Civil Services Mains 2020 Results: In or Out ? Way ahead, gratitude and Pain

Hopefully better, but after a point of time I've come to realise that I'm not a good judge of the difference between a good answer and an excellent one.

So, my marks will tell 😅

Is there any initiative where we can see the answers of toppers( recent years) to actual UPSC mains papers. I know it's hard to recollect and probably asking too much but that would be the best way to see what gets rewarded in mains. I haven't had any interaction with toppers so I personally feel that's a disadvantage when it comes to mains.

(Not talking about institute samples coz

1. Doubt about authenticity

2. Mock tests I feel are not exactly as analytical as the ones we face in the hall)

Also in toppers talk they mostly talk about their preparation and yes thats good to hear also, but what exactly they put in their answers is what makes all the difference. 

2019 mains- missed out on 130 marks of questions in GS 123

This time (2020) completed all questions- still not there in the list. Help me out✊

 @Neyawn - any hack or jugaad for this?

I do have one more question for everyone. I believe everyone faces the problem of not able to focus ,on some level or other. I have been struggling with inability to focus for a very long time. This pandemic definitely has worsened the case. But even before that, I cant study continuously for more than a half hour. The breaks I take get longer than my study hours. Messed up schedule, inability to manage time, procrastination, etc have affected me up so much that I sometimes feel I cant clear this exam because I cant give my best. And it is so frustrating plus the guilt associated, leading to worsened self esteem. 

That is why I wanted to know , how do you guys deal with these issues if you experience them sometimes?

On the topic of Mains material, let me share why I feel I failed mains.

It boiled down to FOMO. Remember that MS Dhoni scene where Dhoni explained that his team lost the match not on the field but earlier that day on the basketball court when they stood in awe of opposition batsmen(Yuvraj Singh) walking past through them. Similarly, I lost the battle of mains because of the fact that I created it too big inside my head. 

The belief that I need to have super micro notes for every GS and Optional topic on a clean A4 at any cost proved too much in the last few days. I had ample material, but I chose to start afresh, god knows why. Maybe due to constant FOMO regarding mains material. The fear was further aggravated when I suffered from dengue in the same period and my anxieties hit the roof. 

As a result, somehow my mind and body gave up 15 days before mains. I barely studied and no wonder I lost.

I took Mains 365 classes, but due to this FOMO, I took a mains 365 topic, made notes from the vision booklet itself and then googled for more. As a result, it never got completed. Had I just prepared the Mains booklet, I'd have been in a much better position.

Personally, I fell into the trap of looking at mains 365 material as inadequate but trust me, substantial portions of GS papers could be attempted with basic knowledge and proper revisions of Mains 365. 

For e.g.- The teachers told to prepare EIA and MPI as they deemed it important, and true to their word, it came.

Take it as a coaching promotion or anything, VISION PT and mains 365 classes+ material are top-notch. 

My upcoming strategy if I clear prelims shall be basic books+NCERT and Mains 365 for Mains. I hope to succeed. 

The moral of the story- I believe notes are very important and we should have them for major portions absolutely. Rest gaps are easily filled up by mains 365. We should instead focus our energies on optional.

This is what I have learnt and understood from my mains attempt. I did not qualify so my words have no merit backing as yet! :P

yes, there's one such source. AIR 5 of CSE 2018, Srushti Deshmukh, has shared her answers to actual GS papers in video format - 

(there are more such videos, for every GS paper where she has deconstructed her approach. I found it extremely useful)

Hi guys. Is there anyone here with a background in english literature - be it their graduation or optional - and is also appearing for the personality test this year? Or rather, any literature subject for that matter? I graduated in english literature and I feel pretty lost regarding the kind of questions one is asked from that domain in the personality test. Could someone please help? 

Genuine concern -

Would you be able to follow any xyz method given by members of this communityregularly?No need to answer here but rather ask yourself.

People here are willing to help whoever makes an outreach. Surely, you will also receive advices. Not to say that they won't work. Each advice must have benefitted the promoter. 

But, why do you think doing any activity,say meditation, workout, playing any sport, or engaging in your hobby - reading, writing, painting, movies, music, etcas suggested by others would help you. 

• Ideally - pull for CSE >pull for any other activity since one has decided to pursue this exam. People have different reasons and emotions that they use to justify this pull. You need to think about your pull. Despite all the push that you receive when you sit for that half an hour, consciously try to prolong this duration. 
• Habit >motivation - Break that bad habit of taking long breaks. Might use Pomodoro technique. Search for this app.

My advice - 

Dealing with these issues: Soak in those moments that have gone and think of making the best use of them going forward. My thought process - "Now I have done this, nothing distracts me anymore, let me finish few important tasks today." 

Keep going strong, do not fret over what's gone. Actually you can make up for it with the time left. 

TLDR - Be positive :)

@Villanelle - How such a detailed and aligned preparation? 

I have never got time to even revise my notes. And I am never able to make such good notes in the first place. 

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this (instead of studying :p).

First of all, I think figuring out how our brains work and how we can best study is the toughest part of this exam, much more difficult than anything in the syllabus. Once you get it, studying becomes very easy. So it is understandable that it takes a while to figure it out. Also, please don’t think you can’t give your best. I think everyone is capable of giving their 100% as well as their 0%. I myself covered the whole spectrum. There were times when I was studying for 16 hours a day, and there were times when I couldn’t even manage half an hour a day. During those good old 16 hour days, I felt so damn good about myself that I thought I was just meant to crack the exam since I was a Disciplined Person. Then it all fell apart. So we’re not a certain type of person - it just comes down to how much we can get ourselves to do. 

Another thing is that confidence and concentration are deeply, deeply linked. If you’ve had a bad two weeks and you haven’t been able to study properly, that’s going to make you feel so shitty that you won’t be able to study for only that reason even if conditions are otherwise favourable. The way out of this vicious cycle is to somehow get some confidence back. Even if you finish the smallest targets, stick to the most basic schedule for a few days, it’ll give a boost big enough to aim higher in the coming days. 

We can figure out what it is that keeps us from sitting down for a few hours without breaks. If we identify the thoughts that make us take a break after half an hour, we have somewhere to start. For me it is a lack of belief that the thing I’m studying at the moment is actually important. That’s become especially bad during the interview prep, which to my surprise is turning out to be the hardest phase. Because there’s no certainty that something I’m doing actually will help in the end. That kind of thing means that more clarity is required on the syllabus. In such a case take out more time, look at the syllabus, read toppers blogs, whatever you need to do to make a game plan that you fully believe will help you clear the exam. 

Or sometimes it may just be a stubborn brain. You may know it’s important and be absolutely certain that it needs to be done, like Laxmikanth for example, but still be unable to do it. In that case we have to identify the triggers that distract us and eliminate them. And it helps to make some tangible change in your surroundings. Clean up your desk, put a plant in your room, change your chair - something that will make you feel like it’s a fresh start. And then figure out a new way to study. Write whatever you’re reading down, use different colours, sing it as a song, bribe someone to sit down and listen to you explain it to them. I’ve done the dumbest things for Laxmikanth and Spectrum. The idea is to just engage with the book and keep absorbing the matter for a stretch of time. Even if such tactics slow you down in the beginning, it serves to keep your mind focused, and then it becomes easier to just read normally. 

Do whatever you can to add some joy to your studying. Reward yourself for every small achievement. I think it’s ultimately a journey (too long this year) of understanding how you work and making yourself do the work. With carrots and sticks and everything in between.

But does it matter? :P You've made it to the list once, that goes on to say that not perfect notes or perfect study but performance in the exam is what matters.

The problem of plenty is pretty real.

We do need to limit ourselves. One of my prep mates gave me a framework regarding security questions. He tells that it is pretty basic and it won't fetch great marks, but will surely get you average to above average. 

He says for every security question, he thinks in terms of-

1)Past-present-future

2)Culture

3)Poverty and unemployment

4)Use of Science and Tech

I find it pretty helpful in writing answers. Maybe we need to develop some structural frameworks.  Though they may not produce great answers, but even if they guarantee average marks, it is all that we need. 

Anybody took Dipin sir classes and wrote mains ?

Were they helpful ?

Does anyone has taken separate classes for essay as well ?

Hey, can you tell me a specific reason for choosing Rau's focus? Seeing a lot more people nowadays doing it. 

Any specific reason for it over vision?