Topper's Talk with Uma Harathi N, AIR 3 | Vajiram & Ravi

[Music] Thank you. [Applause]

So, good morning, everybody. So, I am very happy and proud to introduce Miss Uma. Um, she stood All India third in this year's Civil Services Examination. [Applause] And she has kindly accepted our invitation to come and address the students, exchanging her experience of having prepared for this exam. And we are grateful to her. She, like you, studied here in the GS Foundation course way back in 2017 and 18.

And I, she will take a 45-minute session in which she will share her experience of preparing for this exam. Thereafter, she will hold a question and answer session where you can raise your questions and she will answer your questions. Thank you. All the best.

Hello, everyone. This is quite intimidating. I was sitting here a few years ago and listening to some of the topper talks. So, I'm glad to be on the other side. I know how it is preparing and struggling. So, you may have, like, listened to a lot of top strategies and what to do and stuff. So, to keep it slightly different, we'll talk about what not to do. Because you must have heard, this is my fifth attempt. That means I failed four times earlier. So, I could be of use to you by saying about all the mistakes that I did, so that you may not do those mistakes and you can make the best use of the little time that you have.

I just noted on all the mistakes I did over the past four years, so I can be crisp and quick. I just have, like, six or seven broad points that we can discuss. The first thing is, uh, do not read too much. Uh, we might be thinking that we need to read a lot of, lot of things. So, wherever possible, cut down on the trash. What is not needed? So, all of us read the basic books that we read for every subject. So, keep that limited and keep revising that multiple times. Just don't run around content. Or take it from me, content and knowledge base is not what determines your rank in this exam. It's your innovation. It's your creativity. It's your ability to take risks, both in your preparation and in the exam. So, until you understand that, you will be chasing behind the content. This notes, that notes, you know, let me write a little bit more. This valuation, that value addition. Yes, they're all important, but they're only, like, 30 percent of the marks they're going to fetch you. The 70 percent is you, just the distinct you. So, focus on that. How can I stand out? So, right from day one, keep this in mind: How can I stand out from others? Because at the end of the day, the examiner in the Mains is going to check so many papers. So, keep that, like, never forget that. And, yeah, like, do not read too much. Never read too much.

And how do you know that, uh, you're reading too much? Like, every single line or a paragraph you read, you should be like, uh, where can I use this? How many marks would I get if I read this and use that somewhere? That ruthless, you have to be. Like, you're not here to do PhD or anything. You don't, you don't have to care if you have completely understood the subject. You have to understood as much so that you can go and write a decent answer and present it well. So, please don't read too much. I read too much, a lot, that's not useful. That never got me anywhere. So, read how much of it is needed. How do you know? Focus on syllabus, previous years' questions.

So, what, uh, I developed a thumb rule over the years. For any syllabus topic in either optional or General Studies, I would have one native sheet, and that's my notes for that. And I would organize this notes also in very crisp points as to what is this subject, uh, what does it explain, like, very brief points, and why is it relevant? How can I apply this elsewhere? If there's a question on this, uh, topic, what should my introductions and conclusions be? So, for every syllabus topic in GS and optional, I had introductions and conclusions ready. So, if you tell me, uh, like, any topic, let's say separation of powers or anything, so I already have conclusions and introductions ready. So, no matter what they ask on that, my introduction and conclusions are the same. The body will curate it as per the demand of the question. So, this is a, this helps you cut down on the time. So, make an Excel sheet or whatever for all the syllabus topics and have your introductions and conclusions ready. You should not be searching here and there. It's very easy to think of introductions and conclusions.

So, the first rule is, uh, do not read too much. The second thing is the current affairs. I'm sure most of you might be finding it difficult as to how to manage this current affair. Current affairs, which at a point will feel like an end in itself. So, I was there when I was trying to read monthlies and then revise them, underline them, and then put them in the cupboard and then take it out again, revise them, make notes out of them, what not. But, uh, see, please understand, the current affairs is only, like, 30 percent of the Mains, maximum. I would say 30 percent from my assessment of at least past few years. So, like, do not give 70 percent of your time to that. And this is the first thing. So, understand how much current affairs is important. 70 percent is still your static, where you need to have command. So, so that's the first point.

And the second point with current affairs is, don't read everything. Every, you know, dancing happening in the world. If you look at UPSC previous papers, be it in the Prelims or in the Mains, UPSC never asks obscure stuff. They always ask things that we see around us, but somehow we miss them because we are busy reading the monthlies or some other random things. So, try to understand what are the kinds of things that UPSC asks for current affairs and make a list of those things. So, after, uh, two attempts, I understood this. Like, there's nothing coming out of chasing the monthlies or, you know, current different current affairs compilations or whatever. So, for every paper, I made, like, a list of 30 or 35 most probable CA topics that could be asked in the Mains exam. So, this was, uh, what I fixed. Like, I'm not going to read more than 30 CA topics for, let's say, GS1 or GS2, GS3. And if I were to add another topic to that list, then I should, we used to remove one topic. So, I, I cut down on the amount of current affairs I was doing. And for these current affairs, what I did was, I made very short notes. So, I used many sources to make that short note for this, for those current affairs. But the thing is, it's just those 30 that I selected, which I felt are very likely to be asked in the exam. And both in my Mains as well as interview, most of the questions related to current affairs came from this. And secondly, when you do what, when you do this, what happens is, you have very few topics to prepare, and you'll revise them extensively again and again because they're very few to begin with. And since they are on your memory, like, all the time, you can also use them as examples or, you know, you can extract the best out of them for one paper. You study, like, 30, 35 current affair topics, and then you decided to use them in essay, everywhere, in other papers, wherever you can, you know, like, incorporate them. So, my idea here is, read few current affairs, but the, but, like, very important ones. How do you know which are very important? If you care to read the newspaper every day, just go through the newspaper. You see, like, you know, some things are like, they keep happening, they keep happening. And you anyway have your previous questions on your table, syllabus on the table. So, you can relate, okay, G20 is an important topic. This could be asked in multiple papers, in multiple dimensions. So, let me just brainstorm, like, uh, what all should I prepare for G20? What is G20? And why is, why is India's presidency so relevant? These are the questions that, that should, you know, prop up in your mind when you are preparing or making note on any current affairs topics. Like, be very deliberate, active, not passive. Don't just open a current affair compilation and keep reading. So, look at the topic, okay, G20 is an important topic. So, let me ask myself five or six questions on this. What is G20? Like, why is this irrelevant? Why is India's presidency relevant? What, how can India use this to further its, you know, image and whatever goals it has in international relations? Connected to what has happened, like, center-state, because if we see G20, most of the meetings are happening in, uh, different states of India, which also shows, you know, this is, this is the idea that G20 meetings are happening here. I can also use it in a federalism topic. So, if you're very conscious, you will use whatever little information you have in multiple ways. And this is where creativity and your innovation comes up. And this is what makes you stand out, not the fact that you have read and extensively revised some monthly compilations. So, try to be very deliberate, active, and smart with current affairs. Don't read too much. Just read only the most important topics and then write only that. And maybe, yeah.

And the next thing is, since you're in the initial stages, I assume, because you're here taking coaching here, please do not neglect the practice part. I can understand that you're, you're just making your notes and everything. But, uh, when the, when you close to the exam, the exam is approaching, focus on practice. See, this is a competitive exam at the end of the day. And in a competitive exam, what matters is how efficiently you are able to perform on that day. So, you should practice to such an extent that you're an autopilot mode on the day of the exam. Like, your mind does not need stimulation or anything to, uh, you know, let the answers come out. So, you should practice to that extent.

So, for practice, we have two things: Prelims and Mains. So, uh, for Prelims, what I used to do is, I used to pick any two test series and I used to go subject-wise first, and then full length. So, this is what worked for me and I feel is like foolproof. But, uh, what is also important with Prelims test series is, you may take a test, like, some people take, like, hundreds of tests, but that's not, but what is more important is, are you revising those tests? So, every test that I did for Prelims, I made sure that I was revising it at least two or three times before going to the final exam. So, let's say today morning, I sit and take a Prelims test. I take the test for two hours, like the actual test duration. And I'll analyze it and I'll go through it, which takes another two, two and a half hours easily. So, my four, four and a half hours is gone for this work. So, this I do it in the morning session. And now, so my first revision of this test is done. And then I mark the day for next revision, which is one week from today. So, again, one week from today, I'll open that paper and I'll just go through it. Okay, okay. I'll just keep revising whatever is there in the paper and then put it back. And then again, one week from then, this is the third time I'm picking up my paper. I'll pick up that paper and I'll once again go through it. And now, there could still be things that I don't remember, I don't get, or I feel like are very important, then I need to revise just before going to the exam. So, I take a sheet of paper and I, I call this my error list. So, I write in that, like, whatever small points. And then I throw away that booklet, test paper. So, this, this may feel like a very laborious thing. But if you have everything in an Excel sheet, it's very easy. Like, this won't even take, like, more than two months or two and a half months to do this process. And I do not think about Prelims in the rest of the year. It's only, like, two, two and a half months before the Prelims exam that I think about it. So, you have, like, two test series. If you are comfortable with one, then do one. But the idea is, like, every paper you do, you have to revise it, like, again and again. So, put, put all of that in an Excel sheet and have your schedules ready. So, if you have done, if you have taken a test, you should know when is its first revision, when is its second revision, and third revision, and you're done. So, it may feel like a lot, but it's very interesting to do it this way. And there is, like, scientific evidence which shows that if you recall things that you read or revise things you read it in at regular intervals, regular spaced intervals, you're more likely to retain it rather than, you know, you let it flow away.

And so, that's the Prelims. And Mains again. Mains also, just try to take more tests. Be open to criticism. Uh, don't be, I've seen, like, a lot of people, and including myself, initially, I was very afraid to attempt Mains answers thinking that I need a lot of knowledge or, uh, you know, I need a lot of content or that I'm not ready to write. See, they're General Studies. And don't be intimidated by the question. The question can be anything. You interpret it as how you understand it with your, you know, sense of rationality and you attempt it. I just focus on how to, whatever you know, this should be your mantra all the time. Whatever little you know, how can you extract the maximum out of it? So, if that applies to Mains answers as well. So, you take some, whatever your knowledge you have, and you try to extract the best. You present it in a better way. You, like, like I said before, your introductions and conclusions should be beforehand, like, prepared beforehand. There is no, like, a question here. You cannot sit in the exam and think, okay, what introduction can I write? It's just easy if you have it beforehand. And you know the questions come from the syllabus. So, it's very easy to make introductions and conclusions. It's just that nobody gives it so much thought. So, do that. And it worked from it this time. Uh, yeah. Two Mains answers. Just try to see how can you present it better. And go through the topper copies and see what is it all of them have done in common. So, when I looked at, like, 10 papers or so, I noticed it. They do not have much content. There is the knowledge base is not very, you know, deep or wide. But what they're doing is, they're opening up the topics. So, whatever, beat, even when they give like 5G, they will connect it to something to do with culture, you know, how this can be used to revive maybe some traditional crafts or arts or whatever. The idea is, learn to open up the dimensions. Until you stop, like, until you stop chasing the content or knowledge base, you cannot, you know, develop this ability to open up the topic. You know, just think about, we're all graduates, and we have common sense. We went to school and we studied, and this much is enough to think. But the thing is, we are so bogged down by everything and so much content, so much information, so much chaos that we forget to think in the middle of all of this. So, have that, have that trust in yourself that what, that you can think, you can open up the topic, and you can write it by opening it up. So, just believe in yourself and be very smart. And no, no content heavy, just be innovation heavy. Okay, that is the third part.

So, all right. And the fourth part is, I hope you're all clear in the first attempt. No doubt there. But for some of you, you may not be able to, you know, clear. Do not, give up. Like, what happens is, I'll play out two scenarios. The first thing is, you give, like, one attempt, two attempts, and then you give up. You know, just let me go away because this is not happening. So, the other part is even dangerous. So, you remain in the cycle. You keep writing again and again, but you become complacent. So, you think, uh, that you already know. You know, if there's any topic talking, or I already know everything, what will I go and listen? I know how to write, I know how to do. So, don't become complacent. Just try to keep improving and improving. It can get difficult. Like, from my experience itself, sustaining yourself that long can be difficult. But the only thing that makes the whole process interesting is, keep learning. Like, you know, try for, you know, what can I do better? You know, how, what are the topics have, what did the toppers do this year? You know, that seems to have fetched their marks. Always be on the, you know, active mode. Never be on the passive mode. And you should always try to be like, how can I extract more marks? Okay, this time I got so many X number of marks. I failed. What can I do to get more marks? So, this should be your, like, way. And do not, like, normalize failures. It's okay to fail. I'm not saying that you should fail, but I'm just saying that if you failed, it's fine. It's not, it's an exam at the end of the day. Don't make it like a larger than life picture. It's an exam. It's a government exam that you're appearing for. You're clear, you do not clear. UPSC has given you attempts. So, but try to learn from the mistakes that you're making. Just tell yourself that I will never make a mistake a second time. There was an essay in 2022, you know, you never step in the river, same river twice, or something. It's the same thing. Like, you don't make the same mistake again. Tell yourself that whether it's Prelims, whether it's Mains, whether it's overall strategy, you're not going to make the same mistake again. So, that way, like, you'll cut down on the mistakes and you'll learn from them and you will quickly move ahead. So, do not be, you know, don't stigmatize setbacks or failures. It's okay to fail, like, completely. All right. Just learn from there. Failure teaches a lot, while, you know, success tends to get to your head. But I feel failure teaches you. Just learn.

And maybe some other general things. Like, since, uh, you must be in Delhi because you're taking here coaching here, do not ignore your mental health and physical health. The process, you know, this can be a very sedentary preparation process. And I strongly believe that mind and body are connected. So, if you're not in, you know, good physical health, your mind will get impacted as well. And also your mental health also. See, always keep telling yourself, like, it took me a couple of years to tell myself that it's only an exam. It's, it's not my life. And that not clearing this exam or clearing this exam is not going to determine who I am. So, please keep telling yourself that. That's important to keep your mental hygiene and not take everything so personally or not to, you know, get scared, get afraid if your friend is studying too much or things like that. So, keep telling yourself that. And please be aware of your, how your mental health is. So, that, you know, the whole preparation should be joyful. It should not be like too, too stressful and burdensome. So, focus on that as well. Please don't ignore your physical and mental health. They are equally important. I learned the hard way. Since I'm here, I'm telling you. Just focus on them. They will, in fact, determine the, uh, confidence with which you're writing your answers or the way you're presenting yourself in the interview or personality test stage. So, use the, uh, journey to become a better person, develop your personality as well.

And another thing, social media. Like, I get asked a lot, like, how to do it. Well, like, there is a school of thought which says that you can manage both. You can have all the engagements in social media possible and also balance your preparation. But I don't think that's possible, uh, in the preparation phase. Because I've come out, I've been in that, I can tell you, it makes you very insecure and vulnerable. I was very underconfident because I was failing again and again. You can be insecure, you know, you can be questioning yourself on a daily basis as to what am I doing wrong, or, you know, is this the right career choice? So, my point is, yes, these are all the, all of these happen on a daily basis, not like, you know, occasionally once in six months or so. So, we are very vulnerable, and social media tends to play on these vulnerabilities. So, you see others progressing in their chosen fields. You only see the progress, not the struggle behind. So, you assume they are progressing, I'm not, or for the simple reason that it could be, you know, we could be scrolling mindlessly and stuff. So, if possible, just stay away from social media and focus on it. And develop a, you know, healthy peer group so that you can do. And talking about peer group, like, finding, do not isolate yourself. This is not what you should do. Like, do not isolate yourself, but find a healthy peer group. Being in our ORN, I can understand how difficult it is to find a healthy peer group. But if you once find your right peer group, it's only a matter of time till you clear the exam. So, I was lucky to find a peer group. So, just put some effort there. See who do you match your frequency with. See who is preparing smartly. And so, find a peer group. I found my peer group in ORN itself, which, you know, built over the years. But I found my basic, first peer group for this exam, you know, in ORN itself. And we all cleared the exam. So, just find a very healthy peer group and study together. It shares the burden of making notes or whatever. So, have a peer group.

So, uh, that's it from my side. Broadly, I'm sure you must have, like, heard a lot on strategies and what to do and what not to do. But I would say, to sum it up, please own up the process. Everything should be your own. Own up your failure. Own up your setbacks. Own up your strategy. Be very active, deliberate, and ruthless. Okay? You need marks. Nothing more, nothing less. Do not read anything that won't fetch your marks. Okay? Do not, it's not important if you have understood the topic to the point that you can write a thesis paper. No, you have to write a 250-word answer. So, always be on the chase for marks. You know, how can I get more marks? If I'm reading a paragraph, if I'm reading an article, do not just read the newspaper. You know, essay or try to see, okay, if I'm reading this, where will this be useful to me? So, if, if this is not useful, then I won't bother reading it. I don't care, like, you know, if everybody's reading monthly magazines, that doesn't mean I will read. Okay, let me open the monthly magazine. There I find these are like four or five topics that are important from this month. Maybe I'll go through them and make my own note. To be very ruthless, you only care for marks and nothing else. And you should always be, if, if you actually have this approach, you will could understand over time how to, uh, work for marks rather than content. But the problem is, we are always running behind the wrong things. You know, more content, better content, or, you know, a consolidated content. Things like that. Things that do not matter. What matters is, like, your chase for marks. And just keep thinking how can you do that. And, like, be very ruthless. So, that's it from my side. So, if you want to ask me any specific questions, then sure.

Oh, right. Okay. Uh, so my optional earlier was Geography, but somehow I could not, uh, score much with Geography. So, so let me tell you about my journey briefly, so that you'll have a context. So, first three attempts, I wrote with Geography. And I kept clearing Mains of Prelims, even in the first attempt. Like, clear Prelims. And in hindsight, that was the worst thing that could have happened to me because I got stuck in that cycle. So, I wrote my Prelims, and then I went ahead and wrote my Mains with zero understanding, nothing. And I naturally did not clear. And next year, I did the same things again with more intensity. So, I failed with greater intensity in the second attempt. So, this time, okay, it took me like two attempts to question myself, okay, something is going wrong here. Like, I can't be so dumb. Something I'm missing out. So, I started, uh, evaluating myself a little bit. And then I changed how I was writing, how I was studying, basically. So, I, uh, like, threw away all the extra trash that I was having. And I stuck to whatever I talked about earlier, just notes on the syllabus topics and the current affairs that I felt were important. So, these I did, and I cleared Mains in the third attempt with this strategy. But somehow, my option was pulling me back. I had less marks on the option, and I did not clear the third attempt after the interview. So, I thought, okay, let me go and appear for Prelims again. But I failed Prelims in the fourth time. So, it was like a really, really, like, it was the lowest of the low I could hit, uh, as a, both as an academic, as well as other ways for my health. Uh, so, but then I try to look at the positive side. If I can just do something out of this. And this is when it's like, stopped me. Look, this is the right time to change optional. Uh, everybody was against it. So, the whole argument was, you spent already so many years, like, why do you want to shift? But it was not working out for me. So, there was a major risk that I took. The decision that I had to take. It was a difficult decision. But at the end of the day, I went ahead and thought, okay, if this is not working for me, let me just change it. I don't care how many years I put in. All I care is I have to clear this exam. I need more marks in the option. So, I shifted to Anthropology. And, uh, and for Anthropology, I prepared by myself. I just stuck to, again, thumb rule, one sheet of paper for every syllabus topic. I never cared whether it, this topic was from General Studies or optional. Any topic from the paper, if I cannot consolidate into a one sheet of paper, that means I have not read it in the right way. So, I'll read it again. But I'll make sure at the end of the day, I'll come and summarize it in one sheet of paper. And for this also, again, even for Anthropology, I have every single syllabus topic. I had the introduction ready, conclusion ready. And these were all, like, nice, a bit catchy introductions and catchy conclusions. They're not difficult to make. It's if you give some thought to it, you'll definitely be able to do that. And I prepared the notes, very crisp notes. And even while preparing the notes for Anthropology, I kept, like, I kept thinking from the perspective of an answer rather than understanding and, you know, summarizing a topic. Okay, if this question to come in, were to come in the exam, how can I write it better? How can I stand out? So, I incorporated a lot of flowcharts, diagrams, even in Anthropology paper. So, this way, I just stuck to the syllabus and I practiced a lot of previous years' questions. In fact, I used to write the whole length paper of previous years. So, that I did. And the practice also helped, helped a lot. Like, I wrote quite a few tests, mock tests for Anthropology.

As you have told that it's her fifth attempt, so, how do you handle the, just like everyone is, asking that how's your preparation? So, how would you handle this society and the relatives and the people used to ask that, how's your preparation going on? Right. Firstly, like, I am fortunate that I had a very supportive system. Somehow, my parents shielded all of that from me. So, they don't get to me. But the second thing is, you have to manage yourself first. Be okay with the failing and having setbacks, otherwise you won't be able to give an answer to others. Like, I'll give you an example. In my personality test, the first question the board chairman asked me was, what are you doing for the past five years? So, I could have, that question could have made me insecure, you know, if I let it. So, I simply told her, ma'am, I was making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. So, if that, that's why it took me long. And she was okay with that answer. And I was just being so. The idea is, you, you convince yourself. It's okay. What, what if you, you know, don't clear it in the first attempt? Or what's going? You have the time, you have the age, you have the energy. So, that. And the second thing is, uh, don't become complacent. So, keep trying to search for, you know, how can you learn from your mistakes? And, uh, how can I improve? And also, to make things, like, interesting, try to pursue your hobbies. So, I always like to learn new things. So, I enrolled myself in a badminton class, sometimes in a karate class, something, anything that, you know, keeps the process. And also, plan, plan well, and have monthly targets, weekly targets. I plan a lot. So, I had all sorts of targets. So, every day when I achieved my target, it was like a, you know, pat on my back. So, okay, I did this part. So, with all of these things, you will learn to manage. But the most important thing is, you have to have to understand, you know, it's my journey. You know, I don't have to emulate anybody else. I'll do it my way. It's my process. Even if I don't clear the exam, I'll be a better person to face the world. So, own up the process and tell yourself, it's okay. I'll do it my way. Nothing is going to.

Ma'am, when we prepared, like, when we attempt the previous year papers, so there will be the dynamic part. But when we prepare for the upcoming examination, our current affairs base is basically 1.5 to 2 years before the paper. So, ma'am, how do we attempt those questions that is five years ago? Okay. Uh, so, try to attempt them with whatever little knowledge you have. But after, uh, attempting that, you will obviously look at the answer and try to know what is there in it, right? And make a small note of it. Like, write it in, in a book or something. And now, see, UPSC considers that particular current event of the time is important. Now, see if you can use it anywhere else. So, that way. So, if something is very, very, like, you know, dynamic current, if anything that's no longer relevant now, then just let it go. To others, you can try to. That's what I'm saying. Like, you should practice to a point that irrespective of what is asked, you are able to write a decent answer which addresses the demand of the question. That requires a lot of practice. And don't run away from practice. Your first 100 questions or so that you write may not be like, you know, they may be very bad. But so what? The 101st question will get better, and you'll only get better from them. So, don't, like, be afraid of practicing those 100 questions. Just, even if you do not know the thing, try to try to write with whatever you know. That's a skill. Like, you have to learn slowly, slowly.

So, we see that Prelims is becoming more and more unpredictable. So, how to go through, I mean, how to overcome that? I just wanted to know your strategy. Okay. Uh, so, there are, like, two parts to this. First is doing your basics properly. We all know the basic books, right? Like, Laxmikanth for Polity. We have our NCERTs. Bipin Chandra for history. I, I used to do only that Bipin Chandra part for history, the NCERT and Spectrum. They have some pages, like, summary kind of thing. I tore those pages from Spectrum and I just did that. After, after that, so we all have the basic books, and you have studied those books, and you have made short notes, whatever notes. The basics are done, and that's fine. Now, uh, the second part is, like, how do you, uh, incorporate the things that you do not know, or, you know, the random, like, the randomest questions that they are throwing at us in the Prelims? How do you tackle with that? And this is where practice comes into picture. It is by practicing a lot of, lot of exams that you learn how to deal with them. Like, trust me, nobody has to come and tell you what elimination technique you have to use, or how many you should attempt. Over the process of 60 or 70 mock tests that you write, you will learn this. So, in the, you will see a, like, drastic change in performance. So, what I used to do is, I used to give, like, five or six days for first history. Let's say I'm starting with modern history. Whichever two test series that I pick up, I take modern history questions. So, they generally, each test series has 35 questions, if I'm not, 35 papers. So, modern history gets like two or three, uh, sectional tests. So, I take two or three sectional tests from test series one, and again, two sectional tests from test series two. So, I have five tests. I have six days to finish my modern history. So, in the morning sessions, I would do the paper, solve the papers. In the afternoon session, I will revise my, whatever basics that I've done. So, this is what I used to do for every, uh, every subject. Once I'm done with subjects, I will start with full-length tests. Each test series gives me 10 full-length tests. So, I have like 20 full-length tests. So, once I'm done with all the sectional tests, now I'll start with the full-length test. And the next 20 days, it will be full-length tests. And I'm also like, a, like, I told you before, these tests have should also be revised. So, you should have a whole schedule planned as to what you're doing. So, this way, you can manage. But the key is to, like, when I didn't clear Prelims in my fourth attempt, it was actually my CSAT that stopped me. Not the GS one. So, I cleared Prelims in all the five times that I've taken the test. And this is the key is practice. Like, practice. And like, don't be afraid of what you do not know. Learn from the test series. Like, whatever solution that they provide, pick up points from there and, you know, make a note of it. In fact, when I was waiting for this result, I was solving mock tests until the day before. Because that, that waiting period, it drives you insane. And the only sane thing that you can do is just put yourself in a book or something. Anyway, so I was doing Vajiram's mock test. And there was this question, or there was this question this year, no, who had given Du Daman and the Yuka Du to some Portuguese or something? And I think the answer is Bahadur Shah. So, this question I got it from, like, a test series only. And I got it wrong in the test series because I thought Bahadur Shah was like a Mughal Emperor, and they're talking about Emperor. Okay, this is like, cannot be the answer. But then when I checked my key back then, so I thought, okay, this is. And I had written down in my error list because this, this fact happened. And the same question came in. So, it doesn't matter what test series you're doing. So, there are a lot of new things you can learn from the test series. Don't be like, oh, this test series has all new things. I did not read any of this. Let me go back and read and then come back and do test series. It's okay if you do not know. If it's okay if you know just 30 or 40. But make sure once you have analyzed the test, you have, like, gone through all the new stuff. And you'll revise, revise, and then you'll pick up the new points. So, you can go about like this.

Myself, I'm not a mathematics person, purely humanities student. So, what could be the strategy to tackle CSAT? I think CSAT is becoming tricky even for those from technical backgrounds. I graduated from an IIT, and yet I could not clear CSAT in the fourth attempt. So, everybody, like, don't take CSAT lightly. And I think CSAT, see, just don't stick to, I will answer only math questions, or I will answer only English questions, or I'll answer only logical reasoning. Try to put your hand in all the three types of questions and pick the easiest questions. You only have to get, like, the qualifying marks. So, pick those. And second thing, there are always certain types of questions coming in: clock problems, averages, or cube problems, some permutations and combinations, arrangement problems. You go through the test papers, like, you take last five years' because CSAT papers and analyze what kind of questions are coming. You will find there almost 10 or 11 types of questions that keep coming up. And now that you have sorted out what are these types of questions, go find out how to solve them in, in very less amount of time. They're always formula shortcuts or whatever. Just go and search on the YouTube. But now you would have known how to solve those 10 types of questions. If it's in, you know, within a matter of few minutes. So, with that, you can manage. With this, you can manage to, you know, get the qualifying score. Okay.

So, the mistake I did with the classes was, I did not relate what was being taught in the class to the syllabus or the previous question. So, whatever you study in the class, your focus should be, you should be very clear, okay, this I'm, what I'm studying today belongs to this syllabus topic, and in this syllabus topic, so and so previous questions have been asked. So, once the teacher is done with that topic, am I able to understand this topic, you know, in a decent way, and am I able to answer those previous questions? So, if you're this conscious about what is being taught in the class and not treat, like, class notes as an end in itself, the end is the actual exam. And the only, uh, guiding lights that we have are previous years' questions and syllabus papers. So, whatever is being taught in the class, you relate to that. And I did not do that. I used to just read class notes and an end in itself, which, which is the worst thing that you can do. Okay. So, any coaching institute, so they help you only to the extent of 20 to 30 percent. The rest has to come from you. You know, that's, that distance, that is what makes you stand out in the actual exam. You don't have to write each and everything the sir is saying. Once you clear, okay, that is why you should understand how to make notes in general. So, if you're making notes on any topic, click any topics, remains General Studies or your option subject, you should have some pointers on which you make notes, like, you know, what is this topic about, why is this important, everything should be in the crisper bullet points, and how is this relevant. So, if you have such pro pointers beforehand, so whenever the teacher is talking something relevant to those pointers, you will note it down. The rest, you don't have to note down, right? So, be very conscious of how to make notes in the first place, like, what are the areas that you should, what kind of points you should be writing down. The some of the, some of the important things are, like, the dimensions. If you see a teacher teaching something and then linking it to some other paper or some other thing, note that down because that's important. The more you open up a topic, the more marks you'll get. And application part. So, let's say, uh, there's a class going on on Quantum Computing or Artificial Intelligence. So, if you look at the previous questions, so they asked the application part on this, particularly on agriculture and health. These two areas, the application, they've asked. Even otherwise, application in any other areas also important. So, if that is being taught, they may teach you like, a lot of things. But you understand the topic, like, you know, very briefly, what is this about. You know, if there's a question on, uh, AI or Quantum Computing, can I just put, after writing the introduction, can I put in a box, some, you know, information like, with AI, you can say different things within AI, like a flowchart sort of thing. These are all general components of AI, machine learning, or whatever. I put it in a box, and then I go to the demand of the question. And here, when the sir is teaching, you can think about, okay, health, just health, so and so. Agriculture, so and so. Disaster management, so and so. You know, social issues, so and so, like, gender empowerment or things like that. To know what is important, know how notes should be made, so that you can only pick up those points from the lectures. You don't have to, like, write everything that they're saying. What you feel is important, note that down. And the rest, just listen.

Mom, actually, I'm facing a lot of problem while doing the current affairs. A lot of time is getting devoted, sometimes five hours too. So, I just want to know, okay, how did you do it? What were your sources? How did you manage time? Did you read the monthly compilations? And how did you integrate it with them? Like, did you make notes on the daily basis? GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4? How did you bifurcate them? Okay. So, first thing, I regularly read a newspaper. Like, I never, never stopped reading the newspaper. The first thing I do after waking up is read newspaper over tea. And it's like a habit. So, that. And secondly, I used to read monthlies in the beginning, but I realized the, the amount of time, like, you said, I was putting into it, and the benefit I was getting was simply not logical. So, I stopped reading that. Instead, what I did was, like, every day I used to read newspaper. If, if a topic is getting repeated again and again and again, and I feel that's important, I used to make a note of that topic. Not even like things picking up from that. So, I used to have a current affairs book. So, in that, I just, let's say, if the G20 topic is coming again and again and again, I used to write G20 as an important topic there. So, throughout the month, I used to just write down the topics. And whenever I get time, I used to make notes on those. And again, just one sheet of notes on those topics. And while making this topic, I used to notes, I used to refer to multiple sources, whether it's monthlies or YouTube video or some other resource. But the thing is, I used to look at all of that and pick up just what is needed to me. You know, what is this topic? Why is it important? I used to ask these questions. These questions are very important. That is what makes the preparation active and not passive. So, you ask, like, what questions I can ask a common person. G20, I am a common person. What are the doubts that should come to me? Like, why is the government making such a big deal out of it? You know, why is it such a big deal internationally? These are some common sensical questions that UPSC tends to ask and remains exam. So, you ask those questions firsthand and write, try to, like, collect shorter points. And then, like, have a note of that. So, by, for one month, I used to have barely, like, barely 10 or 15 topics, like, maximum. Okay. But, like, never, never more than.

That and, uh, again, when I'm, uh, reading for Mains, I used to sort them, like, you know, where are these more relevant? So I used to just write next to the topic index. Me, I used to write, "Okay, this is more relevant for GS2, GS3, GS3." So that when I'm, uh, studying paper-wise for the Mains, I'll have all the relevant current affairs for that paper in the, at a place. But this is the process I followed. This helped me, like, cut down, uh, a lot of time that I was spending on current affairs, and I was focusing only on the most important things. And since the topics were so few, like, one month, you won't find more than 10 important topics, 10 or 15. And I used to revise them a lot, again and again and again. Okay? And I used to use them in so many places, like in essay or in ethics or anywhere. So I was never in dearth of examples or value addition points because I have this current affair things which, which I was revising again and again. But what happens with monthly is you have almost like 100 topics there. How will you have them on your fingertips? It's not possible. So that's why be very deliberate. Just do whatever is important, that's it.

And the second thing that I did with current affairs was I had a Google Doc. So I put all the syllabus topics there. So I had one document each for GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4. Uh, I had all the syllabus topics in that doc, one below each, like all the topics. And whenever I found something very interesting or, uh, something that I thought, you know, I can, uh, if if a question comes on this topic from the exam, I am going to mention this, no matter how they frame the questions, I will find a way to incorporate this. So those points I used to write in that doc. These are like high, high value addition points. And I, I used to just summarize it in like one or two lines, that's it, in in that document. So if on the when I was like revising finally after Prelims for the Mains, I only had these things to revise: the current affairs book that I had, and the value addition book that I had, the introductions and conclusions book that I had for all the topics. So these things I was doing.

Uh, right. So environment is largely dynamic, like it's current affair oriented. So I picked, I made a list of what are the most important environment topics. So climate change or whatever, like, we keep reading it, right? So some of the key legislations are always important. They cannot, there can always be a question on Biodiversity Act or Environmental Protection Act. So these I made a list of the topics, both from current affairs and from the general understanding that what should a common person preparing for, you know, a general study should, should have command on. There are hardly 15 to 20 topics such topics. And again, I prepared my notes on it. The idea is that, like, you have to pick up what you think are important for this exam. And how will you know? If you look at the syllabus and previous years' questions, if you look at these two things, you'll get an idea of, okay, these are the areas that I have, that I should have my notes on. So I'll just make notes on these areas and I'll keep revising them. So I picked up such topics and made notes and revised just that.

Ma'am, what is the basis for demarcating the boundary while writing the GS and optional answer? Ma'am, being as a Geography optional student, after writing a good amount of answers, it is difficult to demarcate a boundary while I am writing the GS answers in Geography sections. What to pick, what to not pick in GS, and what, and what to include in optional? So it is very difficult, ma'am. So that's why I want to, uh, ask this point. Right, maybe I am not the right person to ask. I could not do that and hence I had to, you know, change the option. But from the understanding I had from Anthropology, I can answer. So in optional, try to make it more scholarly or like more, you know, not general. It shouldn't feel generic. So for my subject, Anthropology, I used to quote a lot of scholars. I used to write a lot of tribal examples or case studies. These things I used to do. Like these are the only things. And I can understand Geography is once it's a subject which tends to be slightly like General Studies. But, you know, find your way to distinguish. But it's very important to distinguish. Do not write GS answers in Geography. It won't fetch you marks. So maybe, like, look at, you know, notes, answer sheets of toppers who cleared with Geography, and maybe you'll get a better idea there.

Yes, I just need to ask that, uh, how to make sure that what we are learning, the concept, the fact, that even though dynamic part, it remains with us. We are aware of this topic, but we know the information about that and we keep it, please keep it in our mind. Right, right. Correct. So this happened. This is difficult to do when you're reading too much and too many topics. But when you cut it down. So for, let me say, for example, the current affairs that I was doing, I only had very few topics to begin with. And I used to make sure I'm revising, like, three, at least three times. It's called space to repetition method. Just the idea is you have to, like, uh, revise it multiple times and not let it go away from your mind. So keep the number of topics limited and revise those limited topics again and again and again. Like, how many? At least the thumb rule is three times. Anything you make, read, and make a note of, if you can revise it three times, then you will reproduce it in the exam. But you can do that when your sources and notes is small. No, if it's like too wide, it's humanly impossible to do it. So keep it short. Cut, cut down on the trash. If you feel this is useless, just throw it away. You know, don't, just because everybody else is doing, you don't have to do it.

Mom, as you mentioned that you had Geography in the first word in, so if I could ask, what was the reason behind choosing Geography? There was, I actually did not put much thought into selecting the optional. And that was the mistake that I made earlier. I just looked at the syllabus, they were like mountains, volcanoes, and stuff. And I thought, you know, must be easy. I did not look at the length of the syllabus or, you know, the Human Geography part or anything. I, so if I had done that, maybe I would not have mixed selected it. It didn't suit my aptitude. I'm sure, like, a lot of people do clear with Geography. It's just that I could not differentiate it from General Studies, like somebody was saying. So my answers were all very General Studies oriented in this subject. That I choose later, Anthropology, the subject itself is not generic. So the risk of being generic reduces to a large extent.

Hello, Mom. Congratulations, first of all, and thank you for sharing your journey with us. I just wanted to ask about the approach for, uh, qualifying, uh, language papers. How much to invest, when to invest, in, uh, what exactly will be the opportunity? So if the language is your mother tongue, then it should not be a problem, right? So maybe if you're slightly not, uh, secure about it, just do one or two papers before that should be fine. And English is like, if you again find it difficult, just pick up one or two previous years' papers and see. Because it's a qualifying paper, no. There are some sections where you can easily get marks. So focus on those sections. And there's no need to put a lot of time and effort. Just look at one or two papers beforehand.

Thank you, ma'am. First of all, very, very congratulations on your success. Thank you. So my question is, how to stay motivated? Because at one point of time, you feel low on, in, so how to stay motivated? Uh, that there is no one single formula for it. But I'll tell you about things that helped me. First is my aggressive planning. Like, I plan everything. So if you ask me what I'm going to do on, let's say, August 23rd, I'll tell you what I'm going to do now itself, approximately. So this kind of planning, uh, like, helped me not to get overwhelmed. When do you become demotivated? When you think, "Oh my God, this is so much that I cannot manage. Like, what, how will I go ahead?" Once you feel overwhelmed, you want to just, and like, open any web series or anything, right? That's what happens to most of us. So the thing is, we should not get overwhelmed. How do you not get over by planning everything out? So the syllabus can be as huge as it can get. What matters to me today is this. I finish this much. That's it. And my job is done. What matters for this week is I finish this much. Because I know if I keep at it at this plan, I will finish everything in four months. So that is very important. That's why I have the plan mapped in front of you. It should be like visible to you every day. That keeps telling you that, "All I have to do for this today is just this much, and I'm, I'm good to go." First thing. And the second thing is peer group. Like, a good peer group. When you see your peers studying, and you know, you Netflix and chilling, that won't sit well. You will automatically, it gives a sense of accountability to use that from a peer group. And the third thing is, like, have a sense of balance. Don't let study for 10, 12, 13 hours. Just seven to eight hours of quality study is enough. And have other healthy hobbies. If you have, you know, whatever hobbies you have, practice that. I used to play badminton. I used to do yoga. Like, whatever, whatever feels right for you, healthy, productive things, just do them. And have a sense of balance in life. So these three things, they will get you through to some extent.

Ma'am, now how to prepare for personality test? Personal. Okay. So personality test is, uh, earlier I thought it was Mains exam in a different format. So Mains, may you go and write. Personality test, may the same thing you go and speak. It couldn't be like father from truth. So personality test is a test of personality, not your knowledge. So this syllabus clearly mentions what kind of traits are they looking for. So please open the syllabus and read those traits and internalize them. And so what I did was, I had like five small thumb rules as to what should I do. So I decided when I go in the interview, on the panel, I'll be confident. I'll be brutally honest. Everything alone, my failures or whatever. I'll be balanced. Whatever question they throw at me, however controversial, I will give a balanced opinion. And I will be humble. You know, I'm willing to change. I'm willing to improve. So these five. And I'll be cheerful. It should not be like a serious question-answer format. It should be an engaging conversation. These five things, in fact, I had written on my fingers, five fingers, and I said, "I'll just do this." So whatever question they were asking me, I looked at them from the lens of this, like, how can I make sure all these values are communicating through? I did not care for one second as she was giving the best solution to the Ukraine conflict. So they asked me if, uh, the ICC warrant on Mr. Putin will be of any use. I said, uh, it won't be of much use because Russia is not a member to ICC statute. But it can create a sense of diplomatic or global pressure on the Russia. So, you know, it's one of the things that we have in our hands. So we can use it. That's why the world is using it. So a sense of, like, I do not try to give a very, you know, polished answer. I was, I just said what I felt could be a thing. So five thumb rules that I kept for myself, and I made sure in every answer, I was communicating this. It did not come immediately. I practiced in whenever I was giving any mock interview, I was doing this. I was trying to. So I slowly developed.

Yes, I entered. So when I graduated from, I graduated from IIT Hyderabad. And so I thought, okay, my solution to my career problems is going to Delhi. And I thought, okay, one year in Delhi, I'll be in IS. So that's how I entered. I had no plan B. So it's fine not to have a plan B if you have a supporting ecosystem, like at home, if everybody is willing to support your journey. But it's, you can also have plan B. Because despite your sincere and, uh, sincere efforts, you may not clear the exam because the competition is such, and the exam is such. So find, it's just an exam. Yeah. And your graduation is your plan B, no? If not this, I would have been a civil engineer, maybe. So you can have, you cannot have. For some people, not having plan B gives them that motivation. It gave me anxiety. So it's up to you what you want.

Ma'am, excuse me. Yes, ma'am. I have two questions. The first is, ma'am, when you wrote the notes, did you write in the first reading of the book, or, uh, you read the book so many times and after that you make the notes? And the second question is, ma'am, after the coaching, did you stayed in Delhi or you went back to the home? I could not adjust to the food and the climate here. So, uh, the cost of living. So I went back. And to the first question, see, we, uh, we, you don't have to read a book again and again and make notes. So instead, when you're making, let's say, you make, uh, there is this book, Bipin Chandra's, uh, history book, 11th or 12th class NCERT. I think it has 13 or 14 chapters. Each chapter is pretty long. So what you, what I used to do is, I used to read a chapter and make a note of it. But the chapter is so huge, it's difficult to, you know, condense it into one sheet of paper. So I used to read the chapter again. So, so I would read to the point when I'm ready to condense it and write. Otherwise, have not understood it, like, from this, from the point of this exam. So I never read a book again and again, like, never. I always made notes from it, and I read the notes again and again. So develop that ability to, uh, properly understand your topic and write notes. So read the same chapter again, but make notes at the end of that. Because what happens is, it's very unlikely to you going to come back and read the same book again, the whole book. And let alone, like reading, like the point of making notes out of it becomes very laborious.

Can you repeat the question? My question is that economics, for example, budget comes in February. It is in mid-soft. That we have every resource. We have made everything. Prelims is also there. And we have to manage all these things. So at that point, what to do? Economic Survey, budget, all. Okay. So, uh, again, you don't have to read the whole budget document or the economic survey document. You have the compilations, right? Somebody is compiling. You pick up some compilation and you take from. Do not take the entire survey. Entire survey is useless. It's not useful for us. Pick up those things from the compilation that you think will be able to use in the exam. Only that much. Nothing, nothing more is needed. So, okay, these points are important for Prelims. So let me just mark them. And this topic or this concept that the survey has talked about, I can use it in the actual exam. So this year's survey was talking about how a female labor force participation rate calculation in India, the process, the calculation is not perfect. And that could be why our numbers are so low. Like, one of the reasons why the numbers are sold. I found the point to be very interesting. I just saw it in a compilation. So I thought, okay, this is something I can use it in multiple papers, S3, GS1, in the social section. So whatever you feel as useful, you pick that up. Do not read the entire compilation of survey. Just browse through it and see, okay, this is important, I can use this. This is important, I can use that. That's it. Budget also likewise. So budget, just pick up the key schemes and everything. And you think where you can use it. Otherwise, just reading will get you nowhere. No. So you think so there is this, uh, scheme for, uh, PVTG. So I'll use it in Anthropology. Or there was a scheme for Wetland Conservation, something. So if there's any environment question, I'll just write, you know, these kind of schemes are important. You know, very specific, uh, that ecosystem related schemes, like one for wetlands, one for, you know, lakes, and etc. So be very conscious. Pick up only that is needed.

What is your strategy for the GS4 Ethics paper? And when it comes to case study, it's very difficult to give a balanced answer. So can you please tell about that? Uh, so for the case studies, I, uh, used to download toppers' copies. And I used to write, like, there are a lot of Ethics topper copies, right? So look at the case study in those, and then I used to attempt it on my own, not looking at their answer. And then I used to see how they wrote. And then did that for several, several, uh, case studies. And then I understood, like, I developed a sense of, from their answers only, I developed a sense of how to write a balanced, uh, case study. And this was something again. So, uh, if you properly analyze previous questions, case studies are thematic. There are some very specific themes. So for all these themes, I had, uh, pre-made introductions and conclusions, like conclusions that included quotes of some philosophers or stuff like that. So with these two things, and the key in Ethics is finishing the paper, which requires a lot of practice. So do practice, like, a lot. Ethics paper is actually very short. If you, if you focus on that paper specifically, it gives you a lot of returns. So focus on that paper specifically and practice. Yeah. Section A as well, you have all the syllabus topics, right? Make notes on that. Same strategy as for any other paper. But make sure you're including some examples, some quotes, and everything. From, you don't have to search for them separately. Like, when you're reading newspaper, if you feel, "Okay, this is such a good attitude to have towards life," you pick that up and put it in your, uh, that attitude topic. So being, like, you know, value-adding things. And practice. Ethics paper requires a lot of practice to finish it. Especially this year's Ethics paper, which was really lengthy. So focus on the practice part. And when you're practicing, be like, happily use the previous year's toppers' copies so that you can evaluate how you're doing.

Ma'am, can you please tell us how to cover GS4 and how to interlink it with current affairs also? Like, that's what I was saying. Just go topic-wise and try to incorporate examples from whatever newspaper that you're reading. And practice a lot, which is like very important. Where, ma'am, could you please share your strategy for Anthropology optional? As I am starting from next month, and when should, when it should be completed or finished ideally? There isn't. See, again, like, if you have to pick, take anything from my journey, like, there is, there is no formula. Just do it your way. But just know how to do it. So stick to the syllabus points. Make notes from, even if you're taking coaching from anywhere, make sure your notes is organized as per the syllabus. Make sure you have introductions and conclusions. And you should understand properly. In Anthropology, or any option for that matter, make sure you are having that understanding. And see if can, if you can utilize some, whatever newspaper you're reading, you can put that in it. So there's no one set of period, you know, I should ideally finish everything. No, it's not like, do it at your own pace, but do it right. Because once you do your optional right, like, it'll really take you places. When it should be completed? I think six or seven months should be fine.

Remember, what is the role of toppers' copy? So, yeah, this is like a resource freely available on the internet. The best thing to do is look at those questions in those copies. Write answers, your answers, and then evaluate. That way, you immediately know what is that person doing differently from you, and you can keep on changing. So we all practice answers, right? Whatever daily answer writing program, whatever. Instead of those, you can actually rely on toppers' copies. The questions that they have, the answers that they have. You write answers, you evaluate. You write answers, you evaluate. That way, you are like comparing yourself with some of those who cleared the exam with good marks.

Ma'am, what's the right time for joining test series? After the course completed, or after three, four months completed? So it's like, one finished syllabus to some extent, then you can. Because if you've not finished the syllabus or made notes, what will you go and write? It can be. So when you're preparing or when you're still in this process, you can maybe make notes. Sorry, practice answers. Both. Test is compulsory for joining, like, optional and GS both? You should join both test series. Yes, because, see, it's a competitive exam. You have to write a test. Whether you join test series is not the secondary thing. So it's a competitive exam. So you should write as many tests as you can, so that you can be on the autopilot mode on that final day. I see. I, I keep saying this, it really doesn't matter if you're sincere. Pick up anything. Any of them are equally good or equally bad. So you, you pick anything and you practice. You practice a lot. Revise them. It's like, it's okay. Anything is fine. For Prelims, so means, where anything, anything is fine.

There is another question, and news is not a relevant for the students. We should, uh, full read the news for completely or in some person, we should have real. See, you have syllabus. You have previous years' questions. Now you look at the newspaper and you, you just browse through the newspaper, right? Page one, page two. You feel this is important, note it down, or like, take a note, mental note. If you feel some, some days nothing is important, you have nothing to pick up from the newspaper, fine. You have read newspaper like any other, and close it and then move on with your life. But someday you can get some really nice one. That day, you pick up. Like, don't be so rigid. Like, whatever works, you try to make it works.

Some news relevant news is provided in portals. They are sufficient for the reading, or we should, uh, extra reading offer? There is no, like, one, one formula. So for me, uh, reading newspaper worked. So for you, if that portal works, then well and good. So see what works for you.

For common standard textbooks, I prepared notes from the textbooks. Like, you have, you have textbooks for every syllabus, like paper two, paper one. You have syllabus, to some extent, when I was making my notes, not notes, but some material, I may have used.

Ma'am, okay. So see, there is a lot of information on the internet. But pick what you feel is relevant. See, if you're studying a topic, let's say 5G, or anything, you know, you should be knowing what you're looking for in the internet. Don't let the internet tell you what you're looking for. So you look for it. So that comes when you look at the previous questions, when you practice them, when you look at the syllabus constantly, you know, okay, UPSC never asks this kind of thing. So let me just keep them away. But these things, the application of 5G in health is very important for me. So if I can find this information somewhere, so let me note it down. Right, right. The idea is just be very active. Don't be passive. You pick up what is important for you. What do you feel is important? That is what will make you stand out. So whatever you feel important, you pick up.

Ma'am, what should be our approach for essay writing? Like, I started my preparation a couple of months back, and I feel I don't have enough content for essays. Then, then it's okay. Don't write essays right away. Then it's okay. Like, uh, just keep looking at the topper essays, just to get an idea of how essays are written. If you only look at the previous years' questions, you'll get intimidated by the kind of essays. Just remember, like, no matter how philosophical the question is, your answer has to be like an administrator's answer. So that means you should be able to open up the topic. So how well you can open up the topic, you can get some insights from the topper copies. Just look at them. Don't write essays right away. Keep looking at them. So that you'll get a sense of, "Okay, this is how it is done." Always keep looking at topper copies, essay, when you're bored, just go through them. You will learn a lot from them. I learned a lot. So you can also like benefit on how to manage revisions one day before. So this as well. Do not keep, basically, keep revising again and again. Do not keep revisions towards the end of the exam. So like I said, I always had a thumb rule. Anything that I write my notes should be revised thrice before going to the exam. So I followed the space to repetition technique. Maybe you can just learn about that technique. It's very effective. So anything I studied one week later, and then again from one week, I'll pick it up and read. This way, it stays longer. So you keep on revising continuously. Do not push your revision towards someday at the end, which will never come. And keep your sources and notes very crisp. That way, you can manage it. You know, if your sources and if your notes is too much, you won't even feel like revising it. So when you, when you do everything by yourself, I mean, like, when you own up the process, when you make your notes and everything, it becomes very interesting.

Yeah, when should you write answer writing practice? Whenever you feel comfortable. Whenever until then, you can just keep looking at the copies. See, answer writing, we all studied till 10th class, you know, we used to write answers there also. So suddenly here, coming here, answer writing is like a, like something alien, but it's not. It's still answer writing. So first, believe that you can. See, the idea that you asked me, "When can I start?" You, you already know how to write answers. You just have to practice answers for this, uh, set of questions. So whenever you feel comfortable to start writing answers, you start writing answers. Until then, look at the answers written by some of the toppers, so that you get an understanding of, "Okay, how answers should be written for this exam." Because writing answers, you obviously know. You wrote, you know, school me, and then you graduated and stuff. So whenever you're comfortable, you can go ahead and write. But do practice. Let those first hundred crappy answers flow and get out of your way. The one out, first question answer will be an improved answer. And there on, you'll only let go of. But don't be scared of those first 100 crappy answers.

Ma'am, yeah, something at the same point that, uh, that should be read. So how to deal with that formal memory? Like, I did not understand, like, if we are studying quality, and at the same time, we are feeling that in modern history, I have to read that topic because it will fetch more marks. Then it creates a, um, like fear of missing out something, right? And how to deal with that for moment? Okay. So this FOMO will also be always be there. So just put it aside for once and you stick to your basics. Whatever you have read, and the rest, whatever you have to cover, you will cover through the test series. So actually, the test series people, they are making things easy for us. They are going to get us, you know, some obscure things, some important things, everything in a paper. So you attempt there. If you know, you attempt. You do not know, you come back home and you see, "Okay, this is something, you know, that I can learn from this test series." You can make a note. That it.

Hello, ma'am. Oh, yeah. I'm, uh, regarding the test series, which you mentioned that we should first go for sectional test series and then full length. So is it for means, pre, test series, or for the main answer ones? Oh, pre. I was talking about even for the Mains, you can pretty much use the pharma. You can use the sectional test to revise and finish the syllabus, even for Mains. And then you can start attempting the full length. Because, as I ever heard from other toppers, when they are told that where they start their P preparation, before three or four months before the three, and before that day, prepare for Mains. So it's right to, uh, start with the pre-test series in the month of September, October. Generally, I, uh, did pre-test. There is only two months before Prelims. Until then, I did not, like, touch, uh, Prelims, anything to do with Prelims. And in the rest of the periods, it was only Mains test series. So sectional tests, and then full length is whatever I felt like practicing. Okay. Thank you.

So my, my suggestion is, just go to the syllabus of all the optionals, whichever you find interesting, which you think is manageable. And look at the length of the syllabus. Look at how direct are the questions. Look at the trend of marks in the recent years. Just look at everything and decide. Okay, irrespective of what background you're from, you can pick up any subject and study. That much we can do. We, we graduated, right? So this much we are capable of. Even if you're from an engineering background, you can study history, if you know how to study and if you are interested in that subject, a little bit.

There are people who score with any option. So it's, it becomes scoring for you when you find this, you know, interesting and stuff.