There will be a daily op-ed discussion by Ishika ma’am on Habitat. In these discussions, all the relevant dimensions will get covered from both mains and prelims perspective.
Since, editorials and op-eds are essential but are ignored by many due to the complexity we will conducting daily sessions.
Essay paper in UPSC mains exam is undoubtedly one of the most scoring paper. At the same time, it’s the most neglected as well. While one must write at least 20-25 essays before the actual paper, there are some mistakes committed by aspirants, that even rankers (appearing again) are not immune to.
In this video, Zeeshan sir has checked and dissected the essay of a ranker (under 200 rank in UPSC’19). Through this video, Zeeshan sir will give you a glimpse of UPSC essay evaluation and his suggestions to improve the essay.
With October almost gone, we have just 8 months or less for UPSC 2021 prelims. Enrollments are open for our November batch of Foundation 2021 and the UAP 2021 program.
The recentlyheld prelims 2020 has shocked veterans and baffled the first-timers. If anything this paper has taught is that you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.
UPSC is changing. No more is it about isolating yourself and just doing current affairs, static, attending random classes, or reading a plethora of books. It’s time to bury the old ways for IAS preparation, for good.
70+ selections in UPSC 2019
Not only UPSC has a vast syllabus but it expects a certain level of intellectual, social, and emotional maturity from its aspirants. It’s a very complex task to come up with a study-plan/time-table that harmonizes every element and takes into consideration the return on investment on certain topics.
We’ve just now launched the November batches for the following courses. It is the apt time you should start for IAS 2021. Any delay beyond this point will make things unmanageable for you.
Foundation 2021
It is a complete program for IAS 2021 which includes:
MasterClasses -to ensure comprehensive coverage of all the portions of static syllabus along with an in-depth analysis.
Ultimate Assessment Program – to evaluate your level of preparation through various tests- Prelims, Mains, Essay, Samachar Manthan, Decimate Prelims.
A dedicated mentor to guide you through the maze of UPSC exam.
Exclusive membership to Habitat our learning platform.
Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam. The most important being understandingthe expectations of UPSC; according to that planning and strategizing; then Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.
Through our mentorship-driven and personalized approach, we’re hell-bent on simplifying things for you. Hence, we have come up with a plan that you will instantly connect with you and give you a vibe that yes you can do it!
1. Integrated Approach
Preparation for Prelims and Mains is harmonized. You study a subject, attempt prelims tests and then attempt mains tests for the same. This leads to a solid preparation.
Many institutes our there will not able to present an integrated approach. They offer separate timetables for prelims and mains confusing the students further. That’s not the case with us!
2. Simplified Approach
Our Time-table is the easiest to remember and follow. All test prelims, mains, and Samachar Manthan will be held on the weekend.
Prelims Tests are held on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month.
Monthly Current Affairs Tests are held on the last Saturday of every month.
Mains Tests are held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month after the subject is complete.
Essay Tests are held on the 2nd Sunday of every month.
3. Priority-wise Coverage of subjects
We are starting with the most important subjects from the exam perspective first. These are very predictable + have a very high return on investment. They need to be mastered if one has to have a shot at the exam. Polity, Modern History, and Economics. The lower priority ones follow afterward.
4. Logical Division of Topics
Subjects have been divided into topics that logically fit together. Eg. for Polity we ask you to prepare in 2 parts – first, till Central Government and second, from State Government and beyond. This division is not ad-hoc and does not break the flow of your studies.
5. Base and Advanced Sources
We have divided the sources into 2 parts, Base Sources, and Advanced Sources. Base sources are those which you have to master. You should come to advanced sources only when you are thorough with the Base Sources.
All this under the guidance of a dedicated mentor who will oversee your progress, help you strategies your preparation, plan it and make it measurable, help you analyze and evaluate your preparation; and introduce strategic interventions wherever and whenever required.
Should you have any query or want to have a discussion with a mentor please mention this course and write to hello@civilsdaily.com or reach out to us at 8929987787.
If you wish to do a direct bank transfer, here are the details.
NOTE #1: BEFORE MAKING A DIRECT BANK TRANSFER, PLS CHECK THE FULL AMOUNT (INCLUSIVE OF TAXES). ONCE THE PAYMENT IS DONE, DROP A MAIL TO HELLO@CIVILSDAILY.COM WITH YOUR TRANSACTION ID AND COURSE JOINED NOTE #2: CIVILSDAILY’S PARENT COMPANY NAME IS APEIROGON TECHNOLOGIES. DON’T PANIC!
Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.
*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.
For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check here: Click2Join
Last night UPSC released ‘the PDF’, the result of CSE prelims 2020. Irrespective of who you are, you need a plan for your next move (Mains in Jan 2021 or Pre in June 2021). We’ve released Samanvaya form. Fill it and our senior mentors will call you within 24 hours. Let us discuss.
UPSC prelims result announcement was as unexpected as the questions in the paper itself were. Some of you cleared and some couldn’t.
Irrespective of the result last night you need to reorient your strategy towards your next target. If Pre 2020 indicated anything it was the intent of the UPSC to break the pattern.
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Stands true for the next UPSC CSE (mains 2020/Pre 2021) as well.
UPSC mains 2020 is just 75 days away, while 2021 Prelims is about 7 months away. There is no time to either grieve or feel relaxed. Time is of utmost importance. What, why and how you decide and choose your next step will decide your next result.
For those who cleared Prelims 2020 and are writing mains in Jan 2021:
At this point in time you need to start giving tests (both GS mains and Essays). Your focus should be more on consolidation of information and on learning how to utilize it, rather than learning new things.
Do you have a repository of the issues faced by Govt of India, society, polity, administration and economy in the the last couple of years? Do you have them in a form where you can simply write answers from your notes?
If not, we need to talk and discuss. Fill the Samanvaya form to discuss about Quality Improvement Program for Mains 2020 as well.
The 4th Oct 2020 in many ways was a watershed moment for IAS aspirants. Prelims 2020 has shocked veterans and baffled the first-timers. If anything this paper has taught is that you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.
UPSC is changing. No more is it about isolating yourself and just doing current affairs, static, attending random classes, or reading a plethora of books. It’s time to bury the old ways for IAS preparation, for good.
Enrollment for November batches of IAS Foundation 2021 and Ultimate Assessment Programs 2021 is open now.
Who are you?
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you strategize and decipher the IAS exam and design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in the last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personalstrategy.
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.
A perfect exam cracking pattern
Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam and the most important being understandingthe expectations of UPSC and according to that planning and strategizing; other being Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.
Failing to tackle any one of them, feeds into a vicious cycle. Without guidance or mentoring, understanding where the problem lies in and how to rectify it becomes problematic.
This is where our 3 tier mentoring comes in:
1. First step starts with this Samanvayacall: Once you fill in the form, our senior mentors get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, current strategies, and create a step by step plan for next week, next month and so on.
2. You are given access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat where you can ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time, live sessions on news and op-eds, and find your optional groups.
Daily target monitoring.
3. The third and the most personalized tier is the 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your UPSC preparation – always-on chat and on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate, and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2021 journey.
Here are some testimonials of our students about Samanvaya and our propriety chat interventions:
The result is out and it has not turned out to be a favorable one! Is this the end? What should be your next move? Just wait, take a pause. We’ve something to talk. Please read below and then we’ll talk.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
The quote above is apt for who couldn’t clear the UPSC Prelims 2020 exam. A failing result is devastating. No one expects to fail anything they attempt. Especially after you go in with supreme confidence having studied for months and yet fail somehow in the Prelims. What you do next tells more about yourself than flying through the exam and passing with ease.
But you do not have to worry. Failure is natural; especially in the journey for UPSC success stories. So what do you need to do to cope to bounce back in just 9 months (remember, next Prelims is in 9 months)?
Keys to Getting Back on the Horse:
#1. Failure is feedback. This approach is an agile lifestyle principle. Apply it to your exam results as you do for anything else in your life. Now you know what you need to improve upon. Moderate proficiency requires more mock questions and some further reading. Below proficiency requires a second look as to how you are studying the materials and reviewing your notes. You need to change and find what works for you.
#2. Review Prelims Questions. You must go back and review the answers, especially those you answered incorrectly. Civilsdaily Detailed Answer Key explains as to why the answer is correct or incorrect. Use that explanation to apply to your review. They should give you a result as to which domains you remain strong in and which need improvement.
#3. Don’t Panic! Panicking isn’t going to take you anywhere. Accept that failing an exam is something perfectly normal to happen during your academic life. There are two things you need to know: you’re not alone and you can get a better result. This is just one more obstacle to overcome, one more story to tell, and an experience that will help you do better on the next exam.
#4. Take the time to grieve. First official right of one who has failed UPSC CSE Prelims: the right to grieve! You have a great excuse to take a break and do something like a marathon of your favourite TV series, going out with your friends, drinking a wee bit more than usual, or forgetting about your diet and eating all the chocolate you deserve. But don’t overdo it! One shall not grieve more than 24 hours: life goes on and you have to get back on the bandwagon.
#5. Get things in perspective. After the grief period is over, it’s a good time to get everything in perspective. Just stop for a moment and reflect on what went wrong. Think about what you did and didn’t do during your study period, and ask yourself: “what could I have done differently?” Maybe you should try out different ways to approach your study sessions so that they become more enjoyable and less heavy and boring.
Maybe you did not give enough prelims mock tests. Maybe you’ve procrastinated so much that you didn’t cover every topic you should have; maybe you were afraid of asking for help to understand a particularly difficult issue. What’s important here is to get to the core of the problem and figure out what you’re going to do differently when you retake the exam.
#6. Get help if you need it. Don’t feel embarrassed about asking for help. It’s a way of showing you want to understand something and don’t take pride in staying ignorant.
Talk to your guru, ask your friends to organise a study group, or simply fill our Samanvaya form and we will talk with you. We all need help sometimes!
#7. Plan for success. If you are going for it again and doing resits and retaking classes, then identify your weak spots and have a plan in place to focus on upping your game. Identify the mistakes you made in the last attempt. It can be because you did not do enough revisions; it might be because you did not attempt enough prelims mock tests; it might be because you gave a certain subject less priority; it may be because of the pandemic effects; it might be plain simple luck of 1-2 marks in the end. But whatever it is, you have to make sure that you do not commit them again and face UPSC Prelims 2021 with better planning and approach.
#8. Do it for yourself and not for other people. Given that UPSC Prelims can be such a public thing I often have to remind my mentees that they should first and foremost take the exams and tests for themselves. Too much worrying about what other people might think or say, or trying to do it to prove your worth is a highway to massive amounts of unnecessary and unhelpful stress. If you thrive under such pressure, great, keep doing it, but if you are someone that crumbles under the weight of such responsibility, a shift in mindset and focus might be required.
#9. It can be fun once you get into the flow of it. I have a senior who took my various doubts sessions. When asked how he likes to relax his reply was that was epic: “No matter how good things are in other parts of your life such as family, social life, and relationships, UPSC CSE Preparation is a major part of your life, and not to be neglected. Since for now, you have chosen to be in the preparation that you are in, it is up to you for the time being to make the most of what you do. Of course in the long term, you can either change your plan and embark on a new career. But for now, you can get to love more of what you do right now.” So do not let the failure of last Sunday affect your overall outlook towards UPSC preparation.
#10. (For So-Called Veterans) Do not postpone your preparation as you do not have 12 months. And this is the most important message for people who have faced failures in prelims multiple times. Next Prelims is in 9 months. You do not have your traditional 364 days wait for the next prelims. Therefore it does not makes sense to wait for WINTERS TO COME (like Whitewalkers) to think about strategy every month!!! I have seen people postponing their preparation each month and eventually it is after Diwali festivities when they get back on the table!!! Or they keep changing resources, timetable etc. By then your half a year is already gone and you are in the same mode as that of last year: “Should I focus on Prelims (as it has been your sore point) or should I go for Mains cum Prelims approach”.
They are neither here nor there and committing the same mistakes every year. Just never postpone your preparations. Keep it simple.
Here’s the sad truth. A lot of people sort of let UPSC Preparation “happen” to them. They let their past failures and wrong decisions dictate the course of their futures. Don’t be one of those people. There are very few failures that can completely prevent you from adapting and retrying. As long as you don’t give up, the vast majority of failures will simply make you smarter and more resilient in the future.
“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.”
J.K. Rowling on Failure, during a speech at Harvard University in 2008
Prelims failure is not the end. Rather, it’s a source of insight. If you don’t like where your failures have gotten you, then learn from them and retry smartly. If UPSC Prelims 2020 was Apollo Creed then you have to become Rocky Balboa in 2021!
Fill Samanvaya form and let us discuss what your next course of action should be:
UPSC has released the result for Prelims CSE 2020 exam. Congratulations to those who have their names in the pdf, Let us gear up for mains. For those who could not make the cut, don’t get disheartened, fill the Samanvaya form (Link below) for guidance on what should be your next strategy.
Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.
*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.
For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check here: Click2Join
How to cover NCERTs? Are they still relevant? How to use NCERTs for both prelims and mains? If you are struggling with questions like these, this is for you (open to all). Habitat link and instructions at the bottom. Details for the next session below.
Hello students,
After Prelims 2020, there is both confusion and a certain skepticism about the basic approach for Prelims preparation. Everyone seems to be struggling with the “what next?” question for 2021. There is no gainsaying that our basic approach needs to be tweaked but to discard it squarely is far from being right.
We’ve started NCERTs discussion series on Habitat and with this discussion series, we intend to begin our step by step approach to the Prelims 2021 while unraveling the mystery held by the basic books like NCERTs.
Here we are going to understand the relevance and approach to read and cover NCERTS from both prelims and mains perspective. Not only we cover in-depth analysis of topics, even from the previous year paper, but also discuss the utilization of those topics.
Below are two images of the discussion in progress.
Since NCERTs are essential as they form a foundation on which you will build and develop your understanding, we’re going to cover all NCERTs one by one. It’s discussion series you can’t afford to miss.
Details of today’s discussion
Book: Class 12th NCERT – Themes in Indian History part III
Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.
*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.
For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check here: Click2Join
