Mains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread

Although I didn't qualified to write mains this year but analysed all question of GS 1 ,2 and 3...I think it was the toughest mains in last 5-6 years...GS 2 was completely out of way. Question like attorney general wala was very vague.. how can someone write 250 words in these types of ques...In real exam time it would be very difficult to gather content...All the best to all...best of luck for ur optionals..I hope optionals would come on expected lines

@K_9government should designate them as individual terrorist....one of my relative said- paper2 was conceptual but very easy

@Vickoo_Matrewhen I first gave pre, I thought it was very easy. I was happy that I could solve some questions of upsc level, not knowing that I need to solve 65-70 such questions. I got 50 marks that year.

The more one is ignorant, the more blissful one is.

ab ye sab 29 ko discuss kro, optional pe lag jao. Gs me to kaam ho gaya hai. optional me bhi surprise krenge lag raha hai

@Vickoo_Matredude... Don't talk to any relative till 29th.
All the best.

@Dijkstra
Krishnaraja sagara dam
Vanivilasa sagara dam
Hydel power on cauvery and sharavathi rivers
Control of floods of musi in hyderabad

Guys don't get scared by all those "expert" guys who didn't even give mains.
Just remember the feeling you had when just finished the exam. The difficulty of the exam can be judged from the "one word" analysis you think in that 1 min after the exam.
That is the most appropriate level of exam.
For eg.If you feel that GS1,2,3,4 are difficult in the 1 min just after the exam then it is difficult.
Remember guys people from outside they dont know the real conditions the mains writing candidate goes through.
situations that creates a difference-
1.how many hours one slept last night before exam
2.anxiety stress runs high concentration level
3.fatigue due to living in a hotel
4.writing continuously for 3 hours-affects hand due to pain
5.body pain neck strains back pain
6.stress to complete the paper
7.you have a very short time slot to read and interpret the question
8.make the structure of answer
9.if you dont remember the content then you dont stop at the question you move fast on to the next question.
10.you have to scan all the pages to be sure that you dont miss any question in between the pages or at the end.
11. A lot of external factors also play a role(jaipur centre electricity disrupted students given extra time)
12.health issues-cold cough etc.
13.And all other infinite factors that you alone faced.

The "expert" guys undermine your intellect and your hard work.Don't listen to them.There are lakhs of these types of "experts" out there.

Now my analysis of GS1,2,3,4
GS1-looked easy because of keywords like coral mangroves etc but the questions are brainstorming.You have to make the answers.Paper is again difficult
GS2-most difficult paper in last 5-6 years
GS3-again brainstorming-Difficult paper.
GS4-medium level with direct questions for probity,principles of public life etc.

Overall papers were on thinking based,view based.One particular type of answer not possible.Everyone has different interpretation of the questions.Hence accordingly the answer is created.
In these GS papers-there was very heavy emphasis on views. No readymade answers are available in market.

Model answers are not given by UPSC it is not because they areopaque.Itis because they believe in diversity of viewpoints.Remember it is all about your justification of viewpoints you have given. UPSC also gives fair marks to everyone
they are objective in awarding marks.They are choosing the best candidates they have some responsibility towards the process.

So take a chill.
Congrats to all of you who appeared with such great determination and courage.
Lets focus now on optional.

Peace out

@quantumsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

responsibility

very well put , view based questions though look easy are very dicey , plus I felt it was tough because multiple approaches could have been put for . same ans

@quantumI forgot to bring my ethics notes to the hotel and when I started revising from some other source it felt like I havent read a single word in ethics and started panicking
Then I made my sister to "CAM SCAN" my notes and only got comfortable after that!

@Kira0705sahi me bhai..open ended questions they gs3 me

Does anyone found 4 pages in some 15 marker questions of gs3?

@BGPLol yeah. I think in last 2 questions it was like that. I was like "Bitch please...I can't even fill 2 pages if you ask questions like this"

In 2017 interview, Bhosale sir had a 5 minute discussion with me towards the end. I told him frankly that lack of transperency in exam process promotes coaching industry. He said UPSC is making every possible effort to stem the rot of coaching industry.

His exact words : "Has the message not gone down loud and clear that coaching institutes will not be tolerated?"

I guess these types of paper are an effort in that direction.

@Champakmy view was the same after seeing gs2 (infact all of the papers but gs2 was very explicit in the message). But I was only guessing. I don't know what my result will be but I think we need to appreciate atleast some body is making efforts not to be a feeder to coaching industry, unlike ssc and banking exams.

@BGPlol yes...when i initially saw that extra page mjhe laga ki ques hi print nai hua hai sheet pe...thn i turned the page and found nxt ques....fir vapas aake ques padh ke smjha ki itne saare dimensions address krne hai isliye ek extra page...and that too in last few questions jo end end me jldi jldi me likhte hai hum

@pmishra997125I too felt in the beginning that such type of papers are aimed to reduce the prominence of coaching centres, but one of my senior (IPS 2015) told me after 2017 paper that increasing randomness in papers whether prelim or mains, is only going to increase fear psychosis among aspirants, which is the basic mantra of coaching centres.
And looking at market trend, I couldn't agree more. Markets are infested with new materials each year and new coachings prop up every damn season.
Seeing these papers, new aspirants will jump for 3 different test series instead of 1, thinking that it'll help them cover 'all possible dimensions'.
Despite upsc's best intention, I feel it's not serving the desired objective..

One things looks certain. UPSC indeed goes through the class notes/videos and 180/365 type material of big coaching companies and frames questions directly outside of them. It doesn't matter whether this results in many repeated questions, 2 year old current affairs, fringe issues like cyberdome/NWP or asking long questions in veil of case studies.

The message may this time percolate clearly.

@Muruganso did the question setter.

That question 7 in Ethics was directly lifted from 2014 Insightsonindia material

@Jayson_BourneWho knows both could have copied from a third source.

mains question esp gs2 had become repetitive over the years , i remember 2-3 years back gs-2 was most feared but as people became better with prediction marks increased , now again we may have low scores in gs 2