Certain questions like GDP 2015 and Food Security Act 2013 required aspirants to be well-versed with the developments happening in the last 4-5 years. The economics section demanded well-balanced static and current affairs pointers from aspirants, especially in topics like agriculture, irrigation, and land reforms. Questions on environment saw a deviation from standard books and instead asked questions on UNFCCC COP and WHO air quality. Science and Technology too continued the trend of asking current affairs questions that were more than a year old. Case in point, is the question on the 2014 Nobel Prize winner. Disaster Management was manageable with questions on landslides that is already covered in standard books. The surprise element though, was Internal Security which had more weightage this year. However several themes were repeated from previous year’s paper like terrorism, internal threats, cyber attacks and money laundering.
Try to answer these questions. In case you are facing any difficulties, fill the form below for a dedicated Civilsdaily mentor to give you a strategy call in 24 hours. Share us your burdens and concerns, we are waiting to resolve them.
Q.1) Explain the difference between computing methodology of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year 2015. (Answer in 150 words)
Q.2) Distinguish between Capital Budget and Revenue Budget. Explain the components of both these Budgets. (Answer in 150 words)
Q.3) How did land reforms in some parts of the country help to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginal and small farmers? (Answer in 150 words)
Q.4) How and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis? (Answer in 150 words)
Q.5) How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world? (Answer in 150 words)
Q.6) Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at the World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021. When was this idea first floated in the International solar Alliance (ISA) (Answer in 150 words)
Q.7) Describe the key points of the revised Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) recently released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these different from its last update in 2005? What changes in India’s National Clean Air Programme are required to achieve these revised standards? (Answer in 150 words)
Q.8) Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades. (Answer in 150 words)
Q.9) Discuss how emerging technologies and globalization contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering both at national and international levels. (Answer in 150 words)
Q.10) Keeping in view India’s Internal Security, analyze the impact of cross-border cyber attacks. Also discuss defensive measures against these sophisticated attacks (Answer in 150 words)
Q.11) Do you agree that the Indian Economy has recently experienced a V-shaped recovery? Give reason in support of your answer. (Answer in 250 words)
Q.12) “Investment in Infrastructure is essential for more rapid and inclusive economic growth.” Discuss in the light of India’s experience. (Answer in 250 words)
Q.13) What are the salient features of the national food security act, 2013? How has the food security bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? (Answer in 250 words)
Q.14) What are the present challenges before crop diversification? How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification? (Answer in 250 words)
Q.15) What are the research and developmental achievements in applied biotechnology? How will these achievements help to uplift the poorer sections of society? (Answer in 250 words)
Q.16) The Nobel prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano, and Nakamura for the invention of blue LEDs in 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday life of human beings? (Answer in 250 words)
Q.17) Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the conference of the parties(COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (Answer in 250 words)
Q.18) Describe the various causes and effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National Landslide Risk Management Strategy. (Answer in 250 words)
Q.19) Analyze the multidimensional challenges posed by the external state and non-state actors, to the internal security of India. Also discuss measures required to be taken to combat these threats. (Answer in 250 words)
Q.20) Analyze the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. (Answer in 250 words)
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
GS-1 Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India
GS-2 Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
GS-3 Indian Economy
GS-4 Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*.
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2012 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
The 2021 GS 2 Mains Paper has concluded today. From this, we learnt not to skip the basics of polity or governance. A lot of answers in this year’s paper could have been tackled with static knowledge. Do not avoid preparing for topics like pressure groups or SHG, considering them as supplementary topics. These are in fact repeating themes in UPSC GS 2 since 2019. Quoting examples from current affairs and latest trends can get you that extra edge in the paper. International relations is all about identifying major themes and then keeping track of current developments on those topics. For 2022 students, identify the major themes first and then draft your notes.
Try to answer these questions. In case you are facing any difficulties, fill the form below for a dedicated Civilsdaily mentor to give you a strategy call in 24 hours. Share us your burdens and concerns, we are waiting to resolve them.
However, we did a quick analysis of this year’s paper and are glad that 85% of the questions asked came from our Samachar Manthan and Smash Mains Test Series. In fact, one of our students, Rajiv let us know the same as well. Take a look —
Most of the aspirants don’t think about CSAT preparation until the fag end of UPSC Prelims only because it’s a qualifying paper. You have to get 33% of total marks i.e 66 marks to be clear Prelims. Failure to do so, will prevent you from writing Mains even if you have scored above 100+ marks in the GS Paper.
Since the last two years, the English Comprehension passages are getting lengthier and the Mathematical questions trickier. Let’s take a look at the 2014 CSAT Paper and compare it with the 2021 CSAT paper.
2014 CSAT Paper
Here the questions are asked chapter by chapter and are basic-to-moderate. Questions are direct and straightforward without much combination numerals.
2021 CSAT Paper
There is no particular order of questions asked. Immediately after LR questions, we have a question on time and distance. Also the questions are moderate-to-advanced. One cannot find out the answer in first glance itself. There is no one-size fits for all approach or a uniform formula by which you can crack the sequential questions.
Free Open to All CSAT Session by Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi Sir
If you have to clear the paper, then you have to attempt atleast 50 questions out of 80. Out of these 50 questions, 27 need to be right. There is also negative marking of 1.5 marks for every wrong answer. Hence, for aspirants from a non-mathematics background the challenge lies in practising for CSAT without reducing time for GS Preparation.
Do you want to know how you can complete both the lengthy comprehension passages and tricky mathematical questions within the stipulated time? Then it’s time you attended Civilsdaily Mentor Ravi sir’s webinar on Sunday.
Ravi sirhas cleared UPSC Prelims six times and attended the Interview round thrice. As a mentor, Ravi sir is a lifelong UPSC aspirant because he daily reads, checks and evaluates the right study materials for his students. On Monday, he will conduct a session on CSAT which is free for every aspirant to attend. All you have to do is register yourself for the session.
Key Takeaways in the CSAT Session Conducted by Ravi Sir
1. Topic-wise live demonstration on how to solve problems.
2. Examples of easy, moderate and advanced questions to solve.
3. Variety of questions under each topic.
4. Previous year question paper analysis from 2013 onwards. How to be ready for the new paper pattern.
5. Books one can refer for CSAT test series practice and to understand the concepts.
6. How to practice CSAT without compromising on GS paper studies.
7. Topic-wise weightage in Quantitative Aptitude.
8. Ravi sir will solve your doubts in a Q&A discussion towards the end of the session.
Webinar Details
If you want to know the secrets of finishing the CSAT paper in 2 hours, then this webinar is for you! We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Ravi sir
Smash Prelims Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
Why Your Focus for Next 5 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) andSwati Sharma(AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
Why is Mentorship Required for UPSC-CSE Prelims in Every Step – From Test Series, to Study Materials, Classes to Doubt Resolution?
If you are appearing for UPSC-CSE 2022 exams, you might have completed your entire prelims and mains syllabus right now. So what are your main priorities right now? To succeed in UPSC-CSE Prelims 2022, you have to check all these boxes in terms of preparation—
You need clear strategy for next 150 days.
You need to revise effectively to remember whole syllabus at the eve of exam.
You need to practice lots of tests to score accurately, to understand elimination techniques and reduce exam anxiety.
You need to revise current affair of 1.5 years that you have been studying daily.
You need a mentor to fill the critical gaps that have been ignoring till now as you had no one to address them for you.
Santhosh Sir’s Weekly Zoom Session
Do you want to have a mentor who conducts and evaluates medium to advanced test series regularly? A mentor explains to you the different kinds of elimination techniques after you have taken a test series. Before attending a test do you want the mentor to discuss with you the study materials required for the test and provide the right notes with integrated current affairs? While studying a subject, you might have umpteen number of questions. Having someone who responds quickly and explains the topics in simple terms saves your time. And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss the right answers and motivate you? Do you want the mentor to provide you classes on static+dynamic prelims topics? If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.
We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Specific Features of Smash Prelims 2022 by Santosh Sir
Sincere aspirants who are scoring in the range of 80-90 marks must not attend last minute crash courses right now. They should instead focus on self revision, test series practice and guided mentorship to qualify for UPSC Prelims 2022. Here are the features of Prelims Focused Program by Civilsdaily —
Pillar-1
PRELIMS TESTS:
40 Full Length Tests(12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT).
In addition to this, in the month of January, we will have 60 sectional tests for practice. This will have 50 questions each. Hence, totally 100 Test Papers (40 FLTs + 60 Sectional Test Papers)
FIRST TEST WILL START ON JANUARY 15TH. SO, REGISTER ASAP.
VALUE ADDITIONS NOTES AND CLASSES BY VETERAN CIVILSDAILY MENTORS like SUDHANSHU SIR, SAJAL SIR & SUKANYA MA’AM
Polity: Sudhanshu sirwill conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History: Santosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers, and test discussion.
Economy: Sajal sir will conduct sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis, and economy final test discussion.
Geography: Santosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography, and Indian Agriculture.
Environment:Sukanya Ma’amwill cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development, and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology: This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concept and current affairs of science and technology.
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
5. Handouts on key subject-wise static topics to remember the terms and definitions for Prelims 2022.
Pillar-3
Santosh Gupta sir’s mentorship program
1. Introductory mentor call to every aspirant immediately upon commencement of program.
2. Weekly zoom strategy session by Santosh sir for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
3. 1-1 mentor calls after 3-4 tests by mentor. After every test series, zoom sessions will be conducted by Birendra sir with all members of the batch for test discussion.
4. Support from mentors on the Habitat Group.
5. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance. will have these special features for aspirants.
6. Mentor will guide on the FCE Approach i.e the Factual and Conceptual Methods of Elimination.
7. Mentor call as per request and mandatory check up call by mentor once a month.
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
UPSC Mains 2021 has started today with the GS 1 Paper. You can view the UPSC IAS Mains 2021 GS 1 Paper in the text format and in the picture given above.
Those who are not attempting 2021 exam will get an idea that this year’s paper has taken the candidates by surprise as usual. In fact, the ‘U’ in UPSC stands for Unpredictable. However, 60% of the questions have come from Civilsdaily Mains Test Series. Here are the questions from our test series which was asked again (but framed differently) by UPSC
1. What are landslides and their types? What are the causes of these and what steps should be taken in order to prevent loss of life and property due to landslides?
2. What do you understand about the Gig economy? Discuss the significance of the sector in the Indian Economy which is reeling under pressure from the pandemic and subdued employment generation. Going ahead, what according to you are the issues associated with this sector?
3. Explain the concept of Permafrost thawing. With reference to it, discuss the major impact it will have on the Arctic region.
4. Monotheism and polytheism as separate ideologies have benefited equally from the Bhakti movements in India. Justify.
5. What do you understand about cryptocurrency? It is said that it has the potential to galvanise social development in India. Examine
6. Explain the socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj.
7. What is the contribution of moderates to the freedom movement?
8. Evaluate the nature of the Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture.
9. Explain the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement.
10. Examine the environmental implications of the volcano eruptions in 2021.
11. Explain the issues faced in integrating princely states after independence.
Try to answer these questions. In case you are facing any difficulties, fill the form below for a dedicated Civilsdaily mentor to give you a strategy call in 24 hours. Share us your burdens and concerns, we are waiting to resolve them.
PAPER – 1
Q1. Evaluate the nature of the Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q2. Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q3. Assess the main administrative issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration process of Indian Princely States. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q4. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q5. Despite India being one of the countries of the Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes much less to its Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in percentage. Discuss.(Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q6. What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land use? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q7. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional environment. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q8. Why is India considered as a sub-continent? Elaborate your answer. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q9. Examine the uniqueness of tribal knowledge system when compared with mainstream knowledge and cultural systems. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q10. Examine the role of ‘Gig Economy’ in the process of empowerment of women in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
Q11. To what extent did the role of the moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom movement? Comment. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q12. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q13. “There arose a serious challenge to the Democratic State System between the two World Wars.” Evaluate the statement. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q14. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q15. How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q16. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q17. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India? (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q18. Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q19. What is Cryptocurrency? How does it affect global society? Has it been affecting Indian society also?(Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Q20. How does Indian society maintain continuity in traditional social values? Enumerate the changes taking place in it.(Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
Advice for UPSC 2022 Aspirants by 2017 GS Topper Sajal Sir
History might seem like a cake walk this year but do not underestimate UPSC in this section. Students should prepare all sections well in history. Start preparing your World Geography examples and notes as well. You can also practice some world maps to get that extra mark in the paper. Usually students do not spend much time on the Society section, so this year’s experience tells us not to ignore this section as it also has scope for innovative thinking.
Smash Prelims Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
https://youtu.be/oTRUMSOQEY4
Why Your Focus for Next 5 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) andSwati Sharma(AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
Why is Mentorship Required for UPSC-CSE Prelims in Every Step – From Test Series, to Study Materials, Classes to Doubt Resolution?
If you are appearing for UPSC-CSE 2022 exams, you might have completed your entire prelims and mains syllabus right now. So what are your main priorities right now? To succeed in UPSC-CSE Prelims 2022, you have to check all these boxes in terms of preparation—
You need clear strategy for next 150 days.
You need to revise effectively to remember whole syllabus at the eve of exam.
You need to practice lots of tests to score accurately, to understand elimination techniques and reduce exam anxiety.
You need to revise current affair of 1.5 years that you have been studying daily.
You need a mentor to fill the critical gaps that have been ignoring till now as you had no one to address them for you.
Santhosh Sir’s Weekly Zoom Session
Do you want to have a mentor who conducts and evaluates medium to advanced test series regularly? A mentor explains to you the different kinds of elimination techniques after you have taken a test series. Before attending a test do you want the mentor to discuss with you the study materials required for the test and provide the right notes with integrated current affairs? While studying a subject, you might have umpteen number of questions. Having someone who responds quickly and explains the topics in simple terms saves your time. And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss the right answers and motivate you? Do you want the mentor to provide you classes on static+dynamic prelims topics? If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.
We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Specific Features of Smash Prelims 2022 by Santosh Sir
Sincere aspirants who are scoring in the range of 80-90 marks must not attend last minute crash courses right now. They should instead focus on self revision, test series practice and guided mentorship to qualify for UPSC Prelims 2022. Here are the features of Prelims Focused Program by Civilsdaily —
Pillar-1
PRELIMS TESTS:
40 Full Length Tests(12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT).
In addition to this, in the month of January, we will have 60 sectional tests for practice. This will have 50 questions each. Hence, totally 100 Test Papers (40 FLTs + 60 Sectional Test Papers)
FIRST TEST WILL START ON JANUARY 15TH. SO, REGISTER ASAP.
VALUE ADDITIONS NOTES AND CLASSES BY VETERAN CIVILSDAILY MENTORS like SUDHANSHU SIR, SAJAL SIR & SUKANYA MA’AM
Polity: Sudhanshu sirwill conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History: Santosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers, and test discussion.
Economy: Sajal sir will conduct sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis, and economy final test discussion.
Geography: Santosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography, and Indian Agriculture.
Environment:Sukanya Ma’amwill cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development, and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology: This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concept and current affairs of science and technology.
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
5. Handouts on key subject-wise static topics to remember the terms and definitions for Prelims 2022.
Pillar-3
Santosh Gupta sir’s mentorship program
1. Introductory mentor call to every aspirant immediately upon commencement of program.
2. Weekly zoom strategy session by Santosh sir for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
3. 1-1 mentor calls after 3-4 tests by mentor. After every test series, zoom sessions will be conducted by Birendra sir with all members of the batch for test discussion.
4. Support from mentors on the Habitat Group.
5. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance. will have these special features for aspirants.
6. Mentor will guide on the FCE Approach i.e the Factual and Conceptual Methods of Elimination.
7. Mentor call as per request and mandatory check up call by mentor once a month.
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
The Union government has approved reservations for the OBC and EWS (Economically Weaker Section) categories within the All India Quota (AIQ) for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the uniform entrance examination for medical and dental colleges across the country.
What is NEET?
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is the entrance examination for entry to all undergraduate (NEET-UG) and postgraduate (NEET-PG) medical and dental courses in the country.
On April 13, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld the newly inserted section 10-D of the Indian Medical Council Act.
This provided for a uniform entrance examination to all medical educational institutions at the undergraduate level and postgraduate level in Hindi, English and various other languages.
What is the All-India Quota?
Although the same examination is held across the country, a chunk of the seats in state medical/dental colleges is reserved for students domiciled in their respective states.
The remaining seats —15% in UG and 50% in PG — are surrendered by the states to the All India Quota.
The AIQ scheme was introduced in 1986 under the directions of the Supreme Court to provide for domicile-free, merit-based opportunities to students from any state to study in a good medical college in any other state.
In deemed/central universities, ESIC, and Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), 100% seats are reserved under the AIQ.
What was the reservation policy followed so far?
Until 2007, no reservation was implemented within the All-India Quota for medical admission.
On January 31, 2007, in Abhay Nath v University of Delhi and Others, the Supreme Court directed that reservation of 15% for Scheduled Castes and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes be introduced in the AIQ.
The same year, the government passed the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2007 providing for 27% reservation to OBC students in central government institutions.
While state government medical and dental colleges provide reservations to OBCs in seats outside the All India Quota, this benefit was so far not extended to seats allocated under the AIQ in these state colleges.
The 10% EWS quota under the Constitution (One Hundred And Third Amendment) Act, 2019, too, has been implemented in central educational institutions, but not in the NEET AIQ for state institutions.
What led to the decision?
The denial of OBC and EWS reservations has been the subject of protests for years.
In July last year, the Madras High Court ruled that OBC students too can avail reservation in the AIQ.
It held that the reservation could not be implemented for the then academic year for want of time, and can be implemented from 2021-22.
Let us look at the EWS quota and related information in detail.
EWS Quota: A Backgrounder
The 10% reservation was introduced through the 103rd Constitution Amendment and enforced in January 2019.
It added Clause (6) to Article 15 to empower the Government to introduce special provisions for the EWS among citizens except those in the classes that already enjoy reservation.
It allows reservation in educational institutions, both public and private, whether aided or unaided, excluding those run by minority institutions, up to a maximum of 10%.
It also added Clause (6) to Article 16 to facilitate reservation in employment.
The new clauses make it clear that the EWS reservation will be in addition to the existing reservation.
Inception of EWS Quota
EWS reservation was granted based on the recommendations of a commission headed by Major General (retd) S R Sinho.
The Commission for Economically Backward Classes was constituted by the then UPA government in 2005, and submitted its report in July 2010.
Based on this, the Cabinet in January 2019 decided to amend the Constitution (103rd Amendment) to provide reservation to EWS.
Why was the new committee constituted?
The committee aimed to revisit the criteria for determining the economically weaker sections in terms of the provisions of the explanation to Article 15 of the Constitution.
It followed the Supreme Court’s observation that the income criterion for determining EWS was “arbitrary”.
Significance of the quota
Empowering economically weaker sections: The 10% quota is progressive and could address the issues of educational and income inequality in India since the economically weaker sections of citizens have remained excluded from attending higher educational institutions and public employment due to their financial incapacity.
Constitutional recognition of the Economic Backwards: There are many people or classes other than backward classes who are living under hunger and poverty-stricken conditions.
The proposed reservation through a constitutional amendment would give constitutional recognition to the poor from the upper castes.
Reduction of Caste Based Discrimination: It will gradually remove the stigma associated with reservation because reservation has historically been related with caste and most often the upper caste look down upon those who come through the reservation.
InRam Singh v. Union of India (2015), SC asserted that social deficiencies may exist beyond the concept of caste (e.g. economic status/gender identity as in transgenders).
What are the criteria to identify the section?
The main criterion is that those above an annual income limit of ₹8 lakh are excluded.
It accounts income from all sources such as salary, business, agriculture and profession for the financial year prior to the application of the family, applicants, their parents, siblings and minor children.
Possession of any of these assets, too, can take a person outside the EWS pool:
Five or more acres of agricultural land
A residential flat of 1,000 sq.ft. and above
A residential plot of 100 square yards and above in notified municipalities, and
A residential plot of 200 square yards and above in other areas
What are the court’s questions about the criteria?
Reduction within general category: The EWS quota remains a controversy as its critics say it reduces the size of the open category, besides breaching the 50% limit on the total reservation.
Arbitrariness over income limit: The court has been intrigued by the income limit being fixed at ₹8 lakh per year. It is the same figure for excluding the ‘creamy layer’ from OBC reservation benefits.
Socio-economic backwardness: A crucial difference is that those in the general category, to whom the EWS quota is applicable, do not suffer from social or educational backwardness, unlike those classified as the OBC.
Metropolitan criteria: There are other questions as to whether any exercise was undertaken to derive the exceptions such as why the flat criterion does not differentiate between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.
OBC like criteria: The question the court has raised is that when the OBC category is socially and educationally backward and, therefore, has additional impediments to overcome.
Not based on relevant data: In line with the Supreme Court’s known position that any reservation or norms for exclusion should be based on relevant data.
Breaches reservation cap: There is a cap of 50% on reservation as ruled in the Indira Sawhney Case. The principle of balancing equality ordains reservation.
What is the current status of the EWS quota?
The reservation for the EWS is being implemented by the Union Government for the second year now.
Recruitment test results show that the category has a lower cut-off mark than the OBC, a point that has upset the traditional beneficiaries of reservation based on caste.
The explanation is that only a small number of people are currently applying under the EWS category — one has to get an income certificate from the revenue authorities — and therefore the cut-off is low.
However, when the number picks up over time, the cut-off marks are expected to rise.
Practical issues with EWS Quota
The EWS quota will come in for judicial scrutiny soon. But it’s not only a matter for the judiciary, India’s Parliament should revisit the law too.
Hasty legislation: This law was passed in haste. It was passed in both the houses within 48 hours, and got presidential approval the next day.
Minority appeasement: It is widely argued that the law was passed to appease a certain section of upper-caste society and to suppress the demands for minority reservations.
Morality put to question: Imagine! A constitutional amendment has been made with few hours of deliberation and without consultation of the targeted group. This is certainly against constitutional morality and propriety.
Substantial backing is missing: This amendment is based on a wrong or unverified premise. This is at best a wild guess or a supposition because the government has not produced any data to back this point.
Under-reservation of Backward Classes: The assertion is based on the fact that we have different data to prove the under-representation of SC, ST, OBCs. That implies that ‘upper’ castes are over-represented (with 100 minus reservation).
Rationale of 10%: There is one more problem in this regard. The SC and ST quota is based on their total population. But the rationale for the 10 per cent quota was never discussed.
Principle of Equality: Economic backwardness is quite a fluid identity. It has nothing to do with historic wrongdoings and liabilities caused to the Backward Classes.
Should India need reservation?
Duty of the state to provide equality of status and opportunity: Reservation is one of the tools against social oppression and injustice against certain classes. Otherwise known as affirmative action, reservation helps in uplifting backward classes.
Reservation is just one of the methods for social upliftment: There are many other methods like providing scholarships, funds, coachings, and other welfare schemes.
Vote bank politics: Indian Constitution allowed reservation only for socially and educationally backward classes. However, in India, it became caste-based reservation instead of class-based reservation.
Mandal Commission Report: Initially, the reservation was intended only for SC/ST communities – that too for a period of 10 years (1951-1961). However, it got extended ever since.
After the implementation of Mandal Commission report in 1990, the scope of the reservation was widened to include Other Backward Communities (OBCs).
The benefits of the reservation were successively enjoyed only by a few communities (or families), excluding the truly deserving ones. Even 70 years after independence, the demand for reservation has only increased.
Now, with the introduction of economic criteria for reservation, in addition to the caste-criteria which already existed, things have become more complicated.
Way forward
Preserving the merit: We cannot rule out the sorry state of economic backwardness hampering merit in our country.
Rational critera: There has to be collective wisdom to define and measure the economic weakness of certain sections of the society in order to shape the concept of economic justice.
Judicial guidance: Judicial interpretation will pave the wave forward for deciding the criterion for EWS Quota.
Targetted beneficiaries. The centre needs to resort to more rational criteria for deciding the targeted beneficiary of this reservation system. Caste Census data can be useful in this regard.
Income study: The per capita income or GDP or the difference in purchasing power in the rural and urban areas, should be taken into account while a single income limit was formulated for the whole country.
Conclusion
Reservation is a constitutional scheme to ensure the participation of backward classes shoulder to shoulder with all citizens in the nation-building process.
The EWS quota with above discussed ambiguities is the subversion of the constitutional scheme for reservation.
Smash Prelims Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
Why Your Focus for Next 5 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) andSwati Sharma(AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
Why is Mentorship Required for UPSC-CSE Prelims in Every Step – From Test Series, to Study Materials, Classes to Doubt Resolution?
If you are appearing for UPSC-CSE 2022 exams, you might have completed your entire prelims and mains syllabus right now. So what are your main priorities right now? To succeed in UPSC-CSE Prelims 2022, you have to check all these boxes in terms of preparation—
You need clear strategy for next 150 days.
You need to revise effectively to remember whole syllabus at the eve of exam.
You need to practice lots of tests to score accurately, to understand elimination techniques and reduce exam anxiety.
You need to revise current affair of 1.5 years that you have been studying daily.
You need a mentor to fill the critical gaps that have been ignoring till now as you had no one to address them for you.
Santhosh Sir’s Weekly Zoom Session
Do you want to have a mentor who conducts and evaluates medium to advanced test series regularly? A mentor explains to you the different kinds of elimination techniques after you have taken a test series. Before attending a test do you want the mentor to discuss with you the study materials required for the test and provide the right notes with integrated current affairs? While studying a subject, you might have umpteen number of questions. Having someone who responds quickly and explains the topics in simple terms saves your time. And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss the right answers and motivate you? Do you want the mentor to provide you classes on static+dynamic prelims topics? If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.
We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Specific Features of Smash Prelims 2022 by Santosh Sir
Sincere aspirants who are scoring in the range of 80-90 marks must not attend last minute crash courses right now. They should instead focus on self revision, test series practice and guided mentorship to qualify for UPSC Prelims 2022. Here are the features of Prelims Focused Program by Civilsdaily —
Pillar-1
PRELIMS TESTS:
40 Full Length Tests(12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT).
In addition to this, in the month of January, we will have 60 sectional tests for practice. This will have 50 questions each. Hence, totally 100 Test Papers (40 FLTs + 60 Sectional Test Papers)
FIRST TEST WILL START ON JANUARY 15TH. SO, REGISTER ASAP.
VALUE ADDITIONS NOTES AND CLASSES BY VETERAN CIVILSDAILY MENTORS like SUDHANSHU SIR, SAJAL SIR & SUKANYA MA’AM
Polity: Sudhanshu sirwill conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History: Santosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers, and test discussion.
Economy: Sajal sir will conduct sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis, and economy final test discussion.
Geography: Santosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography, and Indian Agriculture.
Environment:Sukanya Ma’amwill cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development, and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology: This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concept and current affairs of science and technology.
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
5. Handouts on key subject-wise static topics to remember the terms and definitions for Prelims 2022.
Pillar-3
Santosh Gupta sir’s mentorship program
1. Introductory mentor call to every aspirant immediately upon commencement of program.
2. Weekly zoom strategy session by Santosh sir for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
3. 1-1 mentor calls after 3-4 tests by mentor. After every test series, zoom sessions will be conducted by Birendra sir with all members of the batch for test discussion.
4. Support from mentors on the Habitat Group.
5. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance. will have these special features for aspirants.
6. Mentor will guide on the FCE Approach i.e the Factual and Conceptual Methods of Elimination.
7. Mentor call as per request and mandatory check up call by mentor once a month.
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
Smash Prelims Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
Why Your Focus for Next 5 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) andSwati Sharma(AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
Why is Mentorship Required for UPSC-CSE Prelims in Every Step – From Test Series, to Study Materials, Classes to Doubt Resolution?
If you are appearing for UPSC-CSE 2022 exams, you might have completed your entire prelims and mains syllabus right now. So what are your main priorities right now? To succeed in UPSC-CSE Prelims 2022, you have to check all these boxes in terms of preparation—
You need clear strategy for next 150 days.
You need to revise effectively to remember whole syllabus at the eve of exam.
You need to practice lots of tests to score accurately, to understand elimination techniques and reduce exam anxiety.
You need to revise current affair of 1.5 years that you have been studying daily.
You need a mentor to fill the critical gaps that have been ignoring till now as you had no one to address them for you.
Santhosh Sir’s Weekly Zoom Session
Do you want to have a mentor who conducts and evaluates medium to advanced test series regularly? A mentor explains to you the different kinds of elimination techniques after you have taken a test series. Before attending a test do you want the mentor to discuss with you the study materials required for the test and provide the right notes with integrated current affairs? While studying a subject, you might have umpteen number of questions. Having someone who responds quickly and explains the topics in simple terms saves your time. And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss the right answers and motivate you? Do you want the mentor to provide you classes on static+dynamic prelims topics? If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.
We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Specific Features of Smash Prelims 2022 by Santosh Sir
Sincere aspirants who are scoring in the range of 80-90 marks must not attend last minute crash courses right now. They should instead focus on self revision, test series practice and guided mentorship to qualify for UPSC Prelims 2022. Here are the features of Prelims Focused Program by Civilsdaily —
Pillar-1
PRELIMS TESTS:
40 Full Length Tests(12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT).
In addition to this, in the month of January, we will have 60 sectional tests for practice. This will have 50 questions each. Hence, totally 100 Test Papers (40 FLTs + 60 Sectional Test Papers)
FIRST TEST WILL START ON JANUARY 15TH. SO, REGISTER ASAP.
VALUE ADDITIONS NOTES AND CLASSES BY VETERAN CIVILSDAILY MENTORS like SUDHANSHU SIR, SAJAL SIR & SUKANYA MA’AM
Polity: Sudhanshu sirwill conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History: Santosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers, and test discussion.
Economy: Sajal sir will conduct sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis, and economy final test discussion.
Geography: Santosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography, and Indian Agriculture.
Environment:Sukanya Ma’amwill cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development, and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology: This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concept and current affairs of science and technology.
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
5. Handouts on key subject-wise static topics to remember the terms and definitions for Prelims 2022.
Pillar-3
Santosh Gupta sir’s mentorship program
1. Introductory mentor call to every aspirant immediately upon commencement of program.
2. Weekly zoom strategy session by Santosh sir for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
3. 1-1 mentor calls after 3-4 tests by mentor. After every test series, zoom sessions will be conducted by Birendra sir with all members of the batch for test discussion.
4. Support from mentors on the Habitat Group.
5. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance. will have these special features for aspirants.
6. Mentor will guide on the FCE Approach i.e the Factual and Conceptual Methods of Elimination.
7. Mentor call as per request and mandatory check up call by mentor once a month.
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
GS-1 History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society
GS-2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
GS-3 Indian Economy, Money-laundering and its prevention.
GS-4 Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*.
UPSC Mains 2021 has started today with the Essay paper. You can view the UPSC IAS Mains 2021 Essay Question Paper in the text format and in the picture given above.
Those who are not attempting 2021 exam will get an idea that this year’s paper has taken the candidates by surprise as usual. In fact, the ‘U’ in UPSC stands for Unpredictable.
Try to answer these questions. In case you are facing any difficulties, fill the form below for a dedicated Civilsdaily mentor to give you a strategy call in 24 hours. Share us your burdens and concerns, we are waiting to resolve them.
Smash Prelims Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
Why Your Focus for Next 5 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) andSwati Sharma(AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
Why is Mentorship Required for UPSC-CSE Prelims in Every Step – From Test Series, to Study Materials, Classes to Doubt Resolution?
If you are appearing for UPSC-CSE 2022 exams, you might have completed your entire prelims and mains syllabus right now. So what are your main priorities right now? To succeed in UPSC-CSE Prelims 2022, you have to check all these boxes in terms of preparation—
You need clear strategy for next 150 days.
You need to revise effectively to remember whole syllabus at the eve of exam.
You need to practice lots of tests to score accurately, to understand elimination techniques and reduce exam anxiety.
You need to revise current affair of 1.5 years that you have been studying daily.
You need a mentor to fill the critical gaps that have been ignoring till now as you had no one to address them for you.
Santhosh Sir’s Weekly Zoom Session
Do you want to have a mentor who conducts and evaluates medium to advanced test series regularly? A mentor explains to you the different kinds of elimination techniques after you have taken a test series. Before attending a test do you want the mentor to discuss with you the study materials required for the test and provide the right notes with integrated current affairs? While studying a subject, you might have umpteen number of questions. Having someone who responds quickly and explains the topics in simple terms saves your time. And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss the right answers and motivate you? Do you want the mentor to provide you classes on static+dynamic prelims topics? If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.
We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Specific Features of Smash Prelims 2022 by Santosh Sir
Sincere aspirants who are scoring in the range of 80-90 marks must not attend last minute crash courses right now. They should instead focus on self revision, test series practice and guided mentorship to qualify for UPSC Prelims 2022. Here are the features of Prelims Focused Program by Civilsdaily —
Pillar-1
PRELIMS TESTS:
40 Full Length Tests(12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT).
In addition to this, in the month of January, we will have 60 sectional tests for practice. This will have 50 questions each. Hence, totally 100 Test Papers (40 FLTs + 60 Sectional Test Papers)
FIRST TEST WILL START ON JANUARY 15TH. SO, REGISTER ASAP.
VALUE ADDITIONS NOTES AND CLASSES BY VETERAN CIVILSDAILY MENTORS like SUDHANSHU SIR, SAJAL SIR & SUKANYA MA’AM
Polity: Sudhanshu sirwill conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History: Santosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers, and test discussion.
Economy: Sajal sir will conduct sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis, and economy final test discussion.
Geography: Santosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography, and Indian Agriculture.
Environment:Sukanya Ma’amwill cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development, and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology: This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concept and current affairs of science and technology.
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
5. Handouts on key subject-wise static topics to remember the terms and definitions for Prelims 2022.
Pillar-3
Santosh Gupta sir’s mentorship program
1. Introductory mentor call to every aspirant immediately upon commencement of program.
2. Weekly zoom strategy session by Santosh sir for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
3. 1-1 mentor calls after 3-4 tests by mentor. After every test series, zoom sessions will be conducted by Birendra sir with all members of the batch for test discussion.
4. Support from mentors on the Habitat Group.
5. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance. will have these special features for aspirants.
6. Mentor will guide on the FCE Approach i.e the Factual and Conceptual Methods of Elimination.
7. Mentor call as per request and mandatory check up call by mentor once a month.
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
