One of the best books I’ve also personally read.

Acknowledgement of our mortality often sets our priorities right!

Tuesdays with Morrie!

Sherlocking IGP:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Rd1tJh43Kt0?si=IpZCiTuNozfDsdhS

Sensationalism through Mock Interviews

Sherlocking IGP:

https://youtube.com/shorts/qrZX6cRAg8I?si=3cm8q8eVmnsuJRkP

Optimal Current Affairs Strategy

Lithium

https://youtube.com/shorts/HuHry_ovPIw?si=l1mfh_px-9JFGvIa

Sherlocking IGP

https://youtube.com/shorts/Llv5pZ-7KbM?si=eVX5zLv4yXOsPdn0

Variety of Interests

Sherlocking IGP

https://youtube.com/shorts/_OzP0zXoHFM?feature=shared

Balance of Judgment

As promised in the last meet, latest channel for UPPCS!
https://t.me/UPPCSneil

Link to rest of the channels:
https://t.me/Neil_You/965

Sherlockers have always made us proud. Really delighted to say that within the first year of the inception of this community, we already have (atleast)4 people(based on the current assessment) who have cleared these exams, 3 in HCS, 1 in BPSC!

I have no doubt more will keep making the entire community proud moving forward!

FAQs about the Sherlocking Course:

1."What enrolled students say about their Sherlocking experience?"

Prelims student reviews after results:
https://t.me/UPSCneil/14537

Testimonials:
https://t.me/Neil_You/308

2. "What is the course about?"

PYQ Analysis like never before. Why? Because our focus is JUST using standard sources in culmination with Logical Reasoning to find the right answer. You'll feel like a true Sherlock after few videos.

3. What are the deliverables, course structure, timeline, validity and cost?
-2011-23 Analysis GS: ~55hrs
-2018-23 Analysis CSAT: ~22hrs
-Plus live doubt sessions

Structure and Pricing:
https://t.me/Neil_You/347

Validity:
https://t.me/Neil_You/935

4. "I like the course structure but I don't want to invest 7.5k in one go and then realise that I didn't like the course."

Enroll in any one GS module ( Hist, Geo, Env, S&T, Polity, Econ ) or Heuristics or CSAT modular courses and you'll have the option to upgrade to the comprehensive bundle within a week after a payment of the differential amount. The fact that over 90% students who enrolled in modular courses upgraded to comprehensive GS+Heuristics+CSAT speaks volume about its effectiveness.

5. "I see value in the IP but I can't afford the course."

https://t.me/Neil_You/265

This would hands down be the best investment in your Prelims prep. Don't take my word for it. You've already seen what the enrolled students have said about the course.

Supplementary Note:

No matter what the echo chambers of YT influencers 'claim', you will never have enough content for the kind of questions that come in Prelims.

कितने घोड़े हाथी के बारे में रटेंगे। यही करते रह जायेंगे जिंदगी भर with No Returns!

Also, unlike a consumer durable, this exam doesn't come with a guarantee card. But to get one the best shot possible, Basic Sources and Sherlocking (fancy way of saying Common Sense) are enough!


Any more queries? Reach out to @helpdeskupsc!

Sherlocking IGP:

https://youtube.com/shorts/R-JN50C2Jic?feature=shared

Prep for Interview

A lot of people ask me, with 4 months remaining, what do we do from hereron?

Here's my take from 5+yrs of experience and observation.

Assertion and Constraints:

-There's no Mains without Prelims. So studying for Prelims should certainly be a priority.

-Prelims has ALWAYS been uncertain (barring the CSAT era for Engineers). It's more so because of the funnel shaped nature of this exam i.e. for 1000 seats, only 13-15k will clear, even though each year there's a pool of around 75k 'Deserving Candidates'. So no matter what, a level of randomness and arbitrariness will always set in. This should not scare you, rather liberate you of anxiety. If anyway there's no guarantee, you might as well play a free liberal game.

-The path to one's desired service goes through a good, nay I say, an amazing score in Mains. That will in theory pivot around a good score in optionals(atleast 275+) and a half decent score in GS+Mains(Atleast 550+ in the current markimg scenario).

-A lot of merchants of chaos will clear Prelims brutally riding on their 'luck', but nobody has ever cleared Mains without a base of targeted study, answer writing, and a lot of hard work in the backend. And it's next to impossible to prep Mains bw Pre and the exam.


Suggestion:

-If it's your first attempt, and you've not studied for Mains until now, it'll be an uphill battle from hereon. You can do one of two things. Either give 24 for net practice and target 25 full fledged. Or prioritise Prelims 24 from now, while gaining command atleast over your optionals, put in insane amount of hardwork and hope for a lot of luck.

-If you've taken care of your optionals until now(which I hope you've) and you've never cleared Prelims until now, start with Prelims now on a half day basis for the next 40days and try to cover as much Mains as you can in the remaining half of the day. Then post Mid/End Feb, transition to Pre on mission mode.

-If you've cleared Pre in the past, you know that it's all about PYQ analysis and confidence after a certain amount of basic study. So optimise your attempt by prioritising Mains until Mid Feb, transition to Pre by Mid March meanwhile and play the game to win.

How will the Study Look Like: No prizes for guessing, PYQ oriented while gaining command over basics. Mocks are a scam in Pre, but in Mains they're a necessity.

I've already done an elaborate discussion on the implementation of all these steps on my channel. Goto the video and playlist section to explore and get back to me with doubts if any!

https://youtube.com/@UPSCneil?si=qvQXGh5Waa6-vfBd


PYQ Analysis, if you've seen, is the holy grail to optimising( because unlike a consumer durable, this exam doesn't come with a guarantee card) your chance in this exam without wasting the years of your youth.

Let that be your pole star!

For asking followups, join @UPSCneil

@Neil_You

For people who have joined us recently, this is a short 'About Me':

https://youtu.be/ncpYKH0OfRQ?si=cXoVhDh_oCvrtA_C

Final Attempt Results:

HCS 2021: Rank 93

UPSC 2022: Marks 947(AIR 527 scored 946, total selected 933)

IFoS 2022: Marks 878(AIR 67 scored 877, total selected 147)

To paraphrase:

1. Simple execution > Fancy strategy.

2. Focus on the right decision for the current moment and the big picture sorts itself out as an outcome.

3. Identify your values(not an exercise only for GS IV), and be consistent with them.

@UPSCneil

Sources to Refer:

Prelims:
https://youtu.be/RURAhkezO4E?si=seEFvzs20u1v1g_m

Mains:
https://youtu.be/pNLFPkK0niI?si=oMG5PpDNazZzyaaZ

HCS Strategy Video with Qn Analysis to be out in an hour!

If you like it, feel free to help with engagement!

https://t.me/UPSCneil/22211