DECODING UPSC

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well. I know this post-August phase is probably one of the least productive phases for most aspirants. But honestly, this is also the phase that can quietly seal your fate before you even fill the next CSE form in February. Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of doubts and queries about how to actually utilise these Golden 90 Days till the end of December. I’ll soon address these questions and share my honest suggestions on what to focus on, what to avoid, and how to manage multiple priorities in the coming weeks. These are some of the broad areas around which I’ve been getting queries: • How to become Mains-ready by December • How to manage UPSC + UPPSC/other State PCS together • Balancing Mains, Optional and Prelims • CSAT fear — what, how and when to start • Interview preparation — DAF, hobbies, current affairs, etc. • 2026 Mains analysis — expected cut-off, result date and what to do afterwards • Plan B and the upcoming changes in UPSC I’ll try to address these in the coming days. And if there’s something else that you feel is genuinely worth discussing at this stage, feel free to DM me. I’ll try my best to help you figure things out — like a brother, not just as a mentor.

When the Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim sings a Kishore Kumar song in Delhi, it is more than a cultural moment—it is a glimpse of India’s enduring soft power - not always announced; sometimes, it is sung. 🇮🇳

Uncommon but true fact, Those who had written lesser, or even in some cases zero essays have been scoring higher marks on average. The reason is pretty simple: They are writing a simple, non-mechanical essay. So don't be too fixated on structure, poems, quotes etc. Just follow one simple rule: Write as if you are having a conversation with an elderly literate person who values a thoughtful , moral youth. You can talk about current events as much as you can talk about our rich heritage ,culture and mythology. For you, interesting stories aren't just from a foreign land but also from your own country. Just show him that you don't belong to this "lost" generation and you would be prized with very good marks in your essay. Today you can read a few good essays or use chatgpt for anecdotes and brainstorming. Good luck for the mains 🍀

CIVIL SERVICES (Mains) 2026 e-Admit cards : https://upsconline.nic.in/

MOST PROBABLE TOPICS FOR MAINS 2026 Personality rights Freebies Governor, art 143 Judicial activism NCSC/ST/BC SIR, delimitation AI in judiciary Privileges, Committee- ethics, CPU 16th FC New GDP CPI IIP Geriatric care, unpaid care Labour codes VbgramG Nuclear, shanti, pfbr Defense Aatmanirbharta Edible oil Agri tech Critical minerals Mobile alert system Outer space , privatisation in space sector AI summit, AI regulation Biofuels Andaman project BBNJ India- Nepal, bdesh, Afghanistan Diaspora issues Hormuz, energy security cop30 Terrorism, disinformation Border area devt Cyber arrest, cyb security Culture- Mauryan, maratha, vijayanagar Jyotiba and savitri phule

Mains 2026 warriors Don't think ONLY 40 days are left! You have 40 MORE days to change your story. Now the real race begins. Leave everything aside and first finish the PYQs brainstorming on pen and paper ➡ Do the same for Institute FLTs ( target at least 5 for each subject) ➡ Go and write minimum 2 FLTs for every subject. Make your every hour minute count.

DAF for Civil Services (Mains) Examination, 2026 is live now Last date: June 29,2026 (6 PM) Link: https://upsconline.nic.in

All the best ☘

Uncertainty around cut-off and final keys is natural at this stage. But the result is expected soon — likely by Saturday, and not beyond 15th June. Till then, don’t lose momentum. Keep your Mains preparation steady. Studying now will help far more than refreshing result page or telegram. Stay calm & consistent. Result is not in your hands. Preparation is. Good luck 🍀

Bad Handwriting Lesser points Lesser Examples No Quotes No diagrams No Definitions PESTEL approach These are NOT the problems in your low mains score. The main reason is not hitting the demand of the question in multidimensional way. When we write only what we know, rather than what's actually the demand of the question , we end up getting a below average score. So how do you improve this? Analyse ,brainstorm, write PYQs - feed to a well trained AI - take feedback from genuine mentors- analyse -rewrite - Repeat the process. When you are thorough with this process then only proceed with the other adventures, like diagrams, case studies etc.

Do u want to stay in this cycle.. ?? If yes, then start for mains without even looking at your prelims performance. If not, then delete the telegram and disappear from this world completely. Keep moving forward, no matter where you think you stand.

Final Cut off analysis (with variations of +-1 marks) General 77 OBC 76 EWS 72 SC 60 ST 58 IFoS - 90 °Shock factor higher than 2023 but no. of easy + doable questions are still above 37 °CSAT plays an important role but not as much as 2023. °Vacancy little bit lower (insignificant) °Veterans IFoS candidates seeing 20 marks dip compared to 2025

Link for Online Question Paper Representation Portal for CS(P) 2026 is active for the candidates to make representations to the Commission portal on the questions asked in the Papers of CS(P) 2026 Link: https://upsconline.nic.in/login Last date: 31-05-2026 (6PM)