If your journey feels harder than others, maybe you were built for more.
Easy paths don't create strong people.

The pressure you're facing isn't punishment, it's preparation.
Every struggle is shaping you for something bigger.

You weren't given this dream by accident.
You have what it takes. Keep climbing.

@UPSCneil

Is Rummy a Game of Chance?

Prepare DAF keywords to anticipate hobby-based questions, support answers with law/judgments, and be honest when unsure.

Watch 👇
https://youtube.com/shorts/VXVRQ_bmB5Y

Some nights the weight is too heavy to explain.
When words fail, let faith speak.

You don't always need solutions, sometimes you just need surrender.
Close the books. Close your eyes. Talk to the one who listens without judgment.

Your silent prayers carry more power than you realize.
Keep believing. Relief is on its way.

@UPSCneil

One of its kind PYQ Module which will help you understand the crux needed to clear the exam, i.e. Utilising basic sources in the right way to get to the right answer and be on the right side of the cutoff.

Don’t let Prelims be a veto on your dreams. Sherlocking Prelims Module will help you unlock your true potential.

Testimonials:
https://t.me/Neil_You/1741

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

Course prices slated to rise around New Year.

For any queries, reach out to us through @helpdeskupsc.

Help others but not at the cost of your own peace.
Be kind but don't let people take advantage of you.

Balance is the key.
You can't pour from an empty cup.

Rest when needed. Say no when necessary. Protect your space.
Self-care isn't selfish, it's survival.

@UPSCneil

Same mistake in mocks? Same silly errors? Same procrastination pattern?
Life isn't punishing you, it's teaching you.

Until you fix the root, the problem will keep returning.
Different paper, same weakness. Different day, same excuse.

Stop ignoring the pattern. Face it. Fix it.
Once the lesson is learned, the test stops appearing.

@UPSCneil

Same text that I've shared countless times, has to be shared again on New Year's Eve.

It pains me a lot to see a lot of unread student queries in my DMs.

Please route academic queries on the group, @UPSCneil or the corresponding group(https://t.me/Neil_You/3330) and pull @helpdeskupsc in for any module queries.

DMs are flooded guys, so pls avoid them and use the right channels.

Also hopefully we'll meet 4ish if I figure out the music streaming for a good 'ol jam like the old times.

Talk to you guys soon.

https://youtu.be/IrVHB0Hp3F0

Hustle Culture and the Rat race have relegated this one predictor to the bottom-most rung.

Better late than never hopefully!

@LIFE_neil

Happy New Year’s Eve! 🎉

Let's pay our old debts to our potential so that our future self inherits generational wealth of success and not the debt of regret!

Here’s a little gift of experience, three pointers to be precise, which will hold you in good stead for the coming year:

-This exam is brutally overhyped. Mass media, पड़ोस की आंटी and दूर के फूफा have lied to you. This exam is not a ticket to happy life. Life goes on, the hedonistic treadmill, the thirst for validation never ends. Don't take my word for it, instagram & 'Josh talks' have all the evidence.

-Success in this cycle will be ephemeral. I experienced it after Rank 93 in HCS, the high waned off in a couple of days.

-Not everyone will stand by you through your hard times but people who do are keepers. Failure in this exam will be the best litmus test of true friends/well wishers in your life, always keep an eye open.

Stay blessed as always and be kind to each other. Talk to you guys soon!

@LIFE_neil

New Year should not be about 'failed resolutions', rather about 'renewed vigour to improve'!

What is it that you want to really work on this year or What really makes you look forward to the coming year? And why? (ofc, outside the purview of clearing the exam, don’t give the community “Water is wet”, vibes)

Let the community know at @LIFE_neil!

Same year. Same promises?

Growth doesn’t come from loud resolutions,
it comes from quiet, consistent becoming.

Change doesn’t announce itself;
it shows up daily, silently.
Let this year be about showing up,
even when no one is watching.

@UPSCneil

That rejection, that failure, that closed door wasn't the end.
It was redirection.

Sometimes life breaks you down completely so it can rebuild you properly.
The attempt that didn't work, the year that felt wasted; trust it.

Your lowest point is often the turning point.
Keep faith. Something bigger is being prepared.

@UPSCneil

If you're taking longer than others; don't be ashamed.
Every extra month is teaching you patience, humility, resilience.

Those who clear early often struggle with pressure later.
Those who struggled early handle everything better.

Your delay is not denial; it's depth being built.

@UPSCneil

Sunday gift for you!

https://youtu.be/riy3NMzBqLU

@LIFE_neil

Stop studying to post stories. Stop revising to tell others.
The real game is silent; played alone, with yourself.

Nobody needs to know your hours, your schedule, your sacrifices.
Let your results make the noise.

Compete with who you were yesterday not with who's watching today.

@UPSCneil

Hello everyone!
Took a closed group session today and addressed some of the doubts for the upcoming prelims exam. Sharing them here for the larger benefit of all. And will plan to take an open session soon!


1. What should be my minimum safe attempt range considering negative marking?

Imo, minimum should be 80. My score used to be maximum when I attempted upwards of 90. So my range was 90+-3. In 2021, I attempted 93 questions.


2. How many mock tests are ideal before Prelims, and how should I analyse them properly?

Number of mocks - addressed in the sheet above. For analysis part, identify patterns in your mistakes, identify strengths and weaknesses (in which areas/subjects, your guesswork largely fails/succeeds) and the final attempting strategy (no. of rounds and no. of questions).

3. In the final month after 2 revision, should I focus more on revision again or test-solvin and in what ratio?

Final month should be more about revision. Can give 1/2 mocks per week just to maintain the MCQ solving acumen and mindset.

4. What kind of questions should I leave completely in the exam hall?

The ones which you have no idea about. If you can’t do 50-50, no point of solving that question as probability of getting it wrong (75%) is more than probability of getting it right (25%).

5. How should I revise current affairs in the last without information overload?

Using yearly compilation and skimming through. Without focusing too much on specific details. Ultimately, in the exam hall, you have to ‘identify’ and not ‘reproduce’ the answer.

6. On exam day, is paper given early to read like 10 mins or as soon as paper is distributed time starts?

Different experience in different centres. It is given 10mins in advance but that time is mostly for filling OMR sheet.

7. Can I skip defence current affairs? It is very difficult to retain them or suggest any strategy to learn them.

Do not skip any class of current affairs. Instead, do only the most important ones. Ones that were always in news (say S400 during Op Sindoor). The only strategy to retain is make 1 pager notes, stick them in front of your study desk and read it twice everyday. Goes for all things that are very factual and hence, difficult to remember.

8. While filling omr sheets, if the ink goes out of circle or remains little uncoloured, do they go unchecked?

No. Unless it is only half filled or it is filled way beyond the circle. Minor deviations here and there are not an issue. The OMR sheet also indicates what constitutes a rightly/wrongly filled bubble. Just be mindful of that.

9. Focus should be more on static or current affairs

Balance is the key. But static lies at the heart of even current affairs. The best strategy is to link them and study. But still, static is finite (is it?🥲) and current affairs is infinite. Contemporary affairs is what they now call them. So, one word answer is static. But can you ignore the current affairs? To your own peril. So you have to do it all (😭😭).

10. What works better going sequential or rounds based on elimination

Sequential first. Mark the sure ones. Identify the 50-50 questions. Then go in rounds.

11. How do I understand that I am prelim ready a month ago?

I wish I knew🫠
I think one can never know. The only confidence you can derive is from your hold over standard books and static content. And understand that, readiness and the consequent result constitutes hard work and luck/god’s grace in equal parts in an examination like UPSC. So, do your best and leave the rest (to the almighty).


Wishing you all, truck loads of good luck! May you preserve your sanity and sense of self in the process.

Happy Prelims-prepping! 🫡

Life becomes peaceful when you switch from Expect to Accept.

Expect praise, you'll get hurt.
Expect results, you'll get anxious.
Expect people to understand your journey, you'll feel alone.

But when you accept the process, accept the uncertainty, accept yourself;
peace finds you.

Do your best. Release the rest.

@UPSCneil

In UPSC and in life, this applies to wrong strategies, wrong people, wrong habits.
The ego says "I've come this far, let me continue."
But wisdom says "Stop. Redirect. Save your time."

Letting go isn't failure, it's course correction.
The sooner you accept, the sooner you grow.

@UPSCneil

Your dark phase doesn't define you, it prepares you.
The same you who feels stuck today will bloom tomorrow.

Bad mocks, failed attempts, low phases; they're just winters.
Stay rooted. Keep showing up. Your season will change.

@UPSCneil

Relevant Videos for HCS Preparation:

DKT Videos
https://t.me/Neil_You/1855

Interview at RajBhavan
https://youtu.be/LY423KeNQPs?si=K783sPGvA6bQoZBf

HCS prelims 2021 Discussion
https://youtu.be/Vbzn1pRGPr8

HCS Prelims 2023 Discussion
https://youtu.be/ye4oL0gqHkI

HCS Discussion
https://youtu.be/dS5RPj896Us

Don't underestimate patience.

The bamboo tree shows no growth for 5 years but underground, roots are spreading deep.
Then suddenly, it rises 90 feet in just 6 weeks.

Your preparation works the same way.
Months of reading, revising, writing; feels invisible.
But one day, it all clicks. Results explode.

Trust the process. Growth is happening, even when you can't see it.

@UPSCneil