\/li>
          2. The\n Spoke and Wheel<\/li>
          3. The\n Necklace<\/li>
          4. The\n Cycle<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Just try them at home. and replicate them in the exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            #5 Use Articles , facts in your answers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            An old trick to get an above average score is to do some of\nthese<\/p>\n\n\n\n