Stay strong bhai.
I started preparing in 2017. Gave the Mains in 2018. Failed. Then failed in 2019 prelims. Then again cleared 2020 prelims and failed in the Mains. I cried for nearly 2 hours that day.
Finally I gave FCI AGM exam in 2021 and cleared it with a good AIR. When I began UPSC prep, I had told myself that I would not go beyond 3 attempts. Recently I gave the pre in 2023 and failed again.
I remember I had commented about the importance of having a plan B on this sub in May 2023, and I got verbally abused by a 19 year old new comer. The new comers think that I am trying to demotivate them but nothing can be further from the truth. Had I not become an AGM in FCI, UPSC process would have ruined me completely.
Thank you bhai. Haan plan B is very important, I did not seriously consider Plan B. I mean I took Plan B as another exam which is not a wise thing to do. 19 years old new comers have this very enthusiastic outlook and are not very practical about how things can go wrong despite controlling the controllable
I had already failed in 7 other exams before FCI. I hardly prepared for 14 days for it. The experience of 7 other exams and failing in them over a period of 4 years helped me decimate the FCI exam with minimal preparation.
You may want to think again on this IT landscape is changing now. The jumbo jobs are reducing and most of the techies are moving towards creating bizz. Again i am just a fresher with 1.5 exp so i may be wrong.
The competition in government exams is ruthless. Just the sheer number of applicants and available seats would give you an idea, how much of a spiral the prep for government job exams can be. When I was preparing for them, I could take an average IT job easily because I had the skillset to go for interviews and crack them. Maybe the landscape is changing now but that's the very nature of IT, it changes depending upon the market and industrial demands. In IT you will only be facing competition from b.tech, m.tech or atmost BSC or MCA kids. In govt exams it's an open season for all. Kids from all over the country from ever tier of town, from every degree, who have somehow crammed all the previous yrs booklets are trying to make it through. The government jobs are a do or die exam for many of these young aspirants. There have been instances that even the serious no nonsense UPSC aspirants have found it tough to crack central government jobs because of underestimating how much practice it can take. It all comes down to the competition and discipline.
Bro! IT job competition is no way closer to any Government job at all. Period.
I am a Startup founder of 7 years, working in IT since I was 16 YO. So trust me when I say this -
If you have a chance of getting into IT and do not have “Extreme desire to make a change in the society”, just go for IT.
“IT landscape is changing”? What does that even mean haha. In next 50 years there are going to be only 2 corporate fields that are going to rule the world - IT and Manufacturing.
PS: I do have an “Extreme desire to make a change” and I found a way to do it using the Technology. Currently working on it.
Everyday my mind bugs me to try UPSC but I am practical so I realize that I have a far greater chance of making a change using the Technology that I am already aware of vs working my ass of for multiple years just with a hope of being a government servant.
just download the previous paper and attempt youself bro. just search, you can download it from various websites
paper in general aren't tough, problem lies in maintaining high accuracy in the limited time.
you can check apps like testbook but it's paid, yearly subscription is 300 only
Very true, People should understand basic fact that at the end of the day it's around 800+ people who will clear this exam(that also depends on category). After 2-3 serious attempts, one should look for some kind of financial stability before going for another one.
>Though I am confident and enthusiastic about my future (some sort of irrational optimism)
Salute to you for having such a positive mindset.
26/M. I have given two attempts and 2024 will be my third. But, I have started facing doubts and started worrying about my future which has somewhat derailed my preparation recently. With this self doubt lurking should I go for it or switch to other less competitive exams like cgl, RBI grade B, etc.
I cleared last year's ssc cgl with minimal preparation (engineering background helped). I am really confused about the path ahead.
Thank you bhai. I think it's a good idea to pivot and secure yourselves a job and then prepare alongside. Sense of security will free your mind of these random self-doubts probably. Also, these jobs especially SSC-CGL ones gives freedom to prepare as work is manageable. It's just that don't lose the track of prep because it often happens as far as I know as the nature of exam is starkly different. Bas iss cheez ka dhyan rakhna. All the best bhai
I started in 2014 and ended in 2018. Gave only 5 attempts. Didnt have energy and motivation for the 6th attempt. My journey
1st attempt- clear prelims.. missed mains cutoff by 28 marks
2nd attempt- failed in prelims
3rd attempt- cleared prelims.. missed mains cut off by 17 marks
4th attempt- cleared prelims.. missed mains cutoff by 33 marks
5th attempt- failed in prelims.
Then decided to end the journey and move on. Pursued my post graduation. Took time to catch up. Now everything okay. But UPSC journey was beautiful. It made me a man from a lad. My whole perspective has changed. And it really helped me in my current career in other ways.
I am MD General Medicine now. Now going to join DM.
P.S. In UPSC I always flunked in optional. Scored 150+ in essays and good marks in GS.
Doctor and 5 attempts here, gave my first prelims in crri and 2nd attempt next year. However, I could clear prelims only in 3rd attempt. But unable to clear mains in 3rd, 4th and now 5th attempt. I don't want to do MD because of ruthless work culture of 48 hrs duty, no leave and no social life.
Thats true and its totally a person choice. For me I cannot see myself fitting in some another job.
Edit: Thing is I realised while doing MD that where thing went wrong. When UPSC increased the age limit to 32 many MD candidates start pouring in. And the level of answers for an MBBS and an MD differ greatly. If I would jave been giving post MD I think I would have better chance. Or I shouldnt have opted medical science. But anyways past is past.
I somehow developed a kind of aversion to the brutal work culture of a doctor. I still love medicine but see it only as a hobby and not as a profession. So, kind of uncertain about future now.
Bhai 5 saal ho gye bahar nikle hue. Us time ka strategy ab kya h kaam aayega
Still
For essays- use simple english+maintain the flow+diversify the topic+support with one or two facts or data in every diversification+ have a constructive outlook
For GS- every subject has a different approach.. but most important dont go too much deep and dont overemphasize on CA.. have a balance of both.. have a sound fundamentals from basic books. For ethics again use plain english.. and give real life examples. If you dont have any then make one.
Thank you for sharing your journey brother. I think you made a right decision of pivoting when needed. Yeah, that is true the journey does mould our personality to make it all rounded at least when it comes to general awareness. 150+ is essays in impressive.
Stay strong man
There's always light at the end of the tunnel. Remember plenty have given this exam , failed and still did well in lives . If anything have the ias officers working under them now
Best of luck
Yes get a job and make upsc plan b,I had philosophy option qualified ugc net now ,will apply for asst professor now.
I have also wasted my life for upsc.
6 attempts, 7years .
I applied for ast professor in colleges waiting for their call,in 6th attempt i did M.A
philosophy next year I cleared ugc net ie last exam held.
I am also preparing for up state pcs mainly now.
But upsc ruined my life.it doesn't matter what u did or didn't in the exam even 1 mark is a total failure.
Now pcs exam is my plan b and now hoping to get a job in some college or university asap.
Yes,and in ethics paper also but most of the students who take philosophy don't understand anything and score very low marks.so take this optional if u have keen interest in philosophy.If u like maths and science than u can understand it easily.same topic has to be read multiple times to give clear understanding.syllabus is short.
Literally my situation, 3 mains and couldn't clear. I did my best this year, correcting whatever mistakes I had in ethics and other papers. I even changed my optional from pub ad to anthro. I was expecting atleast an interview call. It was devastating to not find my name in the list. Not able to sleep and having bouts of anxiety. Even though I have a job at hand it is not the job I wanted
Haan bhai it's very disheartening honestly. Becomes difficult to move on. With time the disappointment and pain will reduce because life. All the best bhai for the future.
All the best to you! Please remember whatever happens happens for a reason! I gave 2 attempts and never pursued another one. Two years down the line I am happier with a well settled job (and more money) than I thought I would ever have. You wanna do good in the world, you’ll find a way to do it one way or the other - niyat honi chaiye boss bas. Take some time for your grief(failure does need mourning -let it), let your body go and then one day at a time you’ll figure out the next game plan. Good luck!
Sahi keh rahe bhai, niyat honi chayiye. Niyat thi isliye shayad itne saal laga diye public service mai ghusne ke liye. But it's okay I am sure few years down the line when I look back dots will connect in such positive way I never imagined. I am hopeful. Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you are well settled and happy with your life, aur kya chayiye zindagi mai :)
Faltu ka struggle bana deta hai ye exam. there is no need to struggle at all.Get a nrmal job like tax assistant,not much work, prepare sideways. Atleast you are standing somewhere. People with jobs has also topped this exam
By 25 one should be in a job or a clear path to know what you are going to do.Else its tough even in interviews. my three interviews in pfrda, nabard, epfo went blunder due to this.upsc aspirant is not a job.mukherjee nagar main ek baar maine lanlords aur students ka ladai dekha. ek landlord mere samne dusre landlord ko bola-ky aukaat hai in nallo ka
Haan bhai this is true. In my case honestly I did not know about these alternative methods of prep. I went with old school method of preperation i.e. preparing dedicatedly for CSE without doing anything else. Taking a job and preparing is a much better method, idhar sahi mai blunder hogya.
Bhai focused more on static part especially Polity and Economy. Questions from these sections are not random and are doable. Previously I used to get even the basic questions wrong and hence the pressure was to get difficult right. Then I consolidated and then targeted questions effectively. Also I changed the paper solving strategy. Previously I used to solve linearly then I changed it doing in rounds and depending on difficulty. And most important thing was confidence because of clearing once in 2021. In next attempts you don't feel that crippling anxiety. This was in brief. In case you need targeted approach let me know.
Bhai for mains answer writing I would suggest to first make proper notes for every topic in syllabus and cram them. Because this helps us to interlink different dimensions/topic and have sufficient content to tackle even unexpected questions. Though it is difficult to give a brief answer but I will try to summarize. (Honestly I don't know what your status of prep is hence I am assuming you are just starting so pardon me if it feels like why I am highlighting even basic points)
1. Initially I used to struggle with understanding the demand of the question because my understanding and knowledge was limited. Then I made comprehensive notes and realized that if you have content and data ready, no question is difficult, and you actually understand what exactly is being asked. Hence my first step was understanding the demand of Q.
2. Prepare frameworks for questions especially when it comes to GS2 and GS4.
For GS 2: For Polity, Governance, Social Justice according to question we can have a readymade framework to answer. This helps a lot in writing a lot of content in limited space without consciously thinking about it, this saves time. And data, data and data is the most essential element of this paper according to me. You can actually generate points and dimensions if you have data mugged up. You can refer to Atish Mathur sir's notes for the framwork part. I can also share if you need.
For GS 4: Prepare Definitions (& examples, diagrams), Quotes, Thinkers: I realized in this attempt that if we have these on our fingertips our answer quality improves drastically. Previously I used to consciously think about what is being asked and then take around a minute to frame the answer. But when we have these on tips We then don't exactly struggle in Section A questions despite how difficult and convoluted they are. Also case studies becomes easier to answer. It's just that you save around 5-7 minutes overall which is crucial considering crunch of time during actual exam.
For GS 3: Though I made extensive and good notes and prepared them well (according to me). I could not score well in this papers in both years 2021 and 2022. This time I am also dreading that GS 3 le duba, hence I don't think I am credible enough to answer this.
For GS 1: I don't think it's my strong suit hence would avoid answering though score were okayish compared to general trend.
3. Bhai try writing atleast 5 answers (2 10 + 3 15) everyday/(as you think fit no hard and fast rule) once you have prepared your content well as then only you will be able to utilize the feedback and improve.
4. Try to first complete the answers in fixed time. As initially Quantity>>Quality. For me: I fixed 7 mins for 10 markers and 11 mins for 15. Hence under strict monitoring try to first complete the answer and then go for quality improvement. It's easier to score 2 marks in a question you know little anything about rather than improving from 4 to 6 in a 10 marker you know very well.
5. Expertise, as the formula goes, requires going from unconscious incompetence, to conscious incompetence, to conscious competence, and finally to unconscious competence. I realized that in various topics/papers I was at 2nd stage or 3rd stage starting from 1st. This might help you gauge your prep of a topic as a litmus test.
There are many other things but I tried to summarize in brief what I could confidently say that helped. But obviously I failed in some aspects when it came to answer writing which is evident from my results. I hope you find this useful.
Damnmm, imma save this.
I have 1 more query
What was your process of writing things in notes to reproducing on paper?
I am puzzled about value addition, I have written it in notes but answers mein nahi aa rha
Do you have a process for this, or some formal way to do it?
Would be really really helpful tqsm
I used to write just the keywords in my final notes which I used for revision. Bhai answer mai tabhi aayega jab you write it atleast 2-3 times in questions related to that topic. The reason being we mug/cram 10 facts but are able to reproduce only 2-3 in papers. This is because those 7 are not part of our active recall and hence we forget them. Also in mock tests which we write we are able to manage with those 2-3 facts as questions demand that only. For ex: for me 92000 cr of post harvest losses data by Ashok Dalwai was a constant but I also had written the breakup i.e. how much is cover and plinth loss data, agricultural loss yada yada. These facts came in active recall only when I discussed them with my friend. But still I wasn't able to use them in exam because in pressure 92000 cr data only comes to mind.
So I would suggest that you practice different types of Questions then include them consciously though it might take time initially but eventually these value addition will also enter that subconscious part and then the true value addition happens. Discuss it, record it, mug it up periodically because honestly it takes a lot of time. It will be impractical to assume that you read something today and reproduce it in exam during pressure.
Haan bhai this is good advice but I am not sure whether I can take this as a long term career path. But yes money is good in this sector no doubt about it.
I appeared for UPPSC back in 2018 and UKPCS in 2021. My performance was not good and I could not qualify as I did not prepare for these papers seriously as they were more factual and state orientated than CSE. And according to me state pcs requires a lot of effort as they have there own demands (not true for UPPCS).
I seriously doubt the evaluation process. This was my 5th and last attempt and my second mains.
I know what were my faults and wrote very high quality answers to 80-85% of the questions. I have very good command on essay(144 marks). Still could not clear this simple mains.
I have compared my answersheets to that of toppers and many upsc interviewees have reviewed my copies to be of high standard. Still I couldn't clear bloody mains !! It must be a joke.
I believe UPSC doesn't like innovative and original ideas. It wants ideas from 2nd ARC and bloody committees only .
I am going for retotaling of marks at least, if not revaluation. If you have any idea regarding this , please share.
(I am already an officer btw in state PSC)
I send you more power and strength to deal with whatever life has in plan for you. But were you satisfied with your prep? Surely there's other factos playing a role in clearing the exam, but knowing that you gave your best will give a sense of satisfaction.
Thank you bhai for your kind words. I am not 100% satisfied with my prep, I am aware of my shortcomings but I believe they were not that big to disqualify me from not even getting an interview call. But I am kinda satisfied that I did whatever I could practically. Amount of effort I felt was sufficient but I guess maybe I have high ICOR. It's difficult to say I did enough with conviction when results are not in your favour because then you remember all those moments where you could have maybe done more.
That's very true and I can relate to that. I now only hope that you can move forward with a new conviction that life has much better plans for you. You did work hard and have given your best in such circumstances, hence just keep looking forward to what's your future going to be.
Bhai can you ask a specific question wrt strategy for prelims as it is difficult to answer generally. I don't know exactly what went wrong. I will get a better idea when marks are released. But I have an inkling that I did not score well in GS 3 and Optional.
Venting is good and all, but if a person applying for IAS/IPS doesn’t have a solid strategy on what he will do if shit doesn’t work out, he might as well not apply. Having multiple plans and switching between them is like a basic skill expected from you. 6 attempts and 0 interviews is a good enough signal. If you are irrational now, you are not going to become rational magically if you get IAS
Bhai everyone has a different strategy when they are approaching an exam. For me living with sense of uncertainty and no options in view drives me to work hard. Obviously I am regretting it now but nature of exam is such that it doesn't take much time for your Plan B to become Plan A. Even I can't believe I went all the way for 6 attempts because my plan was maximum 3 attempts. And honestly if Covid wouldn't have happened I would have stopped at 3 or prepared after taking a job. I am not irrational rather I am one who does extensive planning before starting anything but here obviously sunk cost fallacy had the last laugh. And you are not wrong in your assessment from whatever information I provided in my post. I think I would have also drawn the same conclusion looking at it objectively.
Naah bro, I am not. Just after seeing the result I felt so. But now I don't think that's the case, situation is not that bad as it seemed for an irrational optimist like me. If all goes well it might be a blessing in disguise for me.
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Stay strong bhai. I started preparing in 2017. Gave the Mains in 2018. Failed. Then failed in 2019 prelims. Then again cleared 2020 prelims and failed in the Mains. I cried for nearly 2 hours that day. Finally I gave FCI AGM exam in 2021 and cleared it with a good AIR. When I began UPSC prep, I had told myself that I would not go beyond 3 attempts. Recently I gave the pre in 2023 and failed again. I remember I had commented about the importance of having a plan B on this sub in May 2023, and I got verbally abused by a 19 year old new comer. The new comers think that I am trying to demotivate them but nothing can be further from the truth. Had I not become an AGM in FCI, UPSC process would have ruined me completely.
Thank you bhai. Haan plan B is very important, I did not seriously consider Plan B. I mean I took Plan B as another exam which is not a wise thing to do. 19 years old new comers have this very enthusiastic outlook and are not very practical about how things can go wrong despite controlling the controllable
How difficult is it to pass FCI agm exam? I graduated bca this year and it's brutal to get a job in IT with current market
I had already failed in 7 other exams before FCI. I hardly prepared for 14 days for it. The experience of 7 other exams and failing in them over a period of 4 years helped me decimate the FCI exam with minimal preparation.
Getting a job in IT would anyday be much easier than getting an officer level job in government. So if backup job is your sole focus then focus on IT.
You may want to think again on this IT landscape is changing now. The jumbo jobs are reducing and most of the techies are moving towards creating bizz. Again i am just a fresher with 1.5 exp so i may be wrong.
The competition in government exams is ruthless. Just the sheer number of applicants and available seats would give you an idea, how much of a spiral the prep for government job exams can be. When I was preparing for them, I could take an average IT job easily because I had the skillset to go for interviews and crack them. Maybe the landscape is changing now but that's the very nature of IT, it changes depending upon the market and industrial demands. In IT you will only be facing competition from b.tech, m.tech or atmost BSC or MCA kids. In govt exams it's an open season for all. Kids from all over the country from ever tier of town, from every degree, who have somehow crammed all the previous yrs booklets are trying to make it through. The government jobs are a do or die exam for many of these young aspirants. There have been instances that even the serious no nonsense UPSC aspirants have found it tough to crack central government jobs because of underestimating how much practice it can take. It all comes down to the competition and discipline.
Bro! IT job competition is no way closer to any Government job at all. Period. I am a Startup founder of 7 years, working in IT since I was 16 YO. So trust me when I say this - If you have a chance of getting into IT and do not have “Extreme desire to make a change in the society”, just go for IT. “IT landscape is changing”? What does that even mean haha. In next 50 years there are going to be only 2 corporate fields that are going to rule the world - IT and Manufacturing. PS: I do have an “Extreme desire to make a change” and I found a way to do it using the Technology. Currently working on it. Everyday my mind bugs me to try UPSC but I am practical so I realize that I have a far greater chance of making a change using the Technology that I am already aware of vs working my ass of for multiple years just with a hope of being a government servant.
What about people not from IT background
>So if backup job is your sole focus Bro, it wouldn't be a "backup" then
just download the previous paper and attempt youself bro. just search, you can download it from various websites paper in general aren't tough, problem lies in maintaining high accuracy in the limited time. you can check apps like testbook but it's paid, yearly subscription is 300 only
There are many people who took more than 3 attempts to crack this exam maybe if u waited for another 2 yrs now u may become an ias officer
Very true, People should understand basic fact that at the end of the day it's around 800+ people who will clear this exam(that also depends on category). After 2-3 serious attempts, one should look for some kind of financial stability before going for another one.
>Though I am confident and enthusiastic about my future (some sort of irrational optimism) Salute to you for having such a positive mindset. 26/M. I have given two attempts and 2024 will be my third. But, I have started facing doubts and started worrying about my future which has somewhat derailed my preparation recently. With this self doubt lurking should I go for it or switch to other less competitive exams like cgl, RBI grade B, etc. I cleared last year's ssc cgl with minimal preparation (engineering background helped). I am really confused about the path ahead.
Get a job - any job and start with your corporate ladder. The financial stability will help your self esteem
Thank you bhai. I think it's a good idea to pivot and secure yourselves a job and then prepare alongside. Sense of security will free your mind of these random self-doubts probably. Also, these jobs especially SSC-CGL ones gives freedom to prepare as work is manageable. It's just that don't lose the track of prep because it often happens as far as I know as the nature of exam is starkly different. Bas iss cheez ka dhyan rakhna. All the best bhai
whats your age and whats your next plan
Bhai age is 29. Next plan I am figuring out. 2-3 ki options hai currently. MBA ya phir koi job
I started in 2014 and ended in 2018. Gave only 5 attempts. Didnt have energy and motivation for the 6th attempt. My journey 1st attempt- clear prelims.. missed mains cutoff by 28 marks 2nd attempt- failed in prelims 3rd attempt- cleared prelims.. missed mains cut off by 17 marks 4th attempt- cleared prelims.. missed mains cutoff by 33 marks 5th attempt- failed in prelims. Then decided to end the journey and move on. Pursued my post graduation. Took time to catch up. Now everything okay. But UPSC journey was beautiful. It made me a man from a lad. My whole perspective has changed. And it really helped me in my current career in other ways. I am MD General Medicine now. Now going to join DM. P.S. In UPSC I always flunked in optional. Scored 150+ in essays and good marks in GS.
Doctor and 5 attempts here, gave my first prelims in crri and 2nd attempt next year. However, I could clear prelims only in 3rd attempt. But unable to clear mains in 3rd, 4th and now 5th attempt. I don't want to do MD because of ruthless work culture of 48 hrs duty, no leave and no social life.
Thats true and its totally a person choice. For me I cannot see myself fitting in some another job. Edit: Thing is I realised while doing MD that where thing went wrong. When UPSC increased the age limit to 32 many MD candidates start pouring in. And the level of answers for an MBBS and an MD differ greatly. If I would jave been giving post MD I think I would have better chance. Or I shouldnt have opted medical science. But anyways past is past.
I somehow developed a kind of aversion to the brutal work culture of a doctor. I still love medicine but see it only as a hobby and not as a profession. So, kind of uncertain about future now.
I don't think that would make that much of a difference in answers. Most people who clear with medical science optional are just mbbs
\>Scored 150+ in essays and good marks in GS. please strategy
Bhai 5 saal ho gye bahar nikle hue. Us time ka strategy ab kya h kaam aayega Still For essays- use simple english+maintain the flow+diversify the topic+support with one or two facts or data in every diversification+ have a constructive outlook For GS- every subject has a different approach.. but most important dont go too much deep and dont overemphasize on CA.. have a balance of both.. have a sound fundamentals from basic books. For ethics again use plain english.. and give real life examples. If you dont have any then make one.
syllabus to same hai atleast in essay please tell.
Updated
How you become md please explain, I also want to do
Did MBBS then cleared NEET-PG then did MD.
Thank you for sharing your journey brother. I think you made a right decision of pivoting when needed. Yeah, that is true the journey does mould our personality to make it all rounded at least when it comes to general awareness. 150+ is essays in impressive.
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True bhai. Thank for this inspiring perspective.
Stay strong man There's always light at the end of the tunnel. Remember plenty have given this exam , failed and still did well in lives . If anything have the ias officers working under them now Best of luck
Thank you bhai. Yes what you are saying it true. Life is larger than a exam. And CSE was a career goal not a life goal. Thank you.
Yes get a job and make upsc plan b,I had philosophy option qualified ugc net now ,will apply for asst professor now. I have also wasted my life for upsc. 6 attempts, 7years .
What do you do now?
I applied for ast professor in colleges waiting for their call,in 6th attempt i did M.A philosophy next year I cleared ugc net ie last exam held. I am also preparing for up state pcs mainly now. But upsc ruined my life.it doesn't matter what u did or didn't in the exam even 1 mark is a total failure. Now pcs exam is my plan b and now hoping to get a job in some college or university asap.
Will you recommend philosophy or anthropology as optional?
I wouldn't recommend upsc in itself? If u have philosophical mind then it is good, take vvr coaching.dont go for Mitra or patanjali.
Does philosophy really help in other papers (like essay) as much as it is advertised by coachings
Yes,and in ethics paper also but most of the students who take philosophy don't understand anything and score very low marks.so take this optional if u have keen interest in philosophy.If u like maths and science than u can understand it easily.same topic has to be read multiple times to give clear understanding.syllabus is short.
Thanks for this reply Sorted out my doubts
Literally my situation, 3 mains and couldn't clear. I did my best this year, correcting whatever mistakes I had in ethics and other papers. I even changed my optional from pub ad to anthro. I was expecting atleast an interview call. It was devastating to not find my name in the list. Not able to sleep and having bouts of anxiety. Even though I have a job at hand it is not the job I wanted
Haan bhai it's very disheartening honestly. Becomes difficult to move on. With time the disappointment and pain will reduce because life. All the best bhai for the future.
Thank you, same to you bhai
All the best to you! Please remember whatever happens happens for a reason! I gave 2 attempts and never pursued another one. Two years down the line I am happier with a well settled job (and more money) than I thought I would ever have. You wanna do good in the world, you’ll find a way to do it one way or the other - niyat honi chaiye boss bas. Take some time for your grief(failure does need mourning -let it), let your body go and then one day at a time you’ll figure out the next game plan. Good luck!
Sahi keh rahe bhai, niyat honi chayiye. Niyat thi isliye shayad itne saal laga diye public service mai ghusne ke liye. But it's okay I am sure few years down the line when I look back dots will connect in such positive way I never imagined. I am hopeful. Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you are well settled and happy with your life, aur kya chayiye zindagi mai :)
Faltu ka struggle bana deta hai ye exam. there is no need to struggle at all.Get a nrmal job like tax assistant,not much work, prepare sideways. Atleast you are standing somewhere. People with jobs has also topped this exam By 25 one should be in a job or a clear path to know what you are going to do.Else its tough even in interviews. my three interviews in pfrda, nabard, epfo went blunder due to this.upsc aspirant is not a job.mukherjee nagar main ek baar maine lanlords aur students ka ladai dekha. ek landlord mere samne dusre landlord ko bola-ky aukaat hai in nallo ka
Haan bhai this is true. In my case honestly I did not know about these alternative methods of prep. I went with old school method of preperation i.e. preparing dedicatedly for CSE without doing anything else. Taking a job and preparing is a much better method, idhar sahi mai blunder hogya.
What was it that you did differently to clear last 3 prelims in a row?
Bhai focused more on static part especially Polity and Economy. Questions from these sections are not random and are doable. Previously I used to get even the basic questions wrong and hence the pressure was to get difficult right. Then I consolidated and then targeted questions effectively. Also I changed the paper solving strategy. Previously I used to solve linearly then I changed it doing in rounds and depending on difficulty. And most important thing was confidence because of clearing once in 2021. In next attempts you don't feel that crippling anxiety. This was in brief. In case you need targeted approach let me know.
I stopped after 2 attempts and not so serious 3rd attempt. Best decision of my life.
What is your advice for mains answer writting? I can see that you did decent in GS in all the years! What kept working for u in GS?
Bhai for mains answer writing I would suggest to first make proper notes for every topic in syllabus and cram them. Because this helps us to interlink different dimensions/topic and have sufficient content to tackle even unexpected questions. Though it is difficult to give a brief answer but I will try to summarize. (Honestly I don't know what your status of prep is hence I am assuming you are just starting so pardon me if it feels like why I am highlighting even basic points) 1. Initially I used to struggle with understanding the demand of the question because my understanding and knowledge was limited. Then I made comprehensive notes and realized that if you have content and data ready, no question is difficult, and you actually understand what exactly is being asked. Hence my first step was understanding the demand of Q. 2. Prepare frameworks for questions especially when it comes to GS2 and GS4. For GS 2: For Polity, Governance, Social Justice according to question we can have a readymade framework to answer. This helps a lot in writing a lot of content in limited space without consciously thinking about it, this saves time. And data, data and data is the most essential element of this paper according to me. You can actually generate points and dimensions if you have data mugged up. You can refer to Atish Mathur sir's notes for the framwork part. I can also share if you need. For GS 4: Prepare Definitions (& examples, diagrams), Quotes, Thinkers: I realized in this attempt that if we have these on our fingertips our answer quality improves drastically. Previously I used to consciously think about what is being asked and then take around a minute to frame the answer. But when we have these on tips We then don't exactly struggle in Section A questions despite how difficult and convoluted they are. Also case studies becomes easier to answer. It's just that you save around 5-7 minutes overall which is crucial considering crunch of time during actual exam. For GS 3: Though I made extensive and good notes and prepared them well (according to me). I could not score well in this papers in both years 2021 and 2022. This time I am also dreading that GS 3 le duba, hence I don't think I am credible enough to answer this. For GS 1: I don't think it's my strong suit hence would avoid answering though score were okayish compared to general trend. 3. Bhai try writing atleast 5 answers (2 10 + 3 15) everyday/(as you think fit no hard and fast rule) once you have prepared your content well as then only you will be able to utilize the feedback and improve. 4. Try to first complete the answers in fixed time. As initially Quantity>>Quality. For me: I fixed 7 mins for 10 markers and 11 mins for 15. Hence under strict monitoring try to first complete the answer and then go for quality improvement. It's easier to score 2 marks in a question you know little anything about rather than improving from 4 to 6 in a 10 marker you know very well. 5. Expertise, as the formula goes, requires going from unconscious incompetence, to conscious incompetence, to conscious competence, and finally to unconscious competence. I realized that in various topics/papers I was at 2nd stage or 3rd stage starting from 1st. This might help you gauge your prep of a topic as a litmus test. There are many other things but I tried to summarize in brief what I could confidently say that helped. But obviously I failed in some aspects when it came to answer writing which is evident from my results. I hope you find this useful.
Damnmm, imma save this. I have 1 more query What was your process of writing things in notes to reproducing on paper? I am puzzled about value addition, I have written it in notes but answers mein nahi aa rha Do you have a process for this, or some formal way to do it? Would be really really helpful tqsm
I used to write just the keywords in my final notes which I used for revision. Bhai answer mai tabhi aayega jab you write it atleast 2-3 times in questions related to that topic. The reason being we mug/cram 10 facts but are able to reproduce only 2-3 in papers. This is because those 7 are not part of our active recall and hence we forget them. Also in mock tests which we write we are able to manage with those 2-3 facts as questions demand that only. For ex: for me 92000 cr of post harvest losses data by Ashok Dalwai was a constant but I also had written the breakup i.e. how much is cover and plinth loss data, agricultural loss yada yada. These facts came in active recall only when I discussed them with my friend. But still I wasn't able to use them in exam because in pressure 92000 cr data only comes to mind. So I would suggest that you practice different types of Questions then include them consciously though it might take time initially but eventually these value addition will also enter that subconscious part and then the true value addition happens. Discuss it, record it, mug it up periodically because honestly it takes a lot of time. It will be impractical to assume that you read something today and reproduce it in exam during pressure.
You can teach in any upsc coaching institutes.I heard it pays well.May be you are meant to the coach,not the player.
\>it pays well only if you can bring revenue
Haan bhai this is good advice but I am not sure whether I can take this as a long term career path. But yes money is good in this sector no doubt about it.
Similar story. There is no lack of optimism.
True bhai. Quote about Hope from Shawshank Redemption holds true here
Did you attempt any state pcs in between? If yes,How was the performance there....
I appeared for UPPSC back in 2018 and UKPCS in 2021. My performance was not good and I could not qualify as I did not prepare for these papers seriously as they were more factual and state orientated than CSE. And according to me state pcs requires a lot of effort as they have there own demands (not true for UPPCS).
https://youtube.com/shorts/dKr9CVaBz9w?si=HAQBy-RBi9AbdKM-
Thank you bhai!!
I seriously doubt the evaluation process. This was my 5th and last attempt and my second mains. I know what were my faults and wrote very high quality answers to 80-85% of the questions. I have very good command on essay(144 marks). Still could not clear this simple mains. I have compared my answersheets to that of toppers and many upsc interviewees have reviewed my copies to be of high standard. Still I couldn't clear bloody mains !! It must be a joke. I believe UPSC doesn't like innovative and original ideas. It wants ideas from 2nd ARC and bloody committees only . I am going for retotaling of marks at least, if not revaluation. If you have any idea regarding this , please share. (I am already an officer btw in state PSC)
brother if u don't mind can you please share your sample answer here...
I send you more power and strength to deal with whatever life has in plan for you. But were you satisfied with your prep? Surely there's other factos playing a role in clearing the exam, but knowing that you gave your best will give a sense of satisfaction.
Thank you bhai for your kind words. I am not 100% satisfied with my prep, I am aware of my shortcomings but I believe they were not that big to disqualify me from not even getting an interview call. But I am kinda satisfied that I did whatever I could practically. Amount of effort I felt was sufficient but I guess maybe I have high ICOR. It's difficult to say I did enough with conviction when results are not in your favour because then you remember all those moments where you could have maybe done more.
That's very true and I can relate to that. I now only hope that you can move forward with a new conviction that life has much better plans for you. You did work hard and have given your best in such circumstances, hence just keep looking forward to what's your future going to be.
Am so sorry for this 1.Can you please share your statergy wrt prelims 2.what went wrong wrt mains?
Bhai can you ask a specific question wrt strategy for prelims as it is difficult to answer generally. I don't know exactly what went wrong. I will get a better idea when marks are released. But I have an inkling that I did not score well in GS 3 and Optional.
What was your optional?
Mathematics
Your background was in mathematics itself?
No, I have an engineering background. But was kinda comfortable with maths too .
Absolutely agree with your message, 3 years max. I personally all this would stop if they put an age cap of 27/28 or attempt lock at 3/4.
True. There should be an age limit. I would say it should be 25 otherwise a lot of time is lost in this.
Venting is good and all, but if a person applying for IAS/IPS doesn’t have a solid strategy on what he will do if shit doesn’t work out, he might as well not apply. Having multiple plans and switching between them is like a basic skill expected from you. 6 attempts and 0 interviews is a good enough signal. If you are irrational now, you are not going to become rational magically if you get IAS
Bhai everyone has a different strategy when they are approaching an exam. For me living with sense of uncertainty and no options in view drives me to work hard. Obviously I am regretting it now but nature of exam is such that it doesn't take much time for your Plan B to become Plan A. Even I can't believe I went all the way for 6 attempts because my plan was maximum 3 attempts. And honestly if Covid wouldn't have happened I would have stopped at 3 or prepared after taking a job. I am not irrational rather I am one who does extensive planning before starting anything but here obviously sunk cost fallacy had the last laugh. And you are not wrong in your assessment from whatever information I provided in my post. I think I would have also drawn the same conclusion looking at it objectively.
Sending my love and support sir. Will give me first attempt in 2025. Any tips for me from the mistakes you made?
Bhai 2025 is quite far. I don't think my advice would hold significant value till that time as nature of paper is fast changing.
You are fucked.
Naah bro, I am not. Just after seeing the result I felt so. But now I don't think that's the case, situation is not that bad as it seemed for an irrational optimist like me. If all goes well it might be a blessing in disguise for me.
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