As April ( and The SFG ) comes to an end, and our mailboxes are flooded with a Prelims strategy for the last days in these uncertain times. So first things first.

This article is intended for those who are writing SFGs, but is equally applicable to candidates who have been putting similar efforts on their own.

So this article is not a strategy article per se, but an assortment of suggestions, and what suggestions you must take up , depend totally on this.

#0 An Honest Self assessment

At this point we must make an honest self assessment as to our current preparation status. Look, it is only you who exactly knows about your real preparation status.

Not your mentors, not your parents. Least of all your peers.

Our ability to succeed in Prelims 2020 at this point will depend on making an honest self assessment. Depending on our self assessment, we will be in any of the three groups.

Group 1 : Scared / Concerned for Prelims, but mostly performed well, do not have major challenges with any of the subjects and revision is ongoing. Able to score well in tests which I properly prepare, may not score so well where preparation is lacking. Doing well in Simulators, every Test is not a shocker.

Group 2 : Have concerns for Prelims, have been able to do well in some subjects, not so good in others, revision badly needed, simulator tests sometimes are a complete bouncer, cannot assure being in top 20% tile also – that will depend on type of test.

Group 3 : Everyone thinks this time my preparation is good, but i have missed most SFG tests , done well in some, done poorly in some, have never gotten in top 20%tile in Tests ( with 1-2 exceptions ) . I have no peer group , or the peer group I have – I kinda TOP it.

Group 4 : Have not been very regular with either SFG or my own Plan OR my Test Series Or Revision OR popular websites – though I have READ READ & READ every motivation article, every strategy article, every initiative launched by every website that exists, didn’t subscribe to any test series because market has it ALL – and have not done tests from market also because of laziness or lack of commitment to doing ANY ONE thing sincerely. But NOW, I am serious and will do ANYTHING to crack Prelims.

How we have to proceed, flows from rightly putting ourselves in the buckets above. Here is the plan till May 3

#1 Common Plan for May 3

Irrespective of what Group you fall in, we have to go for revision and only revision.

#2 The June 3 Plan May 4 Plan

May 3 is the date when UPSC will announce fresh dates for the Prelims. Now a key question arises that if date gets extended then

( First May 3 is Sunday, so expect that to be done on May 4. Now proceed reading further. )

• Should we prepare for Mains related stuff?
• If yes, then how many days should we give to prelims?

Before we answer this question, let us tell you that people in Group 3 and Group 4 are most likley to jump Prelims immediately and switch to Mains preparation. Why?

Annual Affair. The poorer you are at the prelims , the less effort you put at prelims, and repeat it over years. Dont do that. Prelims is a decently tough exam – even for people who crack it every year!

Scenario #1

If dates get extended by say 15-20 days, barring Group 1, all other Groups 2,3 and 4 must only and still focus on Prelims. That is because your preparation is still not robust and you are in this zone

The minute you lose focus and are not cautious you are gone!

People in Group 1, can devote some days – like 10-12, to their Mains preparation, but not other groups.

( As a Mentor, we can tell you that most people in Group 1 think they are in Group 2 and lower. Most people  in Group 3,4 think that they are in Group 1 or sometimes in Group 2. Group 2 guys are the best, usually  Which is why, you make the decision to identify which group you are in, based on your marks in Simulators, not on your emotions. )

Scenario #2

If dates get extended by 1 month or more, for any reason, this is what we have to do. Let us call the number of days it is extended by as “X”

#3 How ForumIAS can help you

Depending on official announcement till May 3, we shall be commencing with our revised Mains Marathon in the first week of May. Of the Prelims Sprint. We shall come up with a Prelims revision plan and a Mains revision Plan.

Right now, we sincerely request that you must focus on Prelims. The word focus here is important.

We are lucky to be trusted by the most meaningful community of students who year on year have studied and given us results. We send more than half the students to officers training Academies every year ( not the coaching, the real ones in Mussoorie, Hyderabad, Nagpur etc ) , and we can tell you that we have seen two things with respect to people who do well

• One, is that they are focussed on one thing at at time. You cant focus on Prelims AND Mains AND OPTIONAL and CURRENT Affairs. Doing too many things is equal to doing nothing well.
• Two, do less things, but do them well. Dont be greedy. Dont solve 5 Coachings Test Series.  You must do less, and do better.

If your preparation has not been adequate, it is high time, that you focus on one thing and do it well. Do prelims well first. If you are bored go through the Prelims Marathon and 10 PM quiz.

The Forum already has a Simulator Test Series running. It is recommended that you solve at least 8 full length papers and previous years papers in and out.

Solve the same paper again and again, such that you at some point taste the feeling of how it feels to get 140-150-180 marks in a paper. If you know your SFGs well, your Simulators well and Previous Years Papers well, there is no force that can stop you from securing a seat for Mains 2020.

We rest our case.

ForumIAS.