Hello all, I am Medha Anand and have secured rank 13 in CSE 2023 . This was my fifth attempt. I have given 3 mains and 3 interviews. The journey has been filled with highs and lows , but as they say alls well that ends well. So lets go along the memory lane…
It all started with a dream, a dream to change lives and impact peoples lives. Cutting a long story short, my mother inspired me to get into civil services, if I really wanted to bring a change in society . But since after class 12th, everyone in my family pursued a B.Tech degree, I too went along the predictable path instead of taking the road less travelled!
Post my graduation, I attended Vajiram and Ravi classes for both GS and optional. My first attempt was in 2018, where I was unable to clear prelims. I had missed the cutoff by a few marks. Despite the failure, I somehow clung to the preparation and stated giving GS Score tests (the yearlong test series).
In 2019 I got into IRTS by securing a rank of 311. I was grateful but still felt something was missing! In 2020 I went till the interview phase, but missed the list by a mark and landed in reserve list. In 2021 I missed the prelims cutoff and was mostly amused by the situation. In dire state of shock and disbelief, I often questioned myself as if I would ever be able to get into top 100! In 2022 , my IRTS training started and I would try to balance both my training and studies together, but the training took an upper hand and I decided to not give the 2022 attempt. But this is not to suggest that I wasn’t working hard during those times. I had joined ForumIAS mgp then and since I didn’t have a printer facility, I often submitted mains answer copies by simply writing on my iPad.
Then came2023 (D-year , which I didn’t know then). I had prepared notes of all GS paper and optional subject, had given enough mocks for prelims (thinking that I have done the best that was possible in the given time frame) . But, as most of you would know, prelims 2023 was a disaster. I was in total disbelief seeing both the GS and CSAT paper. I remember telling my friends that I think I won’t be able to clear prelims this time! I had made up my mind that I won’t be able to clear the exam and was totally relaxed and had left studying too! Thankfully, UPSC gave the results with 10 days and I didn’t miss out much on my preparation. Next few months, I think I studied as much as was possible. While Mohan Sir from IASbaba helped me in writing good quality answers, SRijan initiative of PWOnly Ias helped me in practising answer writing. Anshuman sir’s personal guidance helped me sail through the tough times. I also took help from Mk yadav sirs factual data sheets, which I thought were a game changer. During Interview, Ayush sir from forum Ias helped me in developing the last moment confidence.
A major challenge was to juggle between work and studies and to remain motivated enough to be able to study for long hours. A supporting family ensured that I was able to sail through minor hiccups on the way.
How and when to start preparation
There is no good time to start the preparation. One should start it whenever they are motivated enough to start this arduous journey . Starting with NCERTs is a good option and then steadily moving on to subject specific books. Coaching or not should depend on one’s level of preparedness for the exam.
Timetable
Not fixed especially after getting into IRTS. I would try to utilise all the time that was available to me after training and would ensure 6-8 hrs of study everyday. There were both good days and bad days, but that are then the part and parcel of life itself.
Preparation with job?
Difficult, but not impossible. It did require quite a few sacrifices though, like, not going out for a get together with friends, missing out on birthday parties and so forth!
Mains- Above books and Vision IAS value added material. I had made notes from these two primarily and kept on adding to them based on the test series I would give and updated it based on current affairs .
Optional – Mohapatra sirs notes and test series of Vikash Ranjan sir alongwith IAS Gurukul daily answer wiring during mains
Note Making or Not
Should not be done in the first reading. Let me tell you why I say so. Its because in the first reading people find everything important and miss out the really important points. After the first reading, one can study past year papers and also coaching test series to gauge what topics are really important. Then, in the second reading of basic books one can start highlighting important points. And the third reading can involve note making. I would recommend making digital notes to ensure easy addition and subtraction.
Role of PYQs
Very very important in making one understand how questions are asked in the exam and what approach to follow to study. One must never belittle the benefit of going through pyqs
Revision strategy
I had made notes GS wise and also collected data and quotes. I had underlined important sociology lines digitally on ignou and haramlobus. I kept on revising them till exam date. Please ensure that for both prelims and mains you have revision notes with you, which you can revise at the end moment.
The key is to devise a strategy- Mine was to attempt many questions and that would pull me through the cut off marks. Another choice is for people with high accuracy, they can go on for marking less questions and getting through it. Use coaching mock tests to understand which of the above two categories you fall in and then go all out in that direction. Any test series is fine, as long as you practice them thoroughly, make notes of topics which you found new and difficult to answer. This applies both for prelims and mains. Adhere to time limits and you are good to go.
Answer Writing Strategy
Iss industry ke level 3 rules hain- Practice, Practice and Practice. The more you write the more you know how you can write better. The first few answers you might write, will most probably be total trash. But don’t lose hope. Things will become better with time and effort. Using flowcharts, diagrams and maps is a must these days as they break the monotony of the answers and help the examiner in realising that you know really well about the topic concerned. Special thanks to Mudit sir for Decode Ethics Book. It helped me in integrating diagrams in ethics.
Essay strategy
This requires practice alongwith taking diverse viewpoints on it. Never write a unidimensional essay. Present wide ranging viewpoints and this will stand true most definitely for philosophical essays. For example -“WATER WATER everywhere not a drop to drink is not exactly about water scarcity, but you have to take it philosophical angles. Reading essays of various toppers and trying to understand what they are doing right can be a key here.
Leave a Reply to yashovardhan157Cancel reply