Category: Ranker Webinars

click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

Dear students,

31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. “

This quote by Abraham Lincoln clearly sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

Thus Indian Geography test contains questions from the following themes:

Indian Physiography; Location (Latitude and Longitude); Northern Mountains; Plains, Peninsular India; Islands of India- 23

Climatic Regions of India and Indian Climate – 18

Agriculture – 9

Classifications of Soils and Problems of Soil and Conservation – 6

Indian Monsoon, Drainage System and Irrigation – 21

Mineral Resources – 5

Vegetation – 9

Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks – 9

 

Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test). 

Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

Q.1) Consider the following statements:

1. Kashmir valley lies between Great Himalayas and Ladakh range.
2. Jhelum river flows through Kashmir valley.
3. Tsomoriri and Pangong Tso are saltwater lakes found in Ladakh.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 2 Only
b. 1 and 3 only
c. 2 and 3 Only
d. All of them

 

Q.2)  Consider the following statements regarding soil formation:

1. Red and yellow soils show strong links to the parent rock.
2. In general, if we travel from the equator towards the pole, we will find an increasing depth of soil profile.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both of them
d. Neither of them

 

Q.3)  The break in the monsoon in various regions of India is due to which of the following reasons?

1. Winds blowing parallel to the west coast.
2. Withdrawal of westerly jet streams from the northern plains.
3. Development of anticyclonic conditions over the northern plains.

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 2 only
d. All of them

 

Q.4)  Consider the locations of the following hills in India:

1. Satmala hills
2. Rajmahal hills
3. Maikala hills
4. Ramgarh hills

Which of the following is the correct sequence of above hills from east to west?

a. 2-4-3-1
b. 3-4-2-1
c. 1-2-4-3
d. 2-1-3-4

 

Q.5) Consider the following crops of India:

1. Groundnut
2. Sesamum
3. Pearl millet
4. Barley

Which of the above are predominantly dryland crops?

a. 1 and 4 only
b. 1, 2 and 3 only
c. 2, 3 and 4 only
d. All of them

 

All that has to be done has been done already. Wading through the maze of GS syllabus, understanding the Optionals at a Masters level, writing lengthy essays in a rhythm and topping it all, practising tests that prepare us for the exam time conditions; we did it all. Trust me. 

Some of us might feel highly confident. Some would be nervous. Some must be prodding over the things that should have been done. Let me tell you, this is not the time for all of these. A neurosurgeon trains himself in the most complicated of cases. But each brain tumor poses him a new challenge. It doesn’t depend on how well prepared he was in the past. It all boils down to the moments of application of his knowledge in the Operation Theatre. 

The same applies to this stage at the exam. All that matters is execution. Laser-sharp, clinical and extremely rational managerial behavior. 10 days from now, things would be different. You will be back to the relatively laid back phase and will have all the time in the world to praise/curse yourself. Just, now isn’t the time.

What are the things to keep in mind now. It’s no more a preparation strategy. Take it as a personality development article and prepare yourself in the mind as you read the points ahead:

 

Before/ between exams:

• Glance through, do not read – The time before and between the exams is key to glance through the material you have read. It is not the time for in depth understanding and focussed reading of any topic. There’s no time too. If you haven’t read some topics before, forget it. It’s useless to read it now. You cannot memorise it, nor can you revise the other topics you are good at.
• Make a list – Have a list of topics you want to refer to. It helps in reducing the decision fatigue on which topic to refer/ which area to focus on. Neatly break down the time, allot topics to glance through, and stick to it. If a topic is taking too much time, move on. Ensure that you give at least a cursory look to all the key areas of a paper.
• Hold the nerves – I can’t stop quoting this. In 2017 mains, I had a nervous breakdown before my Telugu Literature paper. I felt under confident and wanted to give up the exam. All I could see at that time were the topics I haven’t covered. After wasting a few precious hours, I have stuck to what I finished and revised them. I could score a decent 140 in Paper II over which I was tensed. Sometimes, it is best to see the brighter half.
• Save the analysis for a later day – It’s tempting at times to go to discussion forums, talk to roommates about the relative ease/difficulty of the paper. In 2017 mains, there was an essay on natural laws and most of those who confidently attempted it started worrying once they are out. Because there are so many interpretations of the topic. It impacted the next paper of a good friend of mine. 
• Repeating the age old wisdom – Get a decent amount of sleep. Eat good food and use mosquito repellants.

During the exam

As this is the most discussed part, I’ll quickly glance through the key do’s and don’ts.

Do’s:

1. Glance through the paper. Attempt the most confident bunch first. Then, progressively decrease the time to the questions you know less and least about.
2. Attempt all the questions.
3. Mind the time and word limits.
4. Fill the attendance sheet properly(I was warned in 2017 mains for making the same mistake, twice, in the attendance sheet :P)

Don’ts:

1. No emotions attached. Fully engage your left brain. No overexcitement on seeing a couple of known questions nor hurt when the Qs seem to be falling from the sky.
2. Spending too much time on one Q. Sometimes, we feel that we know it well, just the right fact/ argument is not striking. Leave it for later. Mark it in the paper. Come back later(if you have time).
3. Forgetting a Q – Yes, this happens. And it happened with me. I scored a 118 in my 2017 Mains GS -3 despite not attempting the Q on nuclear technology. Actually, I forgot it. So please, double check if you have attempted all the Qs.

 

Now that I’ve ticked off the list of making lists, we’ll proceed to the final gyaan-sandesh.

1. It’s a process you have to go through, no matter what. So, why not face it with a smile. Enjoy the process. Sure, it’s easier said than done. But then why do we all love Po so much. Because no matter how big the challenge at hand, he didn’t stop eating the dumplings.
2. Whenever there’s a doubt, think of how far you’ve come. Many people give up preparations midway, many fail at the level of prelims, many cannot afford the enormous social pressure this exam brings. You have endured all that. And now are one step shorter to realising your dream. Respect it. Respect your efforts. You will be good. Trust me.
3. Sometimes, it just needs one final blow. You must be knowing the story of the gold digger. Don’t give up mentally, at the last shot. 
4. Be your best self. The highest potential you can bring, the bravest mental state you possess – these are your tools the next ten days. Be an Avenger who doesn’t just fight but fights his valiant best in times of need. Your confidence, inner peace and state of mind are your biggest strengths at this time. Not your years of preparation or the thousands of answers written.

I would like to conclude by saying that you are all on a relatively equal footing now; irrespective of the amount of work done in the past. From now on, how strong you remain and how clinically you tackle the papers one by one – as a tiger slowly waiting for it’s prey, one step at a time, with full focus – will determine how you perform.

 

All the very best. On behalf of the entire CD team.

 

Cheers!

Swati GL

Mentor

Civilsdaily