Problem Areas while attempting Prelims

I personally am still not getting 60 precisely correct answers. And rely on guesses too often.

If you guys are not able to get 60 clear, that means you have topics in which u are weak!

So, discuss them well.

Then u should check why u are not getting 60 right!!

Sir not having revised the portions is one of the reasons in my case

Yes, it does affect the quality of answers!

3 Issues to be taken care of:

1. You don’t sleep well at night, wake up late. Your brain takes time to get back to his max efficiency, which could be evening or post 10pm. So, it makes mistakes, on questions that you know.

2. A deep rooted fear that you are not actually as good as the UPSC wants! That makes you make mistakes.

3. The prep has not been good. Lack of confidence. That also makes you make mistakes.

You need to attend all these 3 issues.

Socio Economic Census for Prelims

Sir, Socio Economic Census was released on 3rd July. It's not covered in our RAG I think since it wasn't out at the time of last update. Should we cover it?

Need not!

Your question papers are already finalized!!! 😊

It normally takes 45-60 days to print and transport

So, even last minute changes are closed 45 days ahead.

You can check with past prelims question paper!!!

CA within 2 months won’t be occurring!!

Strategy for Prelims

Strategy for Prelims

Now, let’s take only paper 1!!! Assuming that you get qualified in paper 2; how many right questions (net) you need in paper 1?! 60?!

Yes sir

Now, this 60, is a net number. Means its addition of both your positive and negative answers?

How many negative answers will be equivalent to one positive answer?!

3 negative = 1

And each positive answer gets how many marks?

2

So, 60 positive questions will include the addition of net negative answers too!!

It means, you should have 60 right answers with you, assuming wrong answers are zero!!

Yes sir

Great!!

Ok, now when you get to solve 18 papers, try 3 strategies, one strategy for each 3 papers.

Strategies:

Strategy A: Just do only the questions that you are 100% sure. Let’s see how many you are able to get.

Strategy B: Just do maximum guess. (We will have separate class on OPTIMIZATION of guessing!)

Of course, this is sure shot questions plus max guess!!

Strategy C: Sure shot + OPTIMIZED guesses.

Okay sir, that would make us find out where we are good at were we go wrong.. 😊😊 Good idea

Exactly!!

So, first 9 papers, you will test the strategy!!

And next 9 papers you will stick to that and see how many marks you get!!!

Because, each of you will do BEST in any of the three strategies!! It's a multiplication of two factors: how much you studies how smart you are in guessing!!!

Which strategy suits you best?! Can be found by this!!!

Some of you may be quite bad in making guesses. It could be due to any reason, starting from how your brain is wired, till your worry on the exam date!!!!

Some of you may be quite logical and good in making guesses, and less mistakes!!!

Some of you may be a good mix of both!! That’s why it’s VERY IMP that you DISCOVER, what works best for you!!!!😀😀😀👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

And this experiment can be done, SUCCESSFULLY, only when you have a question paper that is CLOSEST to the REAL paper!! That’s how we were here with RAG method!!!

That’s why; we have to come to this stage, to check your strategy!! Anything else would have given you wrong conclusions!!!!

Imagine you testing this experiment with a mock paper, which is far away from the real paper! E.g.: you take a mock only on science topic!! Your results will be skewed depending on how well you know that subject or how well you can guess!!!

But, the result can be depended upon!!!! Am I right?!😀

Yes sir.

That’s why we made you to work and work, and solve mocks, and refine it to such extent that, you now stand here: READY to do this experiment to find out what STRATEGY works BEST for you!!!😀😀😀

That’s why we made you to work and work, and solve mocks, and refine it to such extent that, you now stand here: READY to do this experiment to find out what STRATEGY works BEST for you!!!😀😀😀

So, you keep 60 as your target!!

Or if you are bent on making guesses, and then make compensation for that!! Means, you need to make at least say, 65 or 70 right answers!!!

But, it’s very imp that you decide it!!! How many right answers I need to get?! And how many negatives I can afford?!

These two are very imp decisions u can take!!

e.g.: I will say: I need to do 63 right answers, and afford 6 wrong answers!!

Each of you needs to take this decision!!

You can optimize the guessing based on this!!

My sincere advice... You should try to attend almost all questions for which you know even a point or two. At least 20 should have been attended here (in the mock test). You have answered only 14. If I give 6/10 for each, you'll get 84. Have you attended 20 and answered in an average fashion, you'd have got 20*5=100. 16 Marks could the difference between service and no service... SO, try to answer as many as u can. Don't waste time on perfecting each answer. Try to write many good answers rather than a few excellent ones! All the best👍👍👍👍

- V P Gautham IAS 2014 Andhra

Time Management in CSE Prelims

Time management for exam is simple

Time for each question = Total time / No of questions

I remember we had 45 seconds for each question in general studies prelims.

There were questions which took 45 seconds to read and understand itself ‼

Such long questions I used to simply mark some answer and save 40 seconds.

This is one strategy.

In order to work, you need to get other questions right

😇

Practice any question within the time limit

What is the time limit for a question in csat ?

-          Sir, 90 second per question in Csat.

Practice solving any question in 90 seconds.

Have a stop watch and see how much time you take to

1, read

2, understand

3, find answer

4, cross check or verify

-          Ravichander IRTS 01 Chennai