Q1. No provision in constitution regarding RBI as it is a statutory body, eliminate '2' arrive at the answer.

Q2. Answer either 'b' or 'd'. Based on my experience, I try to negate statements with simple examples and if I cannot, I assume the statement to be correct. I can negate '1' by thinking of a casual 'labour' who is not given EPF. I negate '1' and mark 'b'.(Wait for UPSC's key to confirm)

Q3. Static, counter cyclical fiscal policy. 'b'

Q4. Word association. 'Inferior' good's demand increasing with increasing income of consumer highly unlikely. Eliminate '3' and arrive at 'a'.

Q5. Static. '1' is factually wrong, arrive at 'b'.

Q6. 'Influence' is a soft, broad term. I prefer to mark 'All' i.e. 'd'.

Q7. 'deposit' can't be an 'investment'. Furthermore, FII with 'certain conditions' is generic and likely to be correct. 'a'.

Q8. 'Necessarily'.'1' is certain while '3' is only 'likely' thus 'a'.

Q9. Occam's razor i.e. Black money=Tax evaded money. 'd'.

Q10. Repeated question(2013), 'd'.

Q11. Repeated question(2019), 'c'.

Q12. 'high interest rates'= less easy to procure funds. Eliminate '5' and arrive at 'a'.

Q13. 'Organisation combination' usually mismatched(BSE+RBI looked incoherent combination; BSE's collab with SEBI would have made more sense). '2' is generic. 'b'.

Q14.'Organisation combination' usually mismatched. Eliminate '2' arrive at 'c'.

Q15. Static, 'b'.

Q16. 'Word association'; 'R2', 'a' has 'responsible, recycling'

Q17. Answer either 'b' or 'd'. Wait for UPSC's key.

Q18. 'Generic statements, can't negate any strongly. 'd'

Q19. 'Word association'; 'Blue=Water related', 'a'.

Q20. Static, 'c'.

Q21. Random trivia, 'c'.

Q22. 'Cyanobacteria= Blue green algae'; 'Diatoms also primary producer' These options have already featured in PYQs. So better to google PYQ options. Also in copepods, 'pod' means legs, thus likely to be an animal than a 'primary producer'. 'b'

Q23. '3' is well known. For those who watched cartoon series 'Sonic the hedgehog' series would know '1' is also correct. Otherwise can take a guess between 'c' and 'd'. Answer='d'.

Q24. Eliminate '3'(legally binding not usually correct),'4' is generic thus can't be negated strongly, 'a'.

Q25. Answer either 'b' or 'd'. Wait for official answer key.

Q26. Random trivia, 'c'.

Q27. Static, 'c'.

Q28. 'Spot the odd one out'. Seahorse doesn't seem to be a detrivore. Eliminate and arrive at 'c'.

Q29. Random trivia, 'a'.

Q30. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, I would assume it to be correct. Couldn't negate either, so 'd'.

Q31. Eliminate '2'(only temple, less likely), arrive at 'c'.

Q32. Static+ Also in news due to recent UNESCO inclusion, 'a'.

Q33. Took a calculated risk. Period being asked is narrow(1600-1625), usually empires don't expand too much in the early phase within short periods. Started off at 'Surat', 'Broach' sounded Gujarati city and less likely that could have also expanded to 'Chicacole' which didn't 'seem' to be a Gujarati city by its name. 'a'.

Q34. Two hints given, 'Post Gupta' and 'Northern'. 'Yadavas were southern, thus eliminate '5'. 'Guptas' of Magadha sounded like an offshoot kingdom. 'b'

Q35. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, I would assume it to be correct. Though 'Wrestling' was odd, no option which had '2,3, and 4'. Backed my hunch and marked 'd'.

Q36. 'Related options, answer one of those two'. 'a' about 'National Flag', 'c' about 'National Anthem'. Then it would be a 50-50 guess. Answer is 'c'.

Q37. 'Burzhaom' in Kashmir, less likely to have a geology for rock cut shrines(mostly found in deccan). Couldn't negate either 2 or 3. 'd'

Q38. 'Taimur' ended Tughluq reign and Sayyid dynasty's rule started after that. But Md. Bin tughlaq was not the last ruler of the tughlaq dynsaty. Eliminate '2'. '1' was a static well known fact. 'a'.

Q39. 'Random trivia', all statements filled with red flags. Answer to be confirmed by UPSC's key.

Q40. Similar to Q39. Answer is 'b'.

Q41. Another random trivia question. Answer is 'b'.

Q42. Static, 'b'.

Q43. Static, 'a'.

Q44. Not so well known publication. Answer is 'c'.

Q45. Static, 'a'. Also in these 'ordering' questions, UPSC usually gives both ascending and descending order in the options to confuse. Only 'a' and 'c' are diametrically opposite, so even if you're not sure about the question, answer likely to be one of 'a' or 'c'.

Q46. Static, 'c'.

Q47. Static, 'd'.

Q48. Static, 'a'.

Q49. Static, 'a'. Prepare these oft repeated caves in detail.

Q50. 'Organisation mismatch' likely. UNICEF given instead of UNESCO. 'b'

Q51. No kind of farming could be easy in 'semi arid regions'. Rest the three statements are generic. 'b'.

Q52. '1' is Factual, '2 and 3' are generic, 'b'.

Q53. UPSC's key will confirm the answer. 'a'(More likely) or 'd'.

Q54. Word association, 'Didwana', 'Khatu'(similar to Khatu Shyam shrine) sound Rajasthani places. 'd'.

Q55. Static, 'b'.

Q56. '1' is factual and usually is well known that ISA(Intl. Seabed Authority) grants licenses.'2' and '3' generic. Arrive at 'b'.

Q57. Static, Sugarcane is water intensive. 'a'.

Q58. Static conceptual, 'c'.

Q59. 'Random trivia', all statements filled with red flags. Took a risk by selecting 'all' as couldn't strongly negate either, which paid off . 'd'.

Q60. 'Occam's Razor- simplest answer is usually the correct one', Fast decomposition hinted towards high temp and moisture. Plus epiphytes = Tropical rain forest. 'd'.

Q61. '2' and '4' correct from Static. 'c'.

Q62. Static, 'b'.

Q63. '5' is generic. No option with 'ALL' so atleast one or more than one statements incorrect. Factual statements usually have a possibility of being incorrect. '1' has two facts 'leguminous' and 'evergreen'. Arrive at 'b'.

Q64. Static, 'b'.

Q65. Both '1' and '2' generic, can't be strongly negated. 'c'.

Q66. This has been in news since 3-4 years. Though still a contentious question, in my understanding, answer is 'b'. '1' is factually incorrect as you need therapy before the fertilisation. '2' is correct as mitochondrial diseases inherited from the mother. Still can wait and confirm from UPSC's official key.

Q67. 'Two similar looking options', 'a' and 'b' about 'crop plants'. GM more famous than cloning usually, arrive at 'b'.

Q68. Contentious, was a UP-PCS PYQ and answer given was 'c' while some claim the answer should be 'd'. Let's wait for the official key.

Q69. Contentious, as back in 2013/2014, UPSC gave 'a' as an answer to a similar question but now, 'all' can be synthetically cultured. So 'a' or 'd' based on UPSC's key.

Q70. Difficult factual question. '2' can be validated as 'AIDS' therapy is called 'ART=Anti retroviral therapy' so '2' makes sense. But '1' is factual. Answer is 'b'.

Q71. Static, 'a'.

Q72. Eliminate '2', as LED's have longer life spans. logically, '1' also made sense as LED's are more efficient than Lamps and lack of 360 degree coverage is coherent with high efficiency. 'c'.

Q73. Covid related, much in news. 'd'.

Q74. Random trivia. But if desperate to attempt, can think of how 'low density' plastics are more harmful in general(realted to ban of single use plastics). 'a'.

Q75. Random trivia. 'd'

Q76. Static, 'd'.

Q77. Static, 'c'.

Q78. Random trivia. Claims for right answer range from 'c' to 'd'. Wait for the official key.

Q79. Static, 'c'

Q80. Static, '3' is wrong, '1' is wrong too, Arrive at 'b'.

Q81. Random, contentious question. In my understanding, statement '1' is generic, and '2' is also welfare oriented. Likely answer, 'c', but wait for the official answer key.

Q82. Word association, 'judicial custody'= under court(i.e. jail) not police station. '2' is logically coherent. 'b'.

Q83. 'Parole' not a matter of right. '2' is correct. 'b'.

Q84. Static, 'd'.

Q85. Static, 'a'.

Q86. Contentious, either 'a' or 'b'. Wait for the official answer key.

Q87. Contentious, either 'a' or 'b'. My understanding is, it should be 'b' as usually more defined and verbose statement is correct. But anyway, let's wait for UPSC's answer key.

Q88. Static, 'c'.

Q89. Static, 'a'.

Q90. Static, 'd'.

Q91. Static, 'b'.

Q92. Contentious between 'a' and 'b'. Let's wait for UPSC's official answer key.

Q93. Static, 'b'.

Q94. Static, repeated from 2020, 'd'.

Q95. 'Ho' tribe usually well known, 'd'.

Q96. Static, '1' is factually wrong, '2' has two data points(1954, suspended only once) thus high chances of being wrong, '3' also has a data point(restricted to '5'). 'd'.

Q97. 'Organisation combination' usually mismatched by UPSC, Eliminate '1' and arrive at 'd'.

Q98. Random trivia, difficult to eliminate. 'c'.

Q99. Random trivia, difficult to eliminate or validate either. 'b'.

Q100. Random trivia. 'd'

Finally delivering on my initial word, made 3 months back. This brief solution I believe is much more effective than the elaborate one. Find the solution of Prelims UPSC 2020. Know that applying heuristics without any knowledge or context is a cardinal sin. But heuristics when combined with a solid edifice can bring unparalleled rewards. I'm certain you would have worked on the edifice, so find the gift of applying heuristics!

Q1. No option without both '3' and '4'. So one of them is correct. Since CFI has legislative oversight, more likely to have Aadhar mandate. Also, govt aiming for financial inclusion, so '3' also less likely. Eliminates 'c' and 'd'. UPSC known to tinker with data, so 'b' most likely.

Q2. Static, 'b'.

Q3. '1', '2' basic static pointers. '3' has two facts- 'yearly sanction' & 'no carry over', Data in '4' is reasonable '10%' and also coherent with govt's focus on audit & transparency. 'd'. Note that you shouldn't blindly follow any 'heuristic' eg. 'Data' is always wrong. Always use heuristics with context, keep practicing to improve. Blind blanket use of any heuristic is akin to a blind guess which is detrimental to one's chances.

Q4. Static, 'd'.

Q5. Static, 'b'.

Q6. Static, 'd'.

Q7. Static, 'd'.

Q8. Notice the directive in the question- 'reflects'. With a generic directive, a generic correlation could always be established bw the context(UDHR) and the options(Preamble, DPSP,FD). So 'All of the above' is more likely to be correct. 'd'.

Q9. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. Eliminate '4' ,because 'all' sounds extreme & govt ideally would not provide a free legal service to a rich industrialist just because he/she is a senior citizen now. To choose between '1' or '3', a quick calculation of monthly income gives us a choice bw a person with a monthly income of around 8k and a member of OBC community with a monthly income of 24k. The 3x(times) diff was too much even considering the need for affirmative action. 'a'.

Q10. '3' is well known, eliminate 'a' and 'b'. '4' looks illogical for two simple reasons.One, if the '2' in 'Under2' denoted the age of the 'kid', 'toddler rights' would have been a more apt context, than 'child' rights, which are usually given in the context of Under 18. Also, targets of Under 2 and Under 1.5 are related to Climate change. 'd'.

Q11. Static, 'b'.

Q12. Static, 'a'.

Q13. '1' is incorrect, well known fact. Logically statement '2' makes complete sense. Maybe the commission meant that 'judicial review' not written anywhere in consti. 'd'. You've to accept some collateral damage in a couple of questions where the key would go against common sources/understanding. Which again brings us to the initial assessment about prelims being an exam of odds than of certainties.

Q14. In such questions, one can focus on negating the premise of given options to arrive at the 'last option standing' than rushing to what one thinks is right, because such questions are also a matter of interpretation. Option 'c' was definitely wrong as Gandhiji spoke about trusteeship and not abolition of pvt property. In Option 'd', word association hinted towards a system where economics determine one's being. Can't directly relate it to any of Gandhiji's ideas. 'Class struggle'(Diff bw the ends of capitalist and labour class) also didnot make sense in context of Gandhian thinking as he always tried to bring diverse groups together for the common goal of independence. 'Stateless' society is the last option standing, plus 'gram swaraj' concept of 'Gandhiji' aligns well with it. 'a'.

Q15. Interpretation based question. Focus should be on finding the one option that is 'closest' to the context of the question than the others. Logically it is the parliament itself that has the power of widening its own scope. So I eliminated 'a'. Political stability is incumbent upon the political parties(by means of forming alliances) and their electoral performance. Bureaucrats ideally have little to no role in ensuring that. Moreover we read about political neutrality as being one of the cardinal values required in civil services. Eliminate 'c'. Option 'd' looked logically correct. Moreover it is more likelier to be correct than Option 'b' as public policy implementation is a part of the core job profile of a bureaucrat whereas strengthening federalism is an ancillary benefit of the services. 'd'.

Q16. Static, 'd'.

Q17. Well known fact. But there still are ways to get to the right answer with logical guesswork even if one hasn't thoroughly prepped IMF. A more specific option is more likely to be correct than a vaguely worded one. And 'b' is as vague an option as it possibly gets. Also, usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. Here, option 'c' and option 'd' are similarly worded but for the orgs that are mentioned. Additionally, WTO is a facilitator while IMF has a more hands on functioning operating with credit systems. 'd'.

Q18. Static, 'd'.

Q19. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. Age eligibility for voting=18. Age eligibility to become a member of state legislature=25, after which one becomes eligible to serve at a ministerial post. Thus, even if one were to be made a minister without getting a membership of the house, it sounded unlikely that an 18 yr old Voter ID holder could be made a minister. for 6 months. Eliminate '1'.
Statement '2' had two facts, '5 years' and 'permanent disqualification'. If either is wrong, statement would be wrong. So eliminated '2'. 'd'.

Q20. '1' is a straightforward fact and '2' is incorrect as there's no mandate on conducting a certain number of sessions. Either way leaves you with 'a' and 'c'. Now the gap between two sessions could at max be 6 months. So a logical extrapolation suggested that it there's a requirement of atleast 'two' sittings of Parliament over an year. But in questions on polity, it's always better to take the statement on its face value and avoid extrapolations.(Similar to Qn 13).Since the parliament 'explicitly' doesn't suggest a requirement of a minimum no. of sessions, so '3' made more sense from that argument. 'c'.

Q21. Static trivia. 'b'.

Q22. Factual. 'b'.

Q23. Static+ overall colonial rule's impact was negative. 'a'.

Q24. Tripartite struggle, thus Pala and Rashtrakutas would be contemporary. Also, foundation comes before rise. So '4' before '1'. Dravida architecture founded around Pallava age and reached zenith under Cholas. So '2' before '3'. 'c'.

Q25. Static, 'c'.

Q26. 'Sakharam' sounded like a 'Marathi' name. Logically, for him to use 'desh' specifically for 'Bengal' didn't make sense, 'a'.

Q27. 'Cancelled'

Q28. Less known journal, and we usually read about the imp works by Phule, Gandhi and Ambedkar. 'a'.

Q29. Usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. 'a' and 'c' about 'land'. 'Urban' classification less likely as urbanisation happened in phases and was not a continuous feature. Whereas, measurement of land would always be needed no matter what the era. 'a'.

Q30. 'Occam's Razor', religious tolerance related with 'Ashoka'. 'a'.

Q31. 'Word association', 'Paramitas' has 'Param' which means 'epitome', close to 'perfection'. 'c'.

Q32. '2' and '3' are coherent(conjugal rights and consent). '1' has no direct relation with either and looks to be the odd option out. 'b'.

Q33. Static, 'b'.

Q34. Static, 'd'.

Q35. Static, 'd'.

Q36. 'Amarsinha' in Gupta period is well known. 'c'.

Q37. Much in news since 3-4 years, 'd'.

Q38. Directive is 'present state', 'effectively'. '2' meaningful songs and stories seems unlikely due to the directives. 'b'.

Q39. Ideally, '4' should have been wrong. But factually, '2' is also wrong. As in Q13, you've to accept some collateral damage in a couple of questions where the key would go against common sources/understanding. 'c'.

Q40. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. '2' can be easily eliminated. 'd'.

Q41. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. '4' is well known and is the reason for '1', as after delivering the drugs and antigens, nanotube won't impact the internal functioning of human body. Moreover, since '4' is correct, '2' is highly unlikely as that would make the artificial capillary susceptible to rupturing which can be fatal. 'c'.

Q42. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. All three statements sound reasonable. 'd'.

Q43. Factual. Usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. One of 'c' or 'd' should be the answer. Play the odds in 50-50. 'd'.

Q44. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. All three statements sound reasonable. 'd'.

Q45. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. '3' sounds like a hyperbole, 'no side effects/allergic reactions'. 'b'.

Q46. Usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. One of 'a' or 'b' should be the answer. Also, much in news, protection of cyberspace related so 'a'.

Q47. Static, 'c'.

Q48. Difficult to know exact factors for all kinds of pollutants(Benzene in this case). 'a'.

Q49. Conceptual, More foreign banks, Full capital account convertibility= More exposure to global risks. 'a'.

Q50. Static, 'd'.

Q51. Static, 'b'.

Q52. 'Cancelled'

Q53. Much in news, 'a'.

Q54. Random technical question, 'd'.

Q55. 'IAEA safeguards' would have something to do with ensuring responsible use of nuclear tech. Since imported supplies are regulated, but domestic supplies could potentially be used for proliferation of nuclear weapons without regulation, logically made sense. 'b'.

Q56. Random technical question, 'c'.

Q57. Basic conceptual question, eliminate '1' and arrive at the answer.

Q58. Twisted options, difficult to validate or negate 4 statements independently unless explicitly read . 'b'.

Q59. SCB has a PSL mandate, so '1' is logically incoherent. '2' is generic. 'b'.

Q60. 'Cyber insurance' would not ideally cover 'willful physical damage'. Eliminate '2' and arrive at 'b'.

Q61. 'Waiver' is not an investment, eliminate '5', arrive at 'c'.

Q62. 'Word association', Interest coverage ratio sounds like a parameter indicating how much 'Interest liabilities' could be covered by the firm. So Higher it is, the better its ability to service the debt. '1' and '2' are coherent. 'a'.

Q63. Can't strongly negate any statement, 'd'.

Q64. '1' logically incoherent as trade usually fluctuates. '3' less likely as Nepal has a relatively smaller economy than Bangladesh. '2' is also logically coherent. 'b'.

Q65. Static, 'a'.

Q66. 'short term credit' is antithetical to construction of family house, which has a longer gestation period. Eliminate '5', arrive at 'b'.

Q67. Static, '3' is wrong, '1' is correct, arrive at 'a'.

Q68. Mekong Ganga initiative has India plus south east asian countries((eg. vietnam, Laos). So geographically, highly likely that Mekong flowing into South China Sea instead of Andaman sea. Zambezi sounded close to Zimbabwe, so likely that its basin is around the area. Thus can fall into Indian ocean. 'c'.

Q69. Static, '1' is a hyperbole and MSP is a floor not a ceiling price. 'd'.

Q70. Static, 'c'.

Q71. 'Shramana' tradition related to Buddhism, jainism, so '2' looked incorrect. 'b'.

Q72. '4' is much in news, highest elephant pop in Karnataka. '3' had 'only'. 'a'.

Q73. Cauvery mainly flowly through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Papikonda in Andhra, 'c'.

Q74. 'Red throated BulBul' well known bird. 'White throated redstart' sounded similar. 'a'.

Q75. Static, 'a'.

Q76. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q77. Difficult, unless studied explicitly. 'a'.

Q78. 'Geotextile' is environmentally sustainable. 'Cold mix' and 'Hot mix' antithetical to each other. 'a'.

Q79. Static,'d'.

Q80. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q81. Static. Also, usually if two statements are similarly worded with only slight variation, it's very likely that the answer is one of them. Answer to be one of 'a' or 'b'. 'b' is slightly extreme. 'a'.

Q82. Random trivia. 'a'.

Q83. Unless you have legitimate reason to negate an option, can assume it to be correct. 'd'.

Q84. '3' and '4' are mostly edible, so can jeopardize food security. 'a'.

Q85. Word association, 'Social Cost' most inline with 'a'.

Q86. Single pulse accounting for more than 50% production sounds slightly extreme. Eliminate '2', arrive at 'a'.

Q87. Static, 'a'.

Q88. Can't think of reasons why solar can't be used for submersible pumps or ones with piston. 'd'.

Q89. Logically, 'multiple' of anything(in this case, budded sets) is better than 'single' entity for survival ,better germination percentage. Eliminate '2' and '3'.

Q90. 'c'. Again, you've to accept some collateral damage in a couple of questions where the key would go against common sources/understanding.

Q91. '2' with 'all phospatic fertilisers' sounds extreme. 'c'.

Q92. 'Chromite' sounds like chromium, which is a major mineral in India. Sillimanite sounds like silica. Also, never heard of Bentonite. 'd'.

Q93. '1' has two data points, so susceptible to being incorrect. '2' is generic. 'b'.

Q94. Static, 'b'.

Q95. No human habitation sounds extreme, eliminate '2' and arrive at 'c'.

Q96. Basic mapping, also in news. Apart from 'd', all three out of bounds of Indian territory. 'd'.

Q97. Dwarasamudra related to Karnataka during Hoysalas. Also, 'Girinagar' sounds like 'Gir'. 'a'.

Q98. '2' is static. '1' has a data point which has a high probability of being incorrect, '3' is well known fact. 'b'.

Q99. Static, 'c'.

Q100. Static, 'c'.

For Offline Reading

Hey guys, finally finished the first part of the video series. Feel free to have a look. Feedback is always appreciated.

PS: HD setting hopefully should be available in sometime.

https://youtu.be/xiGuEmeuRb0

Sherlocking - Analysing Prelims 2022 for Success Part 2/10
https://youtu.be/PIIzl5ZzexE

Second Part released. Have a look and feel free to engage with the video as much as you can! Feedback is always appreciated.

Let's meet on Friday.


Agenda:

1. I'll discuss what I think would have worked for me, i.e. changes I made this year, in Mains 2022.

2. I'll do some live evaluation as always from the assignments that would be submitted before the meet.

3. Take doubts if any, based on the videos I'm posting or on elimination in general.

Let me know if you have any more queries based on your study sessions from last week.



To join the meeting on Google Meet, click this link:
https://meet.google.com/tru-yera-ouj

Or open Meet and enter this code: tru-yera-ouj

Time: 10PM
Date,Day: 9th December, Friday

Sherlocking - Analysing Prelims 2022 for Success Part 3/10

https://youtu.be/C0_ioBE5mKE

Third Part released. Have a look and feel free to engage with the video as much as you can! Feedback is always appreciated.

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


For people dropping into my DMs asking me about the group on telegram, it has been made Open Membership. You can join by searching on telegram- 'Reddit Study Group'.

Also, I've been busy with work so took some time uploading the next video.

Here's the link to the fourth video in the series.

https://youtu.be/PQ8LgAwoYoc

Until next time.

Answer Writing Orientation Post:

In my experience of having been in this cycle for 5+ long years, I've come to realise that there are two ways to prepare for this exam.

One is the elaborate way, which no doubt has good returns but is a time consuming process.

Another is the more efficient way, which relies on the Pareto principle.

Pareto is just a fancy way of saying that 80% of your output comes from 20% of your work, fancy as it sounds, it does work in this examination prep too.

But the principle comes with a caveat, that you should focus on the pivotal 20% and not just any 20% chunk to get the returns.


This post intends to highlight that pivotal 20%. 

Below is a 5 step process that would give you the best possible chance of clearing Mains, in the most efficient manner.

1. Read the syllabus keywords for the subject you're preparing and internalise them.

2. Map those keywords with the Previous Year Questions to understand the width and the depth of knowledge you would need to handle them.

3. Refer one standard source, depending on the subject, it could be a book, coaching notes or some successful aspirant's material.

4. Analyse 10-15 topper's copies from the subject to train your mind on how they have been translating the basic knowledge on the answer script. This is an organic process and won't happen overnight. Thus, rather than going through those copies all at once, take out 15-20mins daily to analyse those copies and you would start feeling the difference within a week.

5. Start writing answers on the subject. It's an iterative process but when done in conjunction with the above steps, you would make quick and quality progress. While you're doing this, also start making crisp short flash notes that ideally should be made in your own handwriting and should contain only keywords, value add that with enough revision, would form a part of your muscle memory in months to come.


We're going to execute those principles together starting with Internal Security first. I would help you analyse the syllabus and provide my insights on the potential best resource/copies to refer. We would then begin writing answers once in two or three days and within 4-5 sessions, the subject will stand prepared.

As already discussed, you would have the option to opt for dedicated evaluation of your daily scripts at a per day nominal cost.

Two points of discussion about the Paywall:

-Paywall for dedicated evaluation became a necessity as it includes an element of contractual obligation to deliver quality and improves accountability of both parties to perform at their best.

-Paywall is non bundled in the sense that you 'pay as you play' so you would only come back for evaluation again if it adds value to your preparation, something I'm confident of delivering.


Even in case you don't opt for the dedicated evaluation, this initiative will certainly aid your mains preparation by giving you the right way to prepare, forum for peer review and my insights on the overarching approach for writing good answers.

I'm planning to start by 21st /22nd so people who want to write, should get started on internal security.

I will make a dedicated post on Internal Security prep soon.

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