[Results] Prelims 2020 Over - Gearing for 2021

goldberrysaid

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Tyler Durdensaid

mightyrajusaid

PowerPuffMojosaid

Basically, looking at the number of days left, I can pick up only 1 monthly compilation. 

So, can anyone give analysis ofVisionvs.Insightvs.IASBaba (monthly + babapedia)vs.Drishti

If you can share your experience, it will be easier for me and other fresh aspirants to make an informed decision and stick to 1 source till the exam.

My 2 cents. Go with Drishti. Daily News and Analysis if possible. Why-

1. Unlike Insights, it does not merely copy pastes stuff and makes the analysis readable and understandable. I followed Insights from July- November. Since December, I have been exclusively following Drishti.

2. Vision too is good. I followed Monthlies during 2018-19 attempt. But I always have a feeling that in their pursuit to put more content in less number of pages, they sometime bombard too much of content.

3. Drishti has decent horizontal as well as vertical coverage. Give it a try. You probably will like it.

4. And for Mains GS,there is nothing as good as Insights Secure Initiative,though it takes a good amount of time.

Do you think insights secure is worth doing? i mean the compilation they provide of questions and answers is really huge. I have just seen that compilation. Never read that. Don't know if the cost-benefit is good? I think they provide 10 questions daily. So all in all 3600 questions in a year. (300*12). That's like too much! Even upsc in gs 2 and gs 3 doesn't ask all 20 questions of current affairs only. They also don't follow any pattern like they won't restrict to last one year. Some questions are generic. Mostly will be be contemporary i.e. based on the theme of last 4-5 years be it economy or polity. And some static too. 

Please do not do insights secure at all. I have suffered from it for 2 years as I actually thought that doing it will help. It is trues that you come up with many types of questions. But if I have cleared Mains in my fourth attempt only because for 2 years i was busy doing secure bogged down the huge bulk and volume of it. 

You will feel all good while seeing the compilation, but in the end there will be so much duplication of content that you will end up with khichdi. You will not be able to write consistent matter on any question, becuas every time a new type of answer will be given. It is true that we need perspectives, but it was only this year for my Mains I realised that you dont need to write 100 answers on same topic. I did forum current affairs and faculty did one single document of 2-3 pages on each issue. That is what you need in the end before Mains. If you have 100 pages on Covid 19 before Mains, you are screwed. You will get max of 1 question each in all four papers.

At the end of the year you will have thousands of questions and no coherence, and you will be forced to join some classes at the last moment - after doing secure for 2 years. And I am not saying from my own experience, but from experience of entire group of people who followed secure religiously.

Main thing is nobody is there to tell and we dont know until we pay for by wasting 1-2 years. So save yourself a year or two, dont waste time over secure. 

mightyrajusaid

goldberrysaid

» show previous quotes

Tyler Durdensaid

mightyrajusaid

PowerPuffMojosaid

Basically, looking at the number of days left, I can pick up only 1 monthly compilation. 

So, can anyone give analysis ofVisionvs.Insightvs.IASBaba (monthly + babapedia)vs.Drishti

If you can share your experience, it will be easier for me and other fresh aspirants to make an informed decision and stick to 1 source till the exam.

My 2 cents. Go with Drishti. Daily News and Analysis if possible. Why-

1. Unlike Insights, it does not merely copy pastes stuff and makes the analysis readable and understandable. I followed Insights from July- November. Since December, I have been exclusively following Drishti.

2. Vision too is good. I followed Monthlies during 2018-19 attempt. But I always have a feeling that in their pursuit to put more content in less number of pages, they sometime bombard too much of content.

3. Drishti has decent horizontal as well as vertical coverage. Give it a try. You probably will like it.

4. And for Mains GS,there is nothing as good as Insights Secure Initiative,though it takes a good amount of time.

Do you think insights secure is worth doing? i mean the compilation they provide of questions and answers is really huge. I have just seen that compilation. Never read that. Don't know if the cost-benefit is good? I think they provide 10 questions daily. So all in all 3600 questions in a year. (300*12). That's like too much! Even upsc in gs 2 and gs 3 doesn't ask all 20 questions of current affairs only. They also don't follow any pattern like they won't restrict to last one year. Some questions are generic. Mostly will be be contemporary i.e. based on the theme of last 4-5 years be it economy or polity. And some static too. 

Please do not do insights secure at all. I have suffered from it for 2 years as I actually thought that doing it will help. It is trues that you come up with many types of questions. But if I have cleared Mains in my fourth attempt only because for 2 years i was busy doing secure bogged down the huge bulk and volume of it. 

You will feel all good while seeing the compilation, but in the end there will be so much duplication of content that you will end up with khichdi. You will not be able to write consistent matter on any question, becuas every time a new type of answer will be given. It is true that we need perspectives, but it was only this year for my Mains I realised that you dont need to write 100 answers on same topic. I did forum current affairs and faculty did one single document of 2-3 pages on each issue. That is what you need in the end before Mains. If you have 100 pages on Covid 19 before Mains, you are screwed. You will get max of 1 question each in all four papers.

At the end of the year you will have thousands of questions and no coherence, and you will be forced to join some classes at the last moment - after doing secure for 2 years. And I am not saying from my own experience, but from experience of entire group of people who followed secure religiously.

Main thing is nobody is there to tell and we dont know until we pay for by wasting 1-2 years. So save yourself a year or two, dont waste time over secure. 

You have a point. Since I didn't qualify for Mains in 2018-19 mains, so not a person to comment on real exam situations. But it did help me in Mains TS. This is how I do-

1. I skip for GS4 part.

2. Avoid repetitive themes. I jot down in Q-A Format on plain sheets. 

3.1 Page(both sides)- 4 Q-A. 

4. Since I have been doing this since past >1.5 years, it takes me around 15 plain sheets to cover GS1-3.This is around 60 questions out of around 300+ in a month for GS 1-3

Again I must confess that this may prove disastrous and you may be absolutely right.But I believe UPSC is a game of trial and errors in many senses. What may seem a right strategy today might be wrong in 2021 for the same person.

Suggestions are welcome.

That is a fair enough approach. If you that much time you can do so, but if you do not have affordability issues, forum current affairs classes will save you a lot of time. Even if you dont do the classes, get the class handouts. That is my point blank opinion. 

Raillifesaid

@goldberry thanks for this

But what is the replacement for secure

 vision mains test series of 2-3 year can be done and make notes issue wise,like we did in secure(topic wise note)?

Coz as u said in the end only matter is 1-2 pages notes for every keyword

But vo notes kis material se banaye?

Vision test series of past 2-3 years seem good to me

goldberrysaid

Raillifesaid

@goldberry thanks for this

But what is the replacement for secure

 vision mains test series of 2-3 year can be done and make notes issue wise,like we did in secure(topic wise note)?

Coz as u said in the end only matter is 1-2 pages notes for every keyword

But vo notes kis material se banaye?

Vision test series of past 2-3 years seem good to me

Yes. Best is go for 3 - 4 years Vision Mains Test Series compilations . Get it theme wise from iMagerunners shop. They are especially good for Indian Society and GS 4. 

TheNotorioussaid

In context to the  discussion of which Institue’s CA material is better one, I know that Vision’ material like PT365 and monthly magazines are best in the market, can anyone shed some light on Rau IAS material as well, like they also have their monthly magazines called Focus as well as full year compilation known as Prelims Compass Magazines. Does anyone follow them? Please provide your suggestions.

Also, GS Score has provided such yearly compilations of various subjects as well. They are available in PDF format free of cost at their website.

Can anyone  who is done with revising the yearly compilations for CA please just have a look at all of them and suggest which one would be the best one to go for Prelims 2020.

Thank you!

Raillifesaid

goldberrysaid

Raillifesaid

@goldberry thanks for this

But what is the replacement for secure

 vision mains test series of 2-3 year can be done and make notes issue wise,like we did in secure(topic wise note)?

Coz as u said in the end only matter is 1-2 pages notes for every keyword

But vo notes kis material se banaye?

Vision test series of past 2-3 years seem good to me

Yes. Best is go for 3 - 4 years Vision Mains Test Series compilations . Get it theme wise from iMagerunners shop. They are especially good for Indian Society and GS 4. 

@goldberry 

Wt will you suggest to me regarding notes making of vision ts,or shall i just read them

Also pls tell me the sources especially gs2,3

Also of possible plz tell me the strategy to cover gs2,3 before pre,pre ka itna dar nhu hai

Pre ka syllabus 2-3 baar padke ho rkha haj

Spocksaid

On the topic of CA classes, how is Santosh Sir's CA Program (Shubhra Ranjan)? 

JackFarmersaid

I have been following factly and I think it serves the purpose for prelims. What do you think about forumias mains marathon compilation? Is it worth pursuing?