[ Official ] How was the Prelims 2021 paper?
How was the paper guys ?
@Shailputri exactly this type of lacking of basics plays role in not clearing the pre. Hope you understand this.
What basics are you refering to?
Overall GS paper 1 was very easy. Maximum questions can be answered only by your basic understanding of polity science history economy only these portions have capacity to pass the preliminary. Current affairs mainly is for mains and interview perspective. Some questions from current affairs may be left as we have not to get 200 numbers, however current affairs plays a good role in understanding the basics mor correctly.. Yes if anyone lacks in basic understanding of subjects then it is really difficult to clear the pre.exam. I am also not clearing as I know I directly appeared in the exam however I am getting 80 around confirm numbers due to some basic concepts. I hope the merit definitely will come down as all of you are sharing experiences. Best of luck for getting more correct answer in discussion.
I beg to differ here. Yes basics are essential but that alone do not have capacity to sail you through. I believe most of the serious aspirants hover near around the cutoff but what actually sail you through is 2-3 extra correct questions from the lot of so called "educated guess". And since the weird questions are sprinkled all over the paper, they took a toll on few basic questions too which otherwise you are supposed to mark correct. For me prelims has been a game of gamble. Static drew me near cutoff but luck threw me out. Let's see what unfolds this time!!!
I have been a silent member of forum since 2017. started giving exam from 2017. couldn`t clear mains in 2017 and 2018. took a year gap and and gave prelims 2020. according to various coaching key was scoring around 100, so started mains preparation but couldn`t find my name in the pdf. when the marks released a few days back it was 80.27 according to upsc. I have given this years prelims also but havent checked any answer key. will wait for official result. this huge marks variation between upsc and coaching answer key has been a great shock to me. I am sharing my journey here to tell all of you something. After my failure in 2018, my mother forced me to sit for other exams. The results of those exams have come out a few months back . Right now I have been selected in 3 state govt jobs. last year after prelims failure I was still unemployed, was at the lowest of may confidence, wanted to commit the worst. but this year I am feeling much more happy and not at all affected by prelims outcome. selection in other jobs have literally saved my life. So I would like to tell all of you who are preparing without a job, don`t make UPSC your whole existence. Take a step back and look for other jobs. I am 28 years old and very well know the helplessness we feel after every failure. UPSC is unpredictable at each stage. clearing prelims will not guarantee success at subsequent stages. So I would advise everyone to prepare along with jobs. In these uncertain times, shed your ego and start giving other exams also. clearing other exams also need preparation, competition is nowhere easy. but it takes less than half the time we devote to clearing upsc. Failure in UPSC doesn`t make us losers, clearing it will not make us DEMI GODS. stop worshipping this exam. life is too precious for wasting away like this year after years. your parents wouldn`t love you less just beacause you haven`t become IAS. and your parents matter most not anyone else. so those who feel are not going to clear prelims , right away start preparing for other exams. results are anyway going to be out in and around 20 days. FYI SBI PO notification is out. those who are eligible go for it. Last year after prelims debacle I sat for it and reached till interview stage with very little preparation. I am from humanities background , so engineering/ science graduates are in much more better position than me to clear bank exams. results of other exams take time to come out, specially result of state pcs exams as you can see from my experience. the result of my 2018 exams have come out in mid 2021 only. so don`t prolong your dependence on parents. start earning as soon as possible. Whether I clear prelims or not, my UPSC journey of 5 years ends here. I have tried my best and have no regrets. ALL THE BEST EVERYONE
A big +1. I may or may not clear it but I thought that newcomers are the most vulnerable ones during these times, hence making a long write up of my learnings (i have been in the cycle for 3 years now, so can find some pattern pre and post-exam scenario especially after prelims both behavior-wise and in terms of the paper).
1. Newcomers: pls have a backup if you have started late. Many people these days I come across started their prep well in college, i started after my graduation. So have a somewhat good thing going for you apart from upsc, career wise. (this helps in tense moments before/during/after prelims and other stages imo.). I was numb last year after exams as i didn't know what to do, but I took up a job and my boss has been kind and gave me time to prepare.
2. Unpopular opinion: Every year people react and curse UPSC for changing the pattern after exams. Coachings reciprocate by launching similar courses and upsc kicks back again next year, life goes on. it was agri last year, this year sports and others. Next year maybe bollywood, god knows. NOTE: please note that these are to unsettle the rhythm of the candidate in the exam hall, so keep a calm and careful "strategic" approach while solving the paper(this is different from knowing your study material, exam solving strategy is different). You can be really good with your material but exam condition solving is a different ballgame altogether.
A lot of psychology goes in setting up the order of questions, the options, and its order. A basic question can be made difficult just by rearranging its options, just see the pyqs you'll get to know (more so in recent years). so when you "analyze" PYQs do see these things too, whether if UPSC is trying to let you find the answer (common assumption here is you are somewhat good with the basics) then you'll find it easily, but if they want to test you more in terms of knowledge or maybe take a call on best fit on the spot, options will be given accordingly. This exercise cant be matched by coaching mocks in any way.
3. CSAT: Just after paper 1, I had an okayish feeling that this was on similar lines as last year (basic question testing + some bouncers to set people off + some sitters; was just surprised that they repeated some questions). Anyways i digress.. In the break i had the thought that max chances of eliminating competition would be from csat, so csat can be tricky again and it was indeed, this has started from last year (they did not include Data intrepretation questions much, there was just one this year thankfully). Hence pls find your strong areas and time them well.
Finally, we can all be reactive and say things like unpredictable lowering its standards but one must realize that competition has increased as well, so it's a game of elimination anyway and remains uncontrollable. Even if the paper is tough, there will be people clearing it, by luck or sheer effort. there will be people who will get selected and give topper interviews and stuff like that. Youmust not get bothered, it's a different journey for everyone. Just be calm and play your card right with a calm mind. Hence, take some days off before deciding anything. Godspeed.
You should be aware about any of your friends forcing you to prepare for upsc. They are your Dallas masking themselves as your friends. Din main do baar ias bolenge so that you can be in myth that you are friends with upsc aspirants.
Aur ye jo kah rahe hai na ki sbi po de do. State govt ka clerk ban jana but sbi po is a very very tough job
jack_Sparrow,Sunflowerr
Villanelle,@Purplesunbird actually posted after somebody posted that judgement see why this cuise in covid time when all.workers were entitled to epfo
Source of upsc is newspapers mainly
fortarach63,
@sunnyleony you're the same guy who posted fake results pdf last year right?
My man asking the real questions
Hey, Not out of the race till the results are out. After last year's answer key debacle, they should not be a standard to judge for one's qualification or not. They are so many moving parts here. The questions which are contradictory in the keys are definitely contentious. But at the same time, there are a few bouncers in upsc key here and there. Also, 90s seem to be a decent score by previous years standard.90.67 (58/38) a/c to iashub, forumias, dhrishti.Altho their keys differ in some qns, but i get the same marks from all of them. Overall 6 qns are doubtful here and there like Montagu Chelmsford, smelting plant, Fdi, definition of state, warm water and winds, constitution bench.If i had revised more, i might have got 4 qns correct like padma award (i was confused b/w 3 and 5), hyd (i doubted statement 1 but went ahead with both), judicial custody (this was lack of revision) and ice cap (lack of revision). After all the revisions, for doing a mistake in 4 concepts out of which 2 are memory based i can pardon myself.I am out of this race.
Are countries in the European Union sovereign?@kartikeybhatt171778 For a state to be there, ir Has to be sovereign. and I repeat it HAS to be sovereign. Otherwise it is Not a state.
Which key is feeling most reliable one so far?
If I had stopped studying a month earlier, toh bhi same marks aate.
Lost 2 questions to mis-reading. RBI governor wale mein didn’t read second statement said “constitution” and suba-pargana wale me descending kardiya. Ah. 😑 Upar se CSAT.
Can we interpret that in case of financial emergency govt can issue directions to the rbi?? ( dumb qs i know ) Though it is an after thought I too made the same mistake on this, I would have probably left this Q's unattempted.
For pargana i had made same mistake fir before marking I read 'ascending' and realised it
This was my last attempt . I had prepared better than last year, more systematic preparation. Also was happy post the morning paper. I have done well in CSAT too. But my GS1 score is not crossing 90 ( GM) . Also as per forum key , getting 81 .
Last year too was getting around 95 but didn't clear.
I have no clue as to what to do.
Vesuvius,This was my last attempt . I had prepared better than last year, more systematic preparation. Also was happy post the morning paper. I have done well in CSAT too. But my GS1 score is not crossing 90 ( GM) . Also as per forum key , getting 81 .
Last year too was getting around 95 but didn't clear.
I have no clue as to what to do.
Although I have two more attempts of IFoS . But not sure of what lies ahead.
"GS paper1 was very easy. Study basics, you will clear the exam."
Says the guy who probably won't clear the exam.
Though, to be fair, he's kinda right about the basics part, and to not fret too much about the CA aspects of it.
But in the exam hall, with the pressure of 2 hours, on top of that if it's your 2nd or 3rd attempt, you get obliterated if you put one step wrong. Also as everyone said, getting to 80-90 is the easy part, getting the extra 5-10 marks to clear the cutoff is where the real game lies.
Take his advice with a pinch of salt, it's condescending af, but it's kinda true as well.
Don't spend your time trying to disprove coaching institutes answer keys or prove your answers correct. It's a road which has no end. UPSC will end up selecting a totally separate answer. If you are confident with your answer, adjust marks accordingly and prepare for the next round!
Vesuvius,theskyisthelimit
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