Relook UPSC and more with Truly Stubborn

The outcome is now laid bare. Many of you may not have made to the list. Since, I have been to such situations, I understand how challenging it gets. People reaching out to know the result, some nagging despite knowing it, to derive the sadistic pleasure and we answering all them with the same dull reply. Well, its all part of process and we can't deny it. Let's face it now and get done with it for the time to come. As to what should be the way forward, those of you who have decided to switch to some other domain, good luck with whatever you have decided. Some decisions are difficult to make but better timed. Embrace it for your own good. Those of you who have decided to give this process another try, know that the task ahead is very challenging. Even if you would have made to the prelims, there was much left to be done... There is whole optional, a lot of answer writing, note making and much more. Take the next 11 months as an opportunity to fill all the gaps. Don't make prelims your sole target as it only has a qualifying role. Without strong mains preparation, its of no use. I have been stuck in this cycle only because I have been inadequately prepared for Mains. You would not want to be in the same boat once you get the opportunity to write Mains. Make judicious use of the upcoming month. There's not point planning without actually doing it. Let's give the setback, a setback next year. Since you have appeared for this stage, you are already halfway across this journey. Lets finish the remaining half in style. Well begun is half done. All the best🤞🏻🤞🏻

Hello everyone... Those of you who appeared for Prelims 2024, by now, most of you must have got some idea as to how well you have performed. The next 10-15 days are going to be very tumultuous, with respect to discussions on individual questions, individual options, coaching keys and more. There will be lot of arguments, counter-arguments, UPSC bashing and more. Claims of authentic answer keys, cut off predictions, sources etc. will further drain your energy. The more connected you are across platforms, the more the chances of you, suffering. My simple advice to you would be to avoid such situations as much as you can. Try to avoid asking others, what are your chances of clearing because it will be decided by UPSC. Take a break from TG, Twitter or any similar platforms. Those who are scoring good enough or those who consider themselves hovering around margins should now start focusing on Mains preparation. Mains is barely 3 months away. Chances that prelims result will be in your favour and you would not want to regret the time lost in futile discussion later on. Those who feel, their performance has been suboptimal, kindly understand, things often don't go our way. Well, you have saved yourself from some 15 days of oppressive uncertainty. Take the next few days to recharge yourself. Be it movies, web series, hobbies or anything that helps, use it. There maybe instances when you may have to confront unsupportive people, but always try to maintain your composure in such situations because this is much more expected out of you once are into the service. Talk to good people, friends as this is the need of time. You cannot change what has already been done but you can surely change your reaction to it. Choose not to suffer but to improve, choose not to give up but, to learn from mistakes because, at the end, its all about Relooking things and mould them in your favour. Don't forget to smile now and forever :-)

As the D-Day is approaching, many of us are going through mixed feelings. Not been able to complete revision, missing out on some planned mock and more. One very common feeling is, if I get just 2-3 extra days and I will be fully prepared. And this never happens. Because, at the end, the missed out mock or the extra few pages were never the focus of UPSC to design the paper. Know that you have already put in the months, if not years in this preparation. A few extra days would not have made much of a real difference. Rather, how you treat yourself for the next 2 two days is something going to make a difference. Congratulate yourself for coming this far, praise, for you have gained a lot and make your mind to apply this learning in the exam. You attitude has the capacity to take you to places, a few extra days of preparation could not have. Trust yourself, Remain confident. A man can do what a man has done, why not you? Stay Happy, Stay Blessed. All the best beautiful people :-)

Checklist for Prelims Exam 1. Admit Card: Try to carry 2 copies 2. Original Photo Identity Card:. Kindly note that the Identity Card should be same, whose number is mentioned in the e-Admit Card and it should be original, not a Xerox copy. 3. Black Ball Point Pen: Your answers will not be evaluated if you use some other colored pen for filling OMR or attendance sheet. 4. Simple wrist watch: Avoid smartwatch or fancy digital watch. 4. Cash: Smaller denomination. Helps in paying for depositing Mobile Phone, bag, procuring Snacks, bus fare etc. 5. Water bottle and snacks: Prefer a transparent water bottle. Chocolates or Biscuits can be kept as provisions. 6. Confidence and Calmness 7. Candidates whose photograph in admit card is without his/her name and date of photograph, or if the photograph is unclear, have to bring a photo identity card along with two passport size photographs (with his/her name and date of photograph), one for each session with an undertaking. The format of undertaking can be checked here. 8. If you wish, you can seek blessings (not necessarily on the exam day) of the elders or/and your near & dear ones. 📍Kindly note that entry into the Examination Venue shall be closed 30 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the Examination i.e. 09:00 AM for the Forenoon Session and 02:00 PM for the Afternoon Session. Its better to reserve some additional time for mobile/bag deposition. 📍Kindly check your particulars in the admit card once or maybe twice/thrice if you lack focus. In case of any discrepancies, bring it to the notice of the UPSC immediately. 📍If you wish, you can go through the UPSC Press Note and Detailed Instructions once. All the best :-)

Too much to revise and too little time? Low score in mocks? Overthinking and Anxiety? Unable to recall? Overwhelmed? These are few factors, among many, which trouble most of the aspirants during this point of time. If you are also in the same boat, pat you back, for you are going through, something very natural, very organic part of this journey that UPSC is. Revision: Let's take a walk back to our school or college days, the days before the exams. Didn't we finish something within a week or even less, the same thing which we could not finish in the months before that? Human mind has huge potential and this potential of ours is going to peak in the days to come. Don't doubt, just trust yourself and you will be be able to cover a good lot of things. Mocks: Take low scores as a learning opportunity. Mocks are there to help us identify our weak areas and work upon them that's it. Ultimately, it will be our attitude which will be determining our performance, not some petty mocks. I know people scoring in 40s a week before Prelims yet making to the final list. The prelims cut off in last few years has dropped to below 100 and that means, Net 50 correct questions in GS and we are in the list. Why bother so much about some random questions, some overly factual questions? These are exceptions, ignore them. Focus on what is in your hands. Last but not least, many things before the exam will not go the way you have planned. You may have to cut short on Mocks, may have to miss some additional revisions, skip some sections and more, but know that its absolutely fine. Everyone is in the same boat as you. No one, literally no one, before the exam has that sense of completion. Its all about relative performance. You have come so far in this journey, just one last push and you would be there. Remember, the darkest hour is just before the dawn. You are much stronger than you think. All the best beautiful people.

#Question 5. How to do Prelims PYQ analysis? Here, I am explaining what worked for me, you can give it a try and see if it works for you as well. This exercise consists of 3 stages actually. Stage 1 (Most Important) ❇️ Pick official Question paper for a particular year after 2013 (not the topic wise questions but the official question paper). Keep the official answer key for the same with you. (Not the detailed explanations but only answer key) ❇️ Go through individual questions starting question number 1. Read a question, use your logic, arrive at an answer and match with the answer key immediately. Keep on doing this for all 100 questions. ❇️ After going through 2-3 years' question papers, you should start to have certain realizations including but not limited to:- 📍There are certain patterns in the answers which are repeating year after year. E.g. Statements with data are often incorrect. 📍Certain type of questions are being asked repetitively. (General Science, BioTech). 📍There are certain sections in the paper where you were unable to answer some questions back to back. E.g Ancient and Medieval History in my case. This realization is very important because if prepares you to deal with similar situation in the actual exam. ❇️ After going through few more papers, you should be able to establish better interlinkages between questions across different years. You may recall that similar question was asked some 2-3 years back and it had similar answer. ❇️ The more you go through question papers, the more you realise, discover and develop the so called elimination skills for Prelims. ❇️ Try to finish analysing all the question papers starting 2013 in a shorter period (2 or 3 papers a day) so that you are in a better position to be able to recall previous learning and apply the same. Our mind has finite capacity to recall things, so the sooner you do it, the better. Just keep the frequency optimal because overwhelming mind in one go can be counterproductive as well. You may be wondering, why I did not suggest answer keys with detailed solutions or the topic wise questions? The reason is, when we emphasise upon reading the solutions, we tend to lose the broad picture here. Since our mind is preoccupied with learning the micro details of a particular question, we tend to lose sight of the repetitive patterns. Thus, its better to utilize our limited focus to establish interlinkages. Stage 2 ❇️ Pick topic-wise or subject-wise questions and repeat the same process as mentioned above. 📍This would give you a better idea about the priority areas from where UPSC is asking the questions. 📍This would also help you realize how differential patterns emerge in different sections. E.g. Questions with 4-5 statements are often from S&T section. Stage 3 ❇️ Take a sigh of relief because this is what most people do in the name of PYQ analysis i.e., read solutions to individual questions post 2013. 📍Some topics or questions get repeated in the exam, so this exercise will help you deal with similar questions/ topics if repeated in the exam. For questions asked before 2013, you don't have to focus on establishing interlinkages as most of them are factual questions. Just read a question, know the right answer and move on. If time permits, you can read detailed solutions, else you can skip it. I will explain a bit more on the PYQ aspect in the upcoming post.

#Question 4. What is meant by PYQ analysis? Previous Year Questions provides us a better idea about the expectations that UPSC has from us. They also provides us with a general idea as to what are the topics which UPSC considers important. Thus, through the means of PYQ analysis, we can prepare ourselves better to face this exam. Many aspirants simply rote learn all the PYQs along with the answers and have a mistaken belief that they are done with PYQ analysis. Kindly know that this is not the intent behind this exercise. For this exercise to be truly meaningful, certain aspects of PYQs have to be observed while going through them. These aspects include: - Identifying the recurring themes, topics, and areas of focus from where the questions are asked (and also the areas from where questions are not asked). - Identifying the weightage of particular subject or a section in the exam. This prevents us from devoting disproportionate time to a particular subject. - Most Important: Identifying the patterns in the right answers. Many questions framed by UPSC are such that even with minimal knowledge, we can eliminate one or options in a question through the application of logic and aptitude. This logic and aptitudes develops more and more with PYQs analysis. E.g. One often repeated pattern is- Statements with extreme statements are often incorrect. One can find many such repetitive patterns with practice. I believe, our approach towards PYQs before 2013 and after 2013 has to be somewhat different. I. Pre 2013: You can start form 1990s onwards if you have time at your disposal. No need to read detailed solutions for these questions. Just read a question, know the right answer and move forward. This helps us know the priority areas of UPSC which have more or less been the same. We tend to put special emphasis on such areas during revision and thus it acts as a positive reinforcement mechanism. Don't devote too much time to this exercise. UPSC Changed the Prelims GS Pattern in early 2010s. The quality of questions starting 2013 has somewhat remained constant . Thus we should prioritize Post 2013 PYQs to identify the repetitive patterns. II. Post 2013: These are to be used for knowing the priority areas as well as for developing the elimination skills. I will elaborate more on PYQ Analysis in the next post.

This is how I would evaluate my individual test performance as discussed in the previous post.

#Question 3. How to make good use of GS Prelims Test series? I hope you have already gone through the previous post. This post will be more relevant for those attempting tests offline. Those attempting online have different interfaces' but can try to follow this approach. This is how I would proceed with attempting test series. 1. Note down the time before you start attempting the test. 2. Start reading from Question 1 and go till last question. You can mark the right answers on the question paper first before marking it on OMR/Writing on paper. 3. If the total number of questions attempted is below 80, you can go for third reading, fourth reading and so on. — 4. Mark the questions which you attempt in second reading, third reading and so on, separately. 5. Once you are done attempting the questions, note down the total time taken. Ideally, I feel, no more than 90 minutes should be devoted in attempting a full length test paper. Since most of the questions asked in test series are straight forward, there is less incentive to use elimination and thus you don;t have to spend too much time in attempting the questions. In actual exam, the language of questions is somewhat complex and thus it is time consuming. 6. After you are done with the exercise, I would suggest that you also attempt the remaining questions even if you don't have any idea. Just attempt these questions for the sake of attempting. You don't have to add this score in the final score but just keep a note whether the final score for these questions is positive or negative. This will help you decide whether to attempt more questions or stick to a lower limit. Analysing the test series: - Calculate the accuracy, separately for the questions marked in First reading, second reading and so on. - Calculate the score separately for the unattempted questions after following step 6. If this score is positive in most instances, you should attempt more number of questions. - Read the solutions in detail. This will be a time consuming exercise but its helpful for better understanding of the topics. - There will be certain questions whereby the concerned institute interprets a statement differently. Don't get confused with this. Just read the appropriate information and move on. Don't spend too much time in researching individual questions. - I don't revise the test series but if you plan on revising, you can do so for the incorrectly marked questions. The whole process I have explained may seem tedious but once you attempt 2-3 tests, you get used to it and it becomes very easy taking no extra efforts.

#Question 2. What are some common things to be kept in mind about GS Prelims Test Series? - Most mocks in the market are designed to test your knowledge than your elimination skills. This problem has now been exacerbated due to disproportionately high number of "Only 1, only 2..." types of questions asked in Prelims 2023. - Your chances to score high in a particular institutes' mocks increase if you follow the content (monthly magazines, summary etc.) provided by the same institute. - Following the same sources as mentioned by the institute in the test series brochure increase your chances of scoring higher in a particular test. E.g. The institute may refer Bipin Chandra while you may have referred Spectrum for modern history. This anomaly can make you face higher number of unprepared questions. Don't get disheartened by the same because UPSC will not necessarily use the same source as referred by the institute. - Your score in a particular mock more often than not, does not reflect your level of preparation as questions are often facts loaded. - Most questions do not help with application of elimination skills, on the contrary, they may disincentivise you to apply elimination skills. - Initial few tests in most full length test series cover a particular subject and mainly static portion. Thus, your scores may vary by a huge margin in sectional tests. - Full length tests covering comprehensive syllabus are better indicator of your general preparation while sectional tests allow you to identify your strong or weak areas. - Some answers provided by the institutes are incorrect. That is because institutes refer a particular source which maybe outdated or they may miss some new developments. Sometimes its also because of the differential interpretation of a particular statement. Don't get angry with such mistakes. Even UPSC commits mistakes. In the next post, I will discuss about How to make better use of Test Series and some other FAQs related to Test Series. If you have any doubt with respect to the same, feel free to post in the comments section. I will try to incorporate major doubts in the next post.

#Question 1. How to prepare for Prelims if you are getting repeated failures? Since there have been repeated failures, its better to pause and think. Try to analyse your mistakes before you resume your studies. Know that prelims is not all about knowledge, it’s also about aptitude, about elimination, about prioritising important areas and what not. Many people stick to the same approach despite facing failures because they are uncomfortable with altering the status quo. But, some situations demand getting out of the comfort zone and this is one such situation. Some of the commonly repeated mistakes I have observed are: - Avoiding books: Some aspirants are under the false impression that following a test series will cover the syllabus and book reading is not required. This is a misconception. There's a limit as to what a test series can cover and it certainly cannot cover all the details mentioned in the standard books. Read books, even if you don't feel like reading. - Relying excessively/only on Coaching Materials: Most coaching institutes claim that you don't need any other material for prelims apart from their notes. Don't believe such exaggerations. Use your wisdom to select best source. - Procrastinating with respect to giving mocks: You feel that you have not studied enough even to attempt mocks and thus wait for completion of the syllabus. This never happens. Try to attempt mocks early. - Not reading test series solutions after attempting the questions: Reading solutions may seem a daunting task but it is a very fruitful exercise by the end. Also learn to avoid the irrelevant details in the solutions based on PYQs. - Focusing too much on facts: Facts are important but analytical understanding is equally important. E.g. India maybe among the top FDI receiving countries but knowing what is FDI, how it helps is equally important. - Ignoring Revision: In our quest to cover multiple topics from multiple sources, we conveniently sideline revision. The result is a farrago of different facts and no consolidation. Revising an existing source will be more beneficial than reading a topic from new source. - Not prioritising topics: While all topics mentioned in the syllabus are important but not equally important. Subjects like Environment and Ecology, Polity, Economy etc have more weightage in prelims than let's say, Art and Culture. Use your wisdom to prioritise accordingly. One important thing! Since you have faced repetitive failures, you are much more eligible to evaluate your own mistakes. Pick your actual prelims papers, go through all the questions and the answers you have chosen. Try to recall your reasoning behind choosing a particular option. Try to identify the areas where you faltered, the weak areas, number of questions you attempted, how many incorrect, from which sections etc. This may seem a time consuming exercise but will offer better insights with respect to areas for improvement. I have already covered some important aspects with respect to prelims preparation in this post. Kindly go through it. This post is not an attempt to undermine the role of atyachari CSAT in the failures. Its just that CSAT is altogether a different domain requiring dedicated post on it.

Hello everyone... I hope you are doing well. In the next few days, I will try to answer some commonly asked and often repeated questions in Q&A format on this channel. Happy Studies.

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. The UPSC CSE Notification 2024 is scheduled to be released on 14 February 2024. Candidates belonging to OBC NCL and EWS category have to ensure that they have the latest certificates issued on or after 1 April 2023. For OBCs, some states issue OBC and OBC NCL certificates separately, UPSC requires NCL certificate, so keep that in mind. Also know that Central category certificate is different from the one issued for posts under state government. Make sure that the certificate you possess is valid for appointment to posts under the Government of India. For doubts related to issuing authority, income criteria, financial years etc, you can check the detailed FAQs released by UPSC by clicking on the links given below. - OBC FAQs - EWS FAQs Get your relevant certificates now to avoid last minute rush and the associated anxiety.

5. Do’s and Don’ts and Other Observations - Avoid picking multiple sources for a single section. Your emphasis should rather be on more revision of limited sources. - Avoid using test series guided elimination in the exam. Use the elimination learned from PYQ analysis in the actual exam. - When the exam is nearing, we tend to place disproportionate emphasis on current affairs. Don’t neglect static portion. Its much more rewarding in terms of the efforts put. - Don’t expect the questions from test series to repeat in the exam. It will only yield disappointment. - Don’t believe the claims of the institutes like ‘nn’ number of questions were directly from our test series. All such claims are exaggerated and sometimes misleading. - Avoid developing any FOMO with respect to any new content or course in trend. Trust your preparation and focus on consolidation of limited sources. - Don’t just read PYQs and solutions. Try to identify the repetitive topics and the repetitive patterns. - Actual UPSC paper is quite time consuming as the questions asked are often analytical. Test series questions are more knowledge oriented which you either know or you don’t know. So, try to complete a FLT faster, ideally, in less than 90 minutes. This will help you develop an appropriate speed for the actual exam. - Try to attempt as many questions in the exam as you can. My advice would be to go for 85+ questions. - There is a hoax being perpetrated recently that this exam can be cleared with minimum knowledge, solely based on elimination tricks. This is misleading. Elimination works only with knowledge or let’s say, it compliments your knowledge. Thus, knowledge should be given precedence. Know that it is MY strategy and need not necessarily be yours. I have just put forth my observations. Feel free to agree partially or disagree completely. In case of any doubts or for clarification you can reach out to me at @trulystubborn

Hello Everyone, I am Truly Stubborn, a fellow aspirant. I have cleared four consecutive UPSC CSE Prelims and three UPSC IFoS Prelims. Here, I am sharing my Prelims GS strategy and observations which have served me quite well despite all the changes in the Prelims exam pattern in the last few years. I have divided this post in 5 parts. 1. Sources: This is highly discussed and debated part of this whole journey. I started my preparation back in 2017 and back then, there was not as much abundance of the resources. Hence, I stuck to basics and since then, the same have been serving me quite well. For better clarity, let me tell you, I have never referred to any Mrunal or PMF material. This is not to deny the importance of these materials but to explain that you don’t have to chase everything mainstream just because others are doing it. A few sources which I have referred and still refer to are: - Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth - Spectrum for Modern History - Tamil Nadu Board Book for Ancient and Medieval History - Class 11 and Class 12 NCERTs for Geography - Bare Acts for Constitution (This may sound different but this has helped me develop immense clarity in Polity for Both Prelims as well as Mains) You can refer to any of the above or any different source but avoid picking up multiple sources. 2. Current Affairs: (Daily + Monthly+ Annual) - Daily: Regular newspaper reading provides impeccable level of clarity that no coaching compilation can provide. You can choose The Hindu or Indian express for the same. - Monthly: Any one monthly magazine for revision, specially if this is going to be your first or second attempt. - Annual: Towards the end, you can also refer the annual compilation by any coaching if time permits. I used PT 365. - Economic Survey and Budget are to be covered separately. 3. Test Series: This is a debatable issue these days as its direct relevance is decreasing in the exam. However, I still believe test series provides some benefits like: - Time management: Helps us increase our paper completion speed. - Learning from our mistakes. E.g. Not focusing on the “Not correct” (Which of the following is “not correct” about) directive. This can cost us 2-3 dear questions in the actual exam. - Knowledge: Yes, Test series provides us with the content apart from the conventional sources which can be useful many a times. Limitations of Test Series: - No test series match upto the standards of UPSC. - Elimination doesn’t work in the test series the same way as it does it with UPSC. - Often irrelevant or difficult questions are asked which does more harm than good to our confidence and overall preparation. 4. PYQs: One of the most important and indispensable part of this preparation. PYQs can be bifurcated in two parts. I. Pre 2013 and II. Post 2013. I. Pre 2013: You can start form 1990s onwards if you have time at your disposal. No need to read detailed solutions for these. Just read a question, know the right answer and move forward. This helps us know the priority areas of UPSC which have more or less been the same. We tend to put special emphasis on such areas during revision and thus it acts as a positive reinforcement mechanism. Don't devote too much time to this exercise. II. Post 2013: These are to be used for knowing the priority areas as well as for developing the elimination abilities. There are certain patterns in the questions which are repetitive and deciphering them can help us dealing with less familiar and at time even unfamiliar questions also. I have also done PYQ analysis for year 2019, 2020 and 2021. You can use the same as a reference for PYQ analysis. However, nothing will benefit you more than your own analysis. Just do it. The 2023 Prelims paper was quite unconventional but the observations developed from PYQs were working quite well in individual sentences of the questions.