Gaitonde's Den

You don't know how glad I am to hear this bhai:) 

I had forgotten about that post. I think it should remain a potent reminder of the need to be a Nishkama KarmaYogi in life. 

Keeping it here for all of us (including me) : 

Hello@tedmosby,it gives me immense joy that I could be of any help to you.But please don't call me sir. I don't deserve that at all. 

I just want to say one thing to you and all the DILIGENT ONES. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's good that you can see your own mistakes and thus now can improve upon them. 

I know, you're gracefully celebrating your ex getting the rank. But let's be honest, we all feel the pain when we see we couldn't make it despite making similar efforts. If you're feeling the same, it's fine! 

Finally, I would take this opportunity to write something that I wanted for all of us 

For a solid mental state, focusing on duty is the right way to go. Our goals should never be like : I will get a top rank next year. 

The goal should always be that I'll write 20 tests, I'll do this class for content improvement etc. That's it, that's all we as humans can do. 

It gets really problematic when people proclaim such goals as "I'll get top 10 Rank this year" . I am not against such manifestations. But, I strongly believe such manifestations can have a very very negative impact on our mental health if things don't work out. Also, let's please accept that some things are beyond us. 

Hence, let's just focus on the process and not the end goal of getting a top rank. Why? Because preserving our mental health is the most sacred duty. Happiness is the goal and not becoming an IAS. 

This can only happen if we become KarmaYogis. We should always chart out goals like following 

1. I will be performing the best on the prelims day irrespective of the shocks that UPSC gives 

2. Even if I fail, I will not let emotional turbulence be the reason for my prelims failure 

3. I will solve all 100 Questions mechanically. I will not celebrate when I look at an easy question and I will not be dejected at a tough one. Solve the paper mechanically like a machine 

4. I will apply all tricks/logics in those 2 hours. 

5. I will fight till the clock rings 4:30

If we check all the boxes above and still fail, we're free to blame the luck. A KarmaYogi will be proud of the effort irrespective of what the result is. 

Let us come to mains. In my opinion, here also the goals should be set keeping in mind the process

1. I will write 25 tests. I will write the same copies as topper copies 

2. I will brainstorm extensively in the three months 

3. I will revise 3 times 

4. I will improve my expression in Essay. I will prepare wonderful conclusions, Intros and sub headings 

Now, If a person focuses on above goals and still fails, Its FINE. 

The problem with setting a goal like "Main agle saal LBSNAA jaa raha hu" is that even if you don't fulfil your day's targets, You're STILL GOING TO LBSNAA in your head. There is no failure here. Your mind becomes relaxed because Main to Manifest kar chuka hu that LBSNAA jaa raha hu

But if you set a target of Revising ancient history today and that's it. Then you're bound to complete it. You've failed if you don't and you'll work to ensure you don't fail again. 

In my humble opinion, Success is anaccidental outcomeof some habits & processes. Success or failure should not stop us from focusing on the right thing: The process. 

Such a person is unlikely to collapse even at the face of failure for he knows he perfected the process and yet failed. He won't blame himself for he did everything right. 

Such a person is also likely to correct himself as he's totally focussed on the process and the outcome won't cloud his thinking. He will be able to find faults in the process. 

I know it's difficult but this is the only way in my opinion to become ANTI FRAGILE and become stronger with each failure. 

Even in a relationship, if you set your duties (Making sure to wish good day to your loved ones, Kissing them before you leave your home, being utmost loyal etc.) , and even then, if they decide to cheat or leave you, YOU'RE NOT TO BE BLAMED. You did the right thing! And that's what matters 

This is the crux behind Atal Bihari Vajpayee's immortal lines :

"Kya haar me, kya jeet me

Kinchit nahi bhaybhit main

Kartavya path par jo mila

Ye bhi sahi, wo bhi sahi"

For me a KarmaYogi is a far successful person than even an anxious or end focussed Prime Minister or President.We need to get our definitions of success right. 

Also, I strongly believe that a person who didn't make in to the list this time can make an IAS, a Bollywood superstar or even the president of US JEALOUS if 10 years later, he has better family life, work life balance and mental peace. 

You must have felt this. Even though, most of us are unemployed, the passion and spark with which we speak about social & moral issues makes us a subject of envy among our corporate friends. The monetary superiority simply fades away due to the spark in our eyes. 

In short,mental peace, happiness and passion are those prized possessions that can make even the strongest, richest and the most powerful people feel inferior and jealous of you. Let us focus on acquiring virtues through process oriented approach. 

A KarmaYogi always grows: in success and more in failure ! 

P.S : Like always, feel free to ignore if it doesn't align with your value system. 

After interacting with@Mango_Person &@Tata , I am convinced that potential of intelligent candidates is stifled by engineering background mentors who are suggesting rote learning & mechanical writing approaches for a humanities exam. 

Rattafication and recall of notes that is preached in this industry will take away your youth and your chances of clearing the exam despite being a wonderful and smart candidate. Do not lose your originality. Do not forget that your favourite movie Interstellar had a quote: Do not go gentle into that goodnight.Rage, Rage, Rage…  whichcan be used in your preparation for essay. Do not forget that your curiosity of watching IR videos is a boon and can be used in your prep. Do not forget that your poetic flair will get your 140+ in essay. Do not forget that preparation has to be interesting and filled with curiosity and learning. Do not forget WHO YOU ARE. Avoid the One size fits all approach !

Do not become a cog in the wheel. Stay the thinking and dynamic mind you are. Ratta & recall should be replaced by a thinking brainstorming dynamic mind (Which i call as Dynamic rattafication). 

I was elated to see the sparkle in@sonder’s eyes when I connected things for him.It was an absolute joy when@Mango_Person said that the three hours that I gave were fruitful than any guidance she received in the past 4 years. This is not to boast but to criticise the poor mentorship that the industry is offering. The loss that is being imposed on the young and smart candidates is HUGE !

Me and other friends like@tedmosby will make sure that in the next one month, we do whatever we can in OUR LIMITED CAPACITY to bridge that deficit through videos or content here before we shift to the interview prep. I hope we make some difference in the lives of a Diligent aspirant who is working hard but is being led by an unenthusiastic mentor or guide !

Let me also name some teachers who promote a thinking approach to subjects: 

1. Peeyush Sir (Ethics)

2. Nikhil Gowra Sir (Insights) for PSIR (However, as he doesn’t provide much content, his crash course & TS not be a suitable choice for a beginner [No idea about foundation course].  His crash course is available FREE on YouTube for PSIR candidates to watch. He will show you how limited content away from the Content terrorism of the PSIR Monopoly teacher is a smooth and smart way to approach the subject)

3. Anika Mam for Essay (Forum IAS)

Also for people who don’t have a natural flow of writing. Let me just say one sentence which might ring a bell for 80% of you:STOP MUGGING UP SENTENCES AS THEY ARE IN YOUR NOTES ! Avoid recall and develop the CAPACITY to frame sentences and expressions. Read and write or your Mains score especially in Essay, optional (like PSIR) & ethics may take a hard hit. 

Looking at the poor state, I am reminded of Margaret Mead’s quote:  “Students must be taught how to think and not what to think”

A small anecdote from my side- 

It was Prelims 2024 and I had just reached my hotel room. I saw the paper again and I thought to myself "Itna bhi burra nahi gaya hai". My hotel room was 900 metres away from my exam centre in Delhi. It was 45 degrees outside and the first paper was just over. I had attempted 82 questions in the exam and I felt that I had screwed up. When I got out of the exam hall, I told myself "Gaya ye attempt". I texted my friend, "I screwed up bhai". Ofcourse this was in the context of the fact that I thought the paper was extremely easy and I had committed a blunder by attempting less number of questions. The past 6 months flashed before me. The Mains 2023 result had hit me hard because after 5 yrs of rigorous prep I had failed to qualify Mains yet again. But still I started preparing just one week after the results. I used to cry a lot about the failure but still somehow I used to attempt mocks and in the final days before Pre, I had zeroed in on the strategy of attempting exactly 82 questions. And with Prelims, I was simultaneously preparing for Maths opt. I was studying and solving everyday.

Finally, I snapped out of the flashback and took a cold shower. I reminded myself of these lines "Kya haar mai kya Jeet mai. Kinchit nahi bhaybhit mai. Kartvyapath par jo bhi mile ye bhi sahi vo bhi sahi". I told myself- "I won't give up, the result is immaterial. I will solve CSAT questions to the best of my abilities". As always, I attempted 42 questions out of 80. The bell rang and finally, Pre 2024 was over. 

I took a train back to my home and the speculations about the cutoff started. Every coaching institute started to predict a 100+ cutoff. I was shaken from the inside. As a 19 year old 'kid', I used to think that I would clear this exam in the 1st attempt but as a 26 year old, I was looking at my 6th and the last attempt. "ANOTHER YEAR".

But the results came and I had qualified. I told myself I would give atleast 2 mocks per paper. I would put in 14+ hrs. So when I look back to my Mains prep time, I achieved each one of them and I am happy about my efforts. Though I am still unhappy about Maths optional but what to do. I had performed to the best of my abilities and I had worked extremely hard for this attempt. Selection/rejection is not in my hands and it never will be. 

So even if the results are not in my favour, I would cry a little but beyond that I would be proud about how I handled my shortcomings and how I accepted my mistakes. I just hope aspirants get a sense of what the exam is all about and how the philosophy of a Karmayogi aspirant works. 

I completely agree with what@Neyawn had to say. I would like to add some points too. See, what " you deserve" in this exam is irrelevant. UPSC awards you marks based on how everyone performed. Who am I to predict that I would get 800+ this year? I would claim statements like "Optional papers were tough, UPSC might butcher them this year". It is just a statement based on a certain set of assumptions. Will UPSC do that? No one knows. 

You see there's always a certain amount of uncertainty in this exam which can be minimised but it CANNOT be bridged COMPLETELY. 

Also as@Neyawn has pointed out, the marking scheme changes every year. People nowadays target 400+ but what if I tell that Mrs Tina Dabi scored just 424 in GS, CSE 2015 with ~80 in GS2. She secured AIR 1 that year. I secured 112 in GS2 in 2022. Can I really compare? xD Can I really claim that my "knowledge" about GS2 is more than Mrs Dabi and claim that I should "deserve" selection? NO. Absolutely not. That time it was different and now it is different. Let's compare my marks in Essay with that of Mr Aditya Srivastava (AIR 1, 2023). I secured 119 in Essay and Mr Srivastava secured 117. Can I gloat about that score? Can I claim that I am better than AIR 1? NO. (addressing this part because some people who gave their 1st Mains this year were making a huge deal about it after interacting with me offline in one of the centres where I came to give a mock). Maybe the circumstances were such that I happened to express my ideas in a marginally better way in certain aspects. Or MAYBE I was lucky enough to get 2 more marks. But can I claim that I would get better marks than this in the following years? NO. So if successive attempts in UPSC can't guarantee you marks then how can you extrapolate your marks in Mocks to your performance in Mains? 

Coming to personal experience, I scored 673 in Mains 2022 with "one month" of prep. I was pumped up. I thought tonsillitis had stopped me from scoring more. I thought I would "easily" score more than 800 in Mains 2023 and I thought "Kuch nahi toh IRS/IPS toh bann hi jayenge". When I cleared Pre 2023, I was happy and I thought it was meant to be. I was so at ease with myself that I just have to do tough topics of Maths opt properly (assuming that easy topics can be handled easily). Even w.r.t GS, I worked on enriching my notes with all kinds of value addition stuff. Even then I had put in several hours. I used to consume energy drinks excessively. I used to work hard like a maniac. I remember that I was able to solve the toughest of the questions in Maths opt with absolute ease. It was to such an extent that I started with Hamiltonian Mech and the FD question in P2. Yet after all of this, I couldn't qualify Mains 2023. I remember crying a lot in the days following the results. When the marksheet came out, I had scored 668!!! I couldn't believe it. I had scored 196 in Maths opt! That was a rude shock. But I am lucky to fail in Mains 2023. Even if I would have cleared Mains by sheer luck, my perception about wrong things would have perpetuated. Mains 2023 failure altered my belief system. It allowed me to have a new start and a fresh approach. 

But these numbers are not completely meaningless, you have to extract meaning from those numbers by being brutally honest with yourself and doing self-analysis. Surely we don't have to be harsh with ourselves as Gaitonde bhai had advised me after the final results of 2023. The real reason behind me getting 668 was that I was running behind that "extra edge" and I missed out on doing the usual stuff. In Maths opt, I lost ~50-60 marks in CP&NA. That is for one subject in one paper. This is in addition to the silly mistakes in easier topics. And the topics which I had lost out on, were PYQs or some standard questions. I had not done PYQs properly in 2023. I was just depending on my knowledge to score "300+". So in the search for those 50-60 extra marks, I ended up losing ~100 marks in both the papers. So you see the blunder? Will my competitors leave those 100 marks for me? No. 

So are mocks useless since now people claim that the evaluation is inaccurate and marks are not significant?! No. You have to use mocks for practicing and strategising. You have to learn the art of self analysis, self regulation, and self awareness. You cannot eternally wait for mentors at Forum to tell you what you lack in your prep. No one knows you more than yourself. So you need to make a tailormade strategy for yourself by analysing your performance in mocks. Ask yourself, were you able to handle GS1/2/3/4 properly? Were you able to get the quantity-quality trade off in all the questions? Are your answers comparable to toppers? If no then what strategy will you adopt to achieve these goals? Are you working on it? Did you try something new in every mock? Did the change benefit you in any way? 

I still believe that Forum's question quality is far more aligned with UPSC than any other coaching institute. Although, one can easily develop excellent exam temperament by learning to tackle questions from Abhyaas. I believe Vision Abhyaas is tough but it is still relevant if you analyse those questions properly. For other coaching institutes, you can utilise the Secure initiative for insights. All in all, you can utilise all of these resources to enhance your answer writing skills and your strategy. Focus on right actions and have right intentions. Let UPSC take care of the rest. For me, I would gracefully accept whatever UPSC gives me. But will I give up? Definitely not. Be a Nishkama Karmayogi and stop worrying about marks. 

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert. I have not qualified Mains yet. These views are based on my personal analysis and they reflect my personal views. 

I am so glad to hear this bhai :)

I enjoyed it too. Thank you for tolerating me for such a long period :) 

I am also happy to share that I have started a YouTube channel too and to my surprise, the first video has gained a lot of traction. I am not posting the channel here as I don’t want to create a parallel empire in this thread or platform (Doctrine of separation)

Anyway as of now, I am enjoying this process of interacting with fellow aspirants too much :) I knew forum will be full of diligent aspirants away from the “How to prepare” crowd

• The current culture of learning is because of our outdated education system. There are a lot of elements which restricts free thinking and emphasizes on rote learning. 
• During our school days, we are told that we have to read from one book and that will be the only source for questions in the exam. Now coming to UPSC, we use the same logic. We start running after the source of the questions asked and try reading from that place instead of logically applying our limited knowledge. This is problematic because if you analyse Pre 2023, many questions do not have a definite source. Some of them cite research papers as their source. So should an aspirant start reading random research papers? This approach restricts independent thinking and emphasizes on rote learning the exact facts from the source. Surely one must focus on the basics (NCERTs and PYQs) but the practice of reading "everything" is problematic and not possible for a normal aspirant. 
• The trend of awarding high marks to people who have written answers as it is from books: In our school, we used to have this habit of writing Q&A. We used to read them and only those questions would be asked in the paper. And high marks are awarded to those who get every word right (which is written in the book). So even students do not focus on using their brain instead they would use their energy in memorizing texts. So the perception that there's only a single way to answer a question has its origin from that habit. In reality, there are multiple ways to answer a single question in GS but still some aspirants tend to focus on "exact" repetition of questions. Surely it helps when you find questions similar to the ones you have encountered but those questions need to answered in a different manner even if the content is same. That would require some skill which is developed by answer writing. 
• Rote learning/memorizing should only be limited to certain areas and certain concepts. Obviously, it helps in speeding up our writing speed but we have to be open to the possibility of changes if the question demands so. 
• The Hindsight bias: It's very easy to claim that this particular question was asked from this particular source once you know the questions. But can you really predict it? Maybe to an extent but can you predict and correctly answer 20/20 questions? No. You need logical and critical thinking for that.
• Why are The Hindu and Indian Express so good? Why are they recommended? Because of the way they present news (and ofcourse the kind of news being covered). The explained page of IE is a literal goldmine. You can "understand" a topic better. The Hindu has brilliant editorials on current issues which helps you to get a "feel" of the issue. They cover news which is of national importance. But everything essentially boils down to understanding a topic holistically. So no matter where you read news from, your focus should be on understanding and not rote memorizing facts. So some toppers prefer current affair magazines and some prefer reading newspapers. 
• There are no elite institutes, there are elite students/candidates: There's this perception that people coming from elite institutes are able to clear this exam easily. False. People who focus on holistically understanding the limited concepts asked by UPSC and those who focus on strategizing better (given luck is on their side) eventually clear this exam. So a person coming from a top college will not necessarily clear this exam. I know this sounds trivial but some people do have this enlightened sense of self which is wrong. Everyone has to learn, understand and write in this process, marks won't be magically awarded to you just because you belong to a top institute. 

Again there's an element of uncertainty which is always there and will be there. You can't eliminate it. In my humble opinion, one must always focus on learning and developing an independent thought process. This is an extremely difficult process and not everyone is capable of it so many do not do it. 

CHEAT AND WRITE: ANSWER WRITING FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS 

For Absolute beginners who intend to write answers but don't have enough content. The best way for you is to CHEAT and WRITE.

Here's the process that might help you create a feedback loop for your content. 

1. Go and chose a topper with high score & one that you find relatable. 

2. Go and chose the question theme you want to write (Cheat the topic and not the Q) 

3. Go and read your topic 

4. Write in 7-10 or 11-14 minutes and compare ! Observe how topper writes (Keywords, short sentences, diagram & Intro/ conclusion).

Copy their content and you can add lot of value from their styles 

I am sure beginners face this conundrum. Go and try this once, you'll feel immense improvement in your notes rather than mindlessly writing test series before even completing the syllabus nicely and being forced to face random questions even when you are just getting the hang of syllabus. 

Most importantly, this will END YOUR INERTIA OF ANSWER WRITING. This can be beneficial even for some higher attempt people. It's a magical INERTIA SLAYER. 

I want to thank @GaneshGaitonde  for the 3-hour-long marathon session to guide me for my next attempt. It was primarily about psir but as the session went on he selflessly expanded on GS and essay as well.

In Psir for the majority of the time, I was collecting content and trying to “recall” it for answer writing instead of thinking. This way of preparation was affecting my answers also as instead of understanding the demand of the question as I was just ‘recalling’. Over the messages, he had already shown me what’s the way to think about the questions and how to go about answer building, which he further expanded upon in the session. 

He emphasised the importance of keyword-based notes by showing his notes and giving specific e.g.s like “double reading” and how to use it across the various sections. He provided actionable methods to improve the expressions in answers by using topper copies, and articles and how to combine them to even make new and unique expressions. He showed how to interlink across the sections like Hannah Arendt with Panchayati Raj.

As he has highlighted in the post, he showed how topper copies are the gold standard by discussing the copies of Ishita Kishore, showed her thinking process, and how she is able to write good answers even where content is limited. He did this for GS4 copies of Aditya Srivastava also. 

He also suggested how GS4 can be prepared in a limited time by focusing on PYQs and identifying 10-15 themes which often keep repeating and come in essay also. Two of these came in this year's essay also. Again he guided how to go about preparing notes on these themes by taking me through his notes.

Now I understand what he means by “capacity building” and how to do it according to my level of preparation and my time availability. After discussion with him, I realised some major blunders I was making which were eating up a lot of my time. Now, I think with practice I would be able to make better notes and utilise topper copies much more efficiently and build better answers with limited time and content.

He also expanded upon newspaper reading, essay, building unique content, and answered many more of my doubts. The best thing is he doesn’t just say do this or that. He shows how he has done it himself through his notes, his topper copies analysis, and how you can adapt it according to your needs. He goes into very micro details which toppers generally miss out on in their talks due to various reasons but often create bottlenecks in one’s preparation.

If anyone is looking for ways to improve I would highly recommend you to have a talk with him or with any other good mentor. After talking with him I realised how much a good mentor can help. You would gain some new perspectives.

Once again, I thank @GaneshGaitonde  for this doing this tireless session with such enthusiasm and dedication.

Why not bhai. Let's have it soon.

Jab apka mann kare, drop me a message. I am sharing my telegram ID with you in the personal message. 

Also, aap sab contribute karenge to thoda easy rahega for all those who are beginning. Let's ensure the younger ones don't face the issues that we did! 

Wonderful explained bhai :) 

This independent thought process, writing skills and the ability to absorb content without mugging up is a sin qua non 

Obviously mugging up certain committee, facts etc is needed but in other aspects, I see students struggling with simple reading, comprehension of editorials and producing content in their own words effectively. 

It's a difficult process and a lot of Non elite students are failing to do so. Even the elite students (like abovementioned) have been reduced to mechanical Cog in the wheel by the coaching system. 

Emphasis is on content and not on brainstorming, linking and thinking. 

If anyone cares about my humble opinion 

1. The first and the foremost reason for a majority is DELUSION due to poor evaluation in mocks, not comparing copies with toppers and not knowing the ruthless competitors or top rankers , who prepare far more than most. 

Also poor mentorship, half baked advices from toppers and the feeling of completing the exam (due to adrenaline rush) when they were not able to finish it in the mocks add to these delusions. 

The point we forget is almost all people are finishing papers these days. Now, it takes lot more than finishing the paper. 

Another reason is people failing to understand the DEMAND of the question. While this at times works in mocks, it's unlikely to work in UPSC. 

One of my IRS friends told me how he secured 300+ in PSIR without any scholars or theorists merely by addressing the demand in the very first attempt. He said his marks reduced when he began focusing on this artifical writing style of scholars etc and forgetting the core demand. 

Also, a huge chunk of the aspirants do not come from an Elite background. Hence a lot of them have poor expression. The paper of essay, Ethics and even optionals like PSIR are a game of expression. While poor expression may be ignored in mocks. I don't think upsc professors ignore poor expression especially in Essay. Even if they ignore poor expression, I don't think they are ignoring good expression. They are rewarding it! 

That's why you'll see most people who score extra-ordinarily in essays have already had a flair for writing. They wrote poems, read numerous novels right from their school days. THIS IS ONE ISSUE THAT NOBODY IS ADDRESSING. THIS IS WHERE I BELIEVE COACHING DECEIVE Tier 3 city students with half baked English into believing that they can Crack the exam while also not offering any solutions to this mega problem. It takes months and years to improve expression especially sentence formation and imaginative thought provoking writeups. 

CSE 2022 Rank 1 told me "You'll write as good as you read" I am damn sure 80% of aspirant community does not have the habit of reading or observing wonderful writers such as Yuval Noah Harari. I related a lot to Sumit Paul from Speaking tree. Wonderful way to learn expression is to observe his way of writing. 

2. However, there is a huge number of people who seriously do not get as much marks as they deserve. The number is so huge that we cannot dismiss their concerns. For instance, last year out of an odd 2000 students writing PSIR, only one student got 300+ marks. Do you think this is possible that NONE out of the 2000 other than one was worthy of a 300+. I don't think so

Rather, we must empathise with the victims and understand the subjectivity of the exam. The exam process can also be flawed. That is a possibility. 

But the choice remains in our hands whether we want to play such a game wherein luck does play a huge role. 

Also after reading the above and self analysing, person can understand in which category he lies. 

If he is someone who has been wronged by the UPSC, don't care at all about it. Give another attempt or just keep your head high while leaving the UPSC arena if you want to. 

I wanted to share the above. Now see, how the Honourable teacher is glorifying not taking break. 

However, anyone in their higher attempts knows the utility of taking a break after mains. This person is likely to face burnout in November if he fails to rejuvenate his mind and his body. 

Instead of giving him sane advice, the teacher is glorifying the NOT TAKING BREAK attitude. Why? Because he himself went to a good vacation (he shared on telegram) and now is rejuvenated enough to launch a new answer writing batch. 

How do you expect bona-fide advice? Maybe he doesn't have that intention. But an aspirant needs to keep his interest and his wellbeing at the top. Don't take any advices without applying your own mind and as per your own situation. 

Taking Break is most underrated aspect in this preparation. No one emphasized us on taking guilt free  breaks , because you earned it..you deserved it..

Because At the end of the day, We all are just Biological machines with neurological computation and emotional caches.

Hence break is also the part and parcel of this preparation.

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." - Ovid

Point no. 1 toh mujhe bhi apply hota hai. :D My body has not been able to get out of that zone. I am still waking up at 5 and I am still doing Maths ;_; . If I do relax for some time, I automatically go and sit at my desk. 

Point no. 2 pe I would like to give thought process behind overenrichment of notes. See, you need to have notes having content which can be "directly" used in the exam.@Gimsss So in the process of trying to get that "extra" edge over others, people tend to keep on adding value to their notes to a point that its true essence is lost and the notes become bulky (Aur ye sab mostly diligent aspirants ke saath hota hai). Fir revision hota nahi and then we end up writing generic content in GS. So as@GaneshGaitonde said, keep writing answers. It will help you be in sync with reality w.r.t what is working and what is not.

In this context, I would like to give the "Mosby Talisman" (because why not xD): "Whenever you see any new content, ask yourself whether it will benefit you in Pre/Mains or not? If it does, pinpoint where in the syllabus? Was it asked in PYQs? If yes, read it".  There's no point in becoming "Insert-Your-Name-Here" Vidyasagar / a Human Library.  

I do not think any mains appearing student with more than one attempt expects a correlation with test series marks.

What you should look for if you are able to score among top scores.

Treat like 5 years upsc  gs papers as 5 test papers of upsc coaching.

Every year marking pattern will be different. In past years people are getting 90s in gs paper 3. And everyone is getting 120+ in gs 4.

That is marking range of that year. It keeps changing. Upsc may scale up some papers or may have a strict marking in some papers. So a 105 score in gs 3 is an exceptional score ( which maybe 1-2 people may have or none may have ). A 105 score in GS4 is a poor score.

Similarly for prelims, some years paper will be tough and cut off may be 77. Immediately next year it will be 92. Someone expecting that I have got 92 in test series means I will get so much is coming from a banking / ssc thought process. There is much more subjectivity there.

Anyone with two mains realises that.

The disparity in score will happen between multiple attempts in upsc itself, leave alone test series.

So of you have score 135 in essay in one year does not mean you will get that much or more next year. It will depend not only on your essay that year, but overall marking in essay that year.

Look for percentile as a better measure of your performance. Both in test series and in upsc.

If you have got 95 in gs3 in last mains, you are not poor. A similar score in gs 4 means you are not even in game.

Lastyly use coaching / mock test papers as a practice / simulation. They are a measure of your preparedness - true, but they are not for astrology or fortune telling. Not for predicting scores. If you are among top performers before exam chances are you will do well even in actual exam provided unexpected things don't happen. Such as day of exam pressure, you've left things and they have come or worse बुद्धि खराब ऑन डे ऑफ exam।

Point no. 1 resonates with me. There used to be a newspaper stand in our college on which "The Hindu" used to be displayed. I remember standing for close to six hours to read all the articles because firstly, my English was weak back then. Second, earlier (and even now) coaching institutes used to map every question to be sourced from the Hindu so everyday I used to stand and read every page of the Hindu line by line. I used to participate in debating competition to polish my English and get the fear of public speaking out of my body. It took a lot of effort and finally, I could express myself better (and hence, write these huge paragraphs on Forum :P). 

Also people have this tendency to glorify the people who clear it in the 1st attempt (because obviously even they want to crack it in the 1st attempt. No one in this process wants to stay longer than one or two attempts but as@GaneshGaitonde said there's privilege which is invisible to people which becomes the root cause of misery for aspirants coming from Tier 3 cities). I would still call myself privileged enough to have obtained my education from a good institute and been able to give five attempts to this exam. 

Next, when I say that let UPSC decide what marks candidates "deserve", I don't acknowledge the problematic nature in which UPSC operates. It just displays these marks with no accountability whatsoever. The black box model is justified to safeguard the independence of this Constitutional body. The Puja Khedkar controversy revealed the chinks in UPSC's armory. We do not know the extent of fraud some candidates are resorting to which often makes us lose confidence in the system. But what other options do we have rather than trusting the process? The #UnfairCSAT movement did not yield many tangible results and the government has not been heeding to the plea of several candidates who are demanding for extra attempts. Let's not forget the death of four aspirants during Mains 2024 preparation time. It is still unfair that Hindi Medium aspirants face disadvantage w.r.t material availability and the added problem of completing the paper (Hindi is a bit difficult to write as compared to English). Many aspirants live in inhuman conditions in ORN and Mukherjee Nagar. In this atmosphere, leaving the preparation with head held high is the most logical solution although we must not have any regrets w.r.t our efforts. I remember@Neyawn had written about the following aspect: "If you have done everything an aspirant can do (mocks, analysis, PYQs, answer writing etc) and still you fail to qualify then it's fine to blame luck and this process". I still believe in that and if you have done that then be assured that you could do everything possible. You can leave this process with a smile, this nation just lost a good officer.