@PhagocyteAgreed. IF one needs to reflect upon his performance, it should be done now only because the more you delay, the less you remember what you wrote and the more you worry over it.
@K_9If there was an ideal way to write this exam or reflect upon the performance, there would be a beeline for that. The point is to evaluate your performance not only on the 'subjective richness' of your answers but also to see how comprehensible the answer could have been, when you learn how others attempted that.
Of course One is free to take whatever learning one can from the discussions. Relevance is not independent of 'space and time' dimensions.
@STTotally.
Personally, I feel content still trumps structure if one can maintain a decent amount of control over it in those three hours. Relevant content is definitely more rewarding. Relevant content with decent structure in all 20 questions, Utopia I guess.
@STYeah definitely feel you. Its is a tradeoff between structure and relevant content in most of the questions in those three hours. Sometimes dumb luck works and sometimes not. Completing paper is primary though.
Most of the answer scripts put out by the coaching institutes have average answers in almost half the questions. Reasons to believe it is any different in the actual paper are very thin. Most of us can't write all 20 good, working or not.
But it is subjective too i guess. I filled all pages in all the GS papers last years, got more or less average marks in GS 1,3,4 and good in GS 2. But it is a challenge to reach a certain level of well presented answer. I compromised on the structure. This time too, same story.
@pravinshinde3592958Conclusion and 'Way Forward' are overrated , unwanted response of coachings to enforce a structure which they think fetches marks. It doesn't matter much imho , if you have enough content. Just one or two liner wrap ups are sufficient to work as conclusion. As you said, 150-250 words answer me conclusion kaha se itna bada likh payenge.
@K_9True words. Reinforcement of this by the institutes and strategy peddlers has almost left aspirants handicapped to think and innovate right at the spot. Someone wrote this above too and I agree how there is overemphasis on I-B-C structure and it works only if you address all parts of the question. This time the GS papers were difficult because one can't fit them into this simple form.
@LonewolfStrict checking i would have to say. Expecting similar type of evaluation this year too.
@Yes_I_am_inWhy would an essay be needed to be discussed as a debate?
If the story or incident is well rounded and used as a reference to put forward the important argument, it should work I think because I see people getting rewarded for stories all the time. Hope UPSC is more accommodative , which i think it is.
@KhamoshkrantikariLiterature optional here. Paper was not tough but very lengthy and too specific. It was time taking as compared to the last two years.
@paranthapijjaDid they say live on video the questions were easy? Damn!
@ranyo_asokaI think the base of the question was to identify the success and failures of service sector, due to partnerships and collaborations or lack of it in India's development process. Meaning, you have to trace India's development from primarily agricultural to heavy industry to liberalised to service led with sublimation of manufacturing in between to current SME and export led inclusive development push and in these parts, point out the events or data or incidents, examples of how service sector collaboration was needed/successful/failed. Component of inclusive development as a characteristic on India is massively important too, but so are specific service sector examples. Very tough question imho.
@Yes_I_am_inHam sabne apna farz nibhaya hai and general answers likhe hain
@ranyo_asokaYeah almost felt like ek do point jisme present ho waise content ko extend kar k ek pura essay type question hi bana diya. As many copies, that many interpretations for this one surely.
@HaeckelYes agree with these points here, especially 2 and 5. Exam ke 2-3 din tak hi ache se fresh rehta mind me usk baad bas frame yaad hai kya kya thoda sa kuch kuch likha tha. Hats off to people who still remember what all they have written in every question.
@ChampakTouche. The immediate gut feeling after the exam generally stands to be true. Although tough competition can kill off that buzz. Not to be rude here but not one person did question the guy who put his marksheet out. Nowhere it mentioned these marks are for 14-15 questions right.
Let's not get ourselves to be carried away like Dawson episode did.
Standards on social media are so selectively applied that we tend to lose out on the collective benefit it has to offer. Going after character of anyone, be it anyone for any reason without establishing a cause first is nothing less than anarchy. Also reflects the moral bankruptcy and intellectual hollowness that we aspirants are showing, by participating in those debates. Let's make a concerted effort to look ahead now.
@dancingminionGoing by last year's standards, average answers in almost all questions would have given you 80s in GS1 and GS4, 90s in GS2 and GS3
@dancingminionAverage should ideally give you more in 15 markers but yeah around this marking scheme things hovered last time. I mean that is my understanding after seeing marks of my friend circle and my own.
@Yes_I_am_inYeah. After paper 2 I was fumbling to even book a cab. Extremely unhappy with what had transpired.
@sat_009From my experience of last year's mains, even only one phenomenal paper in GS and rest all including optional papers even slightly above average are enough to not only get you an interview call but also propel you to +40 marks cushion for Interviews.
Our real marks can and most definitely vary from our expected marks in individual papers but the overall marks are usually around our self predicted score if we are really being honest. I guess it's time people on this thread actually stopped bickering among ourselves and put all this energy to some constructive use. Interview ain't cakewalk either.
@DKTLofty ambitions brother. But I hope it all turns out as you have prophesized. If it indeed happens, I think you should be ready with a more detailed post for forum blog.
@foxmulderIs there a thread here in which serious interview prep discussion is happening?
@paranthapijjaI think everyone in this service is or becomes a conformist. That doesn't mean they become corrupt, but only that they find ways to achieve what they want-- be it work, wealth, satisfaction or dissent. Even dissent is as per one's own convenience. A lot many honest officers do work and are hounded, like the examples that you have given. All I take solace is in the fact that people who want to work true to their duties are still in large numbers and are working tirelessly. Regarding what is to be the future prospects, changes would be far and few. Similar surroundings beckon all of us. Definitely resolve will be tested whether you give in or keep ploughing. It is also a matter of priorities, when you want to honestly work, I don't think you could be stopped.
@CaesarIn a way, everyone lives in the same muddle. To have a clear conscience is truly a wonderful thing. If you still turn a blind eye to wrongs just to keep your conscience clear, doesn't really serve the purpose does it?
@CaesarYeah. Imagine the tough choices one makes in service on a regular basis. The final outcome that we usually hear about, is always a sum total of all these decisions one takes, courageous, timid or otherwise.
@sat_009Yeah my statement was a rhetoric, not a question. Clean conscience coupled with conscious decisions and concerted efforts will lead to something meaningful. Not sucking upto political powers for patronage and privilege will have their consequences of course. Totally depends on an individual how to take it forward.
@CaesarIt's needed that we have domain expertise and knowledge because it is no longer level 1 problems of roti kapda and makan that we need to solve only. Complexity is new normal and hence retrograde bureaucracy needs a fillip. That said, lateral entry is very much welcomed but surely not enough. Already available existing cadre at hand can be moulded too. But I have a doubt. Do you all think the bureaucracy is too much in adherence to the ways of past that they have given up soft ways to reform and are focusing on lateral entry? The recent firing of officers from IRS and all due to non performance does indicate they do not have confidence in their own soft nudging power anymore. Stubborn bureaucrats? Passive governance? I really don't understand this completely.
@ranyo_asokaYeah still murky all around. What benefits or not yet to completely understand. Clearly the enthusiasm for lateral entry has no takers anymore though.
@CaesarYeah that's one of my considerations as well. Generalists ko Gaali dena is a fashion in present times.
@dancingminionSahi me. Bada ajeeb scenario hai ye. New consulates and embassies khol rahe but vacancies moving in opposite direction.
@K_9said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@foxmulderSahi mei bhai. I don't get the "lbsnaa is working at its full capacity" excuse to not recruit more people. How about you invest a little bit since you're the friggin indian government and improve administrative infrastructure and capacity. So many reports have noted that India lacks adequate number of IAS/IPS plus there is an incredible governance deficit.
Ye LBSNAA is working at full capacity wala logic hi hai jiska use kar they have capped 180 seats for IAS for so long. And as@dancingminionsaid, IFS seats in 2019 they kept at 30. It was 42 in 2018. And now when they apparently need more, it's 24 (if its confirmed, the above data). Whatever reforms they are planning, whether it's favourable to us large number of aspirants or not, should atleast be transparently laid out for us. I guess after preparing even for 1-1.5 years, one can be a better judge of what to do in future attempts, to even take them or not, if a lot of these doubts and debates are laid to rest by the government itself.
@vvvikas0078212Very true. I suffered exactly due to my passiveness last year. Waited and waited for the result and schedule aane par time nahi tha. Atleast one's own DAF must be ready before the results come, assuming that all hopefuls are already keeping themselves abreast with he current affairs.
@pmishra997125Service wise break is available before the final results. During the form filling stage it's not available in public domain. That time only overall numbers are available. Official breakup for 896 will arrive before the results I am hoping. Last year I remember on the discuss portal someone uploaded breakup of 812, way before the final results.
@Ravssaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
A few minutes ago, i was feeling bored. Therefore, i decided to watch GS 4 analysis on YouTube.
Within 5 minutes i got quite frustrated.
Yaar yeh bande 99% bakchodi karte hain aur 1% kaam ki baat.
They use some high level phrases & terms to sound intellectual & explain the answers in a really vague manner.
#shareYourViews
Kis coaching ka analysis tha?
@RavsBhai I had mistakenly joined ethics classes wahan par when I was a newbie in this preparation phase. I can safely say that Institute's ethics classes compete for the worst classes in ORN hands down.
Have you seen vision's analysis? I think too unrealistic to be done in the examination hall.
@AllMightExactly same. Immediately after prelims I joined there. Should never have, in the hindsight. Only next year when I did read and complete on my own, some normalcy to ethics prep returned.
@RavsInk GS 3 ke analysis dekhe maine. Even after 2-3 weeks the guy in the video was confidently interpreting questions in an abashedly wrong manner. Give up ho gaya mera bhi.
@RavsExpecting decent marks. Could complete the paper well in time. Part A was fine. Still I am not sure how much role does segregated or integrated examples play in part A but tried to include them in most of the questions. Last case study was tricky, same for everyone I guess. In my last attempt I couldn't write Lincoln and Thiruvalluvar quote properly due to paucity of time. Still got above average. Hoping for a repeat of that.
How was yours?
@LeoMessiFirst attempt i joined GS Score only for ethics and Vision for GS. Second I joined MGP+. And in this recent one I did not join any test series. Marks fluctuated so much within the same test series was never sure what to follow and what not.
Which one did you join?
@atuljiOne can write but unless its relevant I don't know how much it would fetch. Examples do help make the answers specific. But I am myself confused if my part A fetched marks. I myself write many general answers in ethics questions.
@dancingminionsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@Yug_ said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@foxmulderbhai What might have been the average scores across 4 GS papers last year? Any Idea?
Bro mine was pretty average. I got around 330.
And the average for selected candidates was around 380-400.
Yeah it should be around 400 for the selected candidates imo.
@ChampakLast exam was on 7th of October 2018. The results were declared on 20th of December 2018. So expecting results between 15-20 December.
@bevancomsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@pysh12950Then I was mistaken.Had filled the requisite 24 pages*90=2000 words which would be 1000 words per essay.Thanks..
Are you sure about the use of the term 'requisite' here? Remarkably, no relation has yet been made between filling pages and getting less marks. Or more, for that matter.
@ChampakInterviews started on 11th of February this year. So almost one month and 20 days after the results. They squeezed the IFoS interviews and results in between. This year too the timeline suggests similar happenings. DAF-II was filled last year too in a way, the service and cadre choices were asked separately in January. This time DAF-II will have hobbies section as well and some new ones maybe if they choose to.
@AzadHindFauzsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@RagsIf only you can decipher the hebrew written in this, you'd be able to know-
https://indiankanoon.org/docfragment/1530075/?big=0&formInput= scaling of marks
Assuming 1000 candidates per paper is audacious. And so the marks obtained by candidates are the only way to decide on the difficulty of the optional paper after all. This because they don't account for the degree of subjectivity that differs across optionals. For some literature optionals there are only 2-3 candidates appearing. Highest doesn't even reach 300 but the lowest is around 180 for them.
@vamgaduExactly! Treating marks obtained as the only viable method to judge the difficulty of a subject in upsc is plain injustice.
@abhinav23raj436Okay. But the explanation they gave is for normalizing marks across different optionals.
@paranthapijjaHonestly aaj tak samajh nahi aya wo Saxenaji ki real profile hai ya koi overenthusiastic upsc troll aadmi chalata use
@paranthapijjaI think he has been correct only once over the last 2-3 Years. Posts too many cryptic messages when genuine people ask doubts. Nothing more than an 'insider'
@bevancomBhau Interview me 116 se jyada laana, last time ho chuka hai ek mishap.
@paranthapijjaI remember seeing somewhere last year a post of a candidate getting brilliant 848 in written but his interview did not go well. Don't know about the username. Might be.
@paranthapijjaAbsolutely. There is a whole post on Quora by the guy himself. Really feel for him. That was no way to conduct an interview, what happened with him.
@K_9The Office on Amazon Prime. Oh man what a show!
@DreadfulNo. Forest Mains ended on 10-11th I guess and results came out on 20th December.
@ranahere999There was some issue of a case in CAT being resolved one day before the mains and manually some people were made to fit in at the centers for mains this year ( I know it was done at UPSC Bhavan). Any idea what was that about? Something about EWS?
@sat_009Yeah I am not talking about that. Some people's roll numbers were manually written on the seating arrangement and I had read in news somewhere that some people won a case to be allowed in the mains exam and that UPSC had to issue them admit cards one day before mains. Regarding what you are saying, I had the window seat and in compulsory language paper, 3-4 candidates could not get entry ( came at 9:02 I believe) and their parents almost came to blows with the security guys. Too much chaos. Saw it.
@Ms-dhonisaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@sat_009bhsi only 15 people sought extension, rest didn't appear in mains. If extension is given now, would it be fair to them?
Yeah exactly. If they give anymore extensions, it would be grossly unfair. Plus I know a lot of genuine EWS guys who couldn't get EWS certificates because the officials were clueless how to issue them.
@Scorpion888said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:
@foxmulderone of my friend suffered this no entry in 2018 in the last day for paper 2 of optional.
Shit man pretty bad scenario. It is such a grey area too, whom to blame or what to expect. But mismanagement of exams and in one swoop a whole year goes to waste, can only empathesize with candidates.
@sat_009On same marking scheme as last year, expect a little fall. Gone are those days when one exceptional paper was able to pull you to the list I believe, with the kind of GS Papers that came this year. Would need above average performance now in all papers to get any real advantage I believe.
@DijkstraBhai alag hi zeher hai ye to. Kahan se aate hain aise log!
@dr-ahmednaaz8567That is not the exact bias, what you quoted. I wrote this essay. Started with a story on evolution of the Indian Mirror from a pamphlet to a daily newspaper, rounding off by showing how the media, print, audio and video built Indian democracy. Then gave back story to the topic with recent examples, like those of fake news paid news and how no one asks the important questions in journalism without the tinge of ideology, and then moved on to identifying certain key characteristics of Indian democracy and how a biased media threatens them and how a strong media would galvanize it into a sturdier one. Put 2 quotes too if I remember correctly. Couldn't actually finish well because I had cut one extra page by mistake
Long and wonderful early morning read onEthics and the game of Cricket!! Result aa nahi raha to isko hi padh lo.
@mounikamouni24-h944No idea.
@ranyo_asokaKoi Idea nahi. Office nahi gaya aaj to idhar aa gaya. Next week hi lag raha aise to. Sab wahi bol rahe.
@ranyo_asokaTrue!
