Did my optional once but as you say doing once is not doing at all, now thinking to give daily 2 hours for optional answer writing, Prelims 2021 was scary and I have developed the prelims phobia, trying to do an integrated preparation for both prelims and mains and will focus completely on prelims by test series in March.
should I write mains test as of now?
Also waiting for your blog for us (first attempt in 2022)
I woke up at 5 am just to tell you this, please get the exam calendar right. Not March. If you are poor at Prelims, you do it from December 31st. Period. Man, it takes 4 month. If you have not cracked prelims before make that five.
Give the exam the respect it deserves. I had a guy who flunked and said I have it two months. The next year, he flunks again and said this time I gave it three month, then the next year he goes four months and flunks.
In the last attempt, I asked him how many months? He said sir - five months. That’s how you are thrown out of the game.
He would have been much better if he had given five months in the first attempt , if any later attempts would have been taken, they would be diminishing ..
Did my optional once but as you say doing once is not doing at all, now thinking to give daily 2 hours for optional answer writing, Prelims 2021 was scary and I have developed the prelims phobia, trying to do an integrated preparation for both prelims and mains and will focus completely on prelims by test series in March.
should I write mains test as of now?
Also waiting for your blog for us (first attempt in 2022)
And for competitive exams, we do things ten times. Once is not enough. This isn’t PU - people say down South.
@Neyawn kai baar log bahut samjhaane par bhi nhi maante hain, unhen lagta hai prelims is very easy , bcz the correct option is present there itself. Many ppl also have an issue that last time 5 marks se reh gaya ya 10 marks se reh gya bcz i studied 2 months, this year i will study 2 nd hlf months and get 20 marks extra.... but game toh kuc aur hi ho jaati haiMine reply:- dont do this....else yahi baaten yaad aayengiTo clear 1st time prelims or if one has failed prelims more than once 4-5 months is required
I say that more than 500 times every year.
I’ll also start from tomorrow maybe. I’ve been away from forum to detox myself from virtual world. Failure at prelims level was also a setback for me, needed time to recover fully. I had almost left this preparation cycle. But some success results of my friends and classmates motivated me.
For next 7-8 months, only prelims specific and optional (as I changed it this time) preparation. This time, I don’t want any excuse from myself.
Here’s how it’ll go:
Morning- Optional (3-4) answers daily + Ember & Ember (or other optional book)
Afternoon- not expecting too much (as I feel sleepy, and other commitments). But I’ll try to read CA and Newspaper.
Evening- Revision of the previous day tasks.
Night- GS part for Prelims. Expecting to cover all subjects before SFG starts.
I am very poor at consistency. Hope that doesn’t happen this time.
Just follow one rule. Give prelims dedicated five months and you will clear it. There are people I meet in fifteen attempt and first mains. Usually the first four years they give
Attempt 1 - just like that to get the feel
2 - 2 months of prep
3 - 3 months of prep
4- 4 months of prep
5 - 5 months of prep - only prelims . Writing first Mains. It’s wiser to do the reverse.
Can you jot down the first principles about the prelims? Things that you to be 100% true about the prelims. Work on them. No blame game. Just premises which you know are 100% true about prelims.
Can you jot down the first principles about the prelims? Things that you to be 100% true about the prelims. Work on them. No blame game. Just premises which you know are 100% true about prelims.
What does this mean? Can you please elaborate. What premises? Which principles?
So you will be cluttered with too many inputs. Somebody will say do this. Somebody will say do that. When you are surrounded by noise and lose direction, identify what are the “things that haven’t changed” or “things that you know to be definitely true about this exam” .
List down those things. Things that you will hear every topper say, or if you follow someone , if your mentor, what is the thing that he always says. Those become the first principles or the basics. You begin with them.
For example, you can be assured that
1) Exam demands revision . How many times? Refer to Apala M”s interview. She didn’t make it through prelims twice before she cleared it.
2) Exam requires solving PYQs. That is something that a topper in 2004 was also saying. How many years can we/ should we go ?
And so on..
Study only for Prelims. No seduction of optional. Widen reading base apart from basics to develop conceptual clarity.
or GS Mains. Bit of GS can be done, but no optional. It will do wonders for you.
Can you jot down the first principles about the prelims? Things that you to be 100% true about the prelims. Work on them. No blame game. Just premises which you know are 100% true about prelims.
What does this mean? Can you please elaborate. What premises? Which principles?
So you will be cluttered with too many inputs. Somebody will say do this. Somebody will say do that. When you are surrounded by noise and lose direction, identify what are the “things that haven’t changed” or “things that you know to be definitely true about this exam” .
List down those things. Things that you will hear every topper say, or if you follow someone , if your mentor, what is the thing that he always says. Those become the first principles or the basics. You begin with them.
For example, you can be assured that
1) Exam demands revision . How many times? Refer to Apala M”s interview. She didn’t make it through prelims twice before she cleared it.
2) Exam requires solving PYQs. That is something that a topper in 2004 was also saying. How many years can we/ should we go ?
And so on..
What if feels like having huge gap in preparation even after few attempts. Basic things like rivers still haven't heard of, Getting Modern History wrong etc. Till when this trial and error method should go on. Failing and then exploring one more area to fill in. What should be advisable for such students who ain't able to sum up things by self study. Feels like test series and SFGs are even not able to suffice to this gap. Maybe due to lack of due diligence or discipline. But how come it will arrive if it hasn't in these three years. What should such people do? Should they go for classes? Or leave upsc? 🥺
Look, writing SFGs is not enough. You have to be at the top of your game. If you are competing in CS, you have to be at the top of your game. Getting a top score in SFG consistently is a big insurance against failure in Prelims IMO. That’s because something like SFG requires a commitment that is not easy to have. That itself sorts you out.
Second, people know how to conquer new territory. In fact when an army marches conquering new territory, it’s not a real win if they do not secure the area behind them. What if the enemy has withdrawn and will regroup on the area behind you ? Soon the army will be surrounded from all sides, because it did not secure area conquered by it.
Many people will do an SFG / do a part of syllabus, but will be seduced by something new , instead of going and revisiting the same old things.
You don’t crack the exam because questions in Mains are repeated from the test, but because you know how to solve the test, you have developed the mental acuity and the ability to bear a certain mental stress.
You could possibly clear the exam if you could get the low hanging questions wrong instead of focusing on / banking on the ambiguous questions . How do you guarantee that basics are not wrong because of confusion ?
if you are scoring 80+ by any key, you are close and “in” the competition. If you are between 60-80, you have not done basics well- you get easy questions wrong. If you are below 50, you have not been paying attention to the exam. Maybe the optional, maybe gs, maybe essay, but not prelims .
In that case you were not in the game even if the paper was easy as the cut off would adjust to make way for it.
I categorise the preparation in following parts:
- Content building: First to cover some basic books, which everyone is referring. There should be multiple revisions before exam. Since the syllabus is huge, we need to specify the boundaries. The boundary will decide core, over which the peripheral concepts can be built. 4 sources to gain knowledge: teachers, self study, friends and time.
- Preparation for the exam: Multiple revisions of books and simulating exam like conditions through test series. Though test series will be very different from the actual exam, but attempting them is important, to fill the knowledge gaps and to prepare ourselves for the D-Day. Analysing PYQs to identify pattern is the most important thing. CSAT is important too.
- Actual exam: Gauging the toughness level of the paper to attempt optimum number of questions, Presence of mind, minimising wrong attempts. (Sabse pehle hame ghabrana nahi hai).
Good, now I’m point 1, can you read an additional book that helps in Mains as well as helps you solve the newer more conceptual questions ?
Flunked prelims due to csat was getting 68 from drishti, 5th attempt. Got selected in 2020 but not so good rank. Feeling lost after the result being in preparation mode for such long time and now suddenly I feel that emptiness looking at books. Have to recollect myself and prepare for one last time. Confused regarding changing optional (sociology) as not getting good marks but then thinking it can be worst decision/gamble in last attempt.@Neyawn sir if you can suggest something regarding road ahead for 2022 as now I might not get much time due to FC.
Take the bet for FC very carefully. Have spoken to some of our students and also posted a thread of to do FC or not .
This FC you won’t get much time for Pre. What is your scorecard across GS and Optionals ?
Hiii people. Good to see you guys putting up daily updates will be joining you guys for sometime now.
As I move towards prelims dominated preparation guided by SFG I am feeling little anxious and nervous because prelims has been my great fear and as@Neyawn says if it has happened it can happen again. So beating my own fears is the objective, which also includes waking up at 6 in winters.
09/01/2022 Day-01
1. SFG Targets
2. Newspaper
3. Ode+nm G20 targets
‘I shall sit under this tree and meditate upon my questions. And I shall not move until I have my answers. Even if my skin rots and my body decays, I shall not budge till I see the light,’ -Lord Buddha
1. DONE 2.DONE 3. NOT DONE
Not able to pick things for prelims pov. Need to be more efficient and read consciously for prelims pov.
10/01/2022 Day-02
1. NP + 1Ca class
2. analysis of SFG test
3. SFG Targets
Good day everyone:)
1. HALF DONE=NOT DONE 2. DONE 3. DONE
Did not get time to update before SFG Test such was the syllabus today. Anyway done with it successfully.
11-01-2022 Day-03
1. NP+CA CLASS
2. SFG Analysis
3. SFG tests
4. MATHS g20
Have a Good day people:)
1. DONE 2. DONE 3. DONE 4. NOT DONE
Frustrating score today. I have recognised a pattern when I revise poorly I lack confidence in attempting question hence silly mistakes and not attempting otherwise easy question. Anyone in same league?
12/01/2022 DAY-04
1. NP + CA CLASS
2. CA class revision
3. SFG TARGETS
4. G20 targets
Keep hustling:)
Quoting you
"Frustrating score today. I have recognised a pattern when I revise poorly I lack confidence in attempting question hence silly mistakes and not attempting otherwise easy question. Anyone in same league?"
Revising poorly and not clearing prelims is what everyone - the 99% do. How soon you realise the link between revision and performance enhancement is what will help you clear the prelims.
You have to revise like a maniac unless you are born with the photogenic memory. The good news is when you start revising you mind will expand and your ability to remember stuff will exponentially increase.
But first you have to reach that stage. This is not without a learning curve.
@Neyawn Sir Reading and giving test for upcoming 2 months cycle of SFG will be a continuous schedule.Need a advice what one needs to do strategically revise to overcome FOMO of previous read parts. How one should incorporate revision cycle in preparation. Please enlighten us.
Once a week, look back at what you have read. Also can you not give 90 minutes verydaybto reading what you have already done ? Like before going to bed or somtime in between. Remeber you have to have enough number of iterations ( and underlining / highlighting / scribbling ) such that you reach a stage where you are only needing to turn the pages.
Did all except test analysis of the mock. Slacked off in the second half.
Targets:
- SFG: Test + Analysis
- Mock1: Test Analysis
- SFG Prep
- SFG Test backlog - Geography
- SFG Theory backlog - Ancient
- Newspaper
- If possible, start mock2 analysis
Backlogs Backlogs Backlogs. Only agenda for today is to finish them off so that the delays in the 'plan' reduce.
Targets:
- SFG: Test + Analysis
- SFG Backlog
- Mock Test Analysis
- Newspaper
A suggestion will be to make sure that in chasing backlogs ( of any kind ), do not create backlogs of todays work. I end up meeting some folks who want to read the newspaper. And they want to be so sequential about it that while they have not read Todays newspaper, they are currently clearing the October 2021 backlog.
So much so that I have a feeling they may end up covering May's backlog after June. Not a good situation to be in.
Back again!
CGL was a mixed bag, and not pinning any expectations to it.
44 days to go! Have planned to divide my revision into four phases from here. The first phase, starting today, will involve in-depth revision of every subject except polity and modern India, which I've already completed.
Phase 1, Day 1: 22.04.22
1. Mrunal Pillar 1 (1/2)
2. Forum ques bank- Banking and Capital Market
3. Insta eco CA- 20 pages
Happy junoon, mates!
A day of low productivity.
1. Done 2. Not done 3. Not done
For today (23.04.22)
1. Finish Mrunal Pillar 1
2. Forum ques bank
3. Eco CA
Good day :)
Productivity slightly better, but not to the extent I would want it to be.
Review: completed about 70% of the first and second targets, did not start the third.
Same targets for today.
All the best!
Didn't post any targets yesterday as it was dedicated to finishing backlogs. Thankfully, all done.
Have also noticed that I'd rather study the same subject for 2-3 hours more than take up a different one. Inculcating this observation into my targets from now on (and making them a bit ambitious too).
For today (26.04.22)
1. Mrunal Pillar 2
2. Forum eco workbook- Public Finance
Good day!
Please never make that mistake. Jumping from one subject to another. Civils requires some depth. It's not science or maths. You will need to give it some time so that you reach the required depth . In short, don't flip before you have achieved what you want to achieve.
Thanks!@morsmodre Miyawaki, Biorock, climate tracker is in Environment Red Book of Forumias.
Searched for these in Vision's 2022 PT365 & Hindu of last 1 year (May onwards, with site:thehindu.com filter on google), and couldn't find most of them. That's why I asked.
Thank you. I badly wanted to pitch for the red book for environment , but was not doing it for I wanted someone to have read it and give a review.
( Though privately, amond people I personally know, I have asked them to safely look at the Red book for EnV. Currently it does justice to the exam. I love the PMFIAS one as well - with cool graphics and all, but when it comes to competitive exams, you need somthing quick, racy, crisp, concise with high content density )
Some of the best mentors and people in Forum have worked on it.
Has anyone submitted any representation on the UPSC online representation portal?
- How is it?
- You should screenshot resources and send it?
- Can we send for multiple questions?
- Is it worth it?
- Has any of your representations accepted by UPSC?
UPSC has repsonded to representations in the past. Key has been modified also because of that. Please go ahead if you want to. It may not unqiely benefit you, but may benefit the whole community.
