Was wondering if@AzadHindFauz can pin following threads, which is running simultaneously for different mains related subject. By this way, one can just land here, and quickly manoeuvre all the relevant mains related threads, saving time and negativity of other threads.
Thread for GS 1 by@upsc2020- https://forumias.com/post/detail/Mission-Mains-2020-GS-1-1593004000
Thread for GS 2 & 3 by@goldberry - https://forumias.com/post/detail/Mission-Mains-2020-GS-Paper-2-3-Do-or-Die-1589614273
Thread for GS 4 by@upsc2020 - https://forumias.com/post/detail/Official-GS-4-Ethics-Discussion-1591106284
Thread for Essay by@whatonly - https://forumias.com/post/detail/Essay-for-Mains-2020-tips-thoughts-and-interesting-things-1602501086
I hope I have not missed anything.
PS:@Patootie This might be repetitive for you (and maybe I am bit late for this), but would like to dil se thank you for penning your thoughts on mains preparation on this thread. You have consolidated and organised our jingled thought processes, and have given us yet another golden post to bookmark.
Was happily jotting down my plans to check malnutrition among adolescents girls, and suddenly, out of no where, UPSC posted the pdf which was supposed to be released not this soon. The frantic search for the admit card, and the haphazardly executed 'ctrl F' unfortunately culminated in the painful display of 'no matches found'. Out for this time.
Have learned so much on this platform. Wishing to all those invited to write mains dil se good luck. Indebted to humility and wisdom of so many wonderful people here. Let's try to keep up the vibrancy of these threads.
♥️
Me with my new V7 :) experiment worked, hope you all find the pens you deserve.
Hoping that the pen releases a solid patronus, sheilding you from those ugly dementors while writing mains.
Few tips with V7:
1. It oozss ink if you press it hard while writing. And if paper quality is bad, then the ink will reflect on the other side of the paper. Try this- remove pen's body, and then try writing it with bare refill. If it suits you, then your hand will feel liberating, as the heavy body will no more trouble you.
2. Instead of purchasing a new refill, try to refill it yourself with luxor's official ink cartridge. ₹15 per bottle. Sasta. Sundar. Tikau.
@whatonly yes that is the refill. It looks like patanjali's divya eye drop ka dabba. Easily available in local stationary shop. Can be used to refill both v5 &v7
@thepolicydreamer ,to refill, remove the refill from middle. And slowly pour the drops from the bottle. ROTATE 180° AFTER POURING THE DROPS, SLOWLY, so that the ink seeps into the catridge. Warna, the roller won't allow that easy seepage. Don't try to insert ink via twisting the top part. Scissors plyer leke mat baith jana :)
Watch it from 2:50 minutes, this will clear the enigma-
Right, so I have a lot of individualised ideas regarding mains in my head, and this is an attempt to achieving some clarity in those thoughts.Penning them down for my own further reference.Feel free to ignore.
In other words, here is a "Bunch of Thoughts"I write to myself(Although much more benign than Golwalkar's) lest I forget or lose sight of them later. They are mostly in the nature of thumb rules I intend to follow:
General
1.93 daysmust be used forconsolidation of information, achieving crystal clearclarityon the things you already know, andpractice. Revision andRe-revisionis key. For this, the crispest of notes is necessary. You are not a genius, do not act like one. Consolidate and consolidate again.
2.Prioritise maximising score over acquiring information.
3.Prioritise certain parts of the syllabus over others, but do not ignore anything at all.
4.Cost-benefit analysisfor every single thing you do. Time is the most scarce resource.
5.Optional>Essay, Ethics>General Studies 1, 2 and 3in that order in terms of variability of score.
6.Plan less and execute more.
7.Too many cooks spoil the broth.Listen to yourselfand trust your understanding of the exam when in doubt. However, this should not stop you from being adaptable, when it makes sense to tweak own understanding.
Content
8.Answer writing practice without content is useless. However,do focus on presentation as well so that the battlefield in the mind is not accurately represented in the sheets in front of you.
9. Do not fall into thetrap of trying to draw too many diagrams/ flowcharts at the expenseof quality content. You are terrible at drawing things. Your chicken looks like a horse. Quality first, always. You cannot hope to dupe the examiner with a flowchart.
10. 30-45 seconds tounderstand the demand of the question and structure answer accordingly will pay you a rich dividend.
11. 150 and 250 words isn't a lot at all.Each word must be pregnant with meaning, as far as possible. Do not exceed word limit; adhere to time limit.Filling space without content is a waste of time.
12. Must learn todifferentiate the paper from that of the crowd. Sell what you have produced over what the next person has.Statistics help, relevant graphs help, examples help, SDGs help, best practices help. But only if they are relevant to the demand of the question.Otherwise, you would only succeed in looking like a blithering idiot.
13. Be a generalist in GS.Prioritise breadth over depth as a rule. Converse is the exception. Deeper you go into one point, the less of other dimensions you'll be able to show in one answer.
14. Be a specialist in optional as a rule.Prioritise depth over breadth as a rule. Converse is the exception.
15. Try andlink everything with what is happeningin the world around you.
16.Ready made intros and conclusions for hot topics.
Essay and GS
17.GS1:Too many books involved and too little time; must do bare minimum in new topics such as World History to achieve average marks. Be good atmodern History, use quotesto add value. LearnMaps for Geography,they can add value.Use examples and link Society with Current Affairs. In fact, as a rule, Point 15.Accept that I cannot aim for top marks in this, aim for above average and do not be disappointed with average.
18.GS 2:Mustde-specialise. I might know Constitutional law, but the paper is not about that.IR is generally high yielding; overprepare, but don't underprepare. No room for complacency,tread extremely carefully. Go back toPoint 15.
19.GS-3:Do not underestimate the utility ofEconomic Survey for the past 2 years. Paper is extremely dynamic in nature.MUST MUST MUST adhere to Points 11 and 15 to maximise score.Consolidate from Newspapers, online sources. Can be highly scoring if dealt with appropriately.Paper is dynamic, answer sheet must correspond to that demand.NITI AayogVision Documentis a goldmine.
20. GS4:Do not get too bookish. However, basis past year papers,do not ignore books altogethereither.Think deeply about the keywords in the syllabus, and use it as an opportunity to express myself as an administrator on the answer sheet.This takes work. Can creep up on you if ignored. Must give due focus every single day.Think about case studies.Read up on renowned officers in service.
21.Essay:Could be ticket to interview if dealt with appropriately. Learn the art fromtopper copieslike Vikram Grewal's. Content from GS preparation will be enough. But the beauty of the essay lies elsewhere. Focus onpossible themes, have ready ideasto be used and work on them.Maximise breadth of dimensionsin both the essays. Focus onflow of thought. Best opportunity to show clarity of thought.Do not yap awayjust because you have 1200 words.Write concisely, and stick closely to the topic.Do not go on a tanget because you think the tangent is beautiful. Demand of the paper>Beauty of the essay.
Optional
22. Make or break.Work on it every single day.Differentiate answer from a guide-based answer at every possible occasion.Examiner is a specialist. Attempt to speak to the examiner at the same level.
23. Be careful not to show off knowledge.Demand of the question is paramount.
24. MUST NAIL IT, no two ways about it.Study for 320, be content with 300. Nothing less than that.Single most important thing.
Compulsory Paper
25. No room for complacency. Get evaluated basis past year papers early enough. Do not wait till the last minute to do this.
Freedom in the mind
Remember that in mains, the ball is in your court. It's about what you show to the examiner. Flaunt the good, hide the bad.Prune the good so they appear fantastic, work on the bad to the level they seem passable.Play to your strengths, work on your weakness.If you ignore your weaknesses, you will be found out.Stay authenticduring the preparation, do not follow the herd.Do not do things that do not work for you.Do not try to be a person different from yourself.Work on yourself, get closer to yourself.Victory in the mind is key to victory elsewhere.
Can we just appreciate the Golwalkar's Bunch of Thoughtswala humor in this post, which@Patootie has smartly slipped in while writing it?
