Continuing on my Answer writing tips:

Few tips on attempting the paper:

19. 15 marker questions are more important than 10 marker. If you write poor answers in 15 marker you will lose more as compared to a 10 marker. Also, it is easier to answer 5 10 markers in last 30 minutes instead of 4 15 markers.
But first build some momentum by answering 2-3 easy 10 markers and then go for 15 markers. After this initial phase, 15 markers should be prioritised.

20. Have a quick glance in initial 2-3 minutes and mark questions in which you are confident. Attempt them at the start rather than answering all the questions serial number wise even if you are not confident in them.

Best possible answers should be written for topics you know albeit keeping the time limit in mind. You can't overshoot the time allotted for each question.

21. One benefit of leaving questions for the end is that after 2-2.5 hours of writing you "might" recall few keywords subconsciously (as you had a quick glance earlier, your brain started thinking about the topics you read). Now you can write a much better answer as compared to just filling the pages had you attempted such a question earlier.
Also, if you attempted a question at the start without being confident in it and later recall a better point for it, you can't go back and change it.

22. One big disadvantage of quick glancing at the start is that you might lose confidence if you see a lot of unseen topics. But it has to be done for writing best answers in topics you are proficient in.
For example: Suppose Q20 is a very easy question which you know thoroughly. You were doing all the questions sequentially. You mismanaged somewhere and now have only 5 minutes left. Now you can't write the best answer despite knowing everything about that topic!

23. Answer writing is more about thinking in future. While writing a point you should be thinking about the next point. While concluding the answer, start thinking about the introduction to the next answer.

24. On the day of exam, try to write for 10 minutes before leaving for the test centre. It will get your hand moving and you can hit the paper running!

25. For time management, keep the watch in front of your eyes all the time. See that none of the subpart is taking too much time and as the allotted time is about to end, try to quickly conclude and "move on" to the next question.

26. Once you have answered a question, DO NOT THINK about it at all. You can't change anything in the past.

27. Sharing something which I learnt from Anudeep Sir's tips (might have some changes here and there):
Break the time duration into 30 minute windows and aim to cover 40 marks (4x10 marker / 1x10 marker + 2x15 marker) in each window.
In 2 such windows you have to cover 45 marks (3x15 marker). Try to do this in the 2nd hour as it is the most effective phase.
So you will be able to cover 80 marks in 1st hour, 90 in 2nd and 80 again in 3rd.
Preferably, keep the last 75 minutes for 10 markers and unknown questions. Attempt the known 15 markers before that.

This is just a guideline as to how one can approach the paper and keep the time in check. You can deviate from it and prepare you own strategy as well. Even I wasn't able to replicate it fully in the exam!

Such an approach will help you tackle any marks distribution by UPSC.

28. Keep in mind that UPSC can change marks distribution again. It can go back to 25x10 markers or 20x12.5 markers - so mentally be prepared for anything!

[Mains GS1 Coverage]

:

----------------
Indian Society:
----------------

1. Booklist
- NCERT XIIth - both books (would highly recommend)
- Vajiram Class notes - Rajkumar Sir
- Filling gaps from Vajiram Yellow book
- Few pointers added from Mains 365

2. Approach
- Mapped all PYQs with syllabus keywords
- Prepared short notes on all the keywords
- UPSC PYQs are the best source for Answer Writing Practice as the topic is static
- Develop links with current affairs as well - Urbanization (and issues), Population, Poverty, etc.
- Trend analysis helps get a fair understanding of past developments plus it can be clubbed with Post Independence History component as well.

3. My notes:

Topic-wise PDFs:

Indian Society:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d8mvqe5aha5x4py/Indian%20Society.pdf?dl=0

Diversity of India:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pcg0xy1uuaz0xg2/Diversity%20of%20India.pdf?dl=0

Women Issues:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0npz53y9g63ccm/Women%20Issues.pdf?dl=0

Population Issues:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2cpqf5itm7ds6fs/Population%20Issues.pdf?dl=0

Poverty and Development Issues:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/44cvmlk1ok8l0iq/Poverty%20and%20Development%20Issues.pdf?dl=0

Globalization:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vsoroykljbf0h64/Globalization.pdf?dl=0

Urbanization:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aas3thnb5kyeb16/Urbanization.pdf?dl=0

Communalism, Regionalism, Secularism:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yb7dmdgxwjq4cba/Communalism%2C%20Regionalism%2C%20Secularism.pdf?dl=0


Vajiram Classnotes:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qt9wzcbs7g0wm5n/AABZrZh3P8mowE5aQcYQGa9La?dl=0

[Mains GS1 Coverage]:

----------
Geography:
----------

1. Booklist
- NCERT XIth and XIIth - thoroughly
would recommend lower classes NCERT for students having issues with fundamentals of geography
- GC Leong - selected reading from Part II
- Physical Geography: Mrunal - Rajtanil videos
- Resource Distribution: Anudeep Sir's notes + Rajtanil Slides (no videos)
- Vajiram Class notes - Manocha and Shivarpit Sir
- Websites like PMFIAS, India-WRIS

2. Approach
- Mapped all PYQs with syllabus keywords
- Practiced every single diagram from NCERT - quick revision + practice for Answer Writing
- Actively tried to use Maps and Diagrams in the Answers
- For resources, pick each important resource and prepare short notes for it.

3. My notes:

Self notes:
Full focus on diagrams and important keywords.

Topic-wise PDFs:
Physical Geography:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/svezmtgw246en7c/Physical%20Geography.pdf?dl=0

Distribution of Resources:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6tt7hm4ahcg1nrw/Distribution%20of%20Resources.pdf?dl=0

Vajiram Classnotes:
Will be added later to this folder
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yhuf3cdk55hx9ov/AABLmF5CGwjDl93KwfeFLLpGa?dl=0

Sharing a small write up on my background and UPSC journey

Prelims 2019 result is out.

Congratulations to everyone who cleared it and will be appearing in Mains. I am sure you won’t be needing any external motivation for next 2 months. But just to remind you all, now is the biggest opportunity you can ever get, treat it like your last. Even if you have to put in 15 hrs daily for next 2 months, do it. There shouldn’t be any excuse whatsoever.

For those who couldn’t make it, I have just one advice. Yes, It is tough to get over disappointments and keep morale high but It would be the biggest mistake if you do not prepare with mains mindset for next 2 months. Prepare with Mains mindset and by the time December ends, you would have finished your full Mains syllabus including optional. Then focus on Prelims from January onwards. This will put you in much better position than what you were in Prelims this time around.

Best of luck! 👍🏻

I had an interview with “Chamomile Tea with Toppers” where I shared my life and UPSC journey.

Part-1 is out, those who are interested can have a look: https://youtu.be/Mh5HXUg3tnk

Special tip for UPSC aspirants: Watch at 1.25 or 1.5x! 😄

Part 2 is out: https://youtu.be/0w8RRItF8Qs

I talked in detail about Mains, Interview, Note making, Importance of timetable, etc.

Hopefully it is of some help.

Best of luck! 👍🏻

Few pointers for filling the DAF:

• Don’t spend ages researching and filling the DAF. Finish it quickly and resume Mains prep.

• Don’t fill anything you are not ready to prepare later.

• Don’t show off achievements or write false hobbies/interests. One of the biggest blunder you can commit in filling the DAF.

• Write your achievements and interests concisely instead of filling paragraphs. Interests etc. should be legible in a single glance. Board doesn’t spend too much time looking into each and every aspect of your DAF. First impression is very critical.

• Limit the hobbies to maximum 3 - more than this will dilute the points and also create headache for you later as you will have to prepare all of them.

• In case of multiple achievements only write those which are most attractive (and can beat other smaller one). Example: University topper need not write about being CBSE 10th topper

• Govt scholarships/fellowships should be written like NTSE, KVPY etc

• Clearly mention your degree like Minor and Honours component. You wouldn’t want the board to misinterpret your graduation domain and ask you irrelevant questions!

• Do not force information where it’s not applicable. It’s perfectly fine to leave some columns. For eg. if you are not into sports, do not write it.

• Write specific interest and hobbies instead of general ones. For eg. if you are into dancing, mention specific dance form instead of merely writing “Dancing” as your hobby. You will end up providing a very big spectrum to the board to ask questions from.

• Writing internship experience under the “jobs” section - completely up to you. But if you write it, you should be ready to justify it. As mentioned earlier, do not force information in the DAF.

• There is a thin line between less info and excessive info in the DAF. If you try to show off and have an information overload, believe me you will have lot of trouble preparing for the interview. Each and every word in your DAF is a loose thread which can form a potential question.

Essay
-----------
There you go. Directly from the horse's mouth - Essay kaise and kaise essay likhe?

Sharing an article by Vikram Grewal (AIR 51, CSE2018). He scored 161 in essay this year.

http://besankahalwa.blogspot.com/2019/07/essay-kaise-by-vikram-grewal-air-51.html?m=1

Essay guidance 👆

Must read article by
Anudeep Sir for UPSC aspirants struggling to get a hold on Current Affairs
Don’t fall prey to numerous sources in an attempt to reach perfection.
Stick to a limited set and be thorough in it.
And don’t forget the important mantra
“Read-Revise-Repeat”

https://anudeepdurishetty.in/current-affairs-preparation/

My Article on Answer writing:

http://demystifycse.in/taming-the-beast-answer-writing-approach-for-mains-by-kanishak-kataria-rank-1/

Most of the points had already been shared earlier in this channel.

Best of luck to everyone appearing for Mains tomorrow!

Don’t judge your performance based on one paper. You have to write 9 of them and don’t give up till the time you write the last answer of the last paper.

Take proper rest and don’t overburden yourself now. You already know everything, now it’s all about staying calm and focused.

Also, do not forget any of the required documents or stationary you need to carry tomorrow!

You are going to rock it.
All the best 👍🏻🙂

Hi everyone,

I just got to know about the Dropbox issue. I am extremely sorry, unfortunately I have no bandwidth to rectify it. As there have been too many requests, Dropbox has inactivated the links.

If some of you have downloaded the notes, please share it amongst yourself. I will not be able to take care of this in the foreseeable future.

Extremely sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you and best of luck for your studies. 👍🏻

Some important tips about interview Personality Test.

1. Cover all the keywords in your DAF - specially your background

1(a) : “Why you want to be a civil servant?” - arguably the most important question about yourself. Sit down, think clearly and frame a reply that shows your personality while conveying the true reason.

2. Always take few seconds pause before answering instead of speaking whatever comes to your mind.

3. Be confident and don’t fret about not knowing anything. If you are confident and firm even while saying “I don’t know”, it wouldn’t hurt your performance.

4. Brevity is important in your replies.

5. Never lie in interviews. Panel members are too smart to get fooled by your tricks and they will catch you easily.

6. Don’t follow unnecessary gossips like average marks by a board or how to present to a particular board etc. They’ll be counter-productive and spoil the novelty in your thought process and the answers.

7. Stay up to date with current affairs

8. Don’t evaluate yourself in the interview. An important aspect is to forget your last answer and give the best reply to current question irrespective of the board’s reaction.

9. Choose your mocks smartly, don’t run after them and don’t take their comments on face value.

Ultimately it’s enjoying the conversations with the board members. They are there to select you and not reject you. You are amongst a select few to have gotten this opportunity, make the most out of it.

Best of luck! :)

Few tips for coaching mocks-

They are helpful but UPSC interviews are a different ball game altogether. Any advice from coaching shouldn’t be taken on face value - specially if they are trying to demotivate you.

Also, keep in mind they just want to print your name after you are selected and bloat their selection figures.

So, unless you are desperate for practice (and don’t worry about misuse of your name), you can give mocks but it’s better to limit to 2-3 only.

My experience from different mocks:

1. KSG - It was good. Went unprepared, Khan Sir pointed out some obvious flaws that I could rectify later.

2. Dhyeya - overall okayish, can be skipped.

3. Samkalp - group mock experience was good, normal mock was okayish.

4. Chanakya - focused on factual questions a lot. Can be demotivating, so appear at your own risk.

5. Vajiram - heard pathetic review about mocks, so didn’t apply for them. Just had an interaction with Ravindran Sir and it was very fruitful and motivating.

6. iAnugrah - heard about it from my friend Prudhvitej. It is run by Sudhir Chandra Sir (ex-CBDT Chairman). It was one of my best experiences. Sir gave lots of behavioural tips and how I can improve my appearance before the board. I would recommend you to give it a try.

7. Individual mocks with friends can also help sometimes, so if you are preparing with friends do try one/two mocks amongst yourselves.

The quality of mocks can also vary year after year, so get some feedback from your friends before appearing in any.

Remember the key is to have high confidence after giving all the mocks. So avoid anything and everything that creates negativity! Rest you’ll handle by yourself on D-day.

Best of luck! :)

For people who couldn’t clear Mains, don’t lose hope. Keep on striving hard to achieve what you are destined to be.

I’m sharing here one of my most favourite quotes -
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Best of luck for your future :)

My Transcript:

6 March
Bhonsle Board

Relevant DAF information:
1. B.Tech in CSE from IIT
2. Worked in South Korea for 1.5 years
3. 1 year Work Experience as Data Scientist.
4. State: Rajasthan
5. Maths optional

Chairman:
Went through my DAF and made me feel comfortable.

1. You look like a good student and studied from one of the best college in India. Even took Maths optional. You have worked for 4 years at so and so place as well. Are you overqualified for civil services?
2. "In god we trust, rest need to bring data" what do you understand from this?
3. "If it can't be measured, it can't be managed and can't be improved" what do you understand from it.
(He linked it to happiness index)

Member 1: Lady
1. 3 art forms from India which is famous outside India?
2. Kanishk plane crash. Why?
3. What is India's terror policy?
4. There are 2 lines of thought:
A. India needs to be tackling terror alone
B. India needs to engage in international forums
What do you think?

Member 2:
1. "One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter" your thoughts?
2. AI and job loss. You have 20 year time frame as a secretary. What policy will you make?
3. Raja Ravi Verma paintings. What and time period?

Member 3: said I'll ask only 3 questions.
1. Why does India use French Guinea for space launches? (Reason apart from lack of heavy launch vehicle)
Where is French Guinea?
2. Why is desert in RJ spreading? (Was looking for a tectonic reason behind it)
3. Where is Travancore?

Member 4:
1. Cambridge Analytica: is it possible in India? How does it work? Possible impact of LS2019? Can it be used?
2. Security features in a
Aadhar?
3. Can identity be duplicated?
4. Use of Big Data in administration.
5. If FB is successful why problems faced by authorities post demonetisation to identify the fraud accounts.


Chairman:
1. You learnt Korean language. Is it similar to Hindi? How?
2. Did you see how Koreans pray?
3. Which food did you like in Korea? Tell me more about it.

Seems like your mouth is watering. We will not make you wait further. You can go.

Overall board was very cordial and seemed willing to listen. Member 3 was a grumpy fellow, trying to not let me speak and looking for specific answers. He didn't acknowledge even the valid points.

Sharing my interview notes on Rajasthan:
- They are little exhaustive.
- You need to make your own notes for better retention.
- Use these for getting a gist of what needs to be covered.