Mains 2023 - In or out?
Kaisa raha mains ka result
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Yes writing is an issue. Work on it. Also, with these many attempts, the content does not match the profile. Take some classes and build content. This is a beginner copy, not a war veterans. ( Going by initial 5 answers ). Take a look at Rank 2 copy. She was preparing from Ara/buxar and would come down to Delhi. You are competing with likes.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
Mahi2306,sch3615
For some reason, your message is not visible in inbox, but can be accessed by send message option.
Yes writing is an issue. Work on it. Also, with these many attempts, the content does not match the profile. Take some classes and build content. This is a beginner copy, not a war veterans. ( Going by initial 5 answers ). Take a look at Rank 2 copy. She was preparing from Ara/buxar and would come down to Delhi. You are competing with likes.
You send me YouTube links of five people who hv cleared in later attempts, here. I will try and share at least what 2-3 out of them did. Or get in touch with them.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
Vickoo_Matre,sch3615
@GaneshGaitonde GG sir humesha bas ek post se purra reality yaad dilwa dete hai. :D
After my Mains 2022 failure, I thought that I am really close to the cutoff but when the marks were out I saw that my opt score is very low. For CSE 2023, I thought I will read and solve so much that Maths mai "highest" marks lekke aaunga (Sabse badi problem over-ambitious logo ki).
Now that I have failed Mains 2023 again and found Maths Opt to be the culprit, I realised that knowledge doesn't matter that much rather it is the strategy that matters. And how to build it? Mocks and PYQs karo acche se.
To outline what I have done for Maths - I have solved almost every recommended book for Maths but yet I did not solve and revise PYQs for four important topics. I thought may be this blunder wouldn't matter much BUT UPSC just made me realise that the whole exam is anarrow margingame.
Every failure is a lesson and I am thankful that I got to know about it when I have two more attempts left. Kuch nahi toh I will have a lifelong lesson from this process.
Moving forward, I have always lacked guidance in my prep but yes I will save enough money to join Forum MGP this time so that atleast GS ka part accha rahe. Maths ke liye toh idk mocks hi zyada karne honge. Idk marks increase honge ya nahi lekin ab attempt hai toh karke dekh lete hai. Obvio I can't overlook Pre 2024. Usse toh bohot darr hai mujhe xD
To everyone here,thank youfor being a guiding light. Even I don't know many of you personally, I made some really good connections on this platform. I wish that you people find your light some day. For me, I will give my 100% again. Wapas ladenge. Wapas purri jaan lagayenge. Backup toh dhundna hoga hi vo toh kar hi rahe. Ye sab pata nahi kaise hoga lekin I did it for Mains '23 after failing Mains '22 so I will gain the same rigour again. Wapas utni mehnat karenge. For this attempt, I would like to quote Faiz Ahmad Faiz on this aspect-
"Gar baazi ishq ki baazi hai,
Toh jo bhi laga do darr kaisa,
Jeet gye to baat hi kya,
Haare bhi toh haar nahi…"
Need to gear up for my 5th attempt and plunge into the uncertainty of my 7th year in this prep. For those who exhausted their attempts or might be exhausted with the journey, I know I am not someone who can speak about how you guys are feeling but a small story from my side-
I failed to get into IIT for UG even after working extremely hard in my drop year. That time was cruel. I was bedridden due to left leg fracture and nerve damage on my hips coupled with efusion on my right knee (This happened back during JEE Adv '16). I cried daily due to the pain of my fracture. I was so sure of my selection in IIT that I did not fill forms for other colleges. I thought everything was over and there's only darkness for me ahead. Most of my then classmates used to laugh at me behind my back. Many relatives mocked me. There were very few who actually understood how I felt. The only thing people saw was the fact that I couldn't get into IIT. They didn't care about what I had faced. I was declared not intelligent, incompetent, useless and what-not.
But thattime passed as welland I did overcome everything. I eventually got into IIT for PG. I even had a chance to get into IIMs & other good colleges because of a decent score in CAT. All of this with no coaching. I just repeat my own story to myself several times just to motivate myself again.Itne aage aa gaye hai toh aur bhi aage chale jayenge.
Biggest learning from all these failures is -Things will work out eventually. You just need to be patient. Never stop working hard. Ek din sab theek hojayega.
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." - Steve Jobs
@tedmosby Have you spoken to people with maths who have made it? How have your successive scores been? Just don't keep writing the exam. Take a step back. Sometimes we step back, not because we are afraid, but do that we can see a bigger picture.
@Neyawn sir, I know someone who made with Maths in Mains 2023. Even he wasn't very sure what worked. He broadly said that he did PYQs but he needs to see the Marksheet so as to confirm what worked. Though I would like to interact with people who got selected with Maths Optional w.r.t the strategy part.
I discussed Mains 2023 paper with my friends and I had also discussed Maths paper just after Mains 2023 got over. I know exactly where I went wrong in Maths Opt 2023 paper and I know what has to be done but the uncertain part is that- whether I will get an interview call or not (Need to see Marksheet of 2023 Mains for that). When I discussed GS papers, my interpretation of the questions were in line with what others wrote. Certainly, it was my fault in giving lesser number of hours to Mains mocks and more number of hours to content enrichment. I will admit that though I know what comes in the exam, I am not able to implement it properly. For which I would need answer writing practice and an oversight. For this purpose, I would like to join the MGP (which I took somehow in 2022 but couldn't complete it due to academic overload - I found it to be good but the evaluation was not upto the mark so people told me to leave and do without evaluation). Even for Maths Opt, I have knowledge but the thing is that I had not practiced mocks properly. So in the actual exam, I could solve questions from topics like Fluid Mech and Mech but couldn't even attempt questions from Numerical Analysis (one of the easiest topics in Maths Opt). I clearly remember how I totally screwed up Section B of Maths Opt and my distress was visible on my face.
So I have identified some of my mistakes and I have started working upon them (I had started with GS 3 days post Mains already and with Analytic Geometry in Maths from mid Oct onwards). What I don't know is that whether I will clear Mains or not. For the moment, I am sticking to short-term goals and avoiding this one big question.
For CSE Maths 2024 analysis: https://forumias.com/post/detail/Mathematics-Optional-2024-Paper-Analysis-1727851791
@GaneshGaitonde GG sir humesha bas ek post se purra reality yaad dilwa dete hai. :D
After my Mains 2022 failure, I thought that I am really close to the cutoff but when the marks were out I saw that my opt score is very low. For CSE 2023, I thought I will read and solve so much that Maths mai "highest" marks lekke aaunga (Sabse badi problem over-ambitious logo ki).
Now that I have failed Mains 2023 again and found Maths Opt to be the culprit, I realised that knowledge doesn't matter that much rather it is the strategy that matters. And how to build it? Mocks and PYQs karo acche se.
To outline what I have done for Maths - I have solved almost every recommended book for Maths but yet I did not solve and revise PYQs for four important topics. I thought may be this blunder wouldn't matter much BUT UPSC just made me realise that the whole exam is anarrow margingame.
Every failure is a lesson and I am thankful that I got to know about it when I have two more attempts left. Kuch nahi toh I will have a lifelong lesson from this process.
Moving forward, I have always lacked guidance in my prep but yes I will save enough money to join Forum MGP this time so that atleast GS ka part accha rahe. Maths ke liye toh idk mocks hi zyada karne honge. Idk marks increase honge ya nahi lekin ab attempt hai toh karke dekh lete hai. Obvio I can't overlook Pre 2024. Usse toh bohot darr hai mujhe xD
To everyone here,thank youfor being a guiding light. Even I don't know many of you personally, I made some really good connections on this platform. I wish that you people find your light some day. For me, I will give my 100% again. Wapas ladenge. Wapas purri jaan lagayenge. Backup toh dhundna hoga hi vo toh kar hi rahe. Ye sab pata nahi kaise hoga lekin I did it for Mains '23 after failing Mains '22 so I will gain the same rigour again. Wapas utni mehnat karenge. For this attempt, I would like to quote Faiz Ahmad Faiz on this aspect-
"Gar baazi ishq ki baazi hai,
Toh jo bhi laga do darr kaisa,
Jeet gye to baat hi kya,
Haare bhi toh haar nahi…"
Need to gear up for my 5th attempt and plunge into the uncertainty of my 7th year in this prep. For those who exhausted their attempts or might be exhausted with the journey, I know I am not someone who can speak about how you guys are feeling but a small story from my side-
I failed to get into IIT for UG even after working extremely hard in my drop year. That time was cruel. I was bedridden due to left leg fracture and nerve damage on my hips coupled with efusion on my right knee (This happened back during JEE Adv '16). I cried daily due to the pain of my fracture. I was so sure of my selection in IIT that I did not fill forms for other colleges. I thought everything was over and there's only darkness for me ahead. Most of my then classmates used to laugh at me behind my back. Many relatives mocked me. There were very few who actually understood how I felt. The only thing people saw was the fact that I couldn't get into IIT. They didn't care about what I had faced. I was declared not intelligent, incompetent, useless and what-not.
But thattime passed as welland I did overcome everything. I eventually got into IIT for PG. I even had a chance to get into IIMs & other good colleges because of a decent score in CAT. All of this with no coaching. I just repeat my own story to myself several times just to motivate myself again.Itne aage aa gaye hai toh aur bhi aage chale jayenge.
Biggest learning from all these failures is -Things will work out eventually. You just need to be patient. Never stop working hard. Ek din sab theek hojayega.
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." - Steve Jobs
@tedmosby Have you spoken to people with maths who have made it? How have your successive scores been? Just don't keep writing the exam. Take a step back. Sometimes we step back, not because we are afraid, but do that we can see a bigger picture.
@Neyawn sir, I know someone who made with Maths in Mains 2023. Even he wasn't very sure what worked. He broadly said that he did PYQs but he needs to see the Marksheet so as to confirm what worked. Though I would like to interact with people who got selected with Maths Optional w.r.t the strategy part.
I discussed Mains 2023 paper with my friends and I had also discussed Maths paper just after Mains 2023 got over. I know exactly where I went wrong in Maths Opt 2023 paper and I know what has to be done but the uncertain part is that- whether I will get an interview call or not (Need to see Marksheet of 2023 Mains for that). When I discussed GS papers, my interpretation of the questions were in line with what others wrote. Certainly, it was my fault in giving lesser number of hours to Mains mocks and more number of hours to content enrichment. I will admit that though I know what comes in the exam, I am not able to implement it properly. For which I would need answer writing practice and an oversight. For this purpose, I would like to join the MGP (which I took somehow in 2022 but couldn't complete it due to academic overload - I found it to be good but the evaluation was not upto the mark so people told me to leave and do without evaluation). Even for Maths Opt, I have knowledge but the thing is that I had not practiced mocks properly. So in the actual exam, I could solve questions from topics like Fluid Mech and Mech but couldn't even attempt questions from Numerical Analysis (one of the easiest topics in Maths Opt). I clearly remember how I totally screwed up Section B of Maths Opt and my distress was visible on my face.
So I have identified some of my mistakes and I have started working upon them (I had started with GS 3 days post Mains already and with Analytic Geometry in Maths from mid Oct onwards). What I don't know is that whether I will clear Mains or not. For the moment, I am sticking to short-term goals and avoiding this one big question.
Haha, the ONE big question. Can you share your maths score over years here or over PM ?
Don't swing from one side to another. One year you do content enrichment, next year you do answer writing. Find a sweet balance. Content enrichment is nevessary too.
Also, if you did not find evaluation appropriate, you get a feedback mail, and request for re-assessment.
The person examining copies is just someone, who has seen tons of such copies, and isn't completely thoughtless. There are many people in evskuation, with a lot of experience, and still choose to work - with few copies.
All I am saying is take action wherever you deem necessary, and never never never assume that things will get better on their own without you doing something about it.
I have lived my college years watching HIMYM - it was the fancy thing back then, so your name catches attention. All the time.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
DM,tedmosby
For some reason, your message is not visible in inbox, but can be accessed by send message option.
Yes writing is an issue. Work on it. Also, with these many attempts, the content does not match the profile. Take some classes and build content. This is a beginner copy, not a war veterans. ( Going by initial 5 answers ). Take a look at Rank 2 copy. She was preparing from Ara/buxar and would come down to Delhi. You are competing with likes.
No notification is being shown for new messages for quite sometime
Exactly one year before was happy for friends, now all are happy for me ( Life is a circle ). Now have to work a lot harder
Thanks a lot to you @Neyawn sir for always being there ( and the dialogue - गब्बर -जो डर गया समझो मर गया )
Congratulations mera bhai. One last lap!!<3
How are things there at LBSNAA? :-)
Pretty hectic schedule but completely worth all the grind we go through. 😅
tedmosby,Aka227
I am choking at main stage again and again. This was the 3rd time consecutively. I am unable to pin-point where am erring.Every time, I choke I try at my own level to fill the gap, but its not enough. This was not the case with prelims. I know whyI choked in prelims and after exactly pin-pointing the issues, addressed then and cleared them.
I don't know if I am in need of some serious guidance or not in order to clear mains, I don't know if hand holding is needed. I do know that mains is a fairly straightforward stage with less unpredictability. Despite this, I don't know what's going on here. I am at sea.
Common sense dictates that my optional is the culprit. If we keep optional aside for sometime, I am still unable to reach 400+ in GS despite 3 mains. I know the hard work I put in this so there is something else lagging.
It could be one of these: handwriting (mine is legible , not beautiful), presentation (This could be an area because with time , IBC may not suffice, I being a strong supporter of IBC only), inability to provide a comprehensive forward looking statement (though not asked, after looking at multiple videos of main chokers who made it finally, this is a common theme they focused on), dimension generation (again, a very critical issue, a debatable area). Some more issues were identified which i have written elsewhere.
I don't look at topper copies maybe because I think UPSC awards originality etc. I also don't know HOW and WHAT to look for in a topper copy and HOW TO effect changes from the aspects gathered from there in my answers. Hence this tool called topper copy is of not much use for me.
I alsodon't have syllabus wise word to word notes. I do have notes of issues and aspects in general, but not syllabus wise notes.
After preparing for 5 attempts when I had enough time, I couldn't make it. Now the last attempt is to be given when I will be busy. However, if the issues are sorted for GS, with less time also, I can clear mains. But if the issues still remain hidden, and I keep addressing what I deem as an issue or addressing them insufficiently, the result would be same even if I spend another year completely dedicated for this again.
One example wherein I could actually figure out the loopholes was essay. I know now, my weakness, my strength, my writing style and other aspects needed to score well in essay.
So, I request those who clear mains stage, to help me with GS. It may very well be the case that I would have significantly improved my GS tally, but their suggestions are nevertheless welcome.
I also request those like me who are constantly flunking mains, to pitch in and suggest changes they are about to do in their preparation now . I would do the same, only I am not giving 2024.
@Capedcrusader1 even I am skipping 2024 and having the same problem as you...mains chokers can form a group to find out our mistakes
We should. A group of 3-4 people will do the job only condition being they should have given multiple mains.
I’m already planning what all needs to be done ranging from analyzing own answers , comparing them to toppers’, finalizing 4-5 toppers and downloading copies to see what all can be emulated (if copied, then copying shouldn’t be mindless), taking stock of notes already made , decision to discard old notes , need for any online mains oriented classes , timetable, optional related issues are separate etc.
So it’s a formidable job involving fighting with oneself . However the journey could be slightly easy if 3-4 are on a similar mission.
Kindly consider this as only my personal experience or rant.
Sociology ruined everything for me is what I feel after 3 mains. Useless, half baked mahapatra sir classes and his notes (costed me 2 mains clearly). On top of this, not very good scoring.
I like the subject. But never scored well.
How was your score? But dont you think people are also getting through sociology optional?
@Tata my scores were 191, 230. 3rd i dunno yet. Yes I agree with you that many others have scored far better than me and got through. Any further explanation would take too long a post in terms of what went wrong for me from sirs classes. So kindly consider above opinion as a personal one which I wanted to vent out.
I also took sir's classes for socio, you are right that the notes are not very comprehensive and many things are missing. Perhaps multiple sources are needed to score good marks? Would like to hear more from you even if you think it is venting out. also check DM please
@GaneshGaitonde GG sir humesha bas ek post se purra reality yaad dilwa dete hai. :D
After my Mains 2022 failure, I thought that I am really close to the cutoff but when the marks were out I saw that my opt score is very low. For CSE 2023, I thought I will read and solve so much that Maths mai "highest" marks lekke aaunga (Sabse badi problem over-ambitious logo ki).
Now that I have failed Mains 2023 again and found Maths Opt to be the culprit, I realised that knowledge doesn't matter that much rather it is the strategy that matters. And how to build it? Mocks and PYQs karo acche se.
To outline what I have done for Maths - I have solved almost every recommended book for Maths but yet I did not solve and revise PYQs for four important topics. I thought may be this blunder wouldn't matter much BUT UPSC just made me realise that the whole exam is anarrow margingame.
Every failure is a lesson and I am thankful that I got to know about it when I have two more attempts left. Kuch nahi toh I will have a lifelong lesson from this process.
Moving forward, I have always lacked guidance in my prep but yes I will save enough money to join Forum MGP this time so that atleast GS ka part accha rahe. Maths ke liye toh idk mocks hi zyada karne honge. Idk marks increase honge ya nahi lekin ab attempt hai toh karke dekh lete hai. Obvio I can't overlook Pre 2024. Usse toh bohot darr hai mujhe xD
To everyone here,thank youfor being a guiding light. Even I don't know many of you personally, I made some really good connections on this platform. I wish that you people find your light some day. For me, I will give my 100% again. Wapas ladenge. Wapas purri jaan lagayenge. Backup toh dhundna hoga hi vo toh kar hi rahe. Ye sab pata nahi kaise hoga lekin I did it for Mains '23 after failing Mains '22 so I will gain the same rigour again. Wapas utni mehnat karenge. For this attempt, I would like to quote Faiz Ahmad Faiz on this aspect-
"Gar baazi ishq ki baazi hai,
Toh jo bhi laga do darr kaisa,
Jeet gye to baat hi kya,
Haare bhi toh haar nahi…"
Need to gear up for my 5th attempt and plunge into the uncertainty of my 7th year in this prep. For those who exhausted their attempts or might be exhausted with the journey, I know I am not someone who can speak about how you guys are feeling but a small story from my side-
I failed to get into IIT for UG even after working extremely hard in my drop year. That time was cruel. I was bedridden due to left leg fracture and nerve damage on my hips coupled with efusion on my right knee (This happened back during JEE Adv '16). I cried daily due to the pain of my fracture. I was so sure of my selection in IIT that I did not fill forms for other colleges. I thought everything was over and there's only darkness for me ahead. Most of my then classmates used to laugh at me behind my back. Many relatives mocked me. There were very few who actually understood how I felt. The only thing people saw was the fact that I couldn't get into IIT. They didn't care about what I had faced. I was declared not intelligent, incompetent, useless and what-not.
But thattime passed as welland I did overcome everything. I eventually got into IIT for PG. I even had a chance to get into IIMs & other good colleges because of a decent score in CAT. All of this with no coaching. I just repeat my own story to myself several times just to motivate myself again.Itne aage aa gaye hai toh aur bhi aage chale jayenge.
Biggest learning from all these failures is -Things will work out eventually. You just need to be patient. Never stop working hard. Ek din sab theek hojayega.
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." - Steve Jobs
@tedmosby Have you spoken to people with maths who have made it? How have your successive scores been? Just don't keep writing the exam. Take a step back. Sometimes we step back, not because we are afraid, but do that we can see a bigger picture.
@Neyawn sir, I know someone who made with Maths in Mains 2023. Even he wasn't very sure what worked. He broadly said that he did PYQs but he needs to see the Marksheet so as to confirm what worked. Though I would like to interact with people who got selected with Maths Optional w.r.t the strategy part.
I discussed Mains 2023 paper with my friends and I had also discussed Maths paper just after Mains 2023 got over. I know exactly where I went wrong in Maths Opt 2023 paper and I know what has to be done but the uncertain part is that- whether I will get an interview call or not (Need to see Marksheet of 2023 Mains for that). When I discussed GS papers, my interpretation of the questions were in line with what others wrote. Certainly, it was my fault in giving lesser number of hours to Mains mocks and more number of hours to content enrichment. I will admit that though I know what comes in the exam, I am not able to implement it properly. For which I would need answer writing practice and an oversight. For this purpose, I would like to join the MGP (which I took somehow in 2022 but couldn't complete it due to academic overload - I found it to be good but the evaluation was not upto the mark so people told me to leave and do without evaluation). Even for Maths Opt, I have knowledge but the thing is that I had not practiced mocks properly. So in the actual exam, I could solve questions from topics like Fluid Mech and Mech but couldn't even attempt questions from Numerical Analysis (one of the easiest topics in Maths Opt). I clearly remember how I totally screwed up Section B of Maths Opt and my distress was visible on my face.
So I have identified some of my mistakes and I have started working upon them (I had started with GS 3 days post Mains already and with Analytic Geometry in Maths from mid Oct onwards). What I don't know is that whether I will clear Mains or not. For the moment, I am sticking to short-term goals and avoiding this one big question.
Haha, the ONE big question. Can you share your maths score over years here or over PM ?
Don't swing from one side to another. One year you do content enrichment, next year you do answer writing. Find a sweet balance. Content enrichment is nevessary too.
Also, if you did not find evaluation appropriate, you get a feedback mail, and request for re-assessment.
The person examining copies is just someone, who has seen tons of such copies, and isn't completely thoughtless. There are many people in evskuation, with a lot of experience, and still choose to work - with few copies.
All I am saying is take action wherever you deem necessary, and never never never assume that things will get better on their own without you doing something about it.
I have lived my college years watching HIMYM - it was the fancy thing back then, so your name catches attention. All the time.
@Neyawn sir, I have given 2 Mains till now. I scored 192 in Maths opt in mains '22. I am pretty sure that I will be getting 230ish score in maths this time.
I have been writing answers for GS way back from 2018 onwards (I was 20 back then) on Insights IAS platform. I used to think that UPSC asks questions on 'random' stuff. I used to write very diligently but I had not made structured notes. Everything was on Evernote. I used to write till my right hand cramped. But I think I was working in the wrong direction all this while. Since I had no one to guide me, I used to randomly visit coaching institutes in Delhi so as to know if there's any guidance programme for a nominal fee. I visited various institutes including Forum IAS so that I could get some feel of the "UPSC Mohol". xD
Well since I had no money but only (over)ambition, I used to rely on free YouTube lectures. So yes, I was kinda misguided and hence, I used to oscillate between answer writing and content enrichment.
Later by Mains experience and some advice by some toppers online I got to know that themes repeat. The naive me saw Mains PYQs for the first time in 2022 (Just a month before my Mains). Even then I made structured notes for GS-2 back then (which then reflected in my GS2 marks).
For this attempt, I made structured notes for everything- syllabus wise. I also gave open tests of Forum IAS (But I couldn't submit them in prescribed time because of non-UPSC academic load). Here I will admit one thing that for Maths I covered the syllabus in depth but again I couldn't revise stuff properly and I think that's where I lost out. But yes I am quite confident that if I do mains TS for GS and Maths properly then I would crack Mains given that I just get guidance for the same. But yes, what's denting my confidence is the uncertainty which lies ahead. I have faced so many failures (which do seem huge at this point) that I am confused what should I do next.
Right now, I am ready to do the classical rain dance so that Robin (UPSC) goes out with me xD
For CSE Maths 2024 analysis: https://forumias.com/post/detail/Mathematics-Optional-2024-Paper-Analysis-1727851791
You try and see if ca classes of forum work for you. Some of them have done and internalised content beautifully. I can say that for at least sanjita and Sumit ( who kinda took classes more than once ). Manasvi has forums GS content through foundation, awfg and ca classes and I don't think he would have scored less in gs in any year, it was psychology , where he was able to improve score and this year he has scored very high marks. (300+)
Sanjita also had a better writing flair than the average student. Her copy was usually full and she was able to pick up things from class better. You may not realise, but there is a plateau we reach after 2-3 mains unless we are upgrading our content and getting fresh ideas.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
Chirag_Zala,I am choking at main stage again and again. This was the 3rd time consecutively. I am unable to pin-point where am erring.Every time, I choke I try at my own level to fill the gap, but its not enough. This was not the case with prelims. I know whyI choked in prelims and after exactly pin-pointing the issues, addressed then and cleared them.
I don't know if I am in need of some serious guidance or not in order to clear mains, I don't know if hand holding is needed. I do know that mains is a fairly straightforward stage with less unpredictability. Despite this, I don't know what's going on here. I am at sea.
Common sense dictates that my optional is the culprit. If we keep optional aside for sometime, I am still unable to reach 400+ in GS despite 3 mains. I know the hard work I put in this so there is something else lagging.
It could be one of these: handwriting (mine is legible , not beautiful), presentation (This could be an area because with time , IBC may not suffice, I being a strong supporter of IBC only), inability to provide a comprehensive forward looking statement (though not asked, after looking at multiple videos of main chokers who made it finally, this is a common theme they focused on), dimension generation (again, a very critical issue, a debatable area). Some more issues were identified which i have written elsewhere.
I don't look at topper copies maybe because I think UPSC awards originality etc. I also don't know HOW and WHAT to look for in a topper copy and HOW TO effect changes from the aspects gathered from there in my answers. Hence this tool called topper copy is of not much use for me.
I alsodon't have syllabus wise word to word notes. I do have notes of issues and aspects in general, but not syllabus wise notes.
After preparing for 5 attempts when I had enough time, I couldn't make it. Now the last attempt is to be given when I will be busy. However, if the issues are sorted for GS, with less time also, I can clear mains. But if the issues still remain hidden, and I keep addressing what I deem as an issue or addressing them insufficiently, the result would be same even if I spend another year completely dedicated for this again.
One example wherein I could actually figure out the loopholes was essay. I know now, my weakness, my strength, my writing style and other aspects needed to score well in essay.
So, I request those who clear mains stage, to help me with GS. It may very well be the case that I would have significantly improved my GS tally, but their suggestions are nevertheless welcome.
I also request those like me who are constantly flunking mains, to pitch in and suggest changes they are about to do in their preparation now . I would do the same, only I am not giving 2024.
If you are not reaching 400+ in GS, GS is definitely an area where you will have to rework your content.
It's a fair idea to drop for a year and prepare. Sometimes we step back, not because we are afraid, but so that we can see a bigger picture.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
MagnetWalker,
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