Strategy Discussion 2019

CreatingRevolution

Hi all...
Pre 2018 was a proof that a pre fixed mindset, coachingwalas wont work. How have you planned to prepare for 2019? How to prepare in such a way that you are sure of atleast 60 questions no matter what the circumstance turns out to be?

What I plan to change is:
Replace readymade current affairs by daily Hindu reading.
Focus on standard textbooks after revising NCERT once. Bipin Chandra instead of Spectrum, Ramesh Singh instead of coachingwalas and so on.

How are you planning to prepare?
@dkv mam, @pizzza @Yo_Yo_Choti_Singh @Neyawn @shubh36 @Cremator @truthteller @plain_dosa01 and others, Can you please share your views on what backfired and what is the ideal (NOT Shortcut) way to prepare?
Thank you so much!

Please restrain from bakaar in this thread. Lets do it somewhere else.

Jack_Shukla

How can daily hindu reading replace readymade current affairs? What's the basis of propagating such argument?Because anyway we will not be able to memorize entire newspaper.

zohanmukharjee

How can daily hindu reading replace readymade current affairs? What's the basis of propagating such argument?Because anyway we will not be able to memorize entire newspaper.

You are mistaken here , if only one could recall that 6th mas extension had pic of monkey in the hindu article , thats all u needed in the question .
What upsc is doing (acc to me) is one should be aware not taught , understand the diffrence .
OP's statergy is sound if he couples it with revisions

nikhilnain

Calendar 2019

nikhilnain

http://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Exam-Calender-2019-Engl.pdf

AnnikaGiannini

Truthfully last year I met a senior aspirant who had warned me that UPSC was always like this, that 2015-2017 were anomalies. He had told me to prepare directly from Hindu and PIB. I was too overconfident and underserious and didn't listen.
If you pick up Laxmikant and see the PYQs at the back, there are some tricky questions from 2005,2006 that are like this year's polity.
So it's safe to say that it always was like this.

Anyway so my hard learnt lesson is study yourself from original sources. Whatever comes in Hindu go to it's original site and learn. Use Vision/Insights only to check what you have missed at month end.

But most vitally, what I felt reading it was that my last two months wala current affairs magazine prep was insufficient. Unless you revise regularly, you will not remember.

So I suggest to follow spaced repetition techniques for revision.

And seriously solve last 20 years Question papers if you are newcomer. It's much much better than any test series you'll ever find

Elusive

1. Take care of my health. I have to get healthy in 3 months from now. I will !
2. Complete my optional subject in the following 2 months.
3. Never skip newspaper, it's revision, it's discussion.
4. Start reading Bipin Chandra like novel everyday before going to bed.
5. Daily answer-writing practice.
6. Will start taking mock tests early this year, and stick to schedule.
7. Be more realistic and systematic in my approach.
8. I have to start looking at maps regularly.

^too generalized.. idk how else to state my strategy


I have no specific plan for prelims, because, IDK if it's even possible to have a plan.. other than reading widely, revising whatever is humanly possible, praying.

I have to learn to trust myself and put in those questions that I am unsure of, but have an intuition about.. I didn't put in 20+ questions that way, but marked them on my question paper, and they are correct..

CreatingRevolution

How can daily hindu reading replace readymade current affairs? What's the basis of propagating such argument?Because anyway we will not be able to memorize entire newspaper.

You are mistaken here , if only one could recall that 6th mas extension had pic of monkey in the hindu article , thats all u needed in the question .
What upsc is doing (acc to me) is one should be aware not taught , understand the diffrence .
OP's statergy is sound if he couples it with revisions

Thank you!
Are you making any changes to your strategy as well? Been following your posts on forum! Any inputs are welcome!

@AnnikaGiannini I am planning to ditch insights (Hell, I was their offline student too) and start with Disha publications PYQ! Btw what is the original source for environment?

@Elusive True true! I have anxiety and planning to meditate Mental health has to be the priority! Btw, sincere suggestion, dont read BC before bed.. We tend to believe we will remember/study/note this particular point during next revision and we tend to not find time! So atleast keep a highlighter with you if you are following this approach!

Jack_Shukla

How can daily hindu reading replace readymade current affairs? What's the basis of propagating such argument?Because anyway we will not be able to memorize entire newspaper.

You are mistaken here , if only one could recall that 6th mas extension had pic of monkey in the hindu article , thats all u needed in the question .
What upsc is doing (acc to me) is one should be aware not taught , understand the diffrence .
OP's statergy is sound if he couples it with revisions

Your point somehow seems legit. So perhaps Hindu can be supplimented with current affairs booklets but not replaced.

What is OP's strategy?

CreatingRevolution

@Neyawn @nandini @pizzza I am really waiting for your suggestions!! Please show us path if time permits! Thank you!

Jack_Shukla

1. Take care of my health. I have to get healthy in 3 months from now. I will !
2. Complete my optional subject in the following 2 months.
3. Never skip newspaper, it's revision, it's discussion.
4. Start reading Bipin Chandra like novel everyday before going to bed.
5. Daily answer-writing practice.
6. Will start taking mock tests early this year, and stick to schedule.
7. Be more realistic and systematic in my approach.
8. I have to start looking at maps regularly.

^too generalized.. idk how else to state my strategy


I have no specific plan for prelims, because, IDK if it's even possible to have a plan.. other than reading widely, revising whatever is humanly possible, praying.

I have to learn to trust myself and put in those questions that I am unsure of, but have an intuition about.. I didn't put in 20+ questions that way, but marked them on my question paper, and they are correct..

We shall overcome.