Civil Services Mains 2020 Results: In or Out ? Way ahead, gratitude and Pain
The Civils Mains result has been declared. This thread is for sharing your grief , joy , mixed feelings - absolutely anything and everything.
@Patootie @SergioRamos@12432TrivendrumRajdhani @whatonly @Sherkhan1428 @DeekshitaP@AzadHindFauz @Yo_Yo_Choti_Singh @Impavid_Girl
As I lack any constructive peer group and being a silent follower of your comments ,suggestions I request u guys to help me.
I failed to clear mains 2020. This was my 4th attempt and 3rd mains(first with sociology). The data for my attempts:
Age :28
Category: General
Status: working in govt sector
Year
Gs
Essay
Optional( chemistry
2017
430
125
160
2018
380
138
230
2019
Prelims failed by 2 marks
2020
Prelims score -125 around
Changed to Sociology
In my opinion i did all necessary things this time like test series( yearlong MGP with single digit ranks in majority tests) , value addition classes(Dipin sir) micro note making ,revision etc for GS,Essay and optional.
As the marks are not out yet and will only be out around September ,i am confused about the future strategy.I am planning to skip this attempt as
1.with the same efforts and strategy and without knowing the flaws ,recurrent mistakes i wont fetch good marks.
2.Compromised my departmental exam in last 2 years so this time I have to clear it anyhow.
3. confidence is at the rock bottom after giving it all in this attempt.
I feel there is some objectivity in mains as many people clear it every single time but the key challenges are -how to find that and how to approach now if I skip 2021 attempt.
Any suggestions from other members will also be welcomed.
Thanks
Hello sir,
You are a senior to me with respect to exam attempts and experience. This was my first mains in 2020(which I failed) and I don't even know my marks. I don't feel I am qualified enough to give you any advice regarding mains prep as I myself am sailing blindly at this point without marks. My Apologies.
However, regarding attempts, I know someone very close who, in a similar position as you was left with 2-3 attempts Aged 27 and decided to give them continuously, having a hectic job alongside. In the end, he did manage to reach the interview in his last two but sadly could not clear. So it is good to see you are very cautious with the attempts. :)
Hamra ek thooo sawaal tha !
So broadly, Ethics paper has two kinds of questions.
1. Questions which need thinking from an administrator's perspective and hence examples should have an element of service to public and overall public good.
2. Questions that ask you to narrate incidents from personal life/recount examples that showcase a particular value.
Now consider this question from 2014 !
"All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you Agree ? What does happiness mean to you ? Narrate with examples."
Now lets skip directly to the last 2 sub parts of the question.
The question specifically asks, "what is your idea of happiness" ?
Now here are two possible answers to this question.
1. Although selflessly helping someone whenever the opportunity presents itself gives me a sense of immense satisfaction and happiness, what keeps me really happy in the long term is my ability to find joy in the small mundane day to day activities.
Simple things like waking up early, exercising on a regular basis, feeding the dozen stray dogs near my home and sharing a meal with my parents help me stay happy. They help me keep my world shielded from any sudden or unfortunate events that might have the potential to throw me off balance.
2. Happiness for me means possession of moral values like honesty, integrity, spirit of sacrifice etc. which give me a sense of satisfaction. For example feeding a person asking for alms on the street or giving an anonymous donation towards a NGO that works for rehabilitation and de-addiction of children (DHAIRYA gives a smile :D) make me happy. On Sundays, teaching underprivileged children in my locality also give me an immense sense of joy.
Ok, I hope you saw what i wanted you to see in those answers. The tone of the answer, the examples quoted and the imageries used to impress the examiner.
My question to the wonderful people of this platform. Am I allowed to write simplistic/honest answer of the 1st kind. Like straight from the heart ?
Or do I have to create a list 10-15 examples (even fabricated ones) which showcase mysympatheticandempatheticside and use these examples based on the demand of the questions. As a reader/ examiner, which answer was more impactful ? and Why ?😄
The question is about "Eudaimonia". It's a part of the syllabus. Central point ye hona chahiye, the rest can be our personal thoughts. Like everything else in GS, linking the question with syllabus is important while we frame answers in our mind.
@Patootie @SergioRamos@12432TrivendrumRajdhani @whatonly @Sherkhan1428 @DeekshitaP@AzadHindFauz @Yo_Yo_Choti_Singh @Impavid_Girl
As I lack any constructive peer group and being a silent follower of your comments ,suggestions I request u guys to help me.
I failed to clear mains 2020. This was my 4th attempt and 3rd mains(first with sociology). The data for my attempts:
Age :28
Category: General
Status: working in govt sector
Year
Gs
Essay
Optional( chemistry
2017
430
125
160
2018
380
138
230
2019
Prelims failed by 2 marks
2020
Prelims score -125 around
Changed to Sociology
In my opinion i did all necessary things this time like test series( yearlong MGP with single digit ranks in majority tests) , value addition classes(Dipin sir) micro note making ,revision etc for GS,Essay and optional.
As the marks are not out yet and will only be out around September ,i am confused about the future strategy.I am planning to skip this attempt as
1.with the same efforts and strategy and without knowing the flaws ,recurrent mistakes i wont fetch good marks.
2.Compromised my departmental exam in last 2 years so this time I have to clear it anyhow.
3. confidence is at the rock bottom after giving it all in this attempt.
I feel there is some objectivity in mains as many people clear it every single time but the key challenges are -how to find that and how to approach now if I skip 2021 attempt.
Any suggestions from other members will also be welcomed.
Thanks
Hello, I think I maybe able to help to some extent.
I have given two attempts till now, in 2019 and 2020. I got a rank in 2019, and I'm waiting for my 2020 Interview now - having cleared Mains this time too.
My marks in Essay, GS, Optional were 130+, 380+, 260+ respectively. In Prelims, I've found myself among those fortunate people who can score 130 and above, having done that in both my attempts.
Coming to your query - Marks in GS can be improved by nearly 50, but you may require an expert set of eyes who can give you some attention in a personalised format.
Optional seems to be the weakest link in the marksheet - for Sociology, only a general marking trend in this year can clarify what went wrong. But, if you can maybe take some help from fellow aspirants in the meanwhile to tweak whatever you can, that maybe beneficial. There are telegram groups, threads on Forum for the same. I don't have this optional hence I'm not of much help, sorry.
Whether to Skip 2021:
If you can manage the above tasks satisfactorily for 2021 while having enough time for Pre, I'd suggest please go ahead with this one too. Otherwise not. Factors like mental fatigue, motivation and clarity are also to be considered in this. If all can be managed well this year, go ahead. Otherwise take a break.
All said and done, it might also boil down to plain old luck. But since that is not a controllable - try and focus on what you can. I've personally found it helpful to work hard and delude myself by telling myself that I can control all factors related to this exam - even when that's a white lie and I know it.
Hopefully some of this maybe of some use. Take care!
Recommendation: https://publicpolicy.substack.com/
This is a public policy newsletter that has become one of my favourite things on the internet for past many months. You'll come across some new mental models to think about public policy issues in a big picture way.
Areh, he's one of the two from Puliyabaazi right? Have been listening to them for over an year now. Also, Takshila Institute has this podcast called All Things Policy too. Pretty good.
@nerdfighter @Villanelle can you guys shed some light on who these peeps are, what they do and things like that? A summary of sorts.
@nerdfighter @Villanelle can you guys shed some light on who these peeps are, what they do and things like that? A summary of sorts.
They are policy nerds/academics associated with various think-tanks. They do these podcasts on whatever stuff is making news, but like from kind of a more academic/informed perspective.
SergioRamos,@abhishekprinceiit511 I'm afraid I cannot be of help on either question as my experience with this exam is too limited :/
Maybe you can share your answers here and get feedback on improvements from those who have cleared mains and know for sure what worked for them before.
So sorry I couldn't be of more help. I really hope you find a good answer and clear the exam, whether this year or the next. All the best! :D
Yes, and it is co-written by a guy who goes by a pseudonym Raghu Sanjaylal Jaitley, who was recently on the seen and the unseen. I find his insights quite refreshing.
Yes, All Things Policy is great. I used to listen to regularly last year.
Episodes on Seen and The Unseen are soooo long. I doubt if I have ever finished one. I listened to a lot of podcasts last year too. After pandemic, podcasts + hour long walks were a staple. The hour long walks have thankfully survived, but its mostly music or Cut The Clutter nowadays :P
whatonly,a thought : 80-90 ias a year, even after a decade only 900 will make it - a decade !! lol i cant even make it to that 900 odd holy pdf that gets released every year.
- Virtue: Enjoying beauty of nature; showing kindness towards others
- Pleasure: Reading inspirational books, watching movies (Give eg, say Wings of Fire by Kalam)
- Common Good: Overall human advancement (Eg: Scientific inventions say COVID vaccines)
- Self-Actualization (Maslow's hierarchy of Needs): Highest level of psychological development; actualization of full personal potential
You can connect these with Dharma- of fulfilling your duty towards your family, society, work which would give you happiness/contentment/peace etc. There won't be any correct answer as such, since both happiness and evaluator's understanding are very subjective. Hopefully more can add their perspectives here so that we all gain :)
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