[Results] Prelims 2020 Over - Gearing for 2021
Because of the corona virus issue? If it does not happen then worst affected will be people whose interview is stuck, around 600-700 such people I think are yet to appear for their interview.
@neyawn sir and others, what is your take?
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Hey folks! Seeing all the people giving 20+ tests has got me nervous. I figured that as of now I have just given 4 tests (with 80+ scores) . I am thinking of simply concentrating on the standard books + pt365 without any tests. Looking for advice/critique on this strategy ?
let me Tell you exactly what happens when you don't give enough mocks and appear in the exam ! Personal experience and hence straight from my heart.
I did this mistake in my last attempt back in 2018 (took a break due to optional change in 2019). I had assumed that repeated reading and revisions can suffice for giving less or no tests. I was prepared fairly well (at least i thought i was). I had heard toppers say that the paper has to be done in 2-3 rounds of reading questions. So i decided to follow that advice.
I enter the exam hall and start solving the question paper. In the first round I ended up marking 35-40 questions (if memory serves me right). I found the paper extremely difficult. There were questions that i absolutely had no idea about. I managed to drag myself to 70 questions with a lot of hesitancy. And that's it. I left a whopping 30 questions assuming that these questions cannot be solved without knowledge. I didn't know the tricks to solve questions. Myhands were shiveringevery time i was circling the options on the OMR sheet even when i was confident that i was marking the right answer .And I didn't know that you have got to trust your gut and mark some questions"simply ainvayin- feel aa raha hai ki yeh sahi hai". I wasn't aware of how the law of percentage works. I should have known that for every 10 questions you are guessing,5-6 may be wrong. But those 4-5 that are correct will actually add to the tally and better your score, thereby increasing your chances of clearing the cutoff.
I actually left theCARBON FERTILIZATIONandSIXTH MASS EXTINCTIONquestionseven though i had worked them out by eliminating options. The reason ? too scarred. Lack of confidence. pehle mock mein yeh cheez nahi kiya tha. And hence no trust on my own ability. *Sighhh*
All this became clear to me after attempting close to 25 Full length tests this year. My mind kept taking me back to that exam hall in a school at SAKET, Delhi and i kept cursing myself "ki bhai uss saal agar 20 test bhi laga leta to 70 ke bajaaye 85 attempt karta, haanth nahi kaampte, and 98 ka cutoff clear ho jaata". I managed a meagre 90.
Iss baar, mujhe pata hai that question kaisa bhi ho, 85 se kam attempt karne hi nahi hain. Calculated risks lene hi lene hain. options ki vagueness dekh kar unhe eliminate karna hi karna hai.
Of course, doesnt gurantee i will clear prelims. But i know i am more empowered and equipped than i was in my last attempt. Hoga ya nahi hoga - upar waala dekh lega.
So meri maano to bhai, abhi bhi waqt hai. attempt 8-10 FLTs. Just to learn that critical skill of guessing and marking answers based on gut. Many questions actually have to be derived then and there. And for that, some prior experience and practice is a must.
Cheers !
Thank you@SergioRamos and@Capedcrusader for your kind words and encouragement.
Capedcrusader,Hello everyone. I have been a silent member of this thread for a long time. I hope all of you are preparing well.
I just wanted to share something personal today. I have been preparing for UPSC for over a year now. I got slightly off track coz of the pandemic. Nevertheless I tried to make up for the lost time. My sister tested positive for covid a few days back. Since then my house is sort of turned upside down. My mother and father are both in high risk group. We are in isolation. I fear every moment for their safety. Even if I were to appear for the exam I don't have a place to isolate myself after the exam so as to keep my parents safe. My preparation has been hampered significantly. I am myself a patient of respiratory illness.
So guys I am really depressed and confused, both academically and emotionally. I don't know if I will be able to appear for this attempt.
I pray to almighty to keep everyone of you safe and healthy 💞. All the best 👍
I am so sorry, wish there was something that would make it better. Sending you strength and hope. If somehow you are able to write the exam, and need last-minute sheets for material with compiled stuff let me know. It’s not much but I have been organising info from books and different compilations. Hope your situation improves. Stay strong ❤️
Hakunah_Matata,
whatonly,
@whatonly thank you. I am grateful beyond words for the help offered by you. If only I feel like I am able to sit for the exam, I will surely let u know. Also since this was supposed to be my first attempt, I am confused. Thank you once again. All the best.
Sure thing! First attempt here too. Take care!
Mribha26,
(Disclaimer: My experience)
Hello guys!
I hail from a small town of Ganj Basoda. It's been a year since I arrived at Rajinder Nagar. I can still feel the first blow of Delhi air across my face as I stepped out of my train compartment and of course that uncanny smell of Sarai Rohilla railway station. At that moment I knew that I had found freedom. At last. The days passed in a haze since then. Life indeed became a wonderful experience; all those days spent missing classes, chasing girls, partying and eating at redis(even the diarrhea seems now but a blimp in time).
That sense of freedom is now elusive and I am back in Ganj Basoda(to appear for this exam that I totally forgot about) but I know that after 4th of October I will again make a tryst with destiny. When the world sleeps this boy from Ganj Basoda will awake to light and freedom, and be back in Rajinder Nagar. That's where I belong, preparing for UPSC eternally...
Vickoo_Matre,GaryVee
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