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Prelims 2025 - Support Group

Dear All,

Let us have a thread for Prelims 2025 where people who have gotten through share mistakes to avoid, so that people can benefit from experience from others and we have a vibrant community of people who are writing Mains

You can use this thread to

1. Seek help and guidance

2. Share two cents about your own experience

No negativity, no criticism of person, place or thing, no coaching review, just plain discussion for clearing prelims from the community.

sylvieplath,Thisishereand22 otherslike this
6k views

15 comments

Fairyflusaid

I've been reading newspaper since July this year. No compilation started as of now. How to start reading current affairs for Prelims 2025? For prelims, I've found Vajiram recitals relevant and well-organised.

1. Please guide how I should begin. 

2. How to plan my revision. How many rounds?

3. What should be the ideal timeline?

4. Which subjects to prioritise? 


Make sure that you finish your static by December. Keep reading the newspaper. Read anyone magazine compilation. Do not overdo CA.

I would also suggest solving 30-50 questions everyday from prelims toolkit when you are bored. They are good, and from what I have seen, you should be sorted if you have done 50-70% of it by Feb.

Also have this plan of finishing the prelims static syllabus by Feb. And after March only revision and FLTs.

Some people have the plan of starting preparation from March. 

Sometimes being ahead and having extra time is all that you need to clear the exam.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS

MagnetWalker,Chief Sageand9 otherslike this
4.2k views
Deleted
@opamp741 if u think that u did everything possible, kindly revist the 2023 paper and see the Q u got wrong or u skipped and mark all those Q which u could have marked correct based on basic books . You’ll see that u could not clear 2023 only coz you did blunder in basic books Q. 
As per my analysis scoring 80-85 in 2023 was possible just on the  basis of basic sources.
based on the sources u mentioned i can tell you that you need to work on basics and stop getting scared of random environment and history Q. 
laxmikant,spectrum,geo all ncert,economics vivek/mrunal/classnotes/sriram, PMFias/shivin/shankar, 1-2 themes and TN11 old or lucent….plus PYQ analysis(MUST) , visionCA(after static) , plus 1 complete test series (30-35 tests with analysis of ur weak points ) and lastly 4-5 all india open mocks in schools .thats it no ministry updates,no hifi history books, no random lists ,tits ,bits ..test series will cover imp ones) and no  nothing.

 Revise static 5 times,Pyq 2-3 times, test series mistakes 3 times and CA 2 times .

Neyawn,Raksh2100and3 otherslike this
1.5k views
@Mango_Person thank you so much! I shall focus on static, I do need to strengthen it. CA always becomes a yearnful trap as December approaches, though I know I must do static well first. Hearing it from someone else helps! 


Siebzehn,harshtagyand1 otherslike this
4.6k views

Fairyflusaid

@Neyawn Thank you so much! 
I'm currently doing MGP and OAWFG which takes the entire day. I can't fit in prelims right now. However, as you suggested, I will start with the Prelims toolkit during breaks & a CA compilation. I will finish my prelims by March according to my plan. 

My MGP and optional are stretching until Feb. Notes and tests both. When should I stop with mains and switch to prelims completely, considering I feel underprepared for prelims? 

https://forumias.com/blog/two-cents-how-to-clear-civil-services-with-a-top-rank-and-avoid-exhausting-attempts/

Plz read this post, you will get clarity when to stop the mains preparation.

This is Gold. :))

Siebzehn,theprodigalsonand1 otherslike this
4k views

opamp741said

@Neyawn Completed static part and prelims specifics , got 68 in 2023, expected 85 in 2024. Did everything possible in 2024 from tests, simulator tests for prelims. For 2025 prelims I could not think of anything different from what material I read, what way I read previously.

  1. Please guide how to approach in 2025. From my side Revision is the best I can do.
  2. Also I want suggestions regarding any good content/books in Environment , History.
    My sources earlier prelims specific reading : IE newspaper, NCERT Biology, Websites press releases -UNEP, CoPs, IUCN etc, NCERT Themes History, RS Sharma, Spectrum Modern H, History Poonam D.

Revision isn't really a small thing. I have seen people perform best after 5-7 revisions. Unless you are born with a photographic memory. 

With reference to source, my advice will be that do well whatever you do. You are overdoing things. You can refer to some of the red books which students have told me have had a comprehensive coverage - such as the Enviornment, S& T ones. read NCERTs 1 or 2 times at the max. Then the standard pvt publications have to be done.

I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS

Siebzehn,theprodigalsonand1 otherslike this
652 views
@FairyfluSuggestion, don't be worried much about current affairs now. Strengthen your static first. While doing SFG, you will realise the value of static. Treat it like this way, for Prelims, STATIC is at the centre and CA is at the periphery.

Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” Applicable to Static Books, you need to read them multiple times before prelims.

You can watch this -

Last year's session to get clarity.

DM,Fairyflu
4.6k views
@FairyfluPlease tag@NeyawnSir in your queries.


Fairyflu,
4.6k views

@Neyawn Completed static part and prelims specifics , got 68 in 2023, expected 85 in 2024. Did everything possible in 2024 from tests, simulator tests for prelims. For 2025 prelims I could not think of anything different from what material I read, what way I read previously.

  1. Please guide how to approach in 2025. From my side Revision is the best I can do.
  2. Also I want suggestions regarding any good content/books in Environment , History.
    My sources earlier prelims specific reading : IE newspaper, NCERT Biology, Websites press releases -UNEP, CoPs, IUCN etc, NCERT Themes History, RS Sharma, Spectrum Modern H, History Poonam D.
Siebzehn,
2.8k views

https://forumias.com/post/detail/How-to-ace-2025-upsc-cse-1723083207?JiwzKFIsM2BTCmAK


One of my early comments on a different post for prelims 2025

Siebzehn,
614 views
Is there any thread for upcoming forest mains?
4.9k views

I've been reading newspaper since July this year. No compilation started as of now. How to start reading current affairs for Prelims 2025? For prelims, I've found Vajiram recitals relevant and well-organised.

1. Please guide how I should begin. 

2. How to plan my revision. How many rounds?

3. What should be the ideal timeline?

4. Which subjects to prioritise? 


4.6k views
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