Don’t take this exam or anything in life as a prison sentence.

It’s a privilege to get an opportunity to follow one’s dreams. If it works out, good, if it doesn’t, life with all its abundance will give you something even better!

Just go day by day trying to make it count while staying sane!

@UPSCneil

Let’s meet pre evening today for a mindset session and doubts if any at @LIFE_neil, around 4PM.

Starting in 15mins

https://t.me/Neil_You/1767

Sherlocking Question of the Day:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6279

Videos for Mains you MUST watch:

Sherlocking through GS1, 2023(How you would feel after the Mains Module)
https://youtu.be/IKUPCbcUF9w?si=wsrRvM_cLj4SfSY4

Sherlocking Essay 2023 Analysis(How you would feel after Essay Module)
https://youtu.be/s8IFs-xjScU?si=N6QTAx9Ybzok2Vtu

Mains as an Optimisation problem
https://youtu.be/ekMA8qMzj2Y?si=lvjp4P2p0R2K-tNO

Mains Strategy Video(will also serve as Demo Video for Sherlocking Mains)
https://youtu.be/9yxBaFAOa-w?si=LgQRONyZlMZw_pjx

Analysing Newspaper
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFrAJkEb21AyId_4_AjqW3DpTniTMHJ_u&si=8P-ueceGTMFND6JP

Sherlocking Answer Pointers:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6410

Sherlocking Mains Qns for Practice:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6472

100% Tried and Tested.

The outcome might not be in our control, but our internal narrative is.

And the apt narrative inside the head with efforts in the right direction will sooner or later yield the desired results!

@UPSCneil

Mains Modules about to be concluded in 7-10days.

Finally after a long hiatus, we’ll get some bandwidth to restart Free Video Initiatives through YouTube.

I’ve personally experienced that on YT that one of two video gain traction:

-Useless marathon videos taking your precious time.

-Coaching bashing for relatability, while then repeating the same model albeit with much inferior quality.

Neither of these ‘videos’ truly help you. One makes you lose more time, other makes you bitter on top of it.

To bridge the gap, we’ll need suggestions from you, the community on what kind of effective videos would you like to see on YT from us.

We’ll take that feedback, add it with our understanding of the requirement of the exam, and get you the kind of content that’ll actuall elevate your prep!

Feel free to have your opinion heard on this thread!

@UPSCneil

Sherlocking Answer Pointers:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6559

Key Budget Takeways:

https://youtube.com/shorts/lkPspEeSwpQ?feature=share

All the mains appearing enrolled Sherlockers are requested to reach out to us at @helpdeskupsc for a special assistance programme until Mains.

Sherlocking Mains Question for Practice:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6623

Day/Date: Saturday, 27th July
Time: 4PM

Meet Link:
https://meet.google.com/tvy-uuos-thn

You can mark your interest and questions in the form below!

Registration Link:
https://forms.gle/ZesohJUcMTg2Tq1A6

@UPSCneil

Create the right environment, surround yourself with the right people, and see the results yourself!

@UPSCneil

Sherlocking Answer Pointer:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6670

Sherlocking Ethics Qns for Practice:

Theory
https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6713

Case Study
https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6714

Sherlocking Ethics Answer Pointers:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6749

Sherlocking Mains Qns for Practice:

https://t.me/answerwritingneil/6770

Older Minutes Resposted, still relevant:

Minutes of the last online meeting:

Disclaimer:

This exam is a black box at the end of the day.
Nobody can be 100% certain of how the evaluation happens.
My experience comes from official UPSC notification, having written Mains thrice and seeing two marksheets from those attempts, talking to a lot of successful and unsuccessful aspirants while keeping in view their marksheets, and listening to numerous topper talks available on youtube.

1.Major Change I made-Stuck to the directives from notification

*Conventional essay type paper: Thus too shorthand points without logical sense won't bring dividends

*Overall intellectual traits: capacity to interlink

*Depth of understanding: conceptual clarity

*Rather than mere range of information and memory: Pointless and endless Value Addition won't bring dividends

*Well educated person will be able to answer without any specialised study: No point watching/reading elaborate content on any issue. Let the basics do the work for you


2.Discussed 2022 GS1 and GS3 attempt.


3.4 Frameworks- the Holy Grail to generating 'n' number of points

->GS syllabus

->Lifecycle

->Stakeholder

->Long term/Short term


4.General Tips on Mains

->Preparatory phase

*Basic content(250 word writeup on every syllabus head)

*Answer writing(Application of that knowledge in PYQs for relevance and in mock tests for time management)

*Framework to increase number of points

*Mnemonics to improve content retention

*Wall paint hypothesis- Doing a sufficing paint job over the entire wall is more rewarding than beautifying only certain sections of the wall. The wall is the syllabus. i.e. Finish the entire syllabus ASAP once, before doing value add/developing differentiated content for certain sections.

->Examination hall aptitude

*Impossible quaternity->1.Filling all pages, 2.Attempting all questions within time, 3.Legible Handwriting, 4.Relevance of answers; All four can't be achieved simultaneously across all papers. Prioritise 4>2>3>1.

*Mains hierarchy of needs: Basic content>Answer Writing> Value Add.

*Don't overcomplicate question directivesi.e. Analyse= Discuss= Examine= Comment= Critically ____= Pros,Cons,Way Forward; Justify= Substantiate= Only second the perspective given in the Qn, no need for the counter points.


5.Live answer evaluation session-Suggestions to fellow members

->Handwritten answers over typed

->Use similar UPSC like sheets/space to practice(2 pages for a 10 marker, 2.5 pages for a 12.5 marker and 3 pages for a 15 marker)

->Align heads in body based on what is exactly asked

->Vertical reading should enable the evaluator to know that you've hit the demand of the question

@UPSCneil

ALL ABOUT ESSAY:

Essay Discussion 2023
https://youtu.be/s8IFs-xjScU?si=e_TudPiai4HeahPf

Essay Primer Post
https://t.me/UPSCneil/16798

Sherlocking Essay Meet Minutes
https://t.me/Neil_You/844

My Essay Copies
https://t.me/answerwritingneil/162

Free Essay Pointers
https://t.me/answerwritingneil/5902

App Details
https://t.me/Neil_You/1765