Topper's Talk | Trilok Singh | AIR 20 | UPSC CSE 2024

So, if we talk about the Prelims, first of all, the static subjects should be well-prepared, which is a cliché advice. You'll say, "Oh, every topper says this." If there are more questions left from History and Science & Tech, I'll do Science & Tech first because History is just facts. Sir, I saw a question from CDSE, "Which goddess?" and this happened. Oh brother, I couldn't understand anything. It was so tough, but it's not understandable, is it? There's no logic in History. So, prioritize what can be reasoned out, where the chances of being correct are higher. For example, in GS Paper 1, the first part is History, so prepare introductions for every dynasty, temple style, culture. Like, if a question comes about the Cholas, "The Chola dynasty made great temples and the grandeur of their legacy is still living," or whatever line you make and memorize. [Music] [Music] Are fresher students and enrolled in Vision IAS? Vision IAS students also from outside, or anybody planning to actually enroll for coaching or start preparing? Do we have anybody like that? Okay. So, see, uh, sir will be taking the session. He will be taking it part by part. For example, he will be sharing his strategies, right? You be very open to asking questions. A mic will be given to you. Whatever you feel like asking. Whatever you feel like that, you know, you need to understand for a most streamlined preparation. Please feel free. Because, see, the topper talks is basically about, you know, listening from the horse's mouth. They have been in your shoes. They have sat just like you. So, they know what it takes, and they will give you a very practical, not an advice where, you know, we talk about doing everything. So, this is not about that. This is actually about what really works and smart strategies. So, this is your moment. Topper talks is basically not just for inspiration but for practical guidance from somebody who has cracked the toughest exams in the country. So, take this opportunity to learn, and if there is any point, you will be given an opportunity to ask your questions. Be patient, raise your hands, and we will take all of your doubts. Even after that, the session is over, you will get a chance to interact with him. But I would suggest that, you know, for even for the online students, it will be very helpful if you raise your doubts in the session or, like, you know, during the session itself. So, is that clear to everyone? All right. I also wanted to, uh, inform you that today's topper is basically from PSIR optional. So, uh, if anybody who is planning, he will talk about his, uh, strategy about that. So, let's start. Let's put our hands together and extend a very, very warm welcome to Mr. Trilok Singh. Who has secured an outstanding All India Rank 20 in the UPSC Examination. A huge round of applause with Trilok. It is a truly proud moment for all of us at Vision IAS to have one of the finest examples of simplicity, discipline, and unwavering determination among us today. So, Trilok basically hails from Rajasthan, and he has an army background. He has completed his 12th from Army Public School, Jodhpur itself. After that, he has done his B.Sc. Mathematics from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. It is his third attempt, and his total score was 10, yes, 1016. He scored 1165 marks in the interview, and he has actually turned perseverance into excellence and is in the top 20 with us. I would, before we start the session, I would invite our esteemed faculty, Ayushi Ma'am, on the stage. Ma'am, please come on the stage and facilitate Trilok. A big, huge round of applause for Ma'am, please. Ma'am, would you like to say a few words? Good evening, all of you. Yes, it's an honor to be with Trilok here, who has done everybody proud. Yes, as he would delve deeply as to how he has gone about preparing, but it is one again, one story of perseverance, one story of telling us that nothing is impossible if one puts one's mind to it. So, here, here is that example, and through him, what we see here is, of course, to know his unique story, but also seek in his story some motivation which would make you, which would gear you to put that extra effort in your own preparation. Yes, all of us here aim to be on the other side one day, and I know, no, all of you have that potential in you, provided you put your mind and efforts in the right direction. Yes, so let's hear it from Trilok, and he will be able to guide us better into his, uh, journey and provide a few motivational words there. Thank you. Uh, next, I would please invite Prateek Sir also. Please, Sir, come on to the stage and facilitate, uh, Trilok for us. Big round of applause for Prateek Sir, please. Sir, would you like to say something? Uh, all I would say is that try to understand his journey and the way he has, uh, prepared, and more importantly, try to understand the philosophy based on which he has worked. Okay? Because none of you may not be having the same journey, but you can understand the journey based on his endeavor. Okay? So, with that, I would request him to come and, uh, give, give a right around, big round of applause. Okay? Started. So, first, I would like to ask, is there any student who, like, won't understand even 10% of Hindi? If there is anyone, I would be completely doing this in English. No one, right? And just a quick question, how many students have PSIR here? Approximately 15 students. Okay. So, let's start. So, thank you, Ma'am. Prateek Sir, Ayushi Ma'am, for giving such a like, grand introduction. And now the rank has come. Earlier also, we used to sit in classrooms like this, and now I'm getting an opportunity to come here. So, Ma'am has given the introduction, and it's my third attempt. Before this, I had qualified for NDA, but I was declared medically unfit in that. So, after that, I thought of coming into administration. So, now, we will talk thoroughly. I also enjoy explaining things quite a lot, so it might take time. So, I hope you understand, and if there are no other commitments for the evening, we can talk for about an hour and a half to two hours. So, first of all, there's not much to write here. Schooling was from Army Public School, Jodhpur, graduation from Kirori Mal College. We will definitely discuss this later. My graduation subject was, but I didn't choose an optional. And it's my third attempt in CSE. How many kids from Rajasthan are here? Oh, quite a few. Good. And the optional is PSIR. Let's talk about Prelims. How many of you are appearing for Prelims? Okay, more foundation students, or like, the course is done, but not giving Prelims this year, something like that? So, if we talk about Prelims, first of all, the static subjects should be well-prepared. That's a cliché advice. You'll say, "Oh, every topper says this." But if you look at the analysis, Polity, Economy, and Geography. Last year, how many of you gave Prelims? Oh, you did, and there are quite a few behind you too. So, quite a few questions came directly from NCERTs for Physical Geography. Most of the questions in Polity can be solved from Laxmikant. But you need to have some understanding of applied concepts. For that, what you need to do is, practice the other PYQs you get from CDS or CAPF, so that you understand the meaning of the concepts well. And as for any questions related to statutory articles or law, they are solved easily anyway. One more thing I would say is that if you follow the newspaper, some Polity questions also get solved from there because nowadays, questions are coming beyond just articles and Laxmikant. The NCERTs for Physical Geography, well, since you are Vision's foundation students, you are getting notes and all there. But I would suggest you read them yourself once. Pick up some things from them. Absolutely basic questions. In the last Prelims, there were about 10 to 12 questions that were directly solvable from Physical Geography NCERTs. But the second thing is that understanding the changing pattern is very important. Let's look at the pattern evaluation. Let's talk about the 2022 and 2023 attempts I gave. In the trailer of Only One to Pair that came in 2022, what happens is, if you have complete knowledge of all three pairs, then something can be solved, otherwise, it becomes difficult. In 2023, the pattern was completely the same, but some scope is given to you. You must have heard about this logic, right? If the paper is tough, then some subjects will be given scope. So, you get that scope in Science & Tech and Environment. Now, what is the best strategy to solve Science & Tech questions? Can anyone tell me that you need to know the content? Completely. Suppose there is a technology, do you need to know its entire content, or can you do it with logic? Anyone wants to tell me that you don't know anything. Suppose you know 1% about it, then either you will leave it, or if you decide to attempt it, how will you attempt it? I mean, you'll apply some logic, right? You'll look at keywords, right? So, that's a very good point. For example, this time there was a question: what can be done with radar? Right? One of the things was drugs. Can you catch someone with drugs using radar? Now, think about it. Even if you don't know, you think, what is radar? It catches some frequency, some of it, but nothing is coming out from there. If it were thermal, suppose it captures heat, if there's some property of that material, then maybe. But you would rule that out. So, you would remove the drugs part. Right? Then you might get the answer. So, you all guessed correctly that you can do it by applying some aptitude. Then let's talk about Environment. Now, there's so much fear spread about Environment, like, "Oh, they ask about this species," or "They asked where this new creature was found." It becomes very difficult. But there are some basic things. But can anyone tell me why studying Environment has become so important? Why are there 15 questions? I mean, in CSE Prelims, it's conducted along with Forest. So, if they are conducting the Forest paper along with it, then you should know about Forest policies and our larger principle that we have to do so much afforestation, or whatever it is, and the overall concepts related to climate change should be well understood. For this, you can follow any source. In this attempt, my marks were around 71. The cutoff was that. My condition in Science and Environment was bad because I didn't take much risk and didn't apply aptitude for elimination, so I got quite low marks. I took a small course from Shiv Sir, which helped a lot. Whatever you are referring to for Environment, categorize it. How to start with Environment? With the basic concepts, like, what is our biosphere? What is niche? What is habitat? What we do is, we skip the basic things. I will tell you, a question came in CDS. How many have seen the CDS paper? Raise your hands. That's wrong, you know. It's the first paper of UPSC in the year. It's very important to see it. The question was, what is the difference between habitat and niche? And I went to give the paper with my friend, who is my junior. He said, "Brother, tell me, you are a CSE person." I said, "Let me tell you, wait." And I got it wrong because I hadn't revised, and we don't study the basics. Can anyone tell me the meaning of habitat and niche? You'll say, "He's telling less and asking more," but there's a small difference. Habitat is for a particular niche, which is for a particular thing. What is your place in that ecosystem? And habitat is overall, something. It's a very technical difference. So, that came. Then there are some policies, etc. But in Environment, you can also rule out some things with logic. Although there is less scope for elimination in Environment compared to Science & Tech, you can still do it. Now, the biggest problem is, what to do about Current Affairs? I'll tell you the honest truth. In 2022, we used to make a lot for Polity, thinking, "Oh, I'm scared, I have to study everything." In 2022, I studied everything, but Prelims didn't happen. Then I realized that Polity doesn't have current affairs. Economy has concepts. Even if current affairs come, suppose they have a very big current affair. You know what UPSC is doing nowadays? They know that children will give the direct answer. First, they twist it. They'll give a long question. They are doing this in Prelims too. "The US Fed has tapered the rate." This, that, and this. Jeremy Powell said this. Then they'll ask, "Now, what will be the effect?" Tell me. Actually, the question is about concepts. Remove that. Geography doesn't have current affairs except for mapping. Current affairs come in these two subjects: Economy and Environment. Okay? So, you have to study Polity for these. For Environment, do this: if Polity is very bulky, and it is, because educators also have this fear that "Oh, they might ask this, they might ask that," so they create such material. Look for some other short compilation. Nowadays, Telegram channels are quite useful. You can use those that cut short and provide things themselves. I'll talk about the technological use later. So, study Polity for both of these for peace of mind. But the question comes from three-four years ago, and it will be solved only by applying applied logic, as we discussed. Right? You must remember the WHO question about air quality. So hard. 1.45 milligrams. Who knows that much? Right? That's done. In 2023, what happened was, CSAT saved me. The cutoff was 75, and my marks were 90, and in CSAT, I got 100. When I didn't clear Mains in 2023, I was watching Josh Talks, and a person with 100 in CSAT was giving Josh Talks. I thought, "I'm lagging behind." If I had gotten a rank, I would have given it too. So, let's talk about CSAT now. Okay? How many of you are from non-science backgrounds? Approximately 45%. See, I'll quickly discuss the CSAT strategy. There are 80 questions. Scoring above 35 is a challenge for humanities students because from 2022 to 2023, let's say comprehension, and 101 reasoning, and the rest are math. What you need to do here is, first of all, there are one or two or three channels on Telegram where all the CSAT PYQs and their answers are given. In that, you need to understand the meaning of the keywords in the answer. For example, if a passage is given on climate change, saying that due to climate change, rice cultivation needs to be reduced, and we need to grow more climate-resilient rice like Pokkali rice from Kerala, or something like that. Then the question is, "What is the key message of this passage?" First, read the options. Okay? Read the options, then read the passage. Then you'll know, "Oh, this seems to be the key message." So, you can hit that. Then, in PYQs, see what the answer is, because UPSC has explained the interpretation of every word differently: what is the meaning of message, what is the meaning of inference, right? And what is the meaning of assumption? You can understand that only from PYQs. Because UPSC keeps it consistent. So, this is one thing you need to do. Second, go for low-hanging fruits. If you have a permutation and combination question in front of you, or if you have a question about finding the age of Seema and Reema, which one will you do first? You should do the Seema-Reema one. You'll get stuck there. Right? Right? So, you should take the low-hanging fruits first. Do the age-related ones, direction-related ones, ratio-proportion ones. Right? Do the number series ones. Don't get into permutation and combination, and don't get into polynomial ones. One came in 2023. No, maybe in the 2024 one. That one-page question. If m greater than or equal to n, and something very dangerous like that. I didn't touch that either. Right? So, don't touch that, it will be a waste of time. Combining these, you'll reach around 40. Then you need to take risks on the 50-50 ones. Now, I'll quickly tell you about Math. If you are being taught Math for CSAT at Vision, that's good. And if you feel that you couldn't study it, or it was missed, then go to YouTube and watch any series. SSC CGL Math series. There are 10 topics: Number System, Ratio Proportion, Percentage. Quickly look at their formulas. And in the gap between GS and CSAT, study that and give the exam. Right? Now, they won't make CSAT too tough because there has been a lot of protest, so you'll clear it according to how it comes. Yes, how to use mocks? Will it become completely clear with this? Yes, let's talk about mocks. Then we'll talk about quick note-making later. Should we do note-making first? Mocks? Let's do mocks first. Yes. Yes. So, the thing about mocks is, how many should I give? 20 or 30? What to do? But look at the utility of mocks. First, what to remove from your mind is that what comes in mocks doesn't come in the real paper. Right? One or two will come from Laxmikant, which are already in the constitution, they are bound to come. You should give mocks, first of all, for time management. I have met people whose GS paper is left incomplete, even after giving two-three Prelims. So, this is a major hurdle. Second, what will be the subject strategy? Now, it's like this, not every person is the same. Everyone's psychology is different. Did anyone see that movie Parasite? When the tutor goes to teach the daughter, he says, "Studying is like cutting a forest," that bamboo one. If he gets stuck with the knife, it stays there. So, it's about flow. If difficult questions come first, in my 2023 paper, the very first question was that History one, and it continued with History. Then those didn't get done. Right? Then I directly went to Polity. So, a teacher told me that following this will be good. You can see for yourself. Everyone is different. Some go subject-wise, and some go like, "Let whatever comes, come. We'll proceed our way." The reason for this is also psychological. Because when you get the same type of thing, a person's mind is like a file. You see Polity questions. The mind will say, "Hey, get the Polity file. Get its data. All the questions are to be done from that now." Psychologically, this is the reason. So, it's still your choice how you want to attempt it. And one more thing, do the circles.

Do not leave the last page for filling. There is a set of eight or six questions, all of which are ticked. Fill in the circles immediately. It is a very ignored thing, but it has happened with candidates that they cannot fill the circles and face difficulty in the end. So, do this. Time management is done. This iteration, iteration thing is very common, right? That first iteration, second iteration, 50-50 ones, 75-25 ones are done. What to do in that? I didn't have anything like that. I used to mark the sure shots first. Then I used to take risks by looking at them. Like, if many questions are left from History and Science & Tech, I would do Science & Tech first because History is a fact. Like, I saw a CDS question, "Which Goddess?" and this happened. Oh man, I couldn't understand anything. It was so tough because it's impossible to understand. Logic won't apply to History. So, prioritize what logic can be applied to, what has a higher chance of being correct, do that first. Note-making. Regarding notes, everyone has different techniques. Some people highlight in books and read directly from them. But at some stage, you have to make them. In Mains, you definitely have to make them. So, if you make some in Prelims, make them for a few things. Like, make them for Indian Rivers. How will you identify this? Look at PYQs for every subject. For example, in Prelims, there are Fundamental Rights. Now, can anyone tell me which Fundamental Rights are not available to non-citizens? Tell me just one. It's easy. Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, such a flow develops. So, I also remembered them like this: 15, 16, 19, 29, 30, because 15 and 16 are together. Then 19 and 29 are the two nines, and then 30. So, it's remembered. I had made a trick for the confluences. This is about the Ganga, right? I made a trick for it: "Ate a lot of naan and hit Pakistan, AB de Villiers." Okay. Now, how to remember this? 'A' is Alaknanda, 'B' is Bhagirathi. Then the last ones are all the confluences: Vishnuprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag. And these are the tributaries: Nandakini, Alaknanda, Pindar, Ganga. I still remember all this, though I read it a long time ago. I'm just giving a small example that you can create such tricks for things that are hard to remember. There are many such things that are hard to remember. Yes, one more, one more, one more. In Geography, there is a discontinuity called Conrad. Mohorovičić, Repetti, Gutenberg, Lehmann. Remembered them all at once. It's your choice. It's not like this is fascinating, and I'll make everything based on this. It's not possible. You also have to apply some logic, and use tabular form. I haven't brought my Geography notes. I gave a photo. Can that be done? Sir, it's a bit like that. So, in tabular form, make tables for similar types of things. How? Let's see. Just, just, just. So, what happens is, we think, "Oh, there are so many rivers. It's a 20-page chapter on rivers in Physical Geography." Now, we don't know how to study it. The mind can't comprehend, "Oh my god, how much coverage do I need to get?" So, make tabular forms. Make tables for similar types of things. In what can these tables be made? Tell me quickly. Rivers. In what? Mountains. Okay. No, just tell me about Geography. Things that are found everywhere and are different. Soil. Minerals. Okay. So, here I wrote the names of the rivers. Oh, oh, sorry, sorry. Here I wrote the origin of each. Here I wrote where it drains. Here I wrote which are the tributaries. And there, I wrote other points, like which dam is on it, which waterway is there, or something like that. There's a CAPF question about Ganga. Where does Ganga traverse? In which state the most? UP, Bengal, Bihar, Uttarakhand. We'll think it originates from Uttarakhand. No, logic applies here too. How long and wide is UP? It's a long state. So, we know this is the first one. But then there's a lot of doubt about Bengal and Bihar. You'll see many such questions coming. Did anyone among you give the 'Abhyas' test first? In 'Abhyas', there was one about rice, cotton, wheat. This person is different. Dangerous. So, you can make them like this. I also made one for minerals. I will upload this on my channel. I put up a poll. People said, "Do it, do it." So, I said, "Okay." It looks useless at first glance, but by looking at it, you can revise a bit quickly. A teacher, I forgot his name, Shreyansh Kumar Sir, had such beautiful notes on rivers. But he made a page for each river, showing it flowing and then joining. So, that became 20 pages. Then I thought, I need a table. Sir, if you put it back, then note-making will be done. You know that Polity notes are not made. You can make them for History. Make them for things that are repeated a lot. For example, make them for Vijayanagar, for 1857, for Indian National Movements. Okay. Now, let's quickly take some Prelims questions. Is there any major doubt, or anything else? Then we'll move to Mains. That's the main mountain. If you have any question in your mind, like, "Okay, tell me this a little bit." Yes. Sir, let's do it subject-wise. When attempting Prelims, and when doing them continuously, what is the strategy that takes the least time? Because it takes me too much time, and I can't finish the paper. So, go subject-wise. If it's taking time, then first two from Polity, okay, done. Then from Science, I thought, "This won't be possible." Then another from Geography. That's what I said, accessing it becomes difficult. So, go for the same subject. And if you are giving 'Abhyas' tomorrow, try to use this. So, it might reduce the time a bit. And sir, the CSAT you mentioned on Telegram, can you tell which one it is? I'll put a link to that math series on my channel. Okay. Thank you, sir. Okay. And any small questions? Oh man, you should have said that with fingers crossed. No, sir, because it's a very risky matter. No, actually, sir, I said in 2023 that CSAT was quite hard. Oh, CSAT is being discussed. Okay, see, the utility of PYQs is only to identify topics. Questions are not going to repeat. Topics, how? Like, as I said, for Math, PNC had too many questions in 2023, but that trend broke later. But you can identify topics. Like, two come from Ratio and Proportion. One from Trigonometry. Two-three from Age. One from Direction. That's all that can happen. I thought you were talking about GS PYQs. For CSAT, do all comprehension PYQs. Suppose your Prelims are in three-four days. So, after reading GS once, quickly look at CSAT PYQs so that it comes to mind, the frame of mind, like "What is the best inference?" from reading the passage. And that's why newspapers are also very important. Many toppers do it without reading, and hats off to them. But in newspapers, comprehension develops. So, if you read quickly, the technique of reading quickly will work at every stage, even in the exam. Like, you pick up a newspaper. I'm not saying read the editorial. Read about Chennai Super Kings, read something, sports. Like, "Dhoni came out and showed such glorious shots, flicked and showed bravado on the field." But you read it quickly and comprehended it. So, you'll gradually get into the habit of comprehending things quickly. Because in comprehension, no matter how much knowledge you have, you don't get time. So, how will this time be created? The more you read newspapers, or anything, even read a blog, but that comprehension is very important. Sir, sir, first of all, congratulations, sir. Thank you very much. Please, just a request before you ask your questions. Please just stand up from your seat when you are asking the question and take the mic for asking. All right. So, even the online students can, you know, gain the best. Sir, actually, when compared to Mains, Prelims become too dicey now a days, like recent years. So, what is your strategy and accuracy in Prelims? Okay, so I think you are not comfortable with Hindi? Yes, sir. You should have told earlier, yeah. Like you told like. No, so are you able to understand the earlier part? Okay, so now I will have guilt. Okay, so I am telling the accuracy part. In the 2022 Prelims, I attempted around 88 questions, and you can guess that around 35 or 40 got wrong. In 23, the paper was tough. I attempted 83, and around like 56 to 57 I got correct. But in 24, the paper was easy. It seemed easy because there were one-word like language were included in this, and with party, meaning one-word questions were more. So, I thought that the paper is all on the easier side. So, I attempted 92. Second, the dice part, I would say two versions of the dice thing. First one is the changing pattern and GS. The statement questions, you must have seen in 2024. There are three statements. Cirrus clouds are thin, and this, this, this, and most of the rains are caused by cirrus clouds, and the monsoon region is the most affected by cirrus clouds. Three statements, and the options are, statement one is correct, but the other two statements don't like this. So, now it is very difficult to answer, and also the time, because time remains the same. You are changing the pattern, but you are only giving two hours. So, that's a challenge. So, you have to get ready. In 2022, we got the trailer of only one to two pairs, so we got ready, and the coaching also got ready. They gave the mocks in that pattern. So, now you are custom to it. In 23, full questions, only one to two. In 24, they have given a trailer of this statements thing. So, I have also posted this on my channel. I am saying this. Please get ready for this. And the dicey thing you say, it's more like a very philosophical answer. I will tell, but you have to trust the process. Because in 2022, I was ready the same as I was in 23, but still, you know, I couldn't clear because there are a lot of candidates who get stuck by 0.5 or one mark. So, you have to really believe that your stars align that day, you are calm, and you got good sleep. And the last 30 to 35 days have been really good for you. So, the tension you have to remove. In the last 30-35 days, do one long revision, and in seven days, do one-one day CSAT topics, like start in reverse. Like, Polity, you will not forget if you read seven days before Prelims. So, on the seventh day, you can do Polity. Some inflation had increased a lot because there was some concept of anarcho-capitalism. Does anyone remember? I think you are quite new to this journey, so you will have to see things. So, that was one question, and it clicked there, "Wow, I've seen this somewhere." But the utility is very marginal. Okay. So, so these are the things in current affairs. Meaning, current affairs, man, it's like, what to say, a very dicey thing in UPSC. Even in Mains, you see the current affairs thing is a very slippery slope type. But you don't know how much time you should devote to it, and the return you get is very less. So, if you manage it very efficiently and hope that you get most of the static questions right. But if you get a little push in current affairs. So, should we, how much time have you spent in foundation? Meaning, is everyone complete, or is something left? Just started. Meaning, how much time has it been, still two-three months? Okay, was there any question? Sir was saying? Yes, sir. Looking for expert mentoring to crack UPSC? Lakshya Mentoring Program is your answer. A personalized expert path from preparation to performance. If you are targeting Prelims 2025, here is what is in store with the batch starting from 14th March. One-on-one mentoring with UPSC experts. Tailored strategy to match your needs. Regular MCQ-based assessments. CSAT support. Access to live quizzes. Sandhan personalized tests. Lakshya Prelims Practice Tests. Planning for the long game. Prelims, Mains, and Interview 2026. Lakshya Integrated Mentoring Program 2026 gives you a head start with the batch starting from 15th March. Year-round mentoring support. Structured preparation calendar. Prelims to Interview coverage, including GS, CSAT, Ethics, Essays, and Personality Test guidance. Regular evaluation, customized feedback, and apt planning. Regular group and one-on-one sessions with mentors. Integrated current affairs preparation with digital current affairs platform. [Music] Congratulations, sir. Sir, a lot of toppers have said that they used to solve like 5000 questions per subject like that. Did you follow any such strategy before, like 2 months or or 3 months before Prelims? Yes, sir. Like we have heard this is like one of the very famous sayings of toppers that they have gone through sectional or sectional questions for their confidence and stuff like that. Okay, so again, I would say that you should, you have to take every advice with a pinch of salt. So, I would say that in 2022 Prelims, because I was afraid in the first Prelims, I did a lot of sectionals. Okay? I gave quite a few sectional tests. But the problem with sectionals is that they have a very limited scope, and you can get very low marks or very high marks. So, you don't really get good feedback from that. But you can do it surely. Like, if your Ancient is very poor, right? Ancient History, Ancient and Medieval. You just take the sectionals of that subject and do those questions. Two things will happen. One is that the ones you got wrong, and when you read the model answers, your knowledge base gets built up. You'll get to know a little bit that what you got wrong, you remember. From this utility angle, you can do sectionals. For Polity, because the thing, I'll tell you the problem with this. I'll tell you the truth. When the coaching institutes are making sectionals, they have to make 100 questions from that subject. But when they are making FLTs, they have to maybe make 10 to 12. So, when they are making 100, they would get into very minute details of that subject. Like, they even differentiate between 'A' and 'B' in Polity. My questions were wrong so many times in sectionals, I said, "This is correct." They said, "No, it wasn't in the constitution." So, this is the problem with sectional tests. So, you have to look at that a bit. Don't give Polity sectionals. You can give Physical Geo sectionals, Ancient, Medieval sectionals. So, this 5000, 10, I don't know about that, but PYQs, you have to do completely. There are many good PYQ series on YouTube. There are two types of students. One is that they just keep doing the workbooks of PYQs and check the answers at the end. Some are like, they put on a video and watch it. Like, more questions come from the Vijayanagar Empire, from Fundamental Rights, from DPSP. The teacher is also explaining. You are also listening. So, do what you think is right. But keep PYQs as your focus. And the utility angle of sectionals that I mentioned, you can use it accordingly. But I will again say, there are exceptions. Some students do solve more questions, and some are afraid of a subject. To remove that fear, definitely give its sectional. Don't hesitate. So, shall we move to Mains now? So, you've only been in foundation for two-three months, right? Meaning, you guys will give the 2026 Prelims, meaning Mains and everything properly. Even then, it's good, right? Time is less. So, let's first do Essays, or have you written even one yet? You probably haven't written any. Can anyone tell me what an essay is? There used to be essay writing competitions in school, like "My Best Friend" or "My Ideal." UPSC used to ask such questions before 2017, before 2016. Questions like, "Forests are the real assets of the nation," something like that. They were one-dimensional. So, in that, you just have to explain. Like, "My best friend plays football. I play Pittu, Santolia, whatever." Just keep writing on one topic. Those types of essays used to come earlier. Okay. Now, in essays, I'll tell you my Mains marks once, so you get a little idea. In the first Mains, I had 674, and this time, I don't know, the numbers got a bit wrong. What happened? I got 851. Okay. So, there's a jump of 177 marks, and you won't understand the magnitude of this yet. As you prepare gradually, you'll understand. You must have heard that there's a 100-meter sprint, and Bolt's record is around 9.58. So, the effort it takes to go from 9.58 to 9.56 is like the effort it takes to increase marks by 10-10 in Mains. It's that kind of effort. But it's not entirely effort. Sometimes, a trend catches on, and in some subjects, you get a lucky guess. Let's quickly discuss essays. Philosophical essays are coming a lot these days. How to prepare for this? Okay. For this, I'll say again that reading newspapers is very important. Okay. If not newspapers, then read something that has a bit of an artistic angle. Like, there's an article in Indian Express called "She," or "The Woman Speaks" in Times of India, "The Speaking Tree." If there's a good Hindi medium one, you'll know about Jan Satta. "Ek Baar Duniya Mere Aage Aata Hai." So, understanding philosophy is very important because, well, let me ask you quickly. I've written down this topic. "The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing." Can someone give me a meaning of this? Anyone stand up and give a simple line. It's written simply. Okay. Oh, what is it? Yes. This is a very good interpretation: "At least someone is making an effort." But think a bit more. One is that someone made an effort. But someone is not doing anything. Right? Then you won't think about why they are not doing it. So, like, your mother says, "Son, please bring this pot of water." You refuse. Mom asks why? So, ask why you are not doing it. Right? There must be some reason why you are not doing it. Right? So, what are those reasons? Then, look at the main keywords. What are they? There are only four-five main words. Cost. What would be the cost, man, if they are wrong? Okay. Suppose you make a mistake in the paper. What's the cost? You'll fail, right? You then scale.

I am increasing it slowly. You took a wrong turn with the car. What would be its cost? An accident could happen, even death could occur. Now you are on the front line and you are detecting something on the screen like, "Hey, nuclear incoming." This is a story of a Russian general where their radar was detecting that some missiles were coming. If he had been wrong at that time, what would have been the cost? All of mankind could have been wiped out. So, the complexity of philosophical essays is that there is a lot to write, but you cannot just remember it all at once. You have to really dig in. Then, you also have to justify it. Right? So, this becomes quite a challenge. For this, you have to create your own framework for things. Even if you watch good movies, okay? And even if you watch sports, you know, sports is like a movie that is happening right now, where God is the director at that time, okay? Anyone of you watches tennis, or kabaddi, anything, okay? So, I will tell you a story quickly. Have I taken too much time? No, there's still quite a bit. Novak Djokovic was against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals, and Roger Federer was the defending champion from the last two or three years, and Novak Djokovic was two points down, or almost match points. Roger Federer had three match points. And Roger Federer lost all those match points. The match went into a tie-break, and Novak Djokovic won that Wimbledon. And after that, he consecutively won four or five Wimbledons. So, at that time, what was the cost of being wrong for Novak Djokovic? One ball away from the line, and the cost would be that he would lose the final. So, I have connected this topic from here because the beauty of philosophical essays is that they can connect to every event in life. Then comes the matter of flow. I wrote both of these because I did both of them this time. And I would definitely want that this time, you are not giving it. Okay. You have a little less maturity. You are not understanding things. But what I am saying now, as you prepare, it will click in your mind. Sometimes, when you are writing an essay after three months, you will say, "Oh, that person told me this, and it seems a little bit right." There should be flow because, you see, in the checking of Mains copies, one examiner will check a whole section, like one person will check Geography, another will check History, but essays are checked by only one person, so there should be flow. If there is no flow, they will think, "Now the ends are coming, meaning the person's mind is getting disturbed." They are not seeing that you have written such strong English in the content. If the flow is bad, the flow of anything, your mind will get disturbed. You are sitting in the heat, the AC is running, it's completely chilled. Oh, man, it's so hot. The flow is disrupted, and the mind is just disturbed. Marks decrease. How to create flow? I will come to that. The double-edged sword. This is a strategy for essays. I won't go too deep. I can see your slightly confused faces. We will gradually move to Mains. The double-edged sword is a strategy. Two essays come in UPSC. Okay? You have to choose from four. The double-edged sword strategy means that you have to keep it interesting, right? It's not that the first one had flow, and the second one also has flow, but the flow is similar in both. Like, you see SRH's batting, even if it's 250 in every match, but it's the same thing, man, every time 250, 250. We need a low-scoring match. Day or night, we want high scoring. Two swords. What did I do in the first essay? "Empires of the Future are the Empires of the Mind." In this, I maintained the flow. I did not use subheadings. You must have heard this a lot: use subheadings in essays. So, I started with a book by Aldous Huxley, "Brave New World," where there is a drink called Soma, which is given to people to control their minds. So, controlling the mind and creating something from the ideas in your mind that can control people – this was the main interpretation I derived from this essay. Now, how many marks will I get, I don't know. I just shared the knowledge. So, I took this interpretation and did not use any subheadings. It just kept going, like, "As we see in this, this, this, nowadays social media is there, and mind control is happening through AI, this, this, this, the use of technology is increasing. Whoever has soft power will build empires in the future." And I concluded that the word "empire" itself is wrong. "Empire" is a very negative word. We should not move towards empires. We should move towards "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family). Something like that, I did a good job. Okay? So, in this, there was flow, meaning this type of flow. Now, the flow of subheadings. The double-edged sword. In this, I started with Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuh. What the brother said, effort, when Abhimanyu found out that the Pandavas were being slaughtered one-sidedly, and the Chakravyuh strategy was proving very dangerous for the Pandavas, he thought, "I have to breach it." He didn't know how to get out, only half the story. But he took the cost of being wrong, thinking, "I'll be wrong, but let's see." I wrote this, and what's the difference? The first anecdote was a fictional one. This is also a bit fictional, a bit mythological. I cannot deny whether it was true or not, but it has a slightly different touch, right? Religious, not religious, I would say, but a godly type. Very, you know, if there was something beyond the world, then that was interesting, maybe to the examiner. So, this is my thing. And this doesn't fit. It's fate, you know. Saksham Goyal sir, who had a rank of 73, came to give a topper talk here. He wrote four words: Fate, Boring, Hard Work, and Organization. My rank of 73 came from these four words. Fate came here. Organization, I told you about my notes. Then hard work, well, you will do that anyway, so it will happen. Whatever time you give. So, this was the concept of the double-edged sword. Yes, then the subheadings were like, "Why People Do Nothing." For example, a coalition government, their hands are tied, they cannot take action. The person is good, but they cannot take action. Okay? I thought, "Think about it. Why aren't they doing it?" Because they are bad? Not necessarily. There must be other reasons, or the time is not right, so they didn't do it, or they lacked the capability to do it. Or fourthly, they just didn't want to. That angle also comes. Then you write, "Why Some People Take the Challenge of Being Wrong." Because they are virtuous, because they think above themselves, whatever it was. Okay? So, I divided it into subheadings like this. This is the double-edged sword strategy. I will post detailed information on the channel. And gradually, when you also write essays, you will be able to connect with it. So, I would not put too much burden on that. My earlier mistake was this. Last time, I took an essay, "The effort, the inspiration for creativity comes from the effort to look for the magic in the mundane." Mundane means I took a very typical example, meaning it was a bit difficult. Mundane means normal things. Whoever finds magic in them will create something creative. So, I started with C.V. Raman and wrote everything about science. But that was wrong. When I talked to my friends who got more marks on the same topic, they said, "Man, why didn't you write that when Sahir Ludhianvi saw a bend in the road, he wrote a couplet on it?" Or when Shiv Mangal Singh Suman was traveling by boat, he saw it and wrote a poem: "Turn the rudder, helmsman, towards the storms." So, I missed that angle of folk, pop songs, creativity, right? So, it was completely missed. Science, science, science, it became boring. I got fewer marks. I got 100 marks, you know. One thing I strongly believe in is that man is a bundle of mistakes. So, whoever removes mistakes from himself, he carves himself. And the more you deny that you have them, the more you become a fraud. Meaning, you remain like a big boulder of mistakes. Okay? So, ego has to be kept aside. How much? Look, I was academically very strong. 96% in 12th. I took it on my ego, thinking, "Last time I got 674 marks. How could I make a mistake? The examiner didn't give me marks." But I had to accept it because as soon as you blame the process. Suppose you are traveling by airplane, and you believe that the airplane is faulty. So, your condition will be terrible during the journey. Understand? So, when you doubt the process, then it won't work. Don't doubt the process. Now, let's move to Mains. Yes, there are many PDFs for anecdotes. Yes, I will also share links to many Telegram channels. I will note down things gradually and definitely post a detailed post and a discussion link. Please put in your doubts there. Okay? Now, let's move quickly. Mains, man, it's very important. I made a mistake. I didn't give it enough time. It's probably only been half an hour. Right? Do you have time? The vision people will say they are not asking us anything. What is it? Let's talk about Ethics first because Ethics is the most scoring. We have talked about essays. Ethics is also quite scoring. Now, look, here is a case study. With the summer heat being exceptionally severe, the District Collector found out there was a water shortage. He said, "Tell the farmers to reduce their use of river reservoirs and deep borewells." Okay? And industries were using a lot of river water. They were not told anything. The farmers said the administration is anti-farmer and corrupt and taking bribes from industries. These were very serious allegations. Okay? So, what will the District Collector do? What are they asking here? Discuss all options available. Quickly, tell me two or three options. Yes, okay. Yes, that's one. Okay, and the farmers. Now, it is written here that farmers have to be stopped from using extra water. What will you do for that? What will you do? How will you stop them? No, that is a very long-term thing, isn't it? What will you do immediately? Meaning, it's a monitoring thing, isn't it? You have to see that no one does anything. So, for that, what is always done? Anything, meaning you want to stop something, and you want a person to be there to monitor it. Meaning, you will delegate it to monitoring officers at the ground level. Now, everyone has written this. Then there was this second option: how to look at mutual interest? What should be done for the industry? Farmers are saying that you are anti-farmer. So, will you tell industries also not to use water? So, you have to issue some directions. Like, do water treatment, or whatever, you have to say something. Yes. Yes. Yes, meaning adopt some technology. Then, what are the potential administrative and ethical dilemmas? Here, when you do ethics, it hasn't happened in class yet, so then you will read about ethical dilemmas, like farmer's interest versus climate change, economic interest versus the overall health of the groundwater table, whatever ethical dilemmas are arising, where values are clashing. But what is the mistake here? I also learned this from toppers. Last time, I had fewer marks, 100 marks in Ethics. Aditya sir does this: don't answer the case study, answer the problem. What is the problem in this case study? So, after writing all this, which all other aspirants have written, you make a separate section: long-term and short-term measures. Now, what the madam was saying: water-efficient technologies, water treatment plants should be set up in industries, and there should be workshops for farmers to reduce water usage, and the crops used should also be chosen such that they use less water. Then, industry, because it's long-term, man. If you write these here, you will get fewer marks because you can't install drip irrigation in every field in just one month, right? You have to be practical. In immediate action, you have to be practical, and in long-term solutions, you have to be idealistic. You have to write both here. This is one thing I did differently here. Secondly, when you do this – well, that's the administration's case study. Some are like corruption cases. In those, for everything, have a thinker or some line ready. Like Plato's four cardinal virtues, you will read about them in Ethics, so fit them in: whenever corruption comes up, I will conclude the course of action by saying that the monitoring committee should disqualify or suspend the official because he disobeyed Plato's four cardinal virtues – wisdom, temperance, courage, and justice. So, he showed no wisdom, no temperance. Like, a DM in Chhattisgarh slapped someone. So, you can write that that person lacked temperance, right? So, theory is also linked here. So, make one for everything because only seven or eight types of case studies come. One is this social problem, one is corruption, one is conflict of interest, one is something like this, what the madam is saying. Then some health-related ones, different for each department. Like, one came for environment once: an AI company, you are using computers, the heat is increasing. What will you do? Look for something for everyone. For the environment, words like "biosentrism," or if you are from Rajasthan, you will know about the Bishnoi community, right? Use that. Like, the Bishnoi deity said, "Sir sathe rook rahe to bhi sasto jaan" (Even if a head is lost for a tree, it is not a loss). Meaning, it is very important to conserve the environment. Categorize them beforehand because you know it cannot come from outside, and then fit it in the conclusion. This is about case studies. We'll discuss this later. First, let's do Ethics theory. I will come back to this. Okay. Yes, this is a very important question in Mains: time management. Now, look, what happens here is that some people just write fast. So, in my opinion, in the 2023 Mains, I completed all the GS papers. Obviously, the quality was compromised, which is why the marks were low, but that was not a challenge. So, for that, what you need to do is, first, you don't have to write answers daily. But whatever topic you have studied, like in class, for three to four days, you studied the 1857 Revolution. Pick up Mains questions on it. Like, "What were the consequences of the 1857 Revolt?" "Why was the 1857 Revolt concentrated only in North India?" Okay? So, write answers on it yourself. See, if you are still afraid, thinking, "I won't be able to fill two pages," then to break the inertia, think. Make a circle like this. Write like this. Write word by word, scribble it. You have to understand it yourself. Okay? But you have that in your mind. Your entire blueprint is made. So, you will gain confidence that if I have thought of so many things, then all that is needed is speed to write, right? Initially, for 10-markers, you would take 9 minutes. Then it will come down to about 7:30. How to reduce this time, madam? I will tell you. Your introduction and conclusion should be largely decided. We will talk about that separately later. Then, you have to take the heading from the question itself. When is time wasted? When things are not pre-decided. Right? That's when time is wasted because you will think, then write. But here, it is asked, what are the issues of freight transportation? See, you don't have to think the same way. You know it quickly. It's written above. Just make the heading from that. Time is saved. 5 seconds saved here. 8-10 seconds saved here. 2-3 seconds saved here, so you save 1 minute. Because I picked this up from a newspaper a long time ago. An article came in The Hindu that the operating cost of Indian Railways has been increasing. So, I thought, whatever challenge comes for Indian Railways, I will use this introduction. The challenge is something else, look. But the consequence is the same as what I wrote in the introduction. So, this was decided by me beforehand. Time is saved here. Introduction and conclusion, we will talk about them in detail later. Now, any other doubts about the case study? Then I will tell you Ethics theory. Then, at the end, we will ask for doubts about Mains. But you are still a bit... you haven't even started much, so you probably won't have many doubts. But I am a bit sad that you haven't written many answers yet. Yes, okay. Oh, no, I had to tell you about the court questions. Yes, it's given here. It's given. It's given. Court questions come. Do you know that in Ethics? Do you know or not? Let's understand how to do it. See, I enjoy interaction. So, anyone of you wants to participate, please tell me about this. "Faith is of no avail in the absence of strength. Faith and strength both are essential to accomplish any great work." Suppose you don't understand. You know, sometimes what happens is, never, ever keep ego aside in life. There are times when you will not understand even the simplest of English words. Go to Hindi, then. Strength and faith are very simple. Understood. Now, someone tell me an example of faith, or someone tell me its simple meaning: what is it? That faith is useless if you don't have strength. Absolutely. So, now look, you have faith that "I can buy an iPhone 11." But in terms of monetary strength, you don't have it. Will you be able to buy it? You won't be able to buy it. But don't use it like that. I just explained it for understanding. The biggest example in this is, my theme has always been that whatever is otherworldly will always interest the examiner. Okay? Otherworldly means the mythologies. Hanumanji forgot his powers. Okay? He had faith that, "Oh, I am the son of the wind god," but he didn't have the strength. Sorry, faith means he forgot his powers, his willpower was a bit lost. So, Jambavan ji came. Then he explained it to him. So, you can make a paragraph from this and explain a bit. So, in every court question, make a paragraph and explain it a bit. Because if you jump straight to points...

So, the utility of those court-related questions goes away. Meaning, the examiner wants to see what your writing skills are like. So, in two or three paragraphs, you've written about Hanuman Ji or any other example. Let's assume you wrote about India, that currently India has the faith that it can become a Vishwaguru. But right now, we have various challenges in our manufacturing. Whatever, I used "other worldly" because I thought it would get me more marks. Then come to "What is faith?" and what are those cases where there is no strength? Like, then do a level analysis here, save time. Most UPSC aspirants fail before they even begin. Here's how you avoid that. The mistake they make is jumping into preparation without a roadmap, a mentor, or a clear strategy. At Vision IAS Delhi, we help you build your UPSC foundation the right way from day one. Get structured coverage, Prelims, Mains, CSAT, and Essay, all broken down step by step, so nothing feels overwhelming. Smart current affairs with PT 365 and Mains 365. You focus only on what truly matters. No fluff. Personal mentorship, real one-on-one guidance to help you fix weak areas and boost what you are already good at. Test plus feedback loop, regular tests with detailed feedback. So you never lose track of your progress. Don't start blind, start smart with Vision IAS Delhi. This is why your serious UPSC journey begins. [Music] It is. Now, as you know where to go from where. Individual faith. Indian youth have faith that they will do well. There is no strength. There is no skill. Challenges of education are coming. Then go to the societal level. There is faith that we can remove evils. We can go ahead. We can empower women. But there is no strength. In some places, funds are unspent. On social media etc., there is abuse. Crimes against women are increasing. Then go to the national level. There is faith that we can play a greater role in international relations. We can become Vishwaguru, but what are the challenges? Then conclude. This is level analysis. As you are taking classes from Smriti Ma'am, she will explain this very well. The strategy of level analysis in society, you have to use it in every GS paper. So, this is how you answer. Then see, learn everything that is good from others, but bring it in and in your own way. Absorb it. Do not become others. It is very simple, but when you sit down with a paper and pen, you think, "Oh dear, what should I write in this?" So, if you follow this strategy, it will be beneficial to start with something very simple. Recently, India changed the name of Rajpath to Kartavya Path because India believes that we have to shed the colonial impediments, or whatever. Then start with, "What should we learn from others?" Then tell where imitation is happening. Then end on a positive note. Always end on a positive note. Why? Why? Why? Why is it important to end on a positive note? Okay? You can say this. Yes, this too, but it has something to do with the service you are going into. If you are ending anything on a negative note, as an administrator, meaning, "Oh, ending on a negative note. A good meeting is going on. Then you said at the end, this work cannot be done. Sorry." Then there is no point. So, there is an expectation from administration that, "Oh, I am not saying this." Now, someone will make a reel out of this saying, "The sir said to only write positive, not negative." You wrote it earlier. I am saying it should be good. Okay? See, ethics also has two parts. In theory, there is a part of values, and then there is the applied part, which includes quotes etc. This is the theoretical part. Code of conduct, code of ethics. What is it? You should know. You should remember. It's not that ethics is all fluff, that strength, faith, Hanuman Ji, and you get marks. These things have to be memorized. Now, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Look, brother, you are going to study ethics, and you are asking about GS 2. The thing UPSC is doing is that they are breaking the silos. GS 2 topics are being asked in ethics. They have asked the NGO question in GS 1. NGO is a governance topic, but they are asking it in GS 1. So, because they want you to think. Now, you had a meeting in the morning that crime is increasing, and you had a meeting with the SP. After that, you have to take a meeting that the ration supply is not coming properly. Immediately after that, you have to take a meeting. Because it is so diverse, right? So, things from each paper will keep coming into each other. Okay? So, you have roughly understood ethics, and you will get it as you study a little more. But answer writing is key here, and whatever they teach you at Vision for answer writing, do it well. And whatever the toppers' strategies are, or replay my topper talks, see what has been said. Okay? And as for the 26th attempt, we will see it well. Now, let's quickly talk about 1, 2, 3. I'll tell you a few qualities of answer writing, then we'll quickly wrap up 1, 2, 3. Okay? See, in answer writing, there are three or four things. There's a reel that goes around, "Content is the king, what presentation is the queen." I'll tell you those things a little. Okay? So, first of all, understanding the question is very important. In the last Mains, in every paper, I misunderstood at least one or two questions, so a total of six or seven questions. So, nothing can be done in that because if you misunderstood it, then what you wrote is also wrong. Now, it is asking, "What strategies can be adopted to overcome the issues?" First, you highlight this. You can highlight this in your Mains question paper, you can highlight it, no problem. So, you highlighted the issues. Then how will the share of domestic freight increase? So, how to prepare the intro and conclusion? First, I want to talk about that point. Okay? For intro and conclusion, for every, like in GS 1, the first part is history, so prepare intros for every dynasty, temple style, culture. Like if a question comes about the Cholas, "The Chola dynasty built great temples, and the grandeur of their legacy is still living," or something like that, make a line, learn two and you're done. Okay? For geography, in geography, make a line for disaster. If any disaster question comes, like landslides, etc. See, there is a lot of difference between one and three. In GS 1, always prefer definition over data in the intro because they will ask, "What are cyclones? Where do they occur more, and what steps can be taken?" But in GS 1, the focus is a bit academic regarding geography. But in GS 3, the focus is a bit on administration. How to avoid disasters? So, there you have to put the data. Like, if the same question about landslides comes in GS 1, then write the definition and give the example of Joshimath. But in GS 3, if the question comes, write that according to NDMA, 15.6% of India is landslide-prone. Okay? So, this is a bit of a strategy. So, there are four types of intros: data intro, current intro, philosophical intro, and one that is related to an article, institution, or something. In data, I have told you this, it was 97 before, now it is 100. For current, let's say a question comes about drone technology. Okay? So, write like this: Recently, an Indian startup has made a drone, "Garud Jal," which is an anti-drone system. So, I think that drone technology is really crucial. Then start the answer. It's current. Write philosophically. If a question comes about CAG, Governor, like the Governor is interfering a lot in states. So, the Governor, write like this: It is said that the Governor should have a broken leg and should sit at home. It is said because the government is acting, not interfering. Start like this, philosophically. So, there are 20 questions. If you have three or four for each, it gets divided. One is a contradicting type of intro. "Despite having the largest workforce, India is not showing its potential in the economy. Discuss." Now, you know the problem, so write that 47% of our demographic dividend is with us. Still, we are lagging at 3 trillion, or whatever, our PPP is so low. You reflected the same thing, but then with data. Okay? How to conclude? The strategy for conclusion is also different for each paper. In GS 3, give a way forward, give two schemes as much as possible. If there is a problem for farmers, PM Sampada has come, or we are using eco-friendly fertilizers, or we are doing e-registration of Krishi, making e-registries for everyone. End with something like this. If something comes up in internal security, like new technology has come to protect border frontiers. Anything, end on a high note and give some inputs. In history, always remember the contribution. If it's a question about the Indian National Movement, so I think that this year we are celebrating Azadi ka Amrit. So, we should remember our freedom fighters. Like this. Because you cannot give solutions in history. History is done. In three, you could give solutions. So, in the conclusion, you gave a way forward. In two, always talk about institutions or show some hope in governance. Like when governance comes, write that to become Viksit Bharat, we have to eliminate the cycle of poverty and malnutrition, then only we can. This is talking about institutions. Like if the CBI is interfering a lot, it's a caged parrot. So, how can you end? Remember the logo of every institution, the motto. The motto of CBI is "Integrity, Impartiality, and Independence." If there's a CBI question, quickly, your intro and conclusion are ready. Here, you will save time. So, I think I got 674 in my first attempt because I prepared these things for half the time. This time, I know. Now people are saying, "Oh, a jump of 177." I did the hard work here, but it couldn't be applied here. But I did very detailed hard work in this. Yes, wait a moment. This data, if we put it in the introduction, can data from one year ago be used, or immediately, approximately how many months? I am confused. Yes, see, it's like this. For some things, a year or so is acceptable. Like the NDMA data has been going on for many years. The amount of earthquakes that can occur in India has been the same for many years. But some things are very recent. Like quarterly estimates of the Indian economy, GDP, etc. So, you should remember recent ones. But don't do it to the point of remembering exact figures. Okay? Like, normal ups and downs, not like writing five instead of eighty. Not that much. If you don't know, leave it. Yes, sir. Then we talked about ethics. We talked about intro and conclusion. We talked about two. There are three main topics: institutions, governance, and the working of our government. So, you have to answer things accordingly. I'll quickly talk about this paper-wise strategy. Okay? And if there are questions in between, we'll do them at the end. Okay? If a blank slide is available. So, can it be obtained from here? I'll have to close this. Blank slide. Oh, it will be written on this. Oh, no. Let's change the color. Yes, sir. GS 1, GS 2, GS 3. In one, there are three things: history, society, geography. Don't start writing now. First, get the printout of your Mains syllabus and remember it always. No, no, it's very important. Because people say, "Oh, the topper said to remember the syllabus." What's the use of that, brother? Oh, it happens. You can link better. Okay? Things get linked well. In GS 2, we talk about institutions, working of the government, constitutional provisions, then governance, then IR. That's four. In GS 3, there are five: Agri, Environment, Disaster Management, Internal Security, and Science & Tech. I won't talk much about four. I told you what I told you, and the rest will be taught in class. We talked about history. Follow the main sources. Look at the questions. They are the same every time. Brother, people are so obsessed with Vedic and post-Vedic periods that questions are coming every time. Notes should be ready beforehand. There are five types of PYQs. There are a total of five questions of this type: What changes came in society in the post-Vedic and early Vedic periods? What changes came in the economy? What were the features? Play smartly. It's not that you make notes for everything. There will be model answers. Somewhere PYQs will be solved, print them and keep them in a file. I talk about using technology smartly. I had Telegram. I had channels for GS 1, GS 2, GS 3, Ethics 150+, and PSIR. In this, whatever relevant content I felt was on any channel, I would forward it to the specific subject. Like, I found that "Charaideo Maidams" is getting its UNESCO heritage. Which one should I forward it to? Then I found out that recently Excellence Governance Awards have been given, in which the DM of Rampur did this. The DMs of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh increased the cultivation of ragi millets. Where should I forward this? Then I found out that in Science & Tech, this new technology has come, and in Disaster Management, we have done this, and in Agriculture, there have been schemes, and a compilation of it has come. So, in GS 3, what will I do in ethics? If any such story comes, like Shital Devi's, you know, archery without hands. Forward it to GS 4. If something like this comes, like the Supreme Court recently issued some guidelines on social media use, and a gender handbook was released for transgender people, who are called hijras etc. You can forward that here. Okay? This is playing smartly. Because, honestly, the content is so much, it's a mountain. And this was luck that I crossed it this time, otherwise, such consolidation wouldn't happen. Okay? If you don't play smartly, you cannot beat it. Okay? Because there is a limit to a person's potential. You cannot go beyond that. So, I had to do it this way. And some things, when your stars align, they will shine. But do this first. See, there are four questions from each section. Two 10-markers, two 15-markers. Look at the themes. In Agri, it's fixed. The theme of food processing will come. The theme of farmer suicide is there. Water-efficient management. But you will see that if everyone knows these themes, and everybody has the notes, how are they getting extra marks? Because 20% of people are not able to complete the paper. 15% cannot do the intro and conclusion properly. 30% are not using innovation. Okay? Let me give an example quickly. Will it come? Okay, back. Okay, can I do it from here? I have put an example somewhere. Yes, here it is. Like, see. There was a question on water-efficient management. I said, "Promote dryland farming, millets, pulses." In this, I put a case study of Sancho and Jalore, that the Narmada project is running, and we have achieved success in agriculture. So, I put this case study, so it became something unique. Got half a mark more. Like this, if you get half a mark more in 20 questions, it becomes 10 marks more. Then, as I said, you have to pick the heading from the same question. Okay? And try to see, the first priority is completing the papers. If you are able to complete the papers, then only go for these colorful things, like boxing it, underlining it. But this is important. Pick a keyword and explain it a little. Because, suppose you are a DM. Your meeting is going on. You are asked, "What steps will you take?" You said, "We will take them." Oh, so tell us, brother. Oh, you put a heading. Tell us further. So, they are checking this nowadays. What I have seen in the last two Mains is that the more elaborately I wrote it, even if I wrote fewer points, but elaborated a little, I got marks in it. Okay? Data comes in handy here. Because I had also prepared for RS, so my affinity and understanding for data were there, so I remembered it exactly. But you should remember this. But when you are giving Mains, wherever you are, on whichever channel, in whichever peer group you are, this data will come. That's why I won't dwell on it much. So, this is your smart study. Then there are some examples. Then, in this, I linked it with Green Revolution and farmer income and wrote this conclusion. Okay? These are the copies of practice, and when you give Mains, you will give practice. In practice, almost what I got in both attempts was reflected in reality. Marks haven't come yet this time, we'll talk later. Okay? Overall, are you understanding some things? So, which subject have you studied in the foundation now? Economics? So, go and look at the Mains questions from Economics. If you have studied it completely, then almost okay. So, the question that has come on MSME, look at it. A question based on economy came: How does the RBI control food inflation? It's a Prelims-type question, but you have to explain it a little. So, these things are done. Stage empty slide change right mode will clear content. So, we have talked about three, and channels, etc., meaning, make them. Don't make them alone. Now, you have coaching or friends, so make a group of five or six people because the burden on one person is difficult. If someone has studied something good, forward it. But control it. Like if a message starts a conversation, then that message will get lost. Keep a separate group for that. There should only be content there. Okay? And use anything new that comes. See, you have to innovate. And that's the thing, it's luck whether it will work or not. Because, suppose you innovated a lot, and then you told me, "Sir, I innovated." But you didn't write the content, and you are not accepting it, then I can't do anything. You have to write content, and if you do a little innovation, and then there's Essay, Optional. If your star shines in one of them, it will be great. Let's quickly talk about two. Nowadays, what has happened is that even if you haven't studied anything yet, like IR, etc., people are using thinkers from PSIR a lot. Even normal students, meaning science students, social students, everyone is doing it. So, those things.

You will also have to integrate. For example, if a question about South Asia comes up, who will dominate India or China in South Asia? So, Brahmachari has a quote that India wants a multipolar world. Okay? A bipolar Asia and a unipolar South Asia. All the royal families in the world, okay? There are two cities in Asia. India, China. There is only one in South Asia. Don't write the name of the thinker. Okay? Don't write it. But you will remember it, won't you? Only then will it happen. Remember such things for the intro and conclusion, and you will have to stay very updated. That whatever recent thing has happened, you have written it down. For example, as I am telling you. When it was my optional paper, just three-four days before, a meeting happened between India and the US. Many things were signed in it, an oath, and some defense strategic initiatives, all of which I used in a question on India-US relations in PSR. I used the Eo Competitiveness Report by Mario Draghi, so those things are there. In institutions, whenever a question comes, you have to mention its article. If a question about ECI came and you didn't write the article, if it's 324, yes, that's it, then because all the students are writing it, if you haven't written the case law, say, the Subramanian Swamy one, then there will be a problem. So, for every subject, now this is known, Mains is challenging because it's a switch on-off thing, like in games we change modes, that we are playing this mode now, playing in this mode, similarly here, GS 1 has a different mode, and in this, every subject has a different mode. I'll come to society quickly, a different mode is running here. If institutions come, then articles, then their case laws should be remembered, then any recent example should be remembered. Just start. Suppose a question comes: ECI has recently been facing allegations of bias. What do you think, and how can we improve the transparency and legitimacy of this institution? So, start. Recently, the ECI was accused that it became fair in the electoral roll. It was like that, right? That 50 lakh names were added in Maharashtra. You don't have to write anyone's name, political parties, etc. But you can write it and start. And suppose how to manage it. It's not that you will know everything and fill all three pages. For example, if there's a 15-mark question, okay? A question comes about CBI: Is CBI a caged parrot? What to do? Now you will say, there will be only two pages for all the things about the caged parrot and solutions, but what should I write on the first page? What are the provisions of CBI? Write the DSPE Act, draw a small circle here, and these are the queens, this is the presentation. You will also have to bring some of this because all students know the problem is this, in Mains. You are very good. But others are also good. So, in that relative game, you have to do these boring things too, like making flowcharts and all. I'll quickly come to society, going to the backstage. I have brought the questions too. Otherwise, it won't link, right? You will say, I don't understand anything. The talk is going in the air. No, no, not needed. Now, look, it takes effort, but this time I did something. I'll tell you. This pen is selected. Look at this question there. When I tell you, what is regional disparity? First, tell me. How is it different from diversity? Tell me that. Then, how serious is this regional disparity? Now, a normal student will think, tell me what regional disparity is. Tell me briefly. You know it. I know it. Now, look, if you think suddenly, you won't understand. So, regional disparities, something like its Hindi translation, look at that. What can be regional disparity? Tell me quickly. It's simple, what difference can there be region-wise? Development, okay? That happened because of policy. Is there some natural difference? Geographical, okay? So, for these things, what I told you about level analysis, now you are thinking it took time, right? But you should have an approach. Suppose you apply a spectral approach. How is it socially different? Politically? It won't come politically. Economically, culturally. Then institutionally, historically, geographically. How is it different? I wrote it quickly. For both, I made maps. How? One is map-making practice. You have to practice a lot. It looks a bit like India. Okay. So, how will regional disparity be? Here, I wrote Green Revolution. Here, water scarcity. Here, mineral-rich states. Here, the economic powerhouses: Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Here, it's completely cut off. Here, I wrote that 1% of GDP but so much, 8% of the population, whatever it is. Like this, one map. Then I made a map of diversity. I did something like this: here, Hindu, whatever it is, food habits are different. Here, food habits are different. Showing two-three dance forms, I made it quickly. He said, "Oh my god, what has he done?" I'll give him two extra marks. Okay? Because everyone else wrote almost the same thing. So, nowadays, UPSC is asking very tough questions in society too. There was a question about women: equality, equity, and empowerment. They seem the same. That's why I'm telling you, the utility of newspapers is not just for current affairs. Now, that article called "She" comes, or from the Indian Express, they talk about equality, which is like standing together, but one is given a water bottle, and the other is not. That's where equity comes in, about treatment. Then comes empowerment, where the man can speak, but the woman cannot. We understood this so simply. What I did was, I made three such boxes. Here this, here this, here this. I wrote the difference on each dimension. Then I gave an example and started. How will we do it? Equality is given in the Constitution. We are trying to bring equity through society. Empowerment, only the government can do, and also society. I divided it. Now you will think, "Oh, this won't be found anywhere." It won't be found, man. This has to be built. So, now I will say it's not for the 2025 attempt, it's for the 2026 one. So, build this well. Okay? Read things, whatever good you find. Look, you know, the more limited you are, that you will only do what is given, then it becomes difficult, problematic. You have to think a little on your own. Okay? And you have to tell your own strategy. Tomorrow, someone from you will come here and tell another strategy, and they will have more marks than me. So, isn't that good? You have to do some such innovations. Boring part plus innovation. Then the marks become very good. Okay? We discussed the court ones. And look how specific the question was, this society one. But with Smriti Ma'am, you are in good hands. You will understand well in society if you attend the class, you will know. This was that globalization is increasing. They are only talking about skilled, young, unmarried women. Now, why are women who are skilled, young, and unmarried coming to cities? How do I write three pages on this? But I have to think of something. They have given some hints: personal freedom, digital divide can reduce. Economic strength comes, so the role in decision-making increases. For example, if the salary is 25,000, and the family says, "We will take the pleasure." The girl says, "We will take the Activa," so they will listen to her because she is also contributing 25,000. So, you have to connect those things. Pick hints from here. Relationship with the family. The status in the family increases a bit. The role in decision-making increases. The views of families about women change, which can lead to women's empowerment in society. Okay? And you know what will happen in Mains with such questions? When you are writing answers, you would feel that you are writing useless things. Because when I was writing this question, I felt, "I have no examples. I have no schemes, and I have no data." But this question is like this only. No guy or no candidate has anything in this. Everything is left to their reasoning and logic. This question. So, GS is a mix of these. So, you have to do all this. As for that paper, 1, 2, 3, now, I am telling you, print the Mains papers and mark them from now on that there are such sections in every GS. Because if you run blindly, now it feels like when we were young. I am still young. But when it was the first attempt, we used to think that we have six attempts, we will do it easily. These attempts pass so quickly because the cycle is very, very mentally exhausting. Okay? So, we have talked about the use of technology. We have talked about Mains, Essays, Prelims, let's talk a little about mental issues. Okay? Now, the problem is that from where I come, there is a lot of craze for the armed forces. So, since 1819, almost every guy is either a soldier or an officer, so there is a lot of mental pressure, and I became medically unfit. I am also from there, meaning in our region, no one thinks much about CSE. So, when I didn't get that, I came into this, and it's been almost around 4 to 4.5 years. So, you have to think realistically too. Okay? Suppose you thought, "Why should I give the CDS paper? I will only give CSE." Don't do that. Give the CDS paper. I am telling you, when you face SSB, meaning my interview is low. You will say he's boasting. But the confidence you get in life. Because you are facing people who are at a higher level, higherarchy. Who have made decisions on the front lines. And when you face the conference, there is a shaped table. 13 officers, the light reflects from their stars, and you are like, "My god," seeing that gives you confidence. Okay? And when you travel somewhere, meet people, maturity also develops, right? So, try to give other exams too, which are one-stage exams. Look at the analysis of this year's top 20. 13 are repeaters. 11 of them or seven of them are already in service somewhere. So, you will say, "Oh, this is a demotivating talk." It's not that. I am saying realistically, where you are standing, your family background, the level of mental stress you can handle. Then how to cope with stress? There is a peer group, of course. But you know, sometimes, even talking to the peer group, you don't get it. Because friends always push you up. But you feel inside that you don't have the ability, yet they are doing it intentionally. You get that feeling of being cheated. So, after that, you are all alone. What will you do then? You have to find some mechanisms. There are songs, some poems. Okay? So, like I wrote in my reading and writing Hindi poetry. So, Shiv Mangal Singh Suman, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dushyant Kumar. I used to read some of their poems. So, that gives a little motivation for a short term. Then you have to link it with your long-term goal, that "this reality is absolutely true in these lines." Like a line is, "Test me further, O God. You are not so cruel." Man, how much more will you test? You are so cruel that now give the result. So, thinking this, you will think, "Let's fight one more round." So, make some of your own mechanisms for coping. Not that you have to call a friend, or sometimes you have a hangout place where you go and get some peace of mind. Something like that is necessary in this journey. So, okay, we have talked about this stress. Quickly, we can do PSR. Is there time? There are quite a few PSR ones here. Okay? Let's quickly take doubts for GS. Then I will explain everything in about 20 minutes. The value addition you mentioned, did you learn this between Prelims and Mains, or before Prelims, when we do regular answer writing daily? Like if I have to write for Mains 2026, and I am practicing answer writing from now, and whatever value addition I am learning from newspapers, elsewhere, data, reports, should I learn it now, or will it be done between Prelims and Mains? Very good question. It's a continuous process, actually. And the main source is the newspaper, and anywhere you read a byte or whatever. Like, 30 days before Prelims, you stop newspapers, but before that, however many times you have read. Look, how easy it is nowadays. You have an iPad, a tab, anything, a phone. You read it, take a screenshot, crop it, forward it to GS 1, environment, GS 2, whatever, quickly. So, like that. And look, even if you don't revise, even between Prelims and Mains, it has to be continuous. You will have to do it more between Prelims and Mains, but a little more. And I pray to God that the first Mains happens, but if it doesn't, then the period after that is the most important, that there are mistakes, and you know, the day you finish writing the paper, like after writing all four GS and optional, you come home, rest for a day or two, quickly write down where you think mistakes might have happened. Because today, a doubt came to me in a discussion group: Sir, I wrote a note after my marksheet came, that I will score 810 marks in the next Mains, more than 40 marks. But I remembered those notes, the answers, because I have a bit of memory. So, I remembered them. No one else will remember. So, you should write it then, that God forbid, if it doesn't happen, then you won't have that paper of mistakes. This is also something to do, and value addition is a continuous process. Whatever you find. And make a group of seven-eight people. I will also share the link of my value addition group. But now, I won't be in the cycle, but the material so far will be useful to you. And sir, what is your revision strategy? Is it daily, weekly, monthly, or directly between Prelims and Mains? For Mains, yes, it's mostly between Prelims and Mains. But you see, some things are already part of Prelims. Like history, if I get a question on 1857, it will be done with Prelims knowledge, 60%. But using a few helping verbs, one or two examples, it becomes more. But optional, you have to revise it completely here. And for this too, I will tell you a strategy: print a booklet of PYQs, for optional and GS too. Okay? What to do in that? Whatever, like this PYQ, write it on the side: what is regional disparity? Then write here, what will be diversity in this? Then where is regional disparity? In minerals or in water? Develop it. Write it here. Revise this much. How easy it is. There are 50 PYQs. Look quickly. Okay, this means a frame is set in the mind. Okay, this is this. Okay. This will make revision easy. And there are two types of revision: long and short. Like what I used to do? If today is my GS 1. Okay? Then I will study Ethics. Then 3, then 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1. Like this, I had made an eight-day revision plan just before Mains. So, it depends on everyone, right? What is their strength? Someone has a technical optional, so they will always carry their optional with them. So, this revision strategy will vary a bit. Okay? Okay. Yes, like you said, the data, examples, current affairs, whatever to write in the introduction, so mostly from current affairs. So, making notes for it, because it's not found in books, so should I make notes topic-wise? Like, if there's a unit, any unit, like I'll tell you, one minute, sir. Like in Ethics, there's a unit: Ethical Thinkers of the World, right? So, put a heading and then write its example, like if given for someone, which is popular and relevant, then you can write it. So, I have to write it. I don't understand how to make notes, sir. Okay, I'll explain. Don't go for written notes in this, because that channel strategy will only work digitally. Because if you find something new, and you open that diary every day and write in it, then it won't work. And don't go section-wise so much. Like you have made a channel for GS 1. So, in that, you can make a discussion group. Like, I had a PSIR channel, and it had four discussion groups: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B. Like this, make one for History, Society, Geography, and keep sending material in it. And then it will be like, you want to revise, but you don't have these notes. So, you open that phone channel, read the message. Okay, this is it. Okay, okay. I took this example, wrote it. Don't go for written notes, it will take more time. I will make it clearer when I share it later. Okay? Okay, sir. Thank you. Next, what did we plan? PSR. Yes, absolutely. Hello, sir. Some toppers suggest that to make topic-wise notes on every keyword in the syllabus in GS 1, 2, 3, and 4, also. Sir, my question is that when to start making those types of notes? Because in the beginning, we all make like paragraph-type notes and all, but toppers suggest that if we make topic-wise notes with proper intros, examples, and conclusions, that would be very helpful in fetching more marks in Mains. So, sir, what should be the approach to make such type of notes, like first to cover the entire syllabus, or from the beginning itself, or what would you suggest? For this, I will say that first, the foundation notes you have made, sir, I am actually self-study. Okay. The ones you have made yourself, whatever notes you have made so far, they will all be bulky. They are fixed. So, this exercise has to be done between Prelims and Mains. But in which ones not to do it, I will tell you. In Ethics, topic-wise, and going into so much detail of why, when, where is not needed. The previous notes will be useful. In GS 3, it is most important. Okay. In GS 2, in institutions, I didn't bring my notes here either. Leave it, I will put the notes for GS 2 on the channel. I will give an example here. Those will have to be made.

You. As soon as my pre was done, I sat down from the next day, thinking that when the result comes, it will come, until then I will make 10 days of notes. They will be useful in the next mains. This is also a bad thing about this exam, that next time it happens. Okay? That preparation has to be done. So I will give an example quickly. Look, how much has the course been done by Aristotle's PSR people, meaning those who have PSR, just took it, that they have PSR, they changed it, kept it, yes, this is from that one. Okay, let's cut this. I'll tell you quickly. In GS Two, there is a topic of Institutions. I like tables a lot. Okay? All the names of institutions should come here. Speaker, Governor, CBI, ECI. Okay? Its article. I don't remember the speaker's article right now, something like 96. Okay? I wrote the governor's that 212 is important. This is important. CBI does not have an article, it is the 1946 DSP one. Okay? Case laws, see how many things are becoming easy. Nobody is telling this, but people do upload notes. Like there is a channel, first topper's. They have uploaded a lot of their notes. But it is very important to come into the highlight now. There are many case laws of the speaker. Many, like Ram Meghchandra, then the Manipur one, then the Rajasthan one, but write two-three main ones. Do this for everything. Okay? It will be done in one hour of one day. Then write Pros and Cons. Meaning, what are the issues and what can happen. What are the issues? The governor is not passing the bill. The governor is not deciding the date of the speaker's election. The governor is not holding a session. Criticizing the government on Twitter. What is the solution? In a recent case, the Supreme Court has said this. There was the Tamil Nadu Governor versus The State of Tamil Nadu case. Current affairs will come there. I made open-ended notes, loose sheets. Meaning, papers that open up on A4 sheets so that I can put anything in between. All such institutions are together in these notes. Now when I am entering for answer writing, I know the speaker's details, and I will tweak it according to the question. Okay? Then one more thing can be added to this, what are the contemporary practices happening in the world? Like the US speaker has a code of conduct, or like the US president is elected twice. Write that on the side. Because comparison of constitutions is also a syllabus pointer. The table is made. Such tables can be made everywhere. For climate, this table can be made. The one we talked about for soil minerals. I made this table in GS Three for disasters. My favorite paper of notes. It will get me 20 marks. In it, I did this. I wrote all the disasters here. I made their maps here. Here I made their definitions. Like definition. What is the definition of drought? No water. No, this is not it. Its definition is that it has not rained for so many days. It rained less than 100 mm. There are three types of droughts. Hydrological, meteorological, whatever it is, I wrote everything. What is being done? What are its case models? Zero death model of cyclone, Osa. Chitrakoot model for drought management. See, I don't know when I read this in tips. But now people tell me how it has been consolidated. This was the strategy. Okay? And I write so small that if you put the copy in, you will react to it saying it's fake, brother. But that is the truth. Okay? So this was about the notes, the question the brother asked. Now shall we move on to what to do with PSIR? I feel that PSIR is being delayed because it is not ours. We will just sit like this for so long. But it is a little close to my heart. Maybe that's why the rank came this time. So let's talk a little. Yes, overall GS Ethics, what new consolidation channel strategy, everything has been told. Yes, we will talk about luck at the end, leave it. PSIR, PSIR, PSIR. He, sir, yes, yes, yes, yes, here, yes, sir, sir, before starting PSIR, tell us the psychology of taking it. Absolutely. And it has a lot of relation with GS Paper Two. Static and dynamic. There is also PT, governance, IR questions. And PSIR is also dynamic, even though it is an optional. So its psychology of taking it and how much it overlaps with GS Paper Two and optional PSIR. How much advantage will there be and all this. 500 marks here, 250 marks there. Have you given Mains before? No sir. Analyze, this person is an initiative taker. I didn't prompt him, yet he analyzed. I have analyzed the syllabus, that's why you. Very good, very good. I like your confidence now. One or two, where does it go, I don't know. Here is the psychology, the mindset of optional, which brother has told, that there should be overlap. Okay? What are the trends? Material, comfort and interest, and how lengthy is it? I'll tell you, I did my graduation in Maths. But what happened? After COVID came, I was only taking online classes. So my concepts were not that strong. So I thought, let's take PSIR. But why? My elder sister has NET JRF in Political Science. She told me that you are just sitting around watching web series or that show Friends, so read a little. It's my subject, maybe you'll have to take it. I read a little first. Yes, the same thing that brother asked, I asked. So the trends in this and the overlap with GS Two are quite a lot. IR is the same. IGP Indian Governance and Politics is the same. So one B and two B match to a great extent. Trends, at that time, the topper was from PSIR. So I thought, it's good, there's a lot of material in it, many coaching classes are famous in it. And even the toppers, Utkarsh Dwivedi's blog is very helpful. Two-three other toppers, I don't remember their names right now. One from 2017, last year, I don't remember her name either. Yes, Swati ma'am. She will say, the topper's name is forgotten, but it just slipped my mind. So I had their notes. Okay? Comfort and interest, because I always liked reading IR. Earlier I used to watch one or two videos of RS TV, so I liked the IR part. It was quite lengthy, but I thought, let's take it, because it won't fit in anything else. Because in non-technical, there are three-four options. Anthro, Pub Ad, Socio, PSIR. Now, trends are very important. You haven't given Mains, but I'll tell you. Among the candidates who give Mains, there is a lot of discussion about which subject has been butchered, meaning they didn't give any marks. Last time I had 200. Okay? 200 means the examiner said, brother, sit at home, it's useless. So everyone said, I talked to my PSIR friends, the marks were very low, but those who always shine, they shine. 280 plus for two-three of my friends. But this butchering thing is such that some options are really treated unfairly. This time there are no toppers from Pub Ad. There are no toppers from History. You can see the list. So this happens. So Pub Ad, History, they can be avoided a bit. You can take others. You can take Socio. Those who are from Biology can take Anthro. If someone has a technical background, that's good. Take that. So this was the psychology. Okay? Now I'll show a post. It's probably below this. We'll start with that first. I've even brought all the questions I attempted, but it will take too much time. Yes. The part is not visible now. But there's no need to show so much. Let's have a normal conversation. You see the gap between the lines here, and if you count the words, it's barely 55 to 60 words. Yes. Sir, you mentioned about the notes, that you should keep collecting information in your notes as per your need. So how to limit yourself in the notes regarding information, because nowadays there is a lot of information. Everyone considers themselves a UPSC tutor, saying read this, this will come, read this, this will come. Yes, that's true. For things that are static, they will be made. Like soil, it will remain the same. Okay? Those have been made. That's why I said I made open notes. You made some notes on social media. But if there's a new meeting, Hiroshima AI meeting, Bletchley Declaration, then paste a page in the middle and write it. And you have to think a little about the limit, that something is going out of hand to some extent, or too much is happening, then leave it. Because in Science and Tech, you'll see two new technologies coming every day. For satisfaction, what to do? See PYQs and try to understand in your mind, what is coming more? Questions from Nanotech, Biotech, Space Tech, and IT are fixed. Because I have limited them, I have domain knowledge. Like this time, what to do to avoid asteroids? I had never read that. So what to do? The Earth is revolving there. If it comes, it will come. So some students were very strong. Oh, I know, I thought what to do? But some students wrote, we will leave nuclear here. Yes. Oh, really, and that was a good point. So some things come to mind. So you can't write them. You can't read them from anywhere. So you have to avoid these things. Now, what technology to bring to clean water? Everyone knows RO. But nobody knew more than this. So it is that what you don't know and what you missed, for which you didn't make notes, 90% of it will be wrong, meaning they won't be able to write it. Okay? So you have to control FOMO there. I'll come quickly. Here I have done a lot of show-off, written very few words. My content was good last time too. PSIR, but the examiner said, no, this is a thief. You want marks by writing so little? Forget it, you won't get them. So I changed it a bit. Now look, on the same day my marksheet came, I connected with a friend, he had 284 marks. Okay? He said it was his luck that he attempted the same questions as I did. So he told me that in this 20 marker, you made this mistake. So I wrote exact word to word, there are many technical words in it. That you made these mistakes. I wrote the mistakes of Paper Two. Okay? So analysis of mistakes is very important. But when will mistakes happen? When it's yours. I don't want that once. But it's good to learn from mistakes beforehand, from others. So this was about PSIR answer writing, that every paragraph should be dense and have a new dimension. Like if a question comes about India US, then in the intro, you use a thinker, like this thinker said that we have to go from star to sea, or whatever it is, India US relation is very strong. First dimension, you write for technology. Write it very strongly, like India US are collaborating in these, these Indus X, comma-comma, write many things in it. It's not that the thinker didn't come. The thinker came in the intro. Then somewhere else the thinker will also come. Suppose it comes that India and US are also collaborating in combating terrorism. But as our External Affairs Minister has said that we cannot become a NATO ally, like this, the thinker will also come in between, but there will be no substance, right? If in IR, this is the mistake I made last time, there was no substance, only names of thinkers were visible. He said, where are the examples, brother? Not a single example of India US is visible. So it should be a dense paragraph. One for technology, one for humanitarian, whatever, like on Indo-Pacific, write a paragraph. So there will be different dimensions in the paragraph, so the content becomes quite rich. Then intro and conclusion are fixed. Definitely check Utkarsh sir's blog. Always put this on your plate. Put this for Aristotle. Meaning, those who are from PSIR, check it. Okay? Yes. What should be its size? Small, big, this also happens. And how much gap should be there in it? This reminds me of that reel. There is one, she brings roti. He checks the diameter. This won't matter much. So everyone's writing is different. I'll tell you now, the writing should be clear. But whose writing is clear, that's still unknown. Let me tell you once. Clear means that the spacing should be uniform. One thing. You don't need to sit with a scale everywhere. It will build up in your mind automatically. When you start writing, you'll get practice automatically. It will come in your lines. And R and some such complicated words, if you keep them simple, then clarity will automatically come. Then for visibility, highlight whatever you feel is important. Meaning, underline. There are two things in this. Will you highlight while writing the answer or after finishing? Highlighting is never done after finishing. Remember that. You have to quickly strike a line while writing. It's not that it's just lines. He said, why was I called here to make a textbook of lines? You have to do it with some understanding. Okay? Yes sir. So this is done. It seems there are not many from PSIR. Still, I'll give one final tip quickly. Just then. Oh, I have to close this. I'll tell you about the choice of questions. Okay? We'll discuss that too. It's important in every non-technical and even technical optional. Let's finalize with this quickly. This was not it, it's above, maybe. Yes, it came, it came, it came. The question that gave me a lot of pain. Now look, the question came. The Constitution of India is the cornerstone of a nation. Analyze. So if I make a GS Two student sit here, meaning someone whose PSIR is not optional, they will also write that there is a constitution, and a country is made from it, and it has fundamental rights. I also wrote the same thing because there is no scope for a thinker in this, brother. This was a trick question. A trap question. You know how many questions have to be done in optional, right? You don't know. Tell me. Do we have to do all the questions? Okay? Meaning, you have to do at least two from any. Then. Okay? So you have to choose from them. So here we got stuck. So as soon as NITI Aayog, policy think tank, this, this, I couldn't write anything here either, man. There is no thinker in NITI Aayog, nor any substance. Same thing. And look, in this, if a question forces you to think a lot, in optional, there is absolutely no time. You have to fill four pages in a 20 marker. So I was thinking, it's a cornerstone, so what will happen? What will happen? I wrote something like that, with more gaps between the lines. So because of this choice, I got ruined. Otherwise, I couldn't have increased my content by 150 marks in 50 days, 2 months. So you have to bring some technical changes. So this was about choice of questions. Okay? Second, credible sources. I'll give a quick overview of this. Whose non-technical, is there any technical optional here, Maths? Oh, you are from Maths. Okay. There are many Maths toppers too. Let's discuss that. IGNOU's material, I, because the notes were self-made. IGNOU, and standard books. I'll give an example quickly. This question is from here. Now you'll say, you're just telling this to make reel material. But that's the truth. There's an 11-page document on legitimacy from IGNOU. So I was roaming outside, my center was in RK Puram. Oh, what will happen? Because I knew that if I had to get a rank, my GS was done, and I knew that I would get some marks in optional, from 200 to 260-70, so there was a lot of pressure. I was eating a five-star in the morning, thinking, oh, what to do? So I thought about legitimacy, let me read it once. It was an 11-page document. I read it quickly. What is legitimacy? What did Hobbes say? What did Marx say? And what did Rousseau say? And what are its examples? I read it quickly and closed it. Okay? As soon as I went, I saw, oh wow, it was great. This is the same question. Then I copied the entire IGNOU thing. I structured it a bit, showing evaluation. You know, even copying shouldn't be mechanical. How? Paragraph transitions. This is very important in optional. Like you are writing that Hobbes said that legitimacy comes from political or the perception of the people, this and that. But this view seems to be changed when Rousseau gave some points about it. Then write Rousseau's points, like this and that. So when I came out, that IGNOU document didn't have anything about Gramsci. For PSIR people, maybe they won't understand much. But he is considered a big thinker. But then I thought, I didn't write that. It was a 20 marker, I'll get fewer marks. But because it was IGNOU material, the professors who check, they teach in colleges, and colleges follow IGNOU's material. And the notes made by coaching are also mostly from IGNOU, and all this is used. Now, where do you need to use your brain? You said you got IGNOU's material. Now I am the topper. What change do you need to bring in this? Look. Yes, is the Panchayati Raj one here? Very good. There was one about deliberative, let's see that first. Meaning, I'll just give examples, I'm not going into too much technicality, how innovation also happens in optional, this and that. That topper, Swati ma'am, she only helped me a little, I saw from her notes that something like this can be done. Look, everyone has heard about the MyGov portal. The question was, Deliberative democracy seeks to promote democratic decision-making about public issues among the citizens. So first, I wrote the thinkers, that deliberative democracy means discussion. John Rawls gave it. It has been happening since Aristotle's time in Greek city-states. Then, after a page, I wrote that recently in democracy, we see initiatives like MyGov. What does MyGov do? It facilitates discussion on everything. It conducts quizzes. If any new law comes, like BANS came, then there was a quiz of 50 questions, and they give you a certificate at the end. So I put those examples in it. How is that deliberative democracy? 140 crore people can't sit and discuss at the crossroads. But the MyGov portal is a means of deliberative democracy. So it is generally said in PSIR that current affairs can be used in one B. In one A, there is less scope. But

This time, I attempted both questions from Section A. I did two questions from here. I did only one from here. These are two or three, and then the two compulsory ones, five or six. I did more from here, and that guess about legitimacy turned out to be correct, so it's good. Last time, I did more than this, and I didn't know the answers, so I got fewer marks. But remember, every non-technical optional has a part where examples are used more. A bit of current affairs. It's not like you overload it and write three pages on MyGov. You'll learn to balance it as you study, it's not that big a deal. Then I talked about IR, that it should be concise. Use paragraphs, recent initiatives, etc. Okay? Let's talk about luck at the end. If it gets too long, it will be too much, and students won't want to watch a 1 hour 55 minute topper talk, brother, forget it. When it comes on YouTube, let's go. This is just a little bit of space I'm getting, I even put up the marksheet, man, this is the last page. I'll quickly talk about luck, then we'll do the rest. What happens is, before every Mains, coaching institutes release some prediction PDFs saying these questions will come, and those who are veterans, meaning those who have given one or two Mains, think that this is fake, these won't come, we won't study that much. But by luck, I read the GS 3 part because my situation was bad, you know, from 674, I needed to increase my score by at least 100 marks. There was a question about UDAAN that UDAAN might come this time because it had been 10 years, and for the first time, we breached the target of 75 airports. Yes, so I went to the internet. Yes, technology has a use here too. Don't trust everything the coaching institutes say. Dig in yourself and find and add some things. For example, there's a CAG report on UDAAN that talks about the deficiencies of the UDAAN scheme. Okay? And a question on UDAAN came in GS, a 15 marker. And I did that whole thing. So, those who got three marks, I got seven or eight. Where did luck work in GS 1? Three World History questions, and because I also have an interview call for RS, they teach World History in great detail in RS. In UPSC, what happens? Either the Russian Revolution will come, or the French Revolution will come. Study those two, and leave the rest of World History. But they teach it in detail. There was a question on the Industrial Revolution, very detailed. Steel making technology, steam engine, this and that, from which regions, how the changes came, I wrote all of that in great detail. So, the History professor said, "What a student, man. I have to give him marks." So, the RS luck worked here. This can work for you in some other way. Suppose you have done something from IIT, and a Science and Tech question comes that only you know, or you worked on something in a school project and you know it. Okay? So, this luck can work anywhere. So, work hard, trust the process, and the rest of these things will be added on. Then let's quickly talk about the interview, since we've come this far. That stage is still far away. That Bassy wala, you know, the stand-up comedian, said, "I started preparing earlier." The marks are, and after getting recommended from NDA, these marks were a bit disappointing. My confidence is okay, right? It's not like I'm a nobody who got 165 correct. It's not like that, right? So, some mistakes were made. An Army question came, sir, who was an Army officer, wearing a scarf, he asked me to tell him everything from Battalion to Command. "You are an Army boy, your father is also in the forces." I said, "Okay, sir, I'll tell you." I told him Battalion, Brigade. I forgot Division. I told him Corps, Command. Then sir asked, "What is a Division?" I said, "Man, I have to tell this. It's a matter of ego, because I am from the Army." So, I told some things incorrectly. Then I feel where the Chairman Sir gave me scope, I couldn't elaborate much. Sir had asked, "How to make the 10-meter air pistol famous?" I had played in the pre-nationals. The answer didn't seem very convincing. Even to me, when I thought about it. My discussion with the other two members was very good. That's why I got 165, otherwise, even with them, if it had been bad, I would be at home, watching some other topper on YouTube. Okay? It was good with those two. The matter settled down a bit. Yes, these are the matters. It's still far away. Do the 2026 one and use it well. Identify the toppers who seem legitimate to you now, because some toppers will drop out of this journey. Okay? They won't help. But some will be there whom you need to identify. Pick a topper for your optional. Okay? Like I used Swati Ma'am's notes. See one who has good marks in GS and who you feel is credible, follow them. Okay? You can do that. Also, look at those who have good marks in Essays. Okay? And there will definitely be some toppers who will take initiatives and conduct classes. Like, after your Prelims, they will guide you for Mains. So, follow them. Do your self-study, whatever notes you have made in coaching, do them well. And the interview, man, it's a bit dicey. But if it goes well that day, then that's a later matter, and it will be good, meaning if luck is good, because it was written by me, even then, man, I got so many marks in 165, right? And your Mains might be low sometimes, but your interview marks will be good, so don't think too much about it. Also, give other exams, UP PCS, wherever you are from in which state, there are very good vacancies nowadays. My friend just got rank 73, he was a UP SDM before, and this was his sixth attempt, but he was already a UP SDM, so there wasn't much pressure. So, you'll have to balance something like this, but don't take such jobs. Meaning, if you think you want to come to CSE in administration in the long term, then don't take jobs that compromise the journey, like banking PO, etc., because the workload is very high. Then, okay? But it's also your family's condition. Okay? It's not like your mother is saying, "The call letter has come, go." No, Trilok Ji said not to go. You decide that. But I'm telling you based on what I've seen with my friends. Like, RBI people, they have some free time, a little bit. But if you look at POs, you have to manage customers very individually. If they don't get time, then think pragmatically. You are smart. I am only one and a half years older than you. Not much else. Okay, let's move on to the final questions and normal conversation. I didn't try to keep it too formal, and I like to give time, but now it will get too long, and no one will watch it on YouTube, and you'll yawn too. So, quickly tell me what's what. Okay, this daily question goes on Reels: "I told the media people that I used to study for 9-10 hours." They wrote, "He studied from 7 AM to 11 PM in a village library." Oh my god, okay. So, it's like the tortoise and the hare story. I started early, because from around mid-2022, I used to give 6-7 hours then. But as Prelims approaches, I have to give 8-9 hours. When Mains comes, it goes up to 10-11 hours, and in the interview, it's fun. You discuss and time passes. So, strategize accordingly. And everyone has a pace. Some people give more hours, and they count sleep in that, or they use efficiency apps like Forest, YPT, and everyone is different. So, don't give too much importance to hours. But include some things in your daily routine that entertain you or give you something, whatever you do. Like, I never miss Grand Slam tennis matches. Even if it's the US Open at 2 AM, I'll watch it. I watched IPL 2023 before Prelims because it's an occasional event. In 90 days, I can go for one day so that I feel like it. Because in this journey, what happens is people taunt you, saying you don't come to weddings, you don't come to functions, you don't have any hobbies. You become completely worthless. Then you think to yourself. So, do one or two things so that you get that badge of honor, saying, "I did this," to console yourself. Okay, sir, with the mic. Yes. Sir, in UPSC, in PSIR, Western philosophers are compared with Indian philosophers. For example, a question comes like, "Machiavelli is the Kautilya of the West." How did you tackle such questions? That's a very good question. The comparison is very apt. There are many comparisons between Western and Indian philosophers. For example, there's one between Rousseau and Gandhi, and then you mentioned Kautilya and Machiavelli. First, you should give an introduction. That both thinkers were from a realist perspective. This was it. Then find dimensions where they were common. For example, regarding statecraft, both say that the king should be a realist. Regarding the welfare of the people, both are common. Okay? Write where they differ. And cover this in one or two paragraphs. For example, similarities in one or two paragraphs. Do it in one. Okay? Differences in one. For example, under Dharma, the king was always subordinate. But Machiavelli said that whatever the king says, the Prince is always right. Okay? Then there were one or two more things: religion should be used in a utilitarian way. But Kautilya said, "No, no, man, religion is sacred. We must keep it pure." So, that's one paragraph. Then write, "But both were realists," and then a perspective of some thinker, like Nehru said that Kautilya came first, and Machiavelli later, and there are some differences between them. You can end with that. There's a strategy by Utkarsh Sir or someone else. There's a sniper versus shotgun strategy in optional subjects, non-technical optional. In 20 markers, you have to take a sniper's view. For example, if there's a question on the Non-Aligned Movement, you have to write one page of its history, otherwise, what will you write in four pages? Then come to the topic: what is asked about NAM? Relevance. So, write the relevance: our Prime Minister didn't attend the summit. Attended the summit virtually, but there are many issues. For example, comma-comma dense paragraphs like climate change, or nuclear warfare, or sovereignty of countries. Right? Write a paragraph quickly. And shotgun, meaning you need immediate impact. So, in a 10 marker, there should only be the first paragraph, the introduction. Then come directly to the matter. So, these are things that we will discuss further on the channel because there are fewer PSIR people. They will think, "Let's leave it." Okay? Thank you, sir. Okay. Now, hope, yes, brother, for the first time a lion has woken up like this. Congratulations, sir. Thank you very much, sir. You said you have an Army background and you are a repeater. How did those things impact this preparation? Yes, that's good because I gave NDA first, and was conference out. You might not know much about SSB, but there are direct entries like Army Tech, Navy Tech. So, screened out in Navy Tech. Then screened out twice in Army Tech. Then conference out in the next NDA. What happens is, this journey taught me that you have to have some self-belief, because you are continuously getting rejected, so people also say, "It won't happen," and you also doubt yourself, thinking something is missing, that's why it's not happening. But when it happened in the fifth attempt, I felt that I have the capability to finish what I started. So, that's one thing. Second, when failures come later, you have some mechanism to tackle them. You remember how you did it at that time? What did you think? Right? So, in this way, it helps a lot. Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination demands strong preparation across all Mains papers, and when it comes to scoring well in the Mains, your optional subject plays a crucial role. A good performance in your optional paper can be the difference between just qualifying and securing a top rank. To help you build a strong conceptual foundation and improve answer writing, Vin IAS presents the Optional Classroom Program 2026, available in both live online and classroom offline modes. Subjects offered: Geography, Sociology, Political Science and International Relations. Batch starts from 20th June, 2 PM. Physics classes start from 15th July. [Music] Yes, sir, like in coaching, we have two regular classes, and there's also a two-hour travel time. So, during this time, what should be the strategy for optional? Should we study optional at night, or thoroughly revise what was taught in class, and current affairs in the morning? So, I don't understand the schedule, sir, how to make a schedule? The travel time is 2 hours. Yes, sir, mine is a bit by bike, one hour going, one hour coming. Oh, the bike one is deadly. If it were the metro, I would have said to read the newspaper, and I wouldn't even say that. So, what is your optional? Yes, sir. Sir. Okay, so you have to give Prelims in 2026, right? Yes, sir. 2026, Chennai March. Okay. Now, the 2025 Prelims will come in June, July, August. So, do this: for three months, June, July, August, do PSIR properly. Your foundation hasn't even started yet. Meaning, you haven't studied at all? No, sir, we are talking about PSIR. Sir, I have completed up to 2A of PSIR. Okay, so do this: suppose your classes are going on. Okay? Meaning, your classes are going on at Vision or here. So, revise a little bit of what's being taught in the classes. Don't put too much emphasis on that, and pick a very small sub-topic of PSIR, just one line, like rights. What will happen is, by September, your classes will also be going on, and one topic of optional will be revised daily. So, if you look at it, there are 41 topics, and even if you miss three or four days, let's say 70 days. So, for about 3 months, your classes at Vision will be going on, and one topic of PSIR will be done by you daily. But what will you do? That's also a question. Are you doing PSIR from here? No, sir, I'm doing it myself. Okay, so whatever topic it is, wherever you are reading from, look at its notes once, then look at the PYQs. There's a file of PSIR PYQs, I'll post it today. Get it printed. It's about 41 pages. Like rights, quickly see what questions come. Natural rights come, okay. Hobbes's theory of rights is asked. Quickly see. And then that day's task is settled. Then, after August, September, think, "Now I'll do GS for two-three months." And while doing GS, there will be overlap with the PSIR parts. Do a little bit of Mains answer writing. Then you'll have to give 4-5 months for Prelims. So, this is a bit of individual planning, so you have to do it maturely. Okay? Where are you coming from for travel? Sir, Mukherjee Nagar. Okay, so the metro one might also work. You decide that. The metro time is a bit longer, one and a half hours. Okay, yes, that's also there. Then figure something out. And what else can be done? Okay. Otherwise, do well. There's nothing. Everyone has some handicaps. For example, let me tell you. My RS Mains was on July 21st. And UPSC Mains was from September 19th. The difference is very little. I also gave the Prelims for this, gave IB T2 in between, and then gave this too. I got an interview call for this. I was merit-out in this. Okay, it was a handicap. People also said, "You're going by bike, leave it, it won't happen for you." So, I'm telling you for yourself: if someone says that, then show them you can do it. Okay. Hello, sir. Congratulations. Thank you, sir. Your GS 3 booklets and resources are... Yes, the Abhyas copies are uploaded, so you'll get an idea. I'll share a detailed strategy for GS 3 on how to do agriculture, subject-wise notes. Oh man, I forgot, it was very important. When I was explaining the table, that brother asked. Then for GS 3, I forgot one thing. Whatever keywords are there, go back to the backspace once. Okay, this has to be done here. Mind is back. This table is made. Let's clean it. If you see, there will be around 120-30 total keywords, all Mains keywords. Okay. Any keyword, like food processing. Irrigation. How to make notes? Okay. First, the definition of food processing. Because there's only one. For some things, it's different. Like, the World Bank's definition of good governance is different. Okay. Someone else's institution's definition. So, write it like that at that time. Then, why is food processing important? Okay. Then, in the definition, you've written stages, etc. Then, what are the challenges in this? And what is the government doing? Notes will be prepared on every keyword like this. For GS 3, these four points are very important because in GS 2, things are a bit different. There, that table I told you about, that one. So, notes will be made like this. Now, I feel I have to upload all of them. I will do it. It will take time. Let's let the Prelims happen first. This is not useful anyway. But I'll do it after Prelims. Otherwise, the Prelims students will also get scared, thinking, "What is this?" Forget it. I'll do it after May 25th. Meaning, by May 25th. Okay. Thank you, sir. Yes. Sir, like we study daily, so how to manage time properly? Like, we study properly for 10-11 days, but after that, it feels like nothing has happened. It feels like I have to start again. And how to fix this daily, like fixing the newspaper, revising what was taught in class. How to do the daily schedule?

Let's figure out how to schedule and proceed. Some things should definitely be part of the daily schedule. For example, if you have a newspaper, it will become a habit, and if you fix a 40-minute slot for it in the morning, you will definitely read it at that time.

Now, scheduling also involves a bit of science. There are two phases of the day. I'm not talking about night owls. I'm talking about myself. The morning is the active phase. The evening is passive. Meaning, after lunch, after eating a heavy meal and drinking curd, etc. So, what should you do in the active phase? Whatever you need to revise, or learn something new, or practice answer writing, do that in the active phase. What should you do in the passive phase? Watch PYQ videos, or solve questions from the topic you studied in the morning or at coaching.

Now, you said that nothing is happening, even after studying for 10-15 days. Like Virat Kohli practiced an un-stumped net, but got bowled there. That task did it. You will only know this when you give a test. So, create a mechanism where you always keep the tab open for PYQs or something from Testbook, so that when you tick it, the answer appears. I used to do five questions from Vision daily. They come on the channel, five daily. I used to do them, thinking, "Nothing is happening." But it gives you a feeling that you know something. This is very important. This point was raised very well. So, you have to proceed by dividing it like this.

Like there used to be videos. During Mains, what was I doing? I would make notes in the morning. In the evening, I would watch videos. I would read the newspaper and do a little bit of answer writing in the morning, mostly. Because even if you divide it into active and passive phases, it will happen. Now you might think, "I will study optional now." Oh brother, you will feel very sleepy. Answer writing won't happen either. Then you will think it's taking too much time. So, accordingly, some things are sacrosanct, like you have to read the newspaper. Okay? Or the strategy you made for a subject, like, "I have to do Polity today." And make short, short targets, like, "Today I will do Fundamental Rights and Parliament." And mix subjects. But this also varies a lot. Some people can study one subject for three days. So, do it that way. I used to do different subjects. For example, first I would read Polity, and in the evening, I would look at two topics of Physical Geography, so that it remains interesting. So, this thing is also a bit personalized. But you can do it in this way.

Like, if only one subject is being taught in the class right now, and we continue with the same subject, or add another subject to it according to our convenience. And this is quite a good thing because for those who are building their foundation, this stage is not for running two subjects simultaneously because they haven't studied yet. They are learning something new. So, suppose you are studying Polity now, and you have studied Geography before. Then what option do you have? You can do a little bit of Geography along with Polity. But how will you do it? Suppose Polity is being taught today, and the class on Parliament is over. Then in the evening, you think, "Oh, today I'll look at Geography PYQs." Because I studied it two months ago. So, you looked at the PYQs. Then you attempted them and said, "Oh, so many were wrong." Now what do I do? So, you quickly went and read about landforms. "Ah, this was wrong for me." In this way, you can stay in sync a bit. Meaning, not two subjects daily. Yes, not daily. Yes. Meaning, if it comes to your mind that you feel that it's been a month since you looked at the previous subject, then you can follow this: for a little refreshment. Thank you, sir. Yes, it's back to the same thing. Now you have to run this phase again, where you do two together. And make a strategy according to time. You have to give the Prelims in '26. I would say, everyone has graduated, so fill the second CDS. One is CS, it will be a test of how much you know and how much you don't. So, you will keep waiting for CS to come, right? And once you go to the center, fill OMR sheets, you will stay in practice. Yes, this madam. Okay, sir. Sir, you also did something. You also did. Yes, tell me, sir. For the 2024 attempt, how many tests did you write for Mains? Yes, okay. In 2023, I took one test series, and wrote 12 tests, and four from Abhyas Vision, so that makes 16. For '24, because of lack of time, I wrote four from Abhyas plus two for optional. I did all the optional PYQs with my friends who are already in service. Meaning, forming a peer group is important. And these tests from this coaching, I wrote them without buying, just by taking them and checking them with friends because there were fewer days. I told you, right? July and the September one. Because once you give Mains, you know that there are only 19-20 tests. But practice is very important. It's not like you just go in openly. Meaning, you have to write a minimum of 10 to 12. And for a real-time environment, Abhyas is the best because the center comes somewhere in Delhi or your regional city, and then you have to write there. Alright, good. The boy is enthusiastic today. Sorry, sir. Sir, like this time, the gap between Prelims and Mains is reducing. This time it's only 88 days. So, will there be any change? Because we are getting less time for making notes. Yes, you can say that. But then you also see that the time between the final result and Prelims also creates a significant difference. So, now it is also important to make some notes along with the foundation because the gap has reduced. Because earlier, on average, I think 100 to 105 days were given. So, 10-12 days have been cut. So, what you can do is, have some notes ready beforehand. Like I said, these tables, etc., are only for 1, 2, 3. Use the foundation notes for Ethics. Case study tables, anecdotes etc. in essays, don't collect them yourself. Use them smartly. Because UPSC is also doing this because material is easily available due to technology. So, it thinks, why should I give 100 days? I will give only 88. So, you will also say, "Yes, why should I make them now? I will also take compilations from there." Okay. Thank you, sir. Okay. That madam who left, what? Oh, she's here. Let's do their final one. Otherwise, it's not like anyone is left unhappy, right? There's no such issue, right? Sir, my Prelims is on May 25th. Mains is on June 9th for MPPSC. Oh, MP is cleared. A round of applause for that. But it's quite tough. The cutoff goes up to 165, right? No, sir, it's 157. Yes, still very high, man. Yes. So, sir, I want to ask that for the upcoming Mains, I am doing the last PYQs for Mains, but I am not able to focus on UPSC because the GS for MPPSC and UPSC is quite different. So, tell me, is it the first one, or UPSC's? Yes, sir, it was the first one for MP. It was the state's first one. Okay. So, now you have to do some math. I had prior Mains experience. That's why I gave Prelims again. It was the same half-cycle situation, but with only this much difference. But now you will give it on May 25th, then again in June, and then in 40 days, it will be very difficult. So, either you have to make a tough decision: my two or three friends who are giving UPPSC are only giving UPPSC this time. I have only filled for UPPSC this year. Okay, it's in October, right? That's late. So, you can give that well. But the Mains in June, they are giving it. So, they are all skipping UPSC. So, either make such a tough decision, because then the situation of riding two boats will come, and Guddu Bhaiya's voice will be heard. Because you just said that one should also give the state exam. Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely. That's a good thing. So, you have to ponder over that a bit. I can't help you much with this. Thank you, sir. Okay, then. Oh man, this guy is something else. Okay, Trilok, just write Air 2, that's all. When you go there to search. And the @ symbol is there or not, it comes anyway. Okay? So, I think first of all, it's very rare to find somebody who makes the session so entertaining also. And Trilok, once again, thank you so much. It was a very detailed session, very practical. So, he made it very easy. But if you see the journey, it's not easy. It takes a lot of grit and a lot of failures and a lot of, you know, determination to clear the exam. So, before we end the session, please a huge round of applause [applause] from all of us from the Vision IAS family. We really congratulate you and wish you all the best with all that great. You serve the nation and your dream, dream has come true. So, all the very best. Thank you so much, sir. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. [Music]