IAS PCS Pathshala

Dear students, Please Protect Your Mental Peace in the coming days... Since results are expected this week, Telegram will again be full of “insider updates” result ab aayega, raat ko aayega, kal pakka aayega, list ready hai, etc. Most of these speculations only destroy your mental peace. Even if I tell you 1000 times avoid them, I know it is very difficult to resist. But at least try to reduce the damage. Do not waste the entire week simply waiting for the result. If active studying is not happening, that is completely understandable, but shift to passive study instead. Take Ethics PYQs, read the model answers, revise core Ethics keywords and try to correlate each PYQ with the relevant topic or thinker. This will quietly improve your answer-writing maturity without putting too much pressure on your mind. Keep yourself stable. Result aayega, tab dekha jayega. Right now, do not surrender your peace to speculation.

We all know that UPSC may (will) not change many answers, but the least we can do is file representations for all disputed answers. There are many cases where one source mentions one thing, while another source states something different. For example, in the Sudarshan Chakra Mission question, the India Year Book mentions “all public places.” Similarly, for other questions too, you may find sources that support a different answer. So, wherever there is a genuine dispute, submit a representation. We do not know which answer UPSC will change and which one it will not. But at least we can try.

Important for all aspirants In this video, I have discussed the 7 Disputed UPSC Answers that I have received in large numbers from students. I have also explained the reference sources that you can use while preparing your objection/representation. Please watch the video carefully and submit your representation for the questions you genuinely feel are wrong. Do not depend on someone else to send the objection on your behalf. Take responsibility and submit your own representation with proper references. This is important because every valid representation counts. https://youtu.be/lzZQ3R7y7wM

Some students are also sending newspaper articles as proof. However, based on my experience with representations in other State PSC exams, newspaper articles should be used only as supporting evidence, not as primary proof. The Commission will not accept newspaper wording alone to change or modify its answers. Also regarding CSAT comprehension, there are a lot of variation in answers and some of you are also sharing links to the original articles. However while checking answers, do not trace the original article and decide based on that. The answer should be checked only on the basis of the excerpt given in the question. Since comprehension answers involve subjective interpretation, the Commission may consider revising an answer only if it receives a large number of representations for that particular question. So, it is better to build consensus on which questions to represent. Scattered or individual representations se fayda nahi hoga.

Students, if you find any doubtful or wrong answer in the official answer key, please share it with proper proof. While sending, mention: 1. Question number 2. Answer given in the official key 3. Correct answer according to you 4. Authentic source/proof — NCERT, standard book, government report, ministry website, official document, etc. Only well-supported objections can be considered for representation. Please avoid sending random claims or coaching-based explanations. We will compile genuine and evidence-based issues and use them for filing representation. Send your message here - @PathshalaSupport_bot

The official key is out, and one question has been dropped. This is why I was not posting the expected cutoff earlier, because calculating scores using coaching keys would be of no use. Now, please use the official answer key to calculate your score and share how much you are scoring. Since one question has been dropped, the marking will be: ✅Correct answer: +2.020 ◽️Incorrect answer: -0.673

We all saw the UPSC Prelims 2026 paper and the way it crushed the morale of lakhs of hardworking students in just 2 hours is painful to witness. Last night...I spoke to many aspirants. Many were numb..many were in an extremely low phase.. especially those who have been preparing for 4–5 years and those who have already exhausted 3– 4 attempts. To every student, teacher, mentor, topper I have one sincere request 🙏 Please start talking about and normalising Plan B, especially for aspirants who have already given 2+ attempts and are in 27+ age bracket. This one conversation can literally save lives. It can protect someone’s mental peace. It can stop someone from feeling that their entire life has ended because of one exam. Jab tak mann ho Paper dete rahiye....Keep trying till you have any strength left. But please, don’t put your entire life, identity, youth, health, and happiness at stake for this one examination. We are losing the most productive years of our youth in silence. For years, we have romanticised UPSC..the struggle, the sacrifice, the isolation, the “one more attempt” emotion. But now it is time to also normalise mental peace, financial independence, alternate careers, and the courage to move forward. Because life is much bigger than one exam. Zindagi me ek samay aata hai jab apko tai karna hoga ki panna palatna hai ki kitab band karni hai. https://youtu.be/3kpG-i6kGWQ

Today’s paper was not just tough... it was absurd, disturbing, unpredictable, and honestly making mockery of hardworking student. I know that irrespective of the difficulty level, irrespective of how vague or factual the paper was, around 14 thousand students will still clear Prelims. That is how the exam works. Someone will clear. A list will come. But the real issue is not that. The real issue is that such papers make utter mockery of genuine hard work. Students who studied seriously for one full year, revised standard books multiple times, solved tests, improved their concepts, sacrificed sleep, comfort, family time, and mental peace...many of them are left feeling shattered after such a paper. And then comes the second trauma. Coaching institutes, using AI tools and teams of 10–12 people sitting comfortably in AC rooms will solve the same paper without pressure, without fear, without negative marking anxiety, without the burden of one year’s hard work, and without the emotional consequences of a wrong answer. Then they will say: This question was easy. This could have been attempted like this. This option was clearly eliminable. etc etc But that is not the real barometer of paper toughness. A paper solved by a team after the exam, with unlimited time and zero pressure, does not represent the mindset of an aspirant sitting alone in the examination hall. It does not capture the panic, confusion, time pressure, emotional burden, or fear of negative marking that a serious student goes through. Sal dar sal paper purely luck based banta ja raha hai... Cutoff niche jayega kafi no doubt but this is not fair for those students giving their youthful energy... You gave your best in a highly uncertain exam. Take some rest today. Paper analysis karte hai baad me.

The paper was very difficult, very lengthy, and required a deep understanding. It reminded me of the 2023 paper, when the pattern had changed and cutoff reduced drastically. So, I request each and every one of you: please do not make the mistake of matching the answer key right now. For now, focus only on CSAT. That’s it. CSAT accha kar liye toh bht achha chance rahega aage.

Ye thoda imp hai iss year..ek bar revise kar lena.

All the very best for tomorrow. Bholenath sath hai apke and kal wo apki taraf se khel rahe hai so there's no need to panic at all. I'm so proud that you have not given up and are giving your every bit. Ekdum confident rahna..100 me se 50-55 Questions sahi karne hai aur wo ho jayege aaram se. Just remember, everyone will have more or less the same knowledge, but this exam is all about temperament. Jo apne nerves par control kar liye wo khel jayega. Now is the time to have complete faith and trust in yourself and in your preparation. Your preparation is more than sufficient to clear the cutoff. Just maintain that self-belief. Jo bhi hoga, jaisa bhi hoga, sambhal loge. I have seen many people clear it with little knowledge and the right mindset. Just remember these points: ✅Remain calm throughout the paper. If the paper is difficult, it will be difficult for everyone. But if you maintain your composure, you will have an extra edge over others. ✅Paper me Q.1 tough aaye toh Q. 100 se shuru kar dena..wo bhi tough lage to beech me se shuru kar dena. Point is jo apka comfort zone ho waha se start karna paper solving coz start me 4-5 Questions sahi mark kar loge to headstart mil jayega aur confidence boost ho jayega. ✅OMR sheet na har question ke baad fill karna aur na last me. 10 - 10 Questions solve karne ke baad OMR sheet fill karna. Kai bar aage ke ek do questions me piche ke questions ke hint mil jate hai. ✅Don't discuss the GS1 paper during breaks and don't carry GS1 baggage into the CSAT paper. Approach the CSAT paper with a completely fresh mindset. If you remain calm, you will easily find enough questions in CSAT to smoothly clear the CSAT cutoff, no matter how the paper turns out. Plus, if you clear CSAT, you are already in the top 5%. So don't panic at all. Just give your bestshot with positive mindset. Baki bholenath hai na, sambhal lege.❤️ All the very best once again,

Hi everyone, I sincerely hope all of you have already prepared for CSAT. But I am still receiving so many messages saying, “Sir, I am scared of CSAT… what if I don’t qualify?” Isiliye maine finally aap sabke liye ek 2.5-hour long CSAT class prepare ki hai...and this is your "CSAT Qualification Class" Abhi tak CSAT ko thoroughly cover nahi kiya hai toh iss class ko dekh lena aur jo bataye gaya hai usko 2 din practice and apply karna. Aaram se ho jayega CSAT clear. Happy Watching :) https://youtu.be/p0-0RG9ZtDw

Please Pay Attention !! Dear students,

Last year, UPSC introduced a new option in CSAT Questions, but many students did not pay enough attention to it. Jiski wajh se, kafi logo ne even easy and familiar questions ko wrong marked kar diya tha. That is why I am bringing this new option to your notice again and explaining how to solve such questions. These are the kind of silly mistakes because of which many hardworking and deserving students miss the cutoff by just 2–3 marks. So exam me har questions ko bht dhyan se padhna hai. You never know what surprise UPSC may have planned for you. https://youtu.be/mqcvOX84AY0

https://youtu.be/ozwUlUsgv74?t=1575 As I had already explained in this Economy class, seigniorage is an indirect income of the RBI, not a direct income. Therefore, there is a possibility that UPSC may consider Option A as the correct answer. So based on this, the final learning is that: If the question asks about concrete or officially defined aspect such as the "main objective" of a scheme, "official role" of an institution, assets/liabilities of RBI, or a statutory function then choose the option that is directly mentioned or officially true, not an implied or spillover effect. However, if the question asks about the impact, consequence, implication, or significance, then indirect effects may also become relevant.