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Questions to Neyawn - Post it here

Dear All,
Since I get a bit of emails and answering each email sometimes becomes tedious , particularly when the same thing has to be repeated, I am using this thread to answer any questions you may have with respect to preparation.

What you can post
  • Preparation related queries
  • Any advice or input with respect to career / life decisions
  • Inconvenient questions / social media rumours and clarifications ( since that is what most people end up asking )

What you cannot post
  • Coaching related query 
  • Any ForumIAS service related queries
  • Any academy related requests that should be routed through official Helpdesk

Any such posts will be deleted.


Neyawn,stoicsphinxand10 otherslike this
17.6k views

23 comments

Sir, I want to ask about future course of action.

I gave 2025 Mains, got 618 (E-70; GS-319; Anthro.-229). Failed 2025 Mains and '26 Prelims (2nd attempt) badly due to 'not following calendar'.

Post prelims failure, no planned studies done. Firstly prepared half notes for polity mains, gone through awfg '26 (not written but read it wholly), wrote essay, gs mains'26 at home, ~wrote some other tests, revised ethics from coaching notes, have read newspaper daily.


Issues I think I have-
1. Mains Notes not made: I have bulky selfmade Anthro notes, and for GS - no selfmade notes, but Coaching Notes (Note Making feel like loosing time).
2. Essay Writing - I have NO idea, what to do. I got fine feedback before Mains '25 but very very low score in actual paper.
3. I am loosing track of time.

Questions:
1. What should be my course of action for next 3 months broadly? What is the work needed for really good GS written Score?
2. Should I keep Geography, Modern History, Environment and most of Science&Tech of Mains to be done with Prelims as it looks more efficient? and IR Mains for post-prelims?
3. How to even make Notes for GS1,2,3? How bulky (like 50 sides of pages) should they be? And should they be my last notes before Mains?
4. Is there any 'proven' way to Essay which gets 110+?
5. Should I sit for other exams like EPFO, CAPF (or CGL) before Prelims'27 for decreasing 'exam anxiety'?


Any other advice you would like to give? Please.

Thanks! for taking out you time.
Neyawn,
3.2k views
  1. In the next three months make sure you have an iteration of entire GS syllabus. Actually 1.5 months for GS 2, 1.5 months for GS 3, 1 month for GS 4, and last 1.5 months to GS 1. 
  2. Essay can continue alongside. 
  3. Check if your handwriting has legibility issues. DM me a pic or page and i should be able to give you my views. If handwriting legibility issues are there then there will be averaging tendency in awarding marks. Examiner may have to read more closely . And if he finds fault and uses the red ink then marks go for a toss.
  4. Yes Q2 subjects should be and could be done at the end
  5. For subjects like IR and in fact dynamic issues you can take a look at the most popular CA course - it neatly does the job.
  6. You do one thing, just take year long MGP papers of last year and make short notes of it you will cover the full syllabus. Then use it to write MGP of 2027. Alternatively you can go for CD X factor which someone shared with me last week and I felt it was good, though you may end up reading more than is required.
  7. Try to sit for 8-10 hours a day at least. Have a task list and only study as per the task list. If it’s not written on the ToDo don’t do it.
  8. Remember, action is the antidote to anxiety
P.S. the timeline I have shared should give you enough time for optional one paper solidifying at least along with GS .

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

AB12,Doreamonand2 otherslike this
3.7k views
Additionally do not shy away from making micro notes the year of the mains. It is just rewriting things for the day of the exam. Short notes of 30-40 pages in micro handwriting with no space.It’s like cheating notes except that you take it to the exam hall but discard it outside the exam hall. Will only have some diagrams , value addition and things you want to push in the exam.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

ketoke7759976,
3.4k views
I checked your handwriting. It is not your limiting factor. Finish off as I said mgp last year test questions , make notes and solve this year 2027 mgp papers + CA 2027, you will be sorted. Itne me call aa jayega.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

Doreamon,
3k views
Sir you talked about wion news in the post mains session. Can you please share link of the same (15-20 mins summary) for interview prep. 
DJ_Bobby_Deol,harveydent
3.3k views
Sir when will the application for the frc prelims phase open
2.4k views
Sir,abtak jitane test likha hoon sir sabhi me lagbhag lagbhag aadhe adhe question time ki kami ke karan chhoot jate hai use kaise cover karoon 
WadeWilson,
2.1k views
Sir apse ek request hai main janata hoon yaha yah question puchhana uchit nahi hai but jaruri hai isiliye puchh raha hoon Sir prelims toolkit hindi me bhi launch kar dijiye please sir 🙏 
2k views

Hello sir, 

this was my 2nd attempt, 1st mains. I’ve been preparing a little bit on my DAF and am enrolled in AWFG. however, since I have all the notes prepared and things fresh in my mind, I prepare very less for AWFG and score decently. 

The problem now is that I’m not being able to put in the number of hours and the focus with which I had been preparing for nearly 2 years before mains. 

2.7k views
Deleted

Hi sir, background about me: 1st attempt in 2027. I had a couple of questions -

1. What mains specific notes are a non-negotiable by December to confidently switch to Prelims prep from January onwards? 

2. I'm lost in GS 4 - making notes for Ethics seems like a waste of time since it's too abstract. Would you suggest if I have one base notes of a coaching institute + add value addition to that instead of making notes from scratch? I'm genuinely scared of wasting any time these three months. 

3. I'm keeping Oct, Nov, Dec for intense test writing + revision + closing gaps in my notes. Is there any other thing I should be doing to absolutely optimise my prep?  

Tests I'm writing: AWFG Intense, MGP, O-AWFG (Law Optional), Vajiram Sure Shot. 

2.7k views
Hi. I am preparing for 2027 attempt. I have revised the GS 1 2 3 syllabus 1-2 times. Have prepared the notes of GS 4 but havent revised it. I am currently giving weekly tests (sectional/full), revising completely from the Forum MGP PDFs. For many subjects, I am revising directly from the book underlining important parts and then revising only them. I am also revising optional together.
1. I am confused about the path further.. what and how to revise. How to create a proper revision schedule, aligning with test schedule and also get time for optional revision and answer writing. 
2. I have written 8 9 tests by now, but I think I have not benefitted much because my marks are not improving even a bit. How to make the maximum use of the test series, like making a mistakes notebook, or anything else. 

1.8k views

For mains related preparation you can refer to this

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Note making is a means to an end of being able to recall points in the exam. It is not an end in itself.

Mistake notebooks are only for prelims.




I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

1.9k views

For GS 4, you can refer to forum ethics course. internalise it with 2-3 revision and you should be able to solve 70-80% questions. For GS 2 and 3, you can follow the YouTube video strategy shared in another comment.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

1.9k views
Those are good problems to have. Just write the test and read the answers , integrate them in your notes. That’s all.

Most people who have written Mains or are well prepared do awfg without preparation and do pretty fine.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

1.9k views
I keep watching wion on and off on TV. It does not have the digest at any one time of the day but every two hours they show the same set of news  for 30-40 minutes with updated stories. So sorry for this miscommunication.

They did use to have a Day end round up from what I can gather , earlier . Not sure why this isn’t happening. Maybe because then who will keep watching them daylong.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

2.8k views
Hello Sir,
I am facing problem balancing AWFG 2027 with notes making for Mains. I am also enrolled with MGP and had thought of completing those as the AWFG tests for a given subject were over.

I have Mechanical Engineering as an optional and I am also enrolled in Current Affairs(Dipin Sir) classes which leaves on an average 10 hours to prepare for a given AWFG Test. 

Now what should I priortise:
1. Should I cover the syllabus of AWFG test with limited notes. Everytime I have went for making notes, due to lack of time I have reverted to this.
2. Should I focus on completing syllabus with notes for Mains and giving AWFG Test with limited preparation of the syllabus for the test. 

I am worried that with my current state of preparation, I might end up with not having notes for Mains and then I may have to pull up after Prelims 2027

1.8k views

Were you able to look at how to use MGP alternate approach video ?

You may not prepare fully for AWFG, prepare what you can and show up and write tests and post facto internalise the solutions

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS| No Coaching Review / Rant / promo / Complaint Allowed including ForumIAS Academy. All such threads will be deleted. I am working to rebuild ForumIAS Community in the limited time span that I have. Coaching threads attract wrong crowd / people. ForumIAS Academy will run limited support threads on the community. No new course launches will be announced here.

Cor_Ni,
3.1k views
The problem of consolidation and lack of revision and practice, and the optional burden , for the rankforge batch...
Cor_Ni,Vishaltiwari
1.6k views
Yes Sir, I did watch that and it was really helpful. Thank you for making that video.

These are the changes I have decided to make:
1. MGP: Aligning it with the alternate strategy and covering all the topics asked comprehensively. Value addition and reflection after every test
2. AWFG: PYQ aligned preparation(atleast last 5 years topics). Internalisation of the solutions after every test.

Thank you so much for your inputs Sir.
2.1k views

Sir, I’ve completed the MGP course and a mains-oriented lecture course from another institute. However, I need at least two readings of foundation notes for each subject as I haven’t internalised them yet. With blueprints, PYQ classes, mains-oriented lectures, and practice, it consumes a lot of time. I watched your video on alternatives: 

  • Should I focus only on the topics that are likely to be tested and leave the rest?
  • If I leave them now, when will I have time to prepare them?
  • I understand that perfection is the enemy of good, but isn’t near-perfect syllabus and answer writing necessary for top ranks?
2k views
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