Its like scratching wounds which has not even healed properly but will definitely share my learnings.
1. When you hear "give 3-5 months before prelims exclusively to prelims" means you leave any mains preparation and revise only for prelims and does not mean you start studying for prelims for the first time in those 3-5 months. This time is only for revising and not understanding the subject for the first time. (especially for first timers and who are not from Delhi/ any coaching hub/did not join coaching and watched only topper's videos)
2. You don't give up before even trying.
3. You don't judge yourself/your preparation / performance /compare yourself with others in the exam hall.
4. Static books>current affairs
5. Run after basic/conceptual questions and not few obscure fact based questions.
You should write an article a detailed one sometime. To ne honest, it may take a person upto 2 months to just do laxmikant. That's because straight out of college it takes time to develop studying habits and sitting habits, and knack for how to speed read and how to make nemonics and all that.
If I were to start afresh, i would take at least 45 days just to do 1 book. The time of 5 months means you have some idea of the subject fro before. This year CSE 2020 the youngest candidate is 1999 born selected at the age of 22 ( applied at the age of 21) i know one such kid.
It may look heroic that she managed such a good rank in first attempt but the truth is she has been preparing since college.
Why?
Because someone in the family was preparing.
Things take time. We flunk prelims - half of us because we don't study, but another half who studies for Mains when prelims comes closer.
