CSE 2021: Plan / Strategy / Daily Routine
Hello 2021 aspirants. I thought it would be nice if we can share what we are doing and intend to do with one another here.
This could be a thread for discussing everything prep for 2021.
No one method fits all but to see the plans and progress made by fellow aspirants might help with the finer details of preparation and also keep one on track.
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Did not know where to post.
I have few questions and doubts regarding mains preparation (one silly). People who have written mains please answer if you get time.
1. If comfortable, What was your score in previous mains and what did you learn from it- what mistakes should not be made ?
2. Which pen to use? I had seen a poll here but still could not decide. :(
I scored 323 + 132 and 331 + 120 in GS + Essay (in 2019 and 2020 respectively). These are really low marks if one has any ambition of getting into the services. Here are some things I learned.
1) Mains is as much a test of your temperament and mental strength as it is about your knowledge and writing skills. Don't lose this battle. No matter what you have done in the past, a lot depends on how intensely and seriously you work in these 2-3 months. Atleast 9-10 hours of sitting are required are every day to boost your chances. Learn how to manage your anxiety. Learn how to be resilient (that is, how quickly you can bounce back after a setback - like a poor test score, a bad start to the day etc.). In the past two attempts, I felt these are the areas where I lacked mostly.
2) You can't just write general answers in easy to understand words. You have to use the keywords specific to the subject + substantiate with data & figures. I made this mistake in society, social justice and governance. I just studied them from newspaper and current affairs compilations. This time I've prepared from standard sources.
3) Practice writing. Take as much tests as you need. And write all of them on time, a) because it prepares you to be able to write answers to questions you didn't know, and b) if you postpone even one test because you're not ready, you'll postpone the subsequent tests until you end up not writing the last few tests. Again even though I enrolled for MGP+ last year, I just wrote the first 5 tests. Affected my performance in the exam hall.
4) Don't take anything lightly. Give adequate respect for every paper. I made this mistake with the essay. Since it was supposedly my strong area, I just practiced 2-3 essays (to spend leftover time for GS + optional). In the exam I wrote a beautiful first essay. But managed my time badly plus got mentally tired. So lost a lot of marks in the second essay.
5) Keep adequate time for revision. I'm keeping the last month exclusively for that.
6) Decide what you're gonna do for the remaining days, fixing your sources as per the time left. Don't chase new material, compilations no matter how attractive (until and unless you feel you genuinely need it). Don't expect to cover every aspect of every topic. It's a good practice to allocate yourself the time you'll do something and then move on, even if you haven't finished.
7) Also the answer writing video uploaded by Ayush sir last week is gold. It's a must watch. And it has showed how much was wrong with my answers. I'm working on everything he mentioned. Hoping it pays off.
These are thoughts highly influenced by my particular failings. See what seems useful to you. Ultimately, everything depends upon how you execute what you planned, in these coming days.
Could you please post a link of the video by Ayush sir? Can't seem to find it anywhere.
Did not know where to post.
I have few questions and doubts regarding mains preparation (one silly). People who have written mains please answer if you get time.
1. If comfortable, What was your score in previous mains and what did you learn from it- what mistakes should not be made ?
2. Which pen to use? I had seen a poll here but still could not decide. :(
I scored 323 + 132 and 331 + 120 in GS + Essay (in 2019 and 2020 respectively). These are really low marks if one has any ambition of getting into the services. Here are some things I learned.
1) Mains is as much a test of your temperament and mental strength as it is about your knowledge and writing skills. Don't lose this battle. No matter what you have done in the past, a lot depends on how intensely and seriously you work in these 2-3 months. Atleast 9-10 hours of sitting are required are every day to boost your chances. Learn how to manage your anxiety. Learn how to be resilient (that is, how quickly you can bounce back after a setback - like a poor test score, a bad start to the day etc.). In the past two attempts, I felt these are the areas where I lacked mostly.
2) You can't just write general answers in easy to understand words. You have to use the keywords specific to the subject + substantiate with data & figures. I made this mistake in society, social justice and governance. I just studied them from newspaper and current affairs compilations. This time I've prepared from standard sources.
3) Practice writing. Take as much tests as you need. And write all of them on time, a) because it prepares you to be able to write answers to questions you didn't know, and b) if you postpone even one test because you're not ready, you'll postpone the subsequent tests until you end up not writing the last few tests. Again even though I enrolled for MGP+ last year, I just wrote the first 5 tests. Affected my performance in the exam hall.
4) Don't take anything lightly. Give adequate respect for every paper. I made this mistake with the essay. Since it was supposedly my strong area, I just practiced 2-3 essays (to spend leftover time for GS + optional). In the exam I wrote a beautiful first essay. But managed my time badly plus got mentally tired. So lost a lot of marks in the second essay.
5) Keep adequate time for revision. I'm keeping the last month exclusively for that.
6) Decide what you're gonna do for the remaining days, fixing your sources as per the time left. Don't chase new material, compilations no matter how attractive (until and unless you feel you genuinely need it). Don't expect to cover every aspect of every topic. It's a good practice to allocate yourself the time you'll do something and then move on, even if you haven't finished.
7) Also the answer writing video uploaded by Ayush sir last week is gold. It's a must watch. And it has showed how much was wrong with my answers. I'm working on everything he mentioned. Hoping it pays off.
These are thoughts highly influenced by my particular failings. See what seems useful to you. Ultimately, everything depends upon how you execute what you planned, in these coming days.
Could you please post a link of the video by Ayush sir? Can't seem to find it anywhere.
Did not know where to post.
I have few questions and doubts regarding mains preparation (one silly). People who have written mains please answer if you get time.
1. If comfortable, What was your score in previous mains and what did you learn from it- what mistakes should not be made ?
2. Which pen to use? I had seen a poll here but still could not decide. :(
I scored 323 + 132 and 331 + 120 in GS + Essay (in 2019 and 2020 respectively). These are really low marks if one has any ambition of getting into the services. Here are some things I learned.
1) Mains is as much a test of your temperament and mental strength as it is about your knowledge and writing skills. Don't lose this battle. No matter what you have done in the past, a lot depends on how intensely and seriously you work in these 2-3 months. Atleast 9-10 hours of sitting are required are every day to boost your chances. Learn how to manage your anxiety. Learn how to be resilient (that is, how quickly you can bounce back after a setback - like a poor test score, a bad start to the day etc.). In the past two attempts, I felt these are the areas where I lacked mostly.
2) You can't just write general answers in easy to understand words. You have to use the keywords specific to the subject + substantiate with data & figures. I made this mistake in society, social justice and governance. I just studied them from newspaper and current affairs compilations. This time I've prepared from standard sources.
3) Practice writing. Take as much tests as you need. And write all of them on time, a) because it prepares you to be able to write answers to questions you didn't know, and b) if you postpone even one test because you're not ready, you'll postpone the subsequent tests until you end up not writing the last few tests. Again even though I enrolled for MGP+ last year, I just wrote the first 5 tests. Affected my performance in the exam hall.
4) Don't take anything lightly. Give adequate respect for every paper. I made this mistake with the essay. Since it was supposedly my strong area, I just practiced 2-3 essays (to spend leftover time for GS + optional). In the exam I wrote a beautiful first essay. But managed my time badly plus got mentally tired. So lost a lot of marks in the second essay.
5) Keep adequate time for revision. I'm keeping the last month exclusively for that.
6) Decide what you're gonna do for the remaining days, fixing your sources as per the time left. Don't chase new material, compilations no matter how attractive (until and unless you feel you genuinely need it). Don't expect to cover every aspect of every topic. It's a good practice to allocate yourself the time you'll do something and then move on, even if you haven't finished.
7) Also the answer writing video uploaded by Ayush sir last week is gold. It's a must watch. And it has showed how much was wrong with my answers. I'm working on everything he mentioned. Hoping it pays off.
These are thoughts highly influenced by my particular failings. See what seems useful to you. Ultimately, everything depends upon how you execute what you planned, in these coming days.
Could you please post a link of the video by Ayush sir? Can't seem to find it anywhere.
Thank you 🙂
Celeborn,Jonathan
Hi friends! I finally feel a renewed sense of purpose towards studies. Targets for 30.10.21 are:
Copy writing
Editorial- IE+ Hindu
Backlog editorial
Daily C/A
PSIR- ideologies
PSIR- II A (1/2)
GS- polity (1/5)
Watch crash course
Albeit the late start, courtesy temple visits (gotta give credit where credit is due :p); let’s get this bread!
Rashmirathi,Hi friends! I finally feel a renewed sense of purpose towards studies. Targets for 30.10.21 are:
Copy writing
Editorial- IE+ Hindu
Backlog editorial
Daily C/A
PSIR- ideologies
PSIR- II A (1/2)
GS- polity (1/5)
Watch crash course
Albeit the late start, courtesy temple visits (gotta give credit where credit is due :p); let’s get this bread!
Managed to do the 1st 4 targets but then got derailed by a 3 hour crash course lecture. Fretted and panicked throughout the day and didn’t get much done because of that. Lesson learnt, watch each lecture over the course of 2 days if I want anything substantial to be achieved
# do write few tests.
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