Mains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread

Anyone from economics optional here? How did your paper go? I feel paper 1 might pull my results down.

@ajit_kdthe nationalism they strengthened led to formation of Pakistan and it won't fit well in the answer according to me as it actually hampered Indian nationalism.

@Biryanimafia_ mere Saath Kuch Ulta ho Raha hai. Kuch Yaad hi Nahin kya Likha tha isliye doubts aa rahe Hain ki what I wrote was good or not. Baaki to samay bataayega.

@siddagar baaki sab theek hua to ho jaana chaahiye hopefully. Précis kaafi ajeeb laga mujhe bhi

@siddglad to come across someone from eco optional. Paper 1 achha Nahin hua itna. 10 markers mein Kuch flow Nahin ban rahi thi aur end ke liye chhode the and end mein time Nahin Mila sochkar likhne Ka. Bade vaale optional questions phir bhi theek the. Paper 2 better hua Mera. Par Haan ajeeb questions the including the one you mentioned.

Kitna expect Kar Raha hai eco mein?

@siddMera bhi first mains hai. Paper 2 ke section a mein theek the 10 markers but not in section b. Planned aur unplanned to news mein tha 2 Saal pehle isliye Yaad tha vo. Baaki samay bataayega.
Mera GS vaise achha hua hai. Darr ye hai ki optional na duba de.

@vvvikas0078212I've always thought they are left wingers and university profs. But in the current political scenario, it's highly likely they are right wing.

Best is to have a neutral viewpoint on issues I guess so as to not piss anyone.

@vvvikas0078212in such a scenario, I would respectfully put forth my opinion that it was a wrong step and would try to reason behind it. If I fake it, they'll know it from my body language for sure. And I suppose we can disagree with such steps but at the same time, not be too political about it.

@Chanakyaneutral rahne mein sabse jyaada bhalaai hai. Or if you want to be genuine, thoda rational right winger ki Tarah discuss Karna without getting too extreme. Should be alright in that case I guess.

@Malcolmsame here bhaai. I am in a mess right now as well with a lot of overthinking. Dedicate some time to a hobby maybe if you can't study much. Even I am not studying for more than 3-4 hours

@Malcolmyou can also study man. Do something interesting for most of your day and 2-3 ghante Nikal lena atleast for the newspapers. Inshallah clear karenge Mains and we shouldn't be underprepared.

Ye Maharashtra level ki bakchodi Kabhi Nahin dekhi Zindagi mein. Complete disregard of constitution as well as people's mandate by all parties.

@paranthapijjaI was thinking that after doing so much effort, we'll have to listen to these guys only if we end up clearing the exam.

@wwani391071mujhe bhi aisa hi lag Raha hai ab. Although I was very satisfied with finishing all papers, they were all in my opinion standard average answers.

@Katsumotowe all have our struggle stories bhaai. What works well in my case is an extremely supportive family and a few very good friends. But being alone while my peers are doing well professionally hits me really hard many a times.

I know getting a good result is not guaranteed but preparing for CivilS is a life changing experience for anyone, from both thinking as well as learning perspective. There's a lot we've learnt in this journey which will give us a boost in life ahead.

Hoping both of us clear the exam and more importantly, remain happy and strong in life.

@Caesarthat's pretty much what I aspire as well and I was in this zone atleast in the month of October. Travelled a fair bit and forgot that I even gave the exam. Results aane Ke Aas paas dimaag phir se kharaab hone lag gaya ab

Since everyone's discussing mistakes, I didn't cross out at the end of the answer in almost half of GS 1 questions. But I didn't even think about that after the exam. Jo Hoga Dekha jaayega

@paranthapijjanot just that. It was very much in news in August with newspapers covering it extensively.

@zombielandSahi mein bhaai. Aur ye sab ghatiya cheez padhkar ye bhi Nahin pata ki kya hi pooch lein. Last year first attempt mein 2 number se rah Gaya tha aur bilkul desire Nahin thi atleast 2 month ke liye to do that again.

Anyone else who actually wants to take a break from life for sometime and visit Himalayas? That's the only thought in my mind these days. I feel I've become too attached to people as well as to outcomes like the UPSC results. I guess life is much beyond that.

Sorry for the philosophical gyaan but preparation has made me become like this.

@Malcolmyes, I know it's escapism. But I'd rather say I feel like escaping from the circle of life which I find people around me entangled in. The ones leading a standard Life have so many stress points that I rarely see them happy or content. There's always some sort of frustration regarding some result, job, marriage etc. Even if all these things go well, the same cycle continues with kids with people being stressed about the same things for their kids.

I just feel like living in a different way sometimes. It's just a thought actually as of now. Maybe I might see myself as I've always been in a few months time.

@STek alag perspective chaahiye life Ka, aisa sochta hoon Kai Baar. Pata Nahin if that's possible or not.

@STI'll certainly forget this for a while if I qualify mains but I've been thinking about all this for almost 2 years now. And by the way, everything's good in my family and life in general. Just something I think based on my observations of life and people. Maybe will discuss this some other day in more detail.

@NadigVinaythat's true. We all end up thinking about purpose of life and all that sometime. CivilS ki prep thoda aur jyaada philosophical Bana deti hai I think considering how challenging and unpredictable it is.

@dancingminionbest time tha vo. No tension about anything. School se aao, kochikame Dekho aur so jaao.

@kumar-rohit1308647it's a really shitty group. Joined it after reading about it here and left it within a day only.

@bevancomI never asked or cared about your marksheet personally but why were you so boastful in first place? That I am from IIM, IIT etc., I've done these many pages and chapters etc. One of the reasons people have probably been a little rude to you is because of that attitude of yours. Absolutely no one likes that and I would also strongly advise you that being humble always helps in life. Also, UPSC is a great leveller and it's better not to have such high expectations. I don't know why exactly you want to impress anonymous people on forum.

@bevancomwell your comments give an impression to me that you want to point out how smart you are and highlight all your achievements. Now it's possible that I misinterpreted you but that's the general impression I believe most of us got. Anyway, good luck to you.

@chandler_bingab chances ke baare mein sochna chhod. 8-10 din mein picture clear ho jaaegi.

@chandler_bingit was my first mains as well. Extremely anxious just like you and also unsure about what to do next. Hope results come asap.

@RealMangome. Sort of messed up paper 1. How did your optional go?

@RealMangoI messed up the 10 markers in paper 1. Found them to be really difficult and time consuming. Same for paper 2. Can't say how will the marking be. Likha to kaafi Kuch hai usmein.
My GS actually went fine. I am scared optional might ruin my chances.

@paranthapijjamain likhoonga. 2002 se Dekh Raha hoon

@visionman@visionmanI had economics along with PCM in class 12th and like you, I also opted for some economics electives in engineering. I largely prepared on my own without any coaching and interest was a big factor for me as well. I hadn't opted for test series but end mein I joined bliss point test series just to have a look at their test papers. I did attempt all the past year papers though and got it checked from a professor I know.

Yup, guidance is lacking. It's not a very popular optional and is time taking too. But I've now spent a good bit of time on it starting 2016. Was feeling confident too for paper 1 but one big issue was a lot of time spent on thinking in the exam. Let's see how that goes. I was satisfied with my paper 2 though, particularly section A but don't know about their marking scheme in that.

@visionmanit was my first mains.

@RealMangoit was okayish. Most of it was past year papers only and the difficulty level of questions wasn't as much as exam from what I thought. Was vajiram good?

@ranahere99910 markers were tough in paper 1. I did them at the end when time left wasn't that much and I had to think before writing. Kuch ajeeb sa hi ho Gaya vo sab under those circumstances.

@Chanakyaas weird as it sounds, I danced on this song in school's annual day in class 2nd. Memories Judi Hain iss gaane ke Saath.

@DKT1 lakh log Nahin dete CivilS vaise. Nonetheless, UPSC is a very professional organization compared to the fucked up SPSCs.

@kochikaamemy bad. Read it incorrectly

@deceptrixI don't think filling more pages gives any sort of advantage at all. Obviously one needs to write minimum words but I don't think more pages gives any sort of advantage, particularly if content is irrelevant.

@dancingminionI believe that an evaluator checking 100 papers in a day would be irritated seeing nonsense content, particularly if it's completely irrelevant and is too long.

Anyway, we'll never get to know about their marking criterion.

@RealMangosaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

At what time does the result come? Morning or evening?

Whenever they feel like uploading. It's the same for prelims too

@capricornapedid they mean it can come anytime now?

@Jharsuguda24-25. I really don't want 2 more unproductive weeks.

@zombielandaisa kaun Bola ki IFos Ka pehle aayega?

@MadamSir said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@Ragssaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

ghar wale want the assurance just after the exam that the result will be positive.

ghar wale (gw): kaisa hua exam?

me: thik hua

gw: achha hai...tab ho jayega na?

me: dekhte hain

gw: exam deke toh pta lag jana chahiye ki ho rha ya nahi

me (mann hi mann): khud deke dekh lete, pta chal jata

at times, they don't even want to live with the uncertainty that we who have taken the exam go through. they want perforce to be assured, not realizing that giving them beforehand assurances only increases the pressure...

anyways

Worst are those friends and relatives who say - Iss bar to ho hi jaaega clear, mujhe pata hai. Ye bataao ki IAS upar bharoge ya IFS. There are some other lunatics too who'll start calling you IAS the moment they know you are preparing. There's special place in hell for such people.

@vision2020Fortunately I haven't reached the age of marriage yet.

@Malcolmsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaamewhat is "the age"of marriage, just curious! In my city, women marry post 30.

Which city is this? In my family as well as social circle, age of marriage for women is around 26-27 while for men it's 28-30. It used to be much lesser earlier but is changing. I am about 24, so no marriage talks as of now fortunately.

@Shy_guysaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaamesir...Got this.a relative..Ab ka khu bhaiya inko...

Don't call me sir. I am just 24. Block Kar inko or don't respond. If at all he feels he did something wrong, tell him why such a thing is bad at so many levels Nahin to ignore Kar aise logon ko at this point atleast.

@Behemothsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

Delighted to see good bonding here on forum page, that's how should we treat each other. Envious environment serves no purpose. My best wishes to everyone here.

There's so much common between all of us at this point. Our experiences, struggles etc is very much relatable. Good bonding is how it should be ideally. It's just that every now and then people come up who want to prove a point about how oversmart they are which sort of spoils things. But most of the times, I feel this is a good space to visit. Much much better than that telegram group.

Itna sannata kyon hai aaj? No one expecting results today?

@abhinav23raj436many people have mentioned a lot of things on forum. Don't know whom to believe.

@MadamSir jisko Jo bhaasha bolni hai bolo Yaar. Never understood why people tend to get angry over whether someone speaks mother tongue or not. English is thriving for two reasons in my opinion:-

1. Hindi is not the mother tongue of more than half our population and many don't understand it well. English acts as a uniting language in many ways
2. There's dearth of quality science work in Hindi. Someone opting for engineering or medical would have difficulty finding Hindi books for the same.

If someone really wants to promote Hindi, he/she should ensure quality translations are available for academic works or else next generation will continue to prefer English medium of education.

@TETRACYCLINEmere bhaai Kisi ko Nahin pata hota result kab aayega. Itna mat socha Kar ye sab dekhkar. Jab aana Hoga, aa jaayega

I may sound somewhat pessimistic here but is there someone else who's not happy with the direction India is taking currently. CAB and NRC, 4 month blockade in Kashmir etc isn't something I've associated with my country. Worst is I see people around me with no sympathy for others. I asked my dad about Kashmir in the morning and he said it's good what is happening there so that stone pelters learn a lesson.

Seeing so much hatred and disregard towards others is something I see way too often these days. Or it could be because of social media as well.

Sorry for a somewhat political post here. You have the right to disagree with me or correct me.

@Caesarsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaameaisahi chal rha, after LS electn i thought itni saari schemes toh bana li 1st term me, ab baith k usko rectify aur properly implement karenge, yaha kuch aur hi chal rha

Haan bhaai. I was actually happy with the first term and felt that the notion of BJP being anti minority is wrong. Vote bhi daala unko LS election mein.

I feel coming of Amit Shah has changed everything. We are a country known for coexistence and the current scenario is badly harming our reputation. Take up any international newspaper or magazine and there would be lots of articles criticising current Indian policies. I really really hope they don't come up with a pan Indian NRC now. That would be dreadful.

@TETRACYCLINECAB is actually fine in many ways. But supporting NRC along with it and then calling migrants as termites indicates that the issue is with one type of migrants. I am also concerned how will all this impact our relationship with Bangladesh.

@TETRACYCLINEsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaame
ur optional bhai ?

Economics. Yours?

@MadamSir I really liked Atal Ji and even NDA 1 for that matter. It's the 'Chanakya' who's spoiling everything and potentially taking the nation down. I've heard from many gujju friends that he has a history of doing similar things in Gujarat.

@Caesarthat is so scary. The most powerful man in the country right now is a goon who has no hesitation in taking action against anyone who's opposed him in the past. I really hope our nation gets through all this without much issue because NRC would be disastrous for everyone.

I worry a lot about our international reputation which is going down rapidly. Open any international newspaper and see what they write about us these days.

@tssI deride leftists as I am economically right wing. They'll create an issue just for the sake of it even when there's none.

Having said that, I support secularism, democracy and equality because of which I opposed some recent happenings.

I'll tell you what's wrong with CAB. Our HM goes around and calls illegal migrants as termites. He calls for nationwide NRC to throw out infiltrators. However with that, he's now bringing CAB. That clearly implies only Muslim migrants are termites. Also, persecuted minorities would also include 'Rohingyas' and I don't need to talk about what BJP and its supporters think about them. Our international reputation has taken a hit with the Kashmir issue. This is the last thing I want right now. I feel we are venturing into something we shouldn't with all these so called 'bold steps' when the economy isn't doing well at all.

@DreadfulI thought CivilS preparation might actually teach you to make your points respectfully, not label others by names and not do whataboutery.

@Champakwho is he vaise?

@Dreadfulkal mood tha ye sab discuss Karne Ka but right now I am only thinking about results. Maybe we'll continue this discussion some other day. Good luck for the results man.

@AplharomeoTG vaale insiders farzi Hain. Don't believe them or even the UPSC guys. Aa jaayega jab aana Hoga. Let's do something productive till then.

@lonesurvivorI was thinking that only ki they give all these replies out of frustration of receiving so many calls.

@dancingminionabhi to shaam baaki hai dost

@dancingminionsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaamesaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@dancingminionabhi to shaam baaki hai dost

bhai mahaul nahi hain aaj ka

I've noticed result suddenly aata hai mostly, maahaul banaakar Nahin.

@Caesara shitty answer for a really shitty question. Might fool the questioner I believe.

Inn logon ko Kabhi graduation level ki maths padhao. They'll be shocked seeing no numbers in courses like linear algebra.

@Caesarbhaai itne saare pseudo expert Hain yahan CivilS ke jinhonein apni fan following bhi Bana li. Ek aspirant tha jisko log Sir Bolne lage the just because he wrote about preparation. Extreme level cringe the Uske answers. Ekdum bolywood type dramatic about his CivilS journey.

@VivekanandS2018 was my first prelims and it broke me so much that I couldn't study much for 3 months after that. However I realized clearing Pre for any serious aspirant depends the most on how calm he/she is while writing the exam. Keeping that thing into consideration helped me in 2019 prelims.

@zombielandsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@atuljitbhi advice dete h k kuch back up optiona rakhna shi rehta h. technical degrees iss maamle main arts degree se behtar h. Job options jayada hote h. initial difficulties k baad uth k khada hona relatively easy rehta h.

phir bhi jinko confidence h unke liye kya hi backup. bt in general backup option rakhna shi hota h.

Exactly bhaai. I never understood why so many people think taking arts is better agar CivilS Karna ho to. Technical degrees always helps when it comes to jobs.

@zombielandabsolutely true. Toxic motivation ends up harming most people.

Also as you said, one doesn't need to have the preparation mindset right from college days. I am from an engineering background and ended up preparing economics in about 5 months. Funny thing is that even an economics grad needs 3-4 months for it.

Many other optionals would take even lesser time than that.

@pysh1295024 tak anxiety hi Jaan le legi meri.

@pysh12950Dekh chuka main vo. Koi achhi crime TV series pata hai? Narcos type ki

@atuljiI've seen suits. Should probably give a try to mentalist or stranger things (as the other user mentioned).

@TeddyWestsidesaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@VivekanandSIAS ,IPS,IFS without any doubt and obviously better; IRS personal preference ; below IRS SDM is any day better

As he mentioned, it's all about personal preference. I would opt for IRS over IPS for sure and this is a fairly common trend amongst many aspirants. While there are also aspirants who mark IPS above IAS.

@Hermione_Granger Thank you. Killing Eve Ka pata Nahin tha. Will probably give it a try and I've seen Chernobyl.

@dancingminionprelims 2018 Ka Saturday ko Aaya tha. Kal bhi chances Hain I believe.

@zombielandI doubt if all of them are even CivilS aspirants or not. Ekdum tharki, desperate type Hain. And that space is actually not good at all for any girl.Idhar udhar ke velle log lagte Hain mujhe to.

@TETRACYCLINEmain bhi kal issi nishkarsh par pahuncha tha. Tab bhi 1-2 Baar to check Kar hi liya aaj.

@vvvikas0078212work from home vaala Banda bhi Kar Sakta hai vo kaam to.

Sorry for the upcoming rant but I am absolutely frustrated with the result not coming. Was so hard to tolerate the previous week and they still seem to not release it.

I can't concentrate on anything, can't decide on what to do next, whether to prepare again or not, whether to do something for interviews or look for jobs. I am absolutely fucked mentally at this point and don't know where is my life heading.

Jaldi nikaalo Yaar results or else I might just lose my mind completely. This is the most frustrating thing ever.

@The_Powerpuff_girllast 4-5 days have been terrible. I might or might not qualify but I need a closure instead of being in this state of indecisiveness.

I guess it's the same for most of us.

@TETRACYCLINEaur agar iske alaava newspaper padh lo to vo aur bhi depressing. Protests, violence and toxicity everywhere. I just feel like cutting myself from happenings around me completely.

@ajit_kdI think abhi aur 3-4 din lagaayenge. Aisi feeling bilkul Nahin aa rahi ki kal aa jaayega

@Jayson_Bourne19 crore migrants? Are you sure about what you are saying? Largely agree with other things you said though. This isn't a sort of bill which should be passed like this. Just look at the chaos it has caused.

@ManchesterUnitedI think their concern isn't just CAB. They fear NRC plus CAB combo which they feel will make many of them stateless. I also feel pan Indian NRC would be a massive humanitarian crisis. Our HM seems very keen for that.

Second, they are terrified of how BJP can pass anything they want to do easily now without any consultation or discussion. Many also feel court is partisan now. In an ideal world, we should aim to assuage these concerns instead of calling names to protesters.

@ManchesterUnitedyou didn't get my point friend. I didn't say CAB is a big issue in itself. NRC is a huge issue and because of CAB, only Muslims will be the ones facing issue from NRC as others will get citizenship.

Also, government fulfilling its manifesto is good but there's a way and convention of doing things. The way triple talaq, Kashmir and CAB bills have passed is making people insecure. No role of committees, minimum discussion etc. It's basically brute majority and lack of consulting any stakeholder.

Yes, I disagree with sabarimala judgement too but this is a separate issue.

By the way, I am a North Indian Hindu living in Mumbai. I won't be affected by CAB or NRC but I don't want my country or countrymen in chaos.

@ManchesterUnitedbecause many people, particularly poor won't have documental proofs of them living in India before 1971 or whatever the cutoff year is.

@Ravsif you think protest globalization ke baad West se aayi hai, you have very little idea about history of protest prior to 1991. My dad attended medical college in early 1980s and there were lots of protests in his college.

I don't like this trend of blaming everything on West. It just shows a lot of insecurity about things. What most people call westernisation is actually assertion of rights and individualism. Indians have always been insecure with people asking for too much rights and freedom. There's always a desire to put such people in place.

@Ravsfunny thing is that those standing for apna culture of tolerance and rationality are being called west inspired youth. Vahi pseudo science aur nafrat failaane vaale guardians of Indian culture Hain aajkal. Do you see the hypocrisy here?

@ManchesterUnitedkahaan se kahaan pahunch Gaya? You are assuming all protest are violent and asking for azaadi. I never supported a violent protest and never will.

Your reply is entirely something else of what I wrote and is more on emotional lines.

@ManchesterUnitedthese slogans were certainly not raised in Jamia or any student protests. Read somewhere that it was raised in Bengal. Don't know if that's real or fake news.

@Shubzmere maan baap understanding Hain kaafi fortunately. Par saala ye result ki wait is the most frustrating thing ever.

Nothing could be worse than seeing a new notification on Upsc website only to know it's of central sheep breeding farm recruitment.

@vvvikas0078212said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@duster2019Population control bill will worsen the sex ratio and increase crime against women to the extent that it will be counterproductive. Chinese 1 child policy didn't give the expected results and all studies declared it a failure. In India, educated people are automatically opting for one or two child. Most of the states have achieved replacement level of fertility and rest are likely to achieve by 2041. Unemployed youth should be taken care of by government policies first instead of giving I'll conceived ideas like population control bill.

I have been very vocal against CAB and NRC in all my posts so far but 2 child policy is something I'll strongly support. We don't have resources to support such a large population and demographic change is real. It can mess up our future completely.

@vvvikas0078212that's an issue for sure. Probably need to think of something to handle this.

@TETRACYCLINEI was stressed and impatient regarding results over the last week. Now I've stopped caring. Lagta hi Nahin aayega.

@TETRACYCLINEsame here bhaai. Can't figure out what to do

My dad (who's in government) knows someone from UPSC whom he called today. That guy talked with the concerned person and mentioned that results will come next week.

So don't think too much about it guys. Aa jaayega jab aana Hoga.

@kohliwaghow are you so confident? Kab se sun Raha hoon ki it's round the corner, par koi chance Nahin lag Raha.

@vision2020zero chance

@abhinav23raj436said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@TETRACYCLINE2015 me mains result 115 din pe aya tha. Tab UPSC ne 1 mahine me interview khatm kar diya tha.

My dad cleared CivilS in 1991. Uss time par to 4-5 mahine mein aata tha. To make things worse, they had to check roll number in newspaper on the next day as there was no internet/SMS facility.

@kohliwagsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

D-Day. Best wishes.

Ab to ye sunkar Kuch feel bhi Nahin hota. Itne saare failed D-day aa chuke hain

@Nalandaare all of them even CivilS aspirants?

We've been waiting for 12 days. No sign yet

So far I had only heard of fake PDFs and it's the first one I saw. I was surprised seeing how format was adhered to in such a precise way. Just wondering, who has the time to make so much effort? Matlab what exactly does that person want from this?

@dancingminiondidn't get the suicide logic. Would you also blame UPSC if someone commits suicide after seeing the real PDF?

I don't even think anyone takes these seriously. It's just for fun and hardly anyone is affected by it because people know only UPSC releases the real PDF.

Stop getting too sentimental about it.

@TETRACYCLINEbiggest issue these days is social media. We get to see worst of both wings there and people's confirmation bias getting strengthened. It's killed the culture of polite disagreements and discussions completely.

@STthat's what I thought 2 weeks back and even a week back.

@STresult aane ki umeed aur pdf mein naam aane ki umeed par duniya kaayam hai bhaai

People on my Instagram and Facebook wall are going crazy that the silent people are the biggest perpetrators, go for protests etc.

On the other hand, I think I've reached a state of mind where I realize fully well that all of this is an emotional response and same people will be apolitical a week later. Majority of them are going for protests only because it's trending and it helps them think of themselves as very important particularly when emotions are running high.

I don't know if it's because of preparation making me more knowledgeable or is it because I've become less emotional in general.

@visionmanthis is nothing like participative democracy. These people have a sense of superiority complex regarding what they are standing for and whoever opposes them is a misinformed bhakt. Democracy is about tolerating difference in opinion. Further, they are also spreading a lot of rumours.

They spoke a lot about police brutality in Jamia but are not speaking at all about vandalism that has taken place in other parts of India.

I am personally opposed to proposed NRC and neutral towards CAB and have also voices against it here as well. But these protests are not the way ahead. They are needed to an extent but once they get violent, the entire meaning is lost. It sets a dangerous precedence.

@NadigVinayye saari bakchodi abhi hi honi thi kya

@Piyadassisaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kspdupscCalled them .. said iss hafte bi no chance, December mei nai aa raha ,, agle 10 din tak chill raho Jan 1st week mei puch lena ek baar he said..

Bahut jyaada ho Raha hai ab. I think I am going to freak out now. They are playing with our future. I want to have some sort of closure regarding this as I am not really planning to give the exam again. But here they are taking so much time and not letting me look up for a job too. So so frustrating.

@bevancommere bhaai humble rahna best hota hai when it comes to exams like this.

@bevancomsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@suniljannever understood the mad rush behind ias and ips.Have talked to more than 20 ias and ips in private and all of agreed that job is not as much impressive as media makes it out.
They also seemed to agree it's all the media hype and aspirants jump into prep without knowing their aspirations needs and true realities behind the job.
P.S for me neither ias nor ips figure in top 3 choices...

Your first choice is IRTS, right? Remember reading that.

@visionmansaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

After waiting for results for so many days, it is getting clearer that the result would be announced only after 16th Jan due to this EWS case in CAT. Sigh... Talk about efficiency. (I am only assuming this and there could be other reasons as well)

Surely this personal experience regarding the delay which is agonizing can only make us understand and relate to on how many years of growth, development projects , citizens welfare have been stunted/slowed down to a large extent due to court cases.

This needs to be kept in mind when we become civil servants and ensure that we don't indulge in mindless litigation while not ignoring genuine grievances.

Imagine an investor whose thousands of crores remain stuck for years because of judicial delay. I can't even imagine the magnitude of stress in such a situation.

@Malcolmsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@TeddyWestsideI didn't mean to offend those who crossed 30. . But it is inspiring how people keep up the motivation and inspiration despite years of failed attempt. I truly stand humbled at their efforts .

Absolutely. Here, I am planning to give up preparation if I don't clear mains in my 2nd attempt. I have way too much respect for dedication and strength of those who give so many attempts.

@abhishek_pI think the key to clearing prelims in current form is to remain mentally calm on the d day. In that case, guesses tend to be more intelligent and correct. I really don't think that reading too many sources is the need of the hour.

Also, the ones who say newspapers have become too important in prelims are the ones who see some information pertaining to the question on a random page of The Hindu. Aise to hazaaron cheezein aati Hain newspapers mein. You can't read and research all of them because questions are never from some direct fact written in newspaper.

@abhisaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

What shall be done to increase the probability of clearing prelims?
Pardon me if i have asked the quest at wrong place and time.

Apart from studies, start meditating. The cooler you are during the exams, more likely are your guesses to be more accurate. In whatever way possible, try to not get boggled down by stress.

@Valar_morghulisapart from what Kira said, it's the best place to have some Shivji Ka prasad. Also, do watch Ganga Aarti. It's very soothing and tends to give some sort of inner satisfaction. Do stay in a hostel and try to strike up conversations with foreign tourists. Baaki 2 din bahut kam Hain.

Solo trip there should be of 7-10 days. Also depends on what you are going there for. For me, a solo trip to Rishikesh would certainly be a spiritual journey of sorts.

@Phooooocompletely agree with everything you've written.

@John_Titorwe should stop taking this anonymous platform so seriously. Just like benavcom, we don't know credentials of anyone. Anyone can fake anything here. Just enjoy this place and not be too serious. We can never even know if he's from IIT and IIM as he claims. If what he says is true, then good for him. And if what he says is false, internet fame means nothing.

@STfunnily enough, your username is also ST. Anyway, my father is a government servant as well and I understand what you are saying completely well. However, it's wrong to generalize. There are so many general category officers who are absolutely incompetent as well.

I would say this is an Indian work culture issue (particularly with complete job security) rather than a caste one.

@Reality-transurfermanjrekar being a ch*tiya like always. Really liked Jadeja's reply to him.

@bevancombhaai can you write any message without being boastful about your capabilities? Yaahan internet par apni maahanta dikhaakar Kuch Nahin milega. It's a virtual world.

@abhisaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@abhiKindly suggest whether i should take a risk and attempt exam in 2021(if i dont clear i would be in trouble but optional will help in pcs) or shall i study day&night in a haphazard way and attempt in 2020(chances of clearing will be bleak)
I plead for help.

Give it in 2020. You started your preparation in 2017 and even if I assume that you couldn't study for 1 year because of the unavoidable circumstance, you've still been in this for 2 years now.

Let me tell you one thing, you'll never feel completely confident with your preparation in CSE. You'll probably feel again in 2021 that something is lacking.

Coming to 2020, 5 months are left for prelims and 8.5 months for mains. Give one more month for optional and give 4 months to prelims. I am assuming you've been studying newspapers diligently since July. Even that much would serve as a good base for GS.

I am insisting on giving the exam this time because every attempt is an experience. Even if you clear prelims and are underprepared for mains, you'll give your best in those 3.5 months in between. The learning from this attempt would help a lot next time. Also, you've taken coaching and by giving one more month to optional, I guess it would be manageable ya atleast 1-2 mahina prelims aur mains ke beech mein lagaakar ho jaayega.

@Behemothsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

The last day of the decade. Any necessary amendment you wish to make in your life?

I am already working towards it but I want to calm down my emotions and stop overthinking. Stopping overthinking gives a lot of mental peace and happiness.

@Caesarsaid inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@kochikaametry one thing, realise the moment when you are overthinking & ask(force) yourself to come back in 'the present'. If you have interest, read on Zen/Tao(one strong thing I read was that you and your thoughts are different, stories on not carrying things). Try something like skipping, writing, etc which keeps you focussed. These all helped me keeping out of the vicious cycle of OT.

Thanks for the suggestion bhaai. I'll certainly read about them. As of now, I am trying to learn and practice Vipassana. I am in a very early stage right now but the whole emphasis of this exercise is to stay in the present.

@BehemothI am doing it at home only as of now. It's a little difficult to write about it here in detail, so I would recommend reading about it or watching some videos or guided meditation. I am anyway very new to this but I enjoy whatever time I do it.

@visionmanNo one cares about suffering of others in sarkaari daftars. I don't think UPSC is an exception.

@MECHIEit doesn't mention 6th January anywhere