Mains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread

@CaesarI have joined ge9graphy optional of gsscore

@Rand_Al_ThorPaper 1 really bad. Paper 2 I found mapa difficult. Rest was general.

@missionmangaleven with generalist answers u can score 140+ if all are correct

@DKTye paper 2 konse optional ka? I found geography Paper 1 difficult.

Is DAF2 after results?

@HartshornePaper 2 only map was tough. Paper 1 toughest in last 3 years. I don't know how you found it easy.

@HartshorneSame I did. Those 3 questions were doable. Problem was with question 1 and question 5. Phreatic eruptions, Hearthstone classification I haven't heard even though I had studied perspective in human geography and geomorphology in quite detail.

@HartshorneI guess it went really well for you then. I screwed up in these 2 questions.

@ShubzI cleared mains with 9 to 5 job in 2016, took only 15 days leave for mains. This year last attempt, never left job. Without my job also I would have devoted same no. of hours for studies.

@STyes it is hectic and you need to be highly motivated to succeed. I failed in 2015 pre because I couldn't get leave. I work in private sector and financial security was my first priority. One should chose considering all pros and cons.

@ShubzYES it depends on job. My work barely extended beyond 5.

@dr-ahmednaaz8567Poverty rate declined from 1990 levels to current 21%. But hunger not reducing in proportion. In fact stunting is 38.4% and wasting 21% as per NFHS4. This divergence because poor people have other needs like urgent medical and education where money goes, so less money left for nutrition thus divergence between hunger and poverty.

@Charlie_CharlieCompulsory licencing is not directly linked with traditional knowledge. Foreign pharma can develop drug and exploit patent laws, but how does that affect traditional knowledge if they are doing research in their own country.

@ranyo_asokaI m hopeful about call, but not about good score above cutoff.

@Yes_I_am_ingave in 2016. Missed interview call by 6 marks in 2017

@ranyo_asokaYes interview prep hi krna h..mine is last attempt anyway

@Yes_I_am_ings3 nd geo paper 1

@kuttaResources sabhi ke pas nhi h na hi level playing field h for the underprivileged.

@ChanakyaUpsc didn't factor that in. That increase in seats issue was taken up during counseling process of educational institutions.

@hirockyrocks7101Since it asked our culture, I mentioned cultural practices of all religions. HIndus festivities in conflict with environemntal ethical values like noise and water pollution issues, and muslims practices also being in conflict with modern secular humanitarian values (not harming animals). Gave some optimistic conclusion.

@hirockyrocks7101I know. I did mention those issues too, but not in depth. When we mention secularism, we also broadly talk about constitutional morality. Environmental values are also referred as secular values. baki I addressed few other things also without making answer too much controversial.

@hirockyrocks7101Yes. In purely that context, answer negative lagta. So I tried to give a little positive spin.

@hirockyrocks7101This time GS1 had too much social issues. Geography optional ka bhi advantage nhi mila.

@hirockyrocks7101questions related to industry, mass transport, ecosystem etc. were almost similar for everyone as it seemed more GS3 type content, compared to earlier years where specific geo questions like Air mass were asked. I meant that only.

@pysh12950He told the dirty secret of examiner factor. So basically luck can play a role.

@pysh12950my first 2-3 answers were nvr good in GS1 and I nvr wrote in subheadings.only bullet points and para.. got 108 in 2016 and 111 in 2017 because of good content in other questions.

@bevancomdid u attempt full 500 this time?

In my previous interview, I was asked how Indian budget will benefit my company. Working candidates should prepare about their company/sector w.r.t. macroeconomic policy/schemes of gvt.

@dr-ahmednaaz8567Mine was on 2nd day. I thought hoga enough time but I screwed up. I would suggest to start now.

@dr-ahmednaaz8567DAF related stuffs ke heading banao. Keep adding material on all topics related to ur hobbies hometown etc. Keep thinking questions that can arise out of these topics from every angle. For ex cooking hobby h toh oil konsa use, India me production area kaha h, why oil imports etc. Similarly explore other angles related to ur hobby. Read on quora and other platforms and u can find exact answers to ur queries on questions that u have related to hobby.
For current affairs, general awareness will suffice and keep preparing very short notes if u want but here u should be very clear conceptually. In mains prep we have tendency to read more to cover more syllabus and multiple points, but here u should also study in depth on particular issues of national importance.

@RagsWith those targets, score will hover around 800, which isn't good enough to get a final rank.

@Rags180 in interview is a big if....

@RagsGS me post 100, 10 marks bdhane me jitna hard work lgta h utne me optional me 20 badhaye ja skte h...that's why optional pe log jada focus krte h to increase overall score

@RagsHe has constitutional right to show dissent, there is nothing anti national about it.

@RagsAs per SC judgement, his actions didn't incite violence and he had no intention to overthrow gvt, so no sedition.

@RagsAs per Delhi district court and police investigation, slogans were shouted by outsiders. Kanahiya himself didn't say that. I personally believe in unity of nation.

@Ragsthat's not ethics. That's moral relativism.

@RagsH9w is ICLS..Any idea?

@bevancombest answer can also fetch u as high as 9-10/15.

@sat_0092017 me kitne the?

@shubhamsatyam22484 predicted by themselves. Actual score usually different hi ata h.

@sat_009Cutoff expectation?

@LonewolfI too had predicted I will get cutoff plus 40 in 2016, but cleared only by cutoff plus 15..uske bad prediction krna chhod diya..ab bas hope h and interview ke liye 180+ ki prep krni h

@BrickThe argumentative Indian by Samartha Sen

@vvvikas0078212Amartya

@dr-ahmednaaz8567Geography ka paper 1 tough tha and 2 easy..u can't generalise based on ur optional.

@GloriousMess26These people exaggerate their stories after they clear. Toppers may not know how much they will score, but there is definitely some confidence after such hard work.

@sat_009I found gs3 most difficult among 4 papers. Did u attempt questions like cyberdome satisfactorily.

@sat_009I messed up integrated farming system also and gst me 2-3 hi yaad aya. 15 markers were comparatively easier in gs3.

@AkkkuMuje ab good and avg konsa likha h ispe bhi doubt hota h..gs ke toh most of questions ka I don't remember what I wrote

@ShubzNot of upsc..I work in private sector.

@sat_009Cutoff dropped by 35 marks only.. so 0.75 ka factor toh kisi angle se thik nhi baithta...Kanishk Katariya scored 117 in both gs 2 & gs3..by ur factor, he would have scored 142 in both gs 2 and gs 3 in 2017 and 141 in Ethics...seems too exaggerated

@DeltaGS 2 was not strictly checked in 2016.. I had 99, which dropped to 96 in 2017.

@Caesar50% for excellent, 30-40% for avg, 20-30% for bad

@azam-imame434Many ppl on forum are also busy with their jobs. They just check forum once in a while to blow off the steam.

@utkarsh_mishraExcellent answers can certainly fetch more than 50%

@utkarsh_mishraHow do u award ur own answer as excellent. It is very hard to make a neutral assessment of your own answers as we tend to see our own efforts positively. So it becomes hard to arrive at a final score projection.

@CaesarThey want specialists..but when some 30 year old from private sector reaches till interview stage, they favor him less compared to the 1st attempt guy. Catch them young they say, then specialist knowledge ayega kaha se

@ManchesterUnitedobc cutoff is 40-50 marks lower than general. EWS ka koi impact nhi hoga as per current stand of gvt. SC is unlikely to give any decision considering the apathy they shown to the question of legality of this act.

@pmishra997125309 is good enough score. Even if you score average marks in gs, you can get a good rank. You should dedicate time to gs preparation instead of changing optional I think.

@DKTyhi 2 examples sabne likhe h..

@RavsDon't worry about intro too much..examiner reads whole answer word by word. Intro me aisa kuch controversial nhi h jo backfire kre. Question was quite subjective and there are multiple ways to approach it.

@ranyo_asokabhai ye toh specific ho gya...

@KatsumotoB.A. ka paper hota toh examiner sochta cutting hui h toh jarur cheat kia hoga

@ranyo_asokaPrivilege ka konsa question tha

@ranyo_asokaOk. I didn't remember articles related to that. I wrote some data in that question related to lack of deliberation by parliamentary committees and lack of debate on bills.

@ranyo_asokaYes..I wrote the aspects I remembered..105 related yad ata toh aur better ho skta tha..

@ranyo_asokaJust saw GS 2 paper..French secularism vale me Religious freedom ka article likhna bhi bhul gya main I think..Exam pressure me samaj ni pada hoga ye GS2 ka paper chal rha hai..

@bevancomAt cutoff score in mains, u need 200-205 to get last rank. So for 65-70 margin , around 135-140 required to get last rank

@Shubz2016 mains ke result ke time famous hua tha..result vale din kafi entertainment mila

@Biryanimafia_It was not that much below avg. GS2 nd GS 4 me decent h..hope u attempted gs1 nd 3 better this time

@Shubzis ur residence in Mumbai

@dancingminionResult ke bad time sufficient nhi hoga if your interview date is early.

@dancingminionI nvr left job. Max 20 days leave for mains (including exam dates). Reached till interview stage once. If your job allows stress free study after 5pm, u can manage.

@dancingminionatleast 5 on weekdays, 8 on weekends. I stay near office. 10 min walk. No energy lost in travel, more time to study.

@dancingminionjob 8 to 5. Then At home by 5.20. 6 to 8 study, 1 hour break for dinner. Then 9 to 12 study. Sleep at 12.30.

@surendra1913th dec hi assume krke chalo. Result date se kya fark padna hai. Interview possibly Feb me start honge, so preparation for the interview should be done now only. 1 month won't be sufficient.

@pysh12950muslim league didn't strengthen national movement, it did work for its own cause only

@ajit_kdNationalism wasn't asked in question. Question talked about national movement, which is basically Gandhian struggle for freedom.

@ajit_kdNationalism May be so. But when examiner asks nationalist movement( singular), it is Indian freedom struggle and core of this was Gandhian struggle. Baki interpretation toh kitne bhi ho skte h if u focus just on nationalism

@TeddyWestsidebelow 1700 Cum per capita water stress, below 1000 water scarcity. Wrote about GW province classification of R L Singh for overall India, and overuse of water in urban regions. There was news about Delhi and other urban centres running out of GW soon. New draft water management bill mentioned and some other things like Mihir Shah report.

@DreadfulBhai I just got 127 in 2017 after completing everything and writing most of the grammar correctly. At my centre, I met a person who scored 73 in Hindi last year. Around 700-800 to fail honge hi language me

@sat_009People might do one better and screw up in another. I myself had 36 marks more in geo paper 2 in 2016 compared to my paper1 and it was expected as I had attempted paper 1 terribly.

@Ragsdid u write GRR correct?

@RagsNRR (Net reproductive rate). Q 5(c)

@RagsWhat about Harthshorne boundary question

@RagsThen 140+ easliy

@RagsImpressions of first 4 questions don't matter, this is not B.A. Paper. As u are claiming your other answers are above, average. For above average, you will definitely get 60% marks. So you can calculate yourself. What you consider above average, however is subjective.

@RagsHow was paper 2?

@zombielandYes they do. Anything upward of 60% is possible for above average.

@RagsHard to Say. Paper2 went way better than 2017. Paper 1 almost similar or lesser.

@Ragshardly 20 days left now

@Rags8 to 5 job, then gym/football. After that studying for interview. Last attempt.

@RagsMechanical core. 137+408(2016) & 142+398 (2017)

@RagsOptional 256 & 264. Interview score was terrible.

@RagsYes it us good for obc, but for me, atleast 30 additional marks required

@Biryanimafia_ Bhai abhi mat banao maahol.. Atleast dec to ane do

@foxmulderHappens to many people. Being last interview candidate is dangerous. Forenoon session, they are in a hurry for lunch. Afternoon session, they are in a hurry to go home.

@ChampakPanel members are likely to be right wingers as well. Any sort of criticism of government won't be appreciated.

@ranyo_asokalying and deceit don't lead to low marks. Most of the aspirants are driven by money or power, still say that their love for society made them chose IAS. Indian bureaucracy is known for its inefficiency and corruption. Half hour is not sufficient to know someone's true nature. They can just check the response to questions and clarity of thoughts. So preparation and practice lead to good marks, not moral character of the person.

@pysh12950I don't have to. I very well know my reasons and tell the same.

@pysh12950My point was that too much emphasis shouldn't be on these things. Instead focus should be on preparation and presentation during interview

@pysh12950Yes it does. But people usually don't bring this negativitu up during interview.

@pysh12950Yes, good point. I will work on this.

@pysh12950naam ho ya na ho, it is last attempt and end of journey.

@ranyo_asokaCan you give specific examples for the scenarios where candidates could be trapped. It will be helpful for all.

@kochikaameWe obviously should take stand consistent with the constitutional values, but sometimes they directly ask about some government initiative like demonetization. In that scenario, they usually expect you to think on same line as government, but logically you might not agree about the effectiveness of some government initiative.

@NadigVinayAfter result, around 15 more days u will have to wait for exact date. Could be more than 15 days also. If your home state is closer to Delhi, then interview date can be expected early (not a rule though).

@kochikaame3-4 hours z good.

@MalcolmBrooklyn nine nine will be best option.

@ChampakHow can u enjoy without a career

@STToh reappear kyu hua..

@ranyo_asokaAim IRS tak hi hota hai I think, uske bad toh bas compromise hi hota hai..

@ranahere999Prelims is definitely considered. Tina Dabi took SC seat, not general due to low score in pre

@LostJ8sko mistake pta chlegi vo rectify hi kr lega. So no way to know, but one spelling mistake shouldn't matter

@Ragsobc cutoff 40-50 marks lower jata hai Gen se

@LostLog essay ka core theme bhi galat interpret krke likh ke ate hai and u are worried about one spelling mistake.

@sat_009Ye 5 marks cut ka use pta kaise laga.

@atuljiFilling pages doesn't matter. Only content is the king in upsc.

@abhishek_pStory is more tech rather than directly mentioning AI

@abhishek_pI mean the example you started with talks about technology, not directly about artificial intelligence, so strays a little from core topic.

@bharathakkera-ips862Ending with capability approach doesn't directly fit with AI as capability approach can be related to anything.

@bevancomWhich quotes you wrote for essay.

@bevancomStill better than writing no quote. I couldn't remember any quote for the essay.

@DipDid u mention deontology and Right based approach in ethical aspects?

@nikhilrai0827880Yes. They will match ur sheet with attendance sheet. So ur sheet number will be verified.

@MalcolmI wrote on primary education and primary health. Primary health and total education doesn't make sense the way topic is asked.

@hirockyrocks7101I knew the quote but didn't write as it looks to suggest greed is good for individual

@MalcolmThat actually shows importance of primary even more and supports main idea

@hirockyrocks7101hmm true. In the exam, I started to over think about hedonism and didn't write the quote. I didn't even mention example of Hitler, but wrote about Napoleon and Indian historical examples. In examples I focused that best for individual was actually good in a moral way as well. For ex Napoleon intended to do good, but later developed dictatorial tendencies and French society suffered.

@hirockyrocks7101Examples I wrote a lot. Focused lesser on history and more on modern social and economic aspects.

@pra7009055Leaving 2 questions per paper is not ok if others are attempting all questions. Questions like McBride (2016 GS2) can be left where you have no idea, but this time aise question hardly koi tha. Even cyberdome type questions, people have written one page, so atleast 2 marks can be expected on general writeup. Many questions like multilevel planning were very general, and it is difficult to know whether you have written good quality answer compared to others.

@pra7009055MS Swaminathan ka agriculture se link people know, Vulnerability pe bhut kuch likha ja skta hai as people study disaster management, and ISRO ka pta hai India was having cryogenic, Vehicle reentry experiments and other things chal rhe hai So obviously India may plan in future. Even if you don't know specifics, lots of points can be written.

@zombielandHa bhai, but ab kuch toh karna hi hai result tak, yhi sahi

@Scorpion888If u had attempted those, wouldn't you have gained 20 more marks. Quality matters, but almost same quality rakh ke quantity can be increased also

@pra7009055Test series bhi nhi likhi?

@pra7009055speed bhut h fir toh. I met one guy at exam centre who hadn't written any test before. He could manage to complete only 10-12, although he knew more than 16 in each paper.

@HaeckelCAT was separate question, he has mentioned CAT as well. AG vala tha ek direct