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[Official] ForumIAS SFG 2021 - Level 1 Details and Important Updates

ForumIAS Academy
SFG 2021 Level 1 - Details and Important Updates

 

Important Update : LIVE Session for SFG 2021 - Level 1 General Discussion and Way Forward -  19th January 2021 at 4:00 PM. (Click Here)


Dear Friends,

we enter the 3rd year of SFG – Select Focus Group – one of our most innovative programs for successfully cracking the Prelims Examination. Based on your feedback, we continuously innovate and update our programs, keeping in mind the dynamic nature of the Civil Services Examination, the rising standards of Civil Services preparation, and increasing competition – partly because of capacity development and fast-paced self-learning programs like SFG.

To check the instructions on how to write SFG 2021 - Test 1 :  

https://go.forumias.com/264


Important Dates: 

Date of Entrance Test 2 - 3rd January 2021 (10:00 AM to 11:00 AM)

End Date Registration for Entrance Test 2 – 2nd January 2021 | 5 PM

Please click on the link for instructions regarding attempting the Entrance test.

https://go.forumias.com/254

Result of Entrance Test 2 –4th January 2021

Commencement Date of SFG Level 1  – 7th January 2021


Syllabus of SFG Entrance Test - Candidates can expect 30 questions equally distributed across History, Polity, Economy, Environment and Geography. Further 15 questions will from Current Affairs of October, November and December months and 5 questions from CSAT.


SFG Level 1 Calendar: https://go.forumias.com/sfg21-calender




SFG – How it works

  • Select Focus Group (SFG) is a small group of students who are selected by ForumIAS every year for coaching them to clear the UPSC Prelims Examination. Every single candidate selected and retained consistently in the group with Top ranks has cleared the Prelims examination in the past.
  • 100 Students will be selected for the Select Focus Group, through the SFG Entrance Test, who will be required to report at 7 AM every day 6 days a week to write an hour-long test based on a pre-planned syllabus, followed by a discussion on the same.
  • Candidates who are unable to make it to the SFG, will be maintained in a Reserve List, who can also write the tests. Candidates who couldn't clear the cutoff and are unable to make it into both SFG and RLG can register for the 2nd Entrance Test
  • Tests are conducted daily and results are provided within 8 hours of test with Name and Rank list for candidates and parents to evaluate their daily performance. On the basis of rankles, about 50% of bottom performing students from SFG are migrated to the reserve list on a weekly basis, and an equal number of students from reserve list (RLG) are moved into SFG.
  • The decision of the management in this regard is final and not subject to dispute. Please note that this migration is done not keeping in mind the overall merit list but moving away bottom 50% from SFG and picking up an equal number of people from RLG.
  • Thus those who may be getting more than RLG students, but are bottom 50 in SFG will be moved to RLG.
  • Every month, the bottom 20% or so non-performing students are eliminated from the program to maintain the quality of competition.
  • All candidates writing the CSE 2021 are eligible to apply for the entrance test.

This year we introduce some changes as to how we conduct the SFG exam. Please note that changes that we bring are always in response to the examination pattern, the student feedback and our own learning with respect to how to best enable a serious candidate to clear the exam


Covid 19 Update:Keeping in mind the Covid situation, SFG – 1 entrance Test and the SFG program will be conducted in the online mode only for the year 2021. SFG – Level 2 may be conducted offline as per government guidelines and this decision will be taken at a later date.

 

This year SFG will be conducted in two levels as below:

SFG Level 1 (Foundation)

The SFG Level 1 is for beginners, freshers, first-timers, or simply those who have not cleared the Prelims examination ever before. The objective of the SFG Level 1 Program is three things

  • Students know the basic books and basic concepts back and forth
  • Students complete coverage of the syllabus through self-study
  • Students are thorough with previous years papers
  • Students develop the discipline and time management skills that are needed to clear the exam

The SFG Level 1 Tests will have book based / text-based / notes-based tests. By the end of SFG Level 1, you can expect that your coverage of the syllabus is complete, and you have done previous years questions well.


SFG Level 2 (Advanced)

SFG Level 2 is for people who have completed the reading and revision of the basic books and are now ready to take on the exam. The objective of the SFG Level 2 is as below

  • Developing problem-solving skills for solving analytical, conceptual and thought based questions.
  • Developing skills to solve questions based on the application of the reading that they have done for Level 1
  • Mastering the art of handling questions from unknown areas and applying concepts from their wider reading which is relevant for the Civil Services Prelims Examination.
  • Developing time management skills, and being through with the syllabus
  • Providing a reliable, time-bound framework for revision just before the examination.

Current Affairs:

SFG Level 1 will provide coverage of current affairs from January 2020 to November 2020.

SFG Level 2 will have complete current affairs relevant for the Prelims examination 2021 integrated into the course.

CSAT:

CSAT tests will be integrated with SFG Level 2. There will be no CSAT tests in SFG level 1.


Application Procedure

  • Admission to the SFG and RLG are based on the rank of the candidate in the merit list of the SFG Entrance Test. Students can apply for the program by registering for the Entrance Test by paying a fee of Rs. 500+ GST. Candidates can register by visitinghttp://academy.forumias.com
  • The candidate must appear for the entrance test on the designated date and time, subsequent to which he/she will be admitted to the Select Group or the Reserve List.
  • The candidate must pay the monthly fee as per the group he/she is allocated.



Note:   Admissions to the SFG / RLG Group will only be on the basis of merit position of the candidate in the entrance test. Entrance Test will be held on 23rd December 2020. Candidates must register for the SFG Entrance Test by visiting the website http://academy.forumias.com before12 PM, December 22nd.

No admission will be granted to the candidate without appearing for the Entrance Test.


Fee Structure and Details:

  • The course duration is of about two months and fees is charged on a monthly basis. Fees for the full duration of the program cannot be paid at one go.

         For students selected in SFG- Rs. 1300 + GST (18%) per month. For Payment,Click Here.

         For students selected in RLG- Rs. 1900 + GST (18%) per month. For Payment,Click Here.

  • Fees are to be paid once the candidate is selected for the program. A fee of Rs. 118 is to be paid additionally for the I-Card by all students. 


Wishing you Success,

Always

ForumIAS  Academy

 

 

curious_kid,ssver2and35 otherslike this
756.3k views

1.7k comments

Isn't groundnut both kharif and rabi crop?
2.6k views
@DHARNA

na .. its kharif.

3.4k views
Hey, do you guys actually have a printer? Do you use it for printing the tests and then attempting it? (Probably not for SFG but for other tests.)
3.6k views

1.location of places in interior of continent; desert s are mostly at the western part aren't they. mohave or Atacama ,sahara.

​

Micro,
3.4k views

pneumatophores do provide stability,

​

​

​

DesiJonSnow,
3.4k views
@grv_346910 same doubt


2.5k views
Any tips/ mnemonics to remember the Kharif & Rabi crops? I always seem to get this question wrong :(
2.6k views
@grv_34691 Gobi desert , due to location in the interior of continent 
3.3k views
@grv_346910 Deserts in the interior of continents get formed since offshore trade winds tend to carry less moisture as the distance from the sea increases. Hence, less precipitation and it leads to desert formation.


3.3k views

@forumiasacademy @Thinker @Neyawn @curious_kid @root @Patrick_jane @himadreeleo29208 

In Q 43

Consider the following statements regarding Estuary Ecosystem:

1. It is semi enclosed coastal body of water.

2. The wave action is dominant feature.

3. They are scarcely populated due high tidal fluctuation.

4. Salinity level is variable due to influx of fresh water.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

a 1, 2 and 3 only
b 1, 3 and 4 only
c 1 only
d 1 and 4 only

Shouldn't appropriate statement 4 would be influx ofsaline/oceanwater?

3.3k views

Correct Answer : c

Your Answer : d

With reference to Nitrogen cycle, consider the following statements:

1. The elemental form of nitrogen cannot be used directly by most of the living organisms.

2. The Nitrogen fixation on earth by man through industrial process can disrupt the balance of nitrogen.

3. Azotobacter and Clostridium are an example of free-living nitrifying bacteria.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

a 1 only
b 2 and 3 only
c 1, 2 and 3
d 1 and 2 only


Azaotobacter and Clostridium are free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and NOT nitrifying bacteria.

Shouldn't the answer be option D?

3.5k views
@Steph_Curry

rabi _ WBC km ho toh Mustard juice pio. wheat barley cerals mustard.. mostly yahi puchte h.


kharif _ C RAM MSG ( don't actually go fot it)

cotton rice maize millets soya groundnut


zaid _ water bearing mostly.


😅😅😅. anyway you can eliminate most of the options like that..

slightedge109,Sakshias
3.2k views
@RedDevilMUFC

gobi desert is at the rain shadow region of Himalayas also its at high latitudes where westerlies will impact given the size of landmass there there is no way moisture can reach.


but still

and the reason you gave is for Western placement of deserts combined with cold currents.

3.2k views
@grv_346910  but in southern states it is cultivated in both the seasons. ( source: India, people and economy class 12, page 44) 


2.3k views
@DHARNA

yes right,

but understand kharif means monsoon season "june to sept" means rainfed.


in south states tamilnadu,parts of Andhra and karnatka NE MONSOON cause rain which is the time of "Rabi" crop

but it does come under the distinction of Kharif

3.1k views

@forumiasacademy @Neyawn @Thinker 


Forumias had said that there will not be a fee difference for the second month owing to the cheating that is done by many. Why is there difference in fees at renewal now? 

Bearded_priest,Adyaand11 otherslike this
6.9k views


@maggiie  I agree buddy. As it's on most of the student's mind but few are willing to speak about it. I will just highlight my take on it.


Good points :

1) Tests are timely.
 2)zero to very less technical error( site not working etc)
3) Discipline increasing in aspirants.

Concerns :

1)Unequal level playing field used for ranking (due to some students who MIGHT copy and score high marks) which affects everyone's ranking.  So not fair !!!
Though voluntarily students should refrain from it, but as a Host and coordinator Forum should have taken some steps to Mitigate this.
2) Corrigendum : when some wrong questions/options are changed, are they reflecting in the new ranks ? I dont know.
But if not, than again it affects Ranking the base of your SFG-RLG separation.
3) Forum had promised it would look into it and wont do SFG-RLG from next month. But still? Why promise this earlier? 
4) Consider the Covid-19 Pandemic crisis,
Dear Forum, many of your beloved students are not having strong finances. Even the Govt is in a fix about it,you should have shown more compassion .

Though the price difference is approx
Rs 800 , but stil it matters.
(Mind you i have taken up Many Courses  MGP D+ ,ESSAY @ Forum 2019,2020 etc, not bragging, so i have paid thousand's already)
In conclusion, you should consider elminating this SFG-RLG divide atleast for time being and have same fees  for both groups my suggestion would be say 
Rs 1700-1800.

Please take it as a constructive feedback!

Still i m, one of your serious Admirer's !!!
Bearded_priest,Joeyisthebestand8 otherslike this
2.7k views

Seriously, what is the point of having SFG/RLG, when people are scoring 50 correct? I mean the people who are paying RLG are paying the extra price for not cheating, and being sincere. Infact they get no extra benefits of that extra money, so they might as well cheat too, to stay in SFG.

There are so many cases visible to naked eye where performance drastically jumped between the tests. Did they try "extra" hard? 

In my opinion, there should be no differentiation between SFG/RLG. There needs to be a rethink.

PS: SFG selected, and not rlg here, so not saying from disgruntled perspective.

Bearded_priest,Joeyisthebestand10 otherslike this
7.1k views
Feels let down by ForumIAS as they just went back on their word of reconsidering the price format. Such a decision even after strong sentiments against SFG RLG divide is purely insensitive and unfair.
Bearded_priest,Rise from Ashesand8 otherslike this
3k views
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