DISCUSSION, ANSWER WRITING, STRATEGY AND REFERENCE MATERIAL
The title doesn’t confirm any actual historical event, as all the three great thinkers belong to different times & spaces altogether. But it did happen in the Civilsdaily’s Habitat universe. Interlinking of different topics/ideas/thinkers is the demand for any optional paper, and more so for PSIR.
We are here with yet another innovation. Not boasting okay! but we have actually re-invented learning in general and re-structured UPSC preparation in particular.
Preparing in the old, outdated manner you can’t be ready for the curveball in the mains exam. Modern problems require ‘postmodern’ solutions.
Are you ready for the curveball questions in the PSIR Mains exam?
It gets chaotic in the Mains when you are sitting there scratching your head thinking about what surprises the next question might hold for you. For that, you have to get chaotic now, turn it into constructive chaos, and channelize it.
What is our philosophy?
We have diminished, if not removed the barrier between teacher and student. Co-learning and co-creating knowledge is the need of the hour. The discourses, the vaad-vivaad on every topic, every theory and every issue pushes theboundaries of your thoughts. (It is required.)
Our approach to optionals and PSIR, in particular, is decentralized. Ideasflow from every direction. So you might encounter Jon Snow and Amit Shah having their ‘chai pe charcha’ while discussing Plato and Chanakya. Learning is about conversations, it is about stories that change you and your perception of reality – enter the matrix without the red pill if you may!
Headed by our experienced faculty this group has revolutionized PSIR optional preparation. You are going to ask doubts; learn and unlearn, and relearn; think and discuss like you never did before.
Every discussion is going to get neatly organized in separate threads. You are going to learn with a highly focussed community of diverse-minded aspirants.
A look at PSIR Optional group on Habitat.
Planned progression
Discussion and syllabus coverage is going to be planned not only for the day but also for a week, with dedicated days for revision, review, and restrategizing. It is going to ensure discipline and consistency.
Not all of you are at the same stage of preparation. Some are just beginning and some have covered the syllabus more than once. Your preparation and approach will also differ.
Modern solutions, they offer one size fits all solutions. We are way past that. Our approach is postmodern! It’s personalized and customized to your individual learning competencies, situation, attitude, and aptitude.
You are going to learn as per your learning competencies, we are just going to make it efficient.
Personalized questionsPersonalized targets
Answer writing and discussion
This is one of the most important offerings this group has to offer. Daily questions are shared, from previous year questions to topic-based questions. Answers to them are reviewed and discussed thoroughly. You don’t want to miss this session.
Answer writing and discussion
Notes and references
There are so many sources for PSIR. Wisdom lies in not only selecting the most appropriate sources but also in knowing what you can and should avoid. All the important readings, references, and materials are suggested and shared on a regular basis. Based on the reference material shared, important topics are pointed out and discussed.
At times it will become a philosophical circus (literally), but by the end of a session, you will feel your brain juices flowing like the cool mountain spring in a meadow.
You will be joining a focussed community of learners.
We are delighted to launch Mains Essential Program 2021 for IAS 2021 exam. It is going to start from 21st June 2020.
Our flagship program, MEP 2021 is a personalized and Mentor guided comprehensive and intensive program for GS Mains papers.
22 Tests (14 Subject-wise + 8 Full syllabus Tests)
There is no doubt about Mains exam being the most important stage of the UPSC. It’s also becoming more and more unpredictable, analytical, and dynamic than ever before.
The focus in MEP 2021 will be on making students understand the requirement of Mains questions, its elements, utilizing information, and imparting answer writing skills for that.
Our previous year’s Mains tests have had an exceptional hit ratio in 2019 and 2018 UPSC Mains.
Why MEP 2021? (Our Philosophy)
1. Question Formulation
It happens under a team of experienced Civilsdaily’s faculty. Questions framed are from the most important UPSC relevant themes and papers are based on the latest pattern of UPSC.
Our questions specifically state:
Whether they are straightforward or thought-provoking/analytical.
Whether they have subparts.
Why this question – similar previous year questions, the importance of the theme, etc.
CD Innovation – Star marked questions We go the extra mile and craft unique, intellectually-stimulating questions. Marked with a star, these questions reward analytical ability and critical thinking.
2. One-to-One Discussion on every checked copy
We believe in personalized individual attention. This is the biggest reason why you should join our TS. Students can schedule a call within 2 days of receiving their checked copies.
A one-to-one discussion with Mentor will not only highlight your weaknesses but will also help in tracking your improvements over the subsequent tests. It will also ensure consistency, continuity, and progressive improvement.
3. Answer Checking
Our evaluation focusses on multiple dimensions and parameters like structure, flow, presentation, contextuality, relevance to question, analytical excellence, and cross-domain inter-linkages than simply on superficial, memory-based lapses.
More than just simply providing information, our model answers cover all the aspects of a question and provide enriching points to the student. They also include:
For ‘thought-provoking/analytical‘ type of questions, we’ll provide the best way to approach them.
Alternate introductions
Sub-headings and categorization to enhance readability and answer structure.
Colour coding for main arguments, reports, data, scholars, etc.
Every test is discussed thoroughly in the video lecture. An in-depth explanation of every question, demand from it, and the ways in which it could have been answered are discussed. Mentors will also be sharing answer writing strategies with students so that they can gain extra marks in Mains.
6. Civilsdaily’s Handholding
You’ll be assigned to a special group on Civilsdaily’s Habitat, it’s headed by Sajal Sir, Atul Sir, Ravi Sir and rankers like Dr. Vipin Garg (AIR 20), Swapnil Pawar (AIR 525) and others.
Habitat is where everything comes together learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentor’s support, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before.
How will your queries be resolved?
The moment you have a query, you post it in the group. At 11 PM, 3 AM, doesn’t matter. No need to schedule a call, or drop an email. Just drop a chat. Once our team is up, it will be resolved.
More often than not, your peers will take part in your doubt discussions adding a lot of value.
Besides doubts, what else is there on Habitat?
#DDS sessions – We have dedicated sessions every day to resolve doubts in real-time. Never keep a doubt to yourself.
An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.
That’s not all, we’ve Daily news analysis and Op-ed discussion sessions on Habitat. Other activities like revisions, quizzes, test discussion, CSAT, etc. are also planned.
Civilsdaily’s Habitat – Desktop and Mobile view
7. Value-added material
Current affairs magazines – Civilsdaily’s Magazines are the best in terms of comprehensive coverage, superb design, and high readability. Get them here.
Listicles and other relevant study material – Supplementary content provided will be helpful in covering multiple related questions.
Program inclusion:
Tests (14 Subject-wise + 8 Full Syllabus) and Model Answers
Video Discussion
On phone One-to-One discussion of checked copy, with Mentor
Civilsdaily’s Handholding
Civilsdaily’s Habitat special group
Civilsdaily’s Magazines, Listicles, and other relevant study material
This is what our students have to say..
Kamya Misra, Mains Test series, UPSC 2018Kunal Aggarwal, Mains Test Series, UPSC 2018From Quora answer. (Read the full answer here)
We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently.
And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time.
Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day.
This is where our 3 tier mentoring comes in:
#1. 1st step starts with this Samanvaya call: Once you fill in the form, we get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, current strategies and create a step by step plan for next week, next month and so on
#2. You are given access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat where you can ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time, live sessions on news and op-eds and find your optional groups
#3. The third and most personalized tier is the 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your preparation – always-on chat & on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2021 journey
Who are you?
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy
AWE Program took a break for a few months so that you all can get back on the drawing boards and revise for the UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2020. Well, the AWE Program is back!
We request all students to renew their subscription for the upcoming months. Let’s keep the momentum going.
We are working hard to make the program more featureful, highlight the best answers, show the competency levels of students.
We’re overjoyed to announce the launch of Samachar Manthan for IAS 2021 – our flagship program for Current Affairs.
Absolutely no part of the IAS exam syllabus gets the level (even similar) of attention or emphasis as is received by Current Affairs. It is as ubiquitous as Oxygen on Earth, and for the exam, it’s importance is of similar magnitude.
In this informative article, we’ll discuss what makes Current Affairs indispensable for every stage of the IAS exam, and how to cover them and utilise them. (Check out the questions and links provided below)
As a would-be administrator, UPSC expects you to be fully aware of happenings in the local, national and international level. You must be aware of the current and future potential/problem/challenges faced by the society, economy, polity, governance structure, etc.. It’s not just about information and knowledge, you must have a sound understanding of the interconnectedness of various issues and topics.
UPSC questions are interesting and at the same time challenging. Most of the times, UPSC uses current issues and links it with basic fundamental concepts in questions, which becomes tricky to answer. Take this question.
Q) “The Central Administration Tribunal which was established for redressal of grievances and complaints by or against central government employees nowadays is exercising its powers as an independent judicial authority.” Explain. (UPSC 2019 Mains, GS Paper 2)
Here you’ll be using static part i.e. CAT and its powers ( most probably from Laxminkant for Polity), but Current Affairs will come in explaining the latter part, i.e. how CAT is using its mandate to act as an independent judicial authority.
Using Current Affairs will also give a context to this question and will bring relevance to your answer. Without interlinking it with Current Affairs your answer will be incomplete.
Current Affairs in Prelims
Pick up the UPSC prelims syllabus and guess what is mentioned in the first sentence. Yes, Current Affairs.
2016 onwards UPSC Prelims exam has been dominated by Current Affairs. Questions are being compiled directly from newspapers. Even the static part asked in Pre is asked because it was related to some current event in one way or the other.
Number of questions (out of 100) in UPSC prelims directly from Current Affairs.
Importance of CA in mains
Have a look at UPSC previous years mains question papers and you’ll be amazed to know the number of questions asked that are directly influenced by Current Affairs.
Number of Questions (out of 20) asked directly from Current Affairs in UPSC Mains.
Even for GS Paper1 which is considered to be dominated by static part of the syllabus from History, Culture, Geography, etc., this holds true. Look at the questions from GS Paper 1 here and observe the Current Affairs orientation.
Q1.) What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism? (UPSC 2019)
Q2.) Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss. (UPSC 2019)
Q3.) Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss. (UPSC 2018)
Q4.) Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (UPSC 2018)
Q5.) Discuss the factors for localization of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India. (UPSC 2019)
Similarly, in GS Paper 2, the questions have to be interlinked with Current Affairs but a majority of them are directly from the CA. These are some of the previous year questions.
Q1.) ‘Too little cash, too much politics, leaves UNESCO fighting for life.’ Discuss the statement in the light of US’ withdrawal and its accusation of the cultural body as being ‘anti-Israel bias’.( UPSC 2019)
Q2.) In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India? (UPSC 2018)
Q3.) Whether the Supreme Court Judgement (July 2018) can settle the political tussle between the Lt. Governor and elected government of Delhi? Examine. (UPSC 2018)
In GS Paper 3, as you can see from the above table, almost 95% of the questions are from Current Affairs. (Pick up the last year’s paper)
Importance in Essays
Topics curated in the Essay exam may seem random and abstract but all of them are highly relevant in the context of Current Affairs. They are there because the central idea of the topic was in the news.
Decide for yourself, these are the topics from Section B in UPSC 2019 Essay paper:
South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities
Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness
Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy
Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling
Importance in interview
In Personality Tests often your opinions are asked on various issues and even from information provided in your DAF. Current Affairs make you aware of the surrounding and allow you to give practical answers to the problems faced by the country. Even till the last minute interview candidates can be seen with newspapers in their hands.
Other than all these stages Currents Affairs important for many of the Optional papers also.
Understanding and realising the importance of current affairs is just one part of the puzzle. You might be struggling with hundreds of other questions like- What all to read? From where to cover CA? What is important for Pre and what’s for Mains? How to make use of CA? (Yup, difficult questions)
Samachar Manthan’s philosophy (It should be yours too!)
1. Diversified and comprehensive coverage
Your coverage should be extensive if not exhaustive. Various sources must be referred to, which include newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express, LiveMint, etc.), magazines (Yojana, Kurukshetra, EPW, Down to Earth), important websites (PIB, PRS, govt ministries, IDSA, etc.).
At Civilsdaily it’s done by a team under Sajal Sir, that goes through six national newspapers and four magazines, daily.
They research them thoroughly, go in and out of every news and find information relevant for UPSC. Carefully selected relevant news is analyzed and delivered in a weekly lecture spanning over 3 hours. Click to know more.
2. Segregating important from unimportant.
It includes two components: News you must cover and the one you can ignore. And from the important news, Prelims and Mains worthy information is extracted.
Important news
One should be able to anticipate what news could form a basis for UPSC mains question. Almost all aspirants struggle to segregate important news from the junk.
The following are the previous year questions that are directly based on the news pieces from popular publications like Down to Earth, LivemMint, Scroll, The Wire. The link of the sources has been given with the questions.
Q1.) If an amendment bill to the Whistleblowers Act, 2011 tabled in the Parliament is passed, there may be no one left to protect.” Critically evaluate. (Source: Scroll.in)
Q2.) What can France learn from the Indian Constitution’s approach to secularism? (Source: The Wire)
Q3.) How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism? (Source: Down To Earth)
Q4.) The public expenditure management is a challenge to the government of India in the context of budget-making during the post-liberalization period. Clarify it. (Source: Livemint)
What to ignore?
While your coverage should be comprehensive, there is news which you should ignore else you’re duplicating your efforts or wastingyour time or doing both, and hence, bringing inefficiency to your preparation.
Examples: Op-ed with repeated themes on COVID and Fiscal stimulus.
Then there are news items like these, as given below. Have a look at them. Ignore them.
3. Extracting UPSC relevant information from the news
Now, this is the Holy Grail. If you fail to extract UPSC relevant information from the important current affairs, all your effort will go in vain. It is the most important skill and takes time to perfect it. Even students with multiple UPSC interview experiences struggle at this stage.
On how to do it, take the example of this news regarding Reverse Repo Rate.
News: How the reverse repo rate became the benchmark interest rate in the Indian economy?
The following are the mains and prelims worth topics that can be extracted from this single news item.
Mains relevant: Critically examine the efficacy of reverse repo rate as the benchmark interest rate in the Indian economy. “
Rather than just learning and mugging up the information, the focus should be on understanding various dimensions, interlinkages, related issues, and conceptual clarity w.r.t. static parts as well.
5. Utilising information from Current Affairs.
It’s the ultimate purpose of doing Current Affairs. And being able to do this, you must be very regular with CA-based Mains answer writing, solving prelims questions and identifying errors and making required changes.
(Current Affairs based Mains answer writing is an important component of Samachar Manthan 2021)
Answer writing must become second nature of an IAS aspirant. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.“
6. Evaluation and active learning
Getting your views (in the form of answers) evaluated is an important step. You’ll not only know what mistakes you are committing but you’ll also learn important answer writing skills. Answer enhancement must be the focus (it’s in Samachar Manthan 2021).
(Through our platform Habitat and Civilsdaily’s Handholding, we’ll ensure that you are right on track.)
There is no doubt that Current Affairs is an important part of IAS exam preparation. But it should be done in a planned and strategic manner where every action of yours is objectively defined and results, measurable.
Should you have any doubt or query reach out to us at hello@civilsdaily.com or call us at +91 8929987787.
SET YOUR ALARM FOR 10 PM. WEBINAR LINK SHARED BELOW.
Dear friends,
It fills us with immense pleasure to introduce you all to Debraj Das, IPS (UPSC 2018). He will be joining us for a frank and heart-to-heart conversation this Sunday, 7th June 2020. You don’t want to miss out on this.
A 2018 batch IPS officer, Debraj is currently undergoing training at SVPNPA, Hyderabad. An IIT Kharagpur graduate (2009 batch), he cleared this prestigious UPSC exam in his third attempt. Being a working professional all through his preparation, he could spare only 3 hours/day. There are thing other than his dedication and consistency that led him to success. He will be sharing these success mantras with you.
In the lockdown season 1, 2, 3, we talked with more than 1500 candidates who were preparing for IAS 2021.
95% of the IAS 2021 aspirants talked with our mentors to align their preparation strategies, time table, current affairs coverage and fine-tine their exam-taking skills.
100% of the IAS 2021 aspirants who became our students loved the habitat chat portal which we opened for them, exclusively
Here’s what we can help you with:
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.
What happens when you fill this form? How does a call help you?
1. Identifying your weaknesses
Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies.
2. Strategy and study plan discussions
Over 90% of students couldn’t stick to a plan. Study plans and strategies are iterative in nature and we want to help you with that. Many are unable to perform in tests despite preparing hard. This could be due to a variety of factors – lack of adequate prep, jitters in the exam hall, inadequate revision, lack of practice of test series or just a bad day at work. Tell us what you think went wrong and we’ll figure out a way to get you over the line next time.
3. Helping you understand the exam better – which books to read, different approaches, etc. Over 60% of students we talked to did not find NCERTs relevant and saw no point in being thorough with them.
4. Lack of motivation
We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day. Focused telegram groups to foster discussions.
It fills us with immense pleasure to introduce you all to Debraj Das, IPS (UPSC 2018). He will be joining us for a frank and heart-to-heart conversation this Sunday, 7th June 2020. You don’t want to miss out on this.
“The Power of Compounding” – Debraj Das, IPS
Time: 10:00 pm
Date: 7th June 2020, Sunday
Note: Invitation to the webinar will be sent to your registered email id.
There will be a Q/A session where Debraj sir will be answering your questions.
A 2018 batch IPS officer, Debraj is currently undergoing training at SVPNPA, Hyderabad. An IIT Kharagpur graduate (2009 batch), he cleared this prestigious UPSC exam in his third attempt. Being a working professional all through his preparation, he could spare only 3 hours/day. There are thing other than his dedication and consistency that led him to success. He will be sharing these success mantras with you.
Out of the 100 applicants, only 8 responded to the follow-up email (of course the responses for others are awaited and we might receive them in a day or 2).
We wanted to take a minute to help you understand how challenging teaching and mentoring the next generation of civil servants can be.
1. Video lectures
We have received videos where Laxmikanth is being read out line by line. These have gained some following on certain platforms.
But This is not how a great lecture is planned. There has to be a creative process behind what is going to be taught. Clearly articulating your methodology & innovations is a sure-shot way of impressing us.
*At CD our next version is always better than our previous*
2. Mains Related
When it comes to mains related competencies, your test series attempts are the most important reference point for us.
Your actual marks in the exam are a good indicator. But we want people who can keep repeating the good marks they have gotten. The only way for us to know that is to analyse your test series attempts.
This is especially true for essay and ethics. We have received applications from essay toppers but their test series attempts were very average. They lacked the necessary punchlines and a great flow. How can we be sure that you will have rock-solid suggestions for students who are already at an advanced stage of preparation?
One has to be a deep thinker, a deep reader having clarity of thought and expression to take our students to the next level.
3. Mentorship
Mentorship is something we have explored at length in the past 1 year. What we look for is patience. Students in their first year of prep are slow. They take their time to absorb things. No matter how hard you try, they will end up wasting time following conventional wisdom doing things due to fear of missing out.
Mentors have to tolerate all this. They invest so much time and effort and at times dont get the appreciation they deserve.
Hoping that the above note helps you present yourselves better.
We are delighted to launch Prime Prelims Test Series 2021 for IAS 2021. It will start from 13th June 2020.
Prime Prelims TS, is our flagship programme for a complete Prelims preparation. Our oldest & most loved offering, it takes a giant leap this year with 6 key differentiators and 3 ‘exclusive’ features.
38 Tests (8 Basic, 8 Advanced, 10 Current Affairs, 8 Full Length, 4 CSAT)
It aims to build your core competencies in a graded manner; from basic, advanced and then to UPSC+ level. Focus is on conceptual clarity, coverage of syllabus and developing a personalized strategy to attempt a UPSC Prelims paper.
The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established via UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.
2. Civilsdaily’s Innovation: Tagging
Tagging helps us to ensure balanced coverage of static and current affairs, setting optimum difficulty level, keeping the paper relevance to UPSC syllabus and pattern, and cover all important themes. It’ll help you to analyse and understand the expectation of the UPSC in a better way.
Subject/Sub-subject tagging ensures that a balanced paper is presented to you with an emphasis on important themes. It helps you discover your subject-specific blindspots and rectify them. We disclose our coverage.
Question Type Tags: Helps you understand the mix of questions and equip yourself in multifaceted question forming. Learn about question typeshere.
Difficulty Level Tags, Conceptual/Factual Tags: These tags don’t leave you guessing about your weaknesses. If you miss a difficult factual question, it’s absolutely fine. In fact, it’s desirable as you don’t score a negative.
3. Tikdams for mastering the art of intelligent guesstimates:
Tikdam techniques is a very important skill which can boost your score by 30+ marks. It will prepare you and enhance your ability to perform under pressure (& lack of information).
We not only impart but make you practice these skills in our Test Series.
You’ll be assigned to an exclusive group on Civilsdaily’s Habitat, it’s headed by Sajal sir, Ajay sir, Ravi sir, Zeeshan sir and rankers like Dr Vipin Garg (AIR 20), Swapnil Pawar (AIR 525) and others.
Habitat is where everything comes together: learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentors, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before.
What is there on Habitat?
#DDS sessions – Dedicated sessions every day to resolve doubts in real-time. Never keep a doubt to yourself.
An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.
Daily news analysis and Op-ed discussion sessions on Habitat.
Other activities like revisions, quizzes, test discussion, CSAT, etc. are also planned.
Tests are not just about assessment. They should be accompanied by learning. Following crucial & independent modules are a part of this package.
Advanced Lecture Series is yet another nifty way of revisiting the tricky, factual and sometimes technical aspects of the static syllabus. 60+ hours of videos – most helpful when you advance to the L2 & L3 tests and very rewarding for senior UPSC students.
CD’s Monthly Magazines: We walk the extra mile with Monthly Magazine Combo (12 months of all good content at CD). These magazines are a brand in themselves and have been a preference of Toppers for years. Click here for CD magazines.
Program inclusion:
38 Tests
8 Basic tests
8 Advanced tests
10 Current Affairs
8 Full-Length Tests
4 CSAT tests
Advanced Lecture Series
Civilsdaily’s Monthly Magazine Combo
Civilsdaily’s Handholding
Admission to the exclusive group on Civilsdaily’s Habitat.
This is what our students have to say about our mock tests..
Feedback for 2020 Prelims MocksFeedback for 2020 Prelims Mocks
5 minutes, or 10 minutes, no more than that. That’s all the time we will need to get to know each other before we start talking about your IAS Preparation strategies.
In the lockdown season 1, 2, 3, we talked with more than 1300 candidates who are preparing for IAS 2021. Here’s what we helped you with:
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.
What happens when you fill this form? How does a call help you?
1. Identifying your weaknesses
Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies.
2. Strategy and study plan discussions
Over 90% of students couldn’t stick to a plan. Study plans and strategies are iterative in nature and we want to help you with that. Many are unable to perform in tests despite preparing hard. This could be due to a variety of factors – lack of adequate prep, jitters in the exam hall, inadequate revision, lack of practice of test series or just a bad day at work. Tell us what you think went wrong and we’ll figure out a way to get you over the line next time.
3. Helping you understand the exam better – which books to read, different approaches, etc. Over 60% of students we talked to did not find NCERTs relevant and saw no point in being thorough with them.
4. Lack of motivation
We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day. Focused telegram groups to foster discussions.
The official UPSC website – https://www.upsc.gov.in/
has a yellow strip running the announcement that
The Civil Services (Prel.) Examination-2020, scheduled to be held on 31/05/2020, stands deferred. Decision on fresh date of the Examination will be made available on 20/05/2020 after assessing the situation.
Video for the same is attached –
It was logical plus we knew it from our sources that the exam would be shifted. However, we didn’t want to disclose this because regardless of the shifting of the exam, your study schedule should remain the same.
Over 80% of our students have already communicated with us on changes in strategy and how they should optimize in these uncertain times.
5 minutes, or 10 minutes, no more than that. That’s all the time we will need to get to know each other before we start talking about your IAS Preparation strategies.
Last week we chatted with about 850+ aspirants via our Samanvaya outreach – 65% were full-time aspirants and 35% were preparing for it along with their job. Here’s what we chatted about:
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.
What happens when you fill this form? How does a call help you?
1. Identifying your weaknesses
Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies.
2. Strategy and study plan discussions
Over 90% of students couldn’t stick to a plan. Study plans and strategies are iterative in nature and we want to help you with that. Many are unable to perform in tests despite preparing hard. This could be due to a variety of factors – lack of adequate prep, jitters in the exam hall, inadequate revision, lack of practice of test series or just a bad day at work. Tell us what you think went wrong and we’ll figure out a way to get you over the line next time.
3. Helping you understand the exam better – which books to read, different approaches, etc. Over 60% of students we talked to did not find NCERTs relevant and saw no point in being thorough with them.
4. Lack of motivation
We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day. Focused telegram groups to foster discussions.
“Truth be told, I didn’t study Laxmikant and still got through”.
“UPSC is just like university exams. All the hype is unnecessary”.
Every once in a while, we have been forwarded topper talks where casual claims like the above are made. Though unintentional, they end up harming the aspirants preparing for the exam right now.
Year
Number of candidates who applied
Number of candidates who took prelims
Number of candidates who qualified for mains
Number of candidates who took mains exam
Number of candidates who appeared for interview
Final number of candidates who got selected for posts
There are 2 factors at play – the level of competition and the format of the exam.
1. As you can see from 2012 to 2014, approx 4L new aspirants ( close to 80%) were added. This increased the competition substantially.
2. 2015 saw changes in the exam format. CSAT became a qualifying paper. Meaning its marks were no longer added to the final prelims score. CSAT paper certainly gave an edge to engineering, MBA students who were used to solving such questions with more accuracy and speed.
But with this paper gone, students from all backgrounds stood at an equal footing. No one having an inherent advantage over the other. The GS focused prelims paper made the mains competition very intense.
3. 2017 saw fundamental changes in the way the questions for the prelims paper were designed.
The number of direct, straightforward questions came down. These questions used to be directly lifted from the base books.
Many questions were unpredictable and not for conventional materials that you would read.
As a result, a lot of students who were reaching the interview stage started struggling with prelims.
And this format has been continuing till now – 2018, 2019, and will most certainly continue in 2020.
More often than not, our students suggest strategies that they’ve discussed with a distant friend or cousin who cleared the exam before 2015 (at times their uncles who cleared the exam in the 90s).
Very simply put, the competition is intense leaving lesser scope for errors.
From the above analysis, it is clear that aspirants from a different era had altogether different concerns and challenges.
Someone who prepared/cleared the exam before 2015 might not appreciate how difficult and tricky prelims have become. Students who didnt focus their prelims attempt
And they might not have a nuanced understanding of what the exam requires today, the importance of making notes, etc.
We always recommend students to consult people who have appeared for the recent 2-3 prelims. Because they are well aware of the most recent trends.
Our team has the largest repository of best practices and knowledge that has been accumulated over the years. Our programs provide the best support that will give you a fighting chance to clear the exams.
Many students wasted a lot of time in thinking and speculating.
Now take this as an opportunity to get back on track. Streamline your preparation. Give mock tests. Identify the shortcomings in your preparation. Cover those areas. Revise.
Those who kept their minds and continued their preparation, now they are ahead of you.
UPSC Prelims 2020 is going to be held sooner than later. Don’t waste your time now.
About Nikaalo Prelims 2020 – FLTs
It is a power pack for UPSC Prelims 2020comprising 8 GS full-length tests, 3 CSAT tests.
High-quality Nikaalo Prelims handouts and in-depth discussion on Telegram group will take place.
2. An in-depth discussion on Special telegram group (exclusive).
3. High-quality Nikaalo Prelims handouts.
4. All India ranking.
First four tests are theme-based:
They will cover – Union Budget, Economic Survey, India Yearbook, Schemes, Acts, Organisations and Institutions (national and international).
Covering this part is a pain. We know. But there is no other way. We will help.
Around 50-55 questions are expected in the UPSC Prelims from these sections. Preparedness in this section will ensure your success in prelims. It can actually decide if you are writing Mains 2020 or not.
Four full-length, full syllabus tests:
Based on UPSC paper our FLTs will rigorously test your preparedness and point out weak areas. It will give you necessary reflection, direction and confidence for the actual battle.
Prepared by our team, these papers closely resemble an actual UPSC paper.
All important and probable questions for UPSC Pre 2020 are going to be covered in our tests.
Mock tests are not just about evaluating your level of understanding and checking your knowledge. They are also about knowing the weaknesses in your approach to attempting a paper.
A quality mock test will cover and highlight your shortcomings in all these areas. For that, it should be designed and curated in that way.
We at Civilsdaily understand the nuances and nitty-gritty of setting a paper. Through five cases explaining five questions, we’ll try to give you an idea about the relevance of the questions.
It will also give a rough idea about the mindset of UPSC paper setters.
These questions have been taken from the first test of Nikaalo Prelims All India Open Mock Test 2020. It is on Government schemes and policies.
(First test to go live on 12th April 2020 @ 9:30 a.m.)
CASE 1 – The oldest trick in the book.
Deliberately changing names to confuse you.
Be it for schemes or concepts. UPSC is known to flip names of similar-sounding schemes and concepts. Look at this question.
Ques. Which of the following are the result areas of STRIVE
Improved performance of ITI.
Improved and Broadened Apprenticeship Training.
India International Skill Centers
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1 only
Correct answer- 1 and 2 only
In the above question, STRIVE has been used for SANKALP. Both of them were announced at the same time for boosting Skill India Mission. It is very easy to get confused and mark it wrong.
CASE 2: Misleading names
A lot of times especially in match the following type of questions misleading names are used. Take this example:
Ques.Consider the following pairs:
Schemes Objectives
NIDHI: nurturing ideas and innovations into successful startups.
SATYAM:rejuvenate research in yoga and meditation.
MANAK:to help build a critical human resource pool for strengthening and increasing the research & development base.
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3
Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3
Misleading yet important names of initiatives under Ministry of Science and Technology have been used here. All pairs are correctly matched here but it is very easy to get confused.
CASE 3: Are you rooted in society?
UPSC has been playing with the expenditure figures and other such facts.
UPSC deliberately does this. It is done not for the shallow reason of checking your rote memory, but the ability to think in-depth about the issues faced by various sections.
Ques. With reference to ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme’, consider the following statements:
The scheme provides for the installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas.
The farmers will have to spend 50% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer: 1 only
A very important scheme. The farmers have to tolerate only 10% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps. The Central Govt. will provide 60% cost while the remaining 30% will be taken care of by bank as credit.
One must understand the inability of Indian farmers to spend 50% on solar pumps. This would have helped in eliminating options also.
CASE 4: Going international.
International collaboration and aid in our schemes and policies are relevant. If you ever read about them, know that the issue is of critical importance for the government and society.
Ques. With reference to Atal Bhujal Yojana, consider the following statements:
It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with funding pattern of 50:50 between Government of India and states.
This scheme is approved by the World Bank.
Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer: 2 only
Here the Government of India’s collaboration with World Bank makes it important. Half of the financial contribution is from the World Bank in this initiative.
Students must not ignore the contribution of international institutions especially if it is of such overwhelming nature.
CASE 5: Core of the core
You should be able to remember the bare minimum. There is no other way in such questions. You either know them or you don’t.
Ques. Which of the following are the components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)?
National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
Annapurna.
Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
a. 1 and 3
b. 2 and 3
c. 3 only
d. 1, 2, and 3
Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3
The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which came into effect from 15th August 1995, represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution.
It is a very important scheme under Ministry of Rural Development. Students are supposed to do flagship schemes of various ministries.
Then why aspirants are unable to clear the pre cutoffs? Many of them are UPSC veterans, some already in-service officers and some who had just appeared for the interviews.
No, we aren’t going to talk about what, how, and from where to study. You know it very well.
We are going to go deeper. (Pie chart alert)
The questions in GS paper are of varying difficulty level, from different subjects and topics, some are straight forward and some are quite complex with varying levels of interlinkages and interconnections.
We will take you behind the scenes where question papers are made at Civilsdaily.
Today we will discuss one of Civilsdaily’s innovation Question tagging, to explain how our mocks resemble very closely to UPSC papers.
Tagging helps us to ensure:
Balanced coverage of static and current affairs.
Optimum difficulty level.
Relevance to UPSC syllabus and pattern.
Coverage of important themes.
In short, we tag questions based on different parameters. We do it at different levels.
For example, from our first Open Mock test (on Government schemes and policies) we are going to discuss 4 of them:
Question type.
Difficulty level
Ministry wise
Subject or domain wise.
In our first Nikaalo Prelims mock test we have used three variants of questions:
Normal questions are straightforward questions. They are relatively easier to solve.
In Consolidated questions, various facets of the same scheme are asked in the question.
While in Comparative questions different angles of two or more schemes are discussed and asked.
Not all questions are on the same difficulty level in UPSC. We usually tag questions on 7 levels of difficulty. In the first open test, we have used four levels of difficulty (levels 2 – 5).
Here difficulty may arise due to lack of basic or deeper knowledge of the scheme, making linkages between other schemes or eliminating the options.
Scope of operation of GoI is wide. There are schemes and policies related to every ministry. While preparing, students tend to focus on a few important ones.
Have a look at the diversity of the ministries and departments in the above chart. All important schemes have been touched upon. We made it sure.
Every scheme or policy by the GoI or State govt can be classified under a particular topic from the UPSC pre syllabus. We have made further classification but for the sake of demonstration broad one has been used here.
This was just one aspect as to how we make sure our mock tests are:
Relevant to your needs.
As per expectation of UPSC
Testing your knowledge and understanding at various levels
5 minutes, or 10 minutes, no more than that. That’s all the time we will need to get to know each other before we start talking about your IAS Preparation strategies.
Last week we chatted with about 269 aspirants via our Samanvaya outreach – 65% were full-time aspirants and 35% were preparing for it along with their job. Here’s what we chatted about:
Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.
What happens when you fill this form? How does a call help you?
1. Identifying your weaknesses
Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies.
2. Strategy and study plan discussions
Over 90% of students couldn’t stick to a plan. Study plans and strategies are iterative in nature and we want to help you with that. Many are unable to perform in tests despite preparing hard. This could be due to a variety of factors – lack of adequate prep, jitters in the exam hall, inadequate revision, lack of practice of test series or just a bad day at work. Tell us what you think went wrong and we’ll figure out a way to get you over the line next time.
3. Helping you understand the exam better – which books to read, different approaches, etc. Over 60% of students we talked to did not find NCERTs relevant and saw no point in being thorough with them.
4. Lack of motivation
We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day. Focused telegram groups to foster discussions.
*Special 50% scholarship for UPSC interview candidates appearing for Prelims 2020. (Limited time offer)
Due to the prevailing situations created by Covid-19 pandemic UPSC Interviews have been postponed until further notice.
Even if you are already done with your UPSC interviews, there were certain hiccups, continuity has been broken. Your plan seems disrupted. First UPSC Interviews and then Covid-19. We know how you are feeling. But it is time not to feel agitated, collect yourself, and bring efficiency to your preparation.
For all those who will be appearing for UPSC prelims 2020, get back to prelims preparation asap. Start taking prelims mock tests. All you need at this time is revision. You have cleared prelims once or multiple times in the past, but it is a tricky situation this time. Things weren’t the same, last year.
ONLY 70 DAYS ARE LEFT FOR PRELIMS 2020.
In our Decimate prelims, We have been advocating smart study and calculated risks via our score boosting techniques (Tikdams/ तिकड़म) right from 2016.
But, at the same time, you can’t be complacent regarding your Interview preparation. The need of the hour is to find that balance. Your mentors at Civilsdaily are here to help and make your preparation efficient.
For those who are not appearing for the UPSC Prelims 2020, it is advisable to keep revising current issues, work on the DAF and the feedback given in the mock interviews, and if needed revise your approach. Now you have time, take it as an opportunity to improve.
38 Tests (8 Basic, 8 Advanced, 10 Current Affairs, 8 Full Length, 4 CSAT) 
