Takeaway points from Main-2014

Maverick33

http://forumias.com/discussion/3042/takeaway-points-from-mains-2013
I found this thread one of the most useful thread on this forum.

So one the same line

Hi fellow members of the forum, as mains are over, it will be good to put down your observations from this new pattern and suggest other candidates about strategy and Dos and Donts in preparation.

Best of luck for interview call.

Happy Learning

It may be very early to start this thread, as most of us would be liquoring and what not after 9 days of toiling work!

So analyse the paper cool mindedly, and share some important Dos and Donts!

Atul

http://forumias.com/discussion/3042/takeaway-points-from-mains-2013
I found this thread one of the most useful thread on this forum.

So one the same line

Hi fellow members of the forum, as mains are over, it will be good to put down your observations from this new pattern and suggest other candidates about strategy and Dos and Donts in preparation.

Best of luck for interview call.

Happy Learning

It may be very early to start this thread, as most of us would be liquoring and what not after 9 days of toiling work!

So analyse the paper cool mindedly, and share some important Dos and Donts!

+1

Target_2014_15

1. If you're a male start doing pull ups, females can try yoga for arms or other such.
2. Write everyday, well not Everyday but regularly.
3. Catch current affairs when it happens/ DON'T Procrastinate.
4. Look at both past qs and syllabus but more weightage to syllabus.
5. Rest inter-papers held on the same day.
6. Basic books are enough for facts, analyse and link them to newspapers.
7. Don't get complacent until your name is on the Gazette.

Target_2014_15

1. If you're a male start doing pull ups, females can try yoga for arms or other such.
2. Write everyday, well not Everyday but regularly.
3. Catch current affairs when it happens/ DON'T Procrastinate.
4. Look at both past qs and syllabus but more weightage to syllabus.
5. Rest inter-papers held on the same day.
6. Basic books are enough for facts, analyse and link them to newspapers.
7. Don't get complacent until your name is on the Gazette.

Ivan_TheTerrible

1. If you're a male start doing pull ups, females can try yoga for arms or other such.
2. Write everyday, well not Everyday but regularly.
3. Catch current affairs when it happens/ DON'T Procrastinate.
4. Look at both past qs and syllabus but more weightage to syllabus.
5. Rest inter-papers held on the same day.
6. Basic books are enough for facts, analyse and link them to newspapers.
7. Don't get complacent until your name is on the Gazette.

Although I second almost every thing you have written , but specially the points which I have highlighted, I second them, the most ..

pradeepk

Pull ups?

SamraatAshok

yes i'm having severe backache since day 2.. read lots of quality current affairs.. WRITE EVERYDAY

HeisenbergWwh

'Lather-Rinse-Repeat' strategy:
1. Expect the unexpected and prepare for the unexpected.
2. Don't panic in th exam hall when UPSC puts the un-unexpected in the question paper.
3. Add another 'un' in above steps and go to step 1.

kaaliyo

@all
lots of thanks .
mind blowing suggestions!!

meena_vns

Cut offs have been brought down from 950s to 560s...
Nobody knows how the GS paper marking will pan out with such vague questions and equally vague answers..
Every year some optionals go up, some move down.. cant even predict whats going on.. take socio/philo/polsc/geo/history for ex - 240 vaala 160 pe bhi aa sakta hai next year.
Just 65-70 marks separate an IAS and someone who dint make it to the list.. the oldies(read interview panel) are calling the shots in a half an hour odd interview.

After a point, it is becoming more n more a game of roulette.

Whats the way out? - Hell, there is no way out.! just like nene and so many others keep saying.. have faith.


For the sake of doing justice to the thread:-

1. When you read news, do some brainstorming.. why when what where past present future economy society technology culture history etc etc.. you will learn inter relating automatically.

2. Read a good amount of current affairs.. "live" more.. tumko bus mein bheed lagti hai toh transport policy kaise sudharein.. light bahut jaati toh power sector mein kya reform ho sakta.. distribution/auditing/generation.. ebola yahan aa gaya toh kaise niptenege.. hope you are getting the drift. The better you are at pulling relevant points out of thin air which "sound intellectual/relevant"the better are your chances.

3. Basic books are all over the internet.. dont read too many. And dont repeat the same thing from many books. I wasted time here.. if you cant revise it, dont do it in first place. And I have never been a fan of revisions all my academic life. This habit is injurious to health in UPSC. Need to change.

4. Good handwriting, speed both are important. Nothing can compensate for speed. I myself wont like to read my answer sheet.. itna ganda handwriting aaya hai. I looked at so many people's answersheets.. only on the fourth day I found someone who actually had worse handwriting than me. I need to work a lot for next year. (yes, I already know my fate. I will be getting back to business soon.)

5. I hit 2700 words approx in 3 hours.. demand is of 3750 or 4000 words.. quality vs quantity comes into picture when you go above a certain threshold. I cant write 15 answers and expect 120.

6. Wrote devnagri script after a decade. hindi ke alphabets nahi banane aaye.. actually copied the questions first in rough to get the flow.. uske baad bhi truckload of cuttings.. when cuttings were becoming too much, I stopped bothering about spelling mistakes. I literally thought ki yaar isse accha pencil se likhna allowed rehta.. toh main pencil se likhta. Ofcourse, pencil le bhi nahi gaya thha. :P Suggestion - please write atleast 3-4 articles from wherever before going in for Indian language paper.

7. Dont just read your optional, study it. And when you have studied it, INTERNALIZE it. Be a psychologist,sociologist,anthropologist,historian or whatever.. Answer writing mein help milega.

8. Dont visit forumias too often, stay away from speculation or keep it in limit.

Aur jab kuch bhi na accha lagey.. dont give a damn. Just have a beer, and bounce back.

Thankyou brother!!

doodlebean

I used to write along with Al-jazeera news on TV. Did it continuously for two months. An hour daily. It felt idiotic and till 10th of December I was pretty sure that I wasted 1*60=60 hours of my life.
Then came the final call.. 14-20 th December.
* completed all the papers
* legible handwriting
*underlining done
*diagrams made

P.s not even a little numbness in my fingers or pain in hands during the exam. However it shaked post exam but on the war front it supported me.