Can totally gauge your excitement level via looking at the title of this thread@Neyawn :)
Haha, Many people. Couples, friends, brothers, lone wolves. Many people from this wonderful community :)
The original thread got closed, so replying here:
Thank you so much everyone!
@nerdfighter Your prelims tips were my lifeline :P
@balwintejas You'll carry forward my Minimum Program now :)
@Asmita_101 Thank you, I'm sure you'll be there too, soon.
@sstarrr Thank you! Been watching your daily targets. Best of Luck.
@ssver2 I remember, your advice on SFGs was extremely helpful.
@MarcusA Best of luck, I'm sure you'll be there!
Who are you @AJ_ :)
Congratulations @whatonly.
I just saw the whole Interview we had. Its always thrilling to have people form the community do so well :)
Congratulations @whatonly.
I just saw the whole Interview we had. Its always thrilling to have people form the community do so well :)
Thank you so much sir. It's no surprise people from here do well, the place is so conducive to everything it takes 🙏
I want to tell everyone that in the mock we did, @whatonly did name ( and thank ) all major contributors of the forum :)
Hello everyone. Thank you for all your wishes.
I joined forum very early into my preparation and still remember how I used to feel intimidated on seeing people who have given mains or interview(leave aside the Gods who used to qualify😁). This place has brought some wonderful people into my life, some of whom have been present even during times of great personal crisis. Now logging out of the platform and taking a break from all preparation related activities for a while. Will try to focus on things which got missed out all this while. Would still prefer to be anonymous here(no green ticks please :p).
Lastly, good luck to everyone for prelims and all the very best!
Leaving the platform when its time to help others? :(
Et tu,@Caesar :P
Congratulations!
@root sir, please confirm if we can expect Epic magazine for august this week??
+1
Eagerly waiting . Not in a position to read CA filled with lots of colourful pages
29th
Congratulations to all those who got selected. Got very inspired by all of your words. Makes me think apna b hoga ek din.
By all means. Most success stories begin with failures. Its just that when we fail, we don't know at that point that it could be the beginning of a fresh success story.
And frankly, barring a few people, the Top Judges, Journalists and Leaders of the country, are the ones who at some point of time flunked the Civil Services Examination. Civil Services Examination makes you immediately successful. Everything else takes a little time. Thats the only difference.
@Neyawn sir can i stop writting full length test from now onward ?and do revision of what i have given till now?
You can. Just keep reading what you have read.
@Neyawn 11 days are left for prelims and i am having second thought. I don't know but unable to get that confidence. Solved around 30+ FLT mostly score ranged around 70-80-90 in 1 or 2 i scored 105. Gave simulator open test scored 78. Feeling too dejected. This will be my 5th attempt. Have joined awfg this year and wrote answers religiously. Made notes out of every text book that i read. Still I don't know where i am lacking. I am sure there is something wrong from my end. Now i dont know whether to give the attempt. :( ** This is a classic case of high level confusion.
If I were you, I would revise the basic books. Look this year I have asked all the selected candidates how many times they have read the basic books. I haven’t met anyone who said less than three times in a certain year before prelims and up to 7-10 times overall.
I am saying this because I have been able to get 140+ marks in my attempts and that was because I didn’t do so much. Just revised basics , till I dropped dead and solved PYQs and just a set of 6-8 test papers.
Also, I wouldn’t want to be dishonest here and say 78 is brilliant. It’s not. I have seen the paper and it was doable. Some kick ass questions were there. The kind you would have in the exam.
But as Piyush Pandey, last years Rank 21, very brilliantly said to me, that if I was getting a low score in the test, I would either conquer it by rewriting the test or change my parameter for judging my preparedness- such as have I studied or not. Or have I done past 2 years papers. In the end we have to think along our strengths and not weaknesses.
Last but not the least, remember that half of success depends on your prepared mess today. But other half depends on your “performance” that day.
Thats the right cocktail for success.
You are not out of the race, not one bit.
You may be at best best behind . But life has taught me that you don’t know who will win until the race is over.
I met Aditya yesterday. 6 feet 3 very handsome foundation student of mine. Didn’t clear prelims 2times, did a full foundation , cleared prelims, cleared mains , stuck in interview then.
Next year he didn’t get through main list but got Information and SDM UPPCS
This year rank 92.
I asked him how he felt when he couldn’t clear the personality test when his group members like Gunjan , Himanshu and dozens others got ranks like 16, 27 and what not.
He sent this video to me, I watched in a loop.
See if it helps
@Neyawn 11 days are left for prelims and i am having second thought. I don't know but unable to get that confidence. Solved around 30+ FLT mostly score ranged around 70-80-90 in 1 or 2 i scored 105. Gave simulator open test scored 78. Feeling too dejected. This will be my 5th attempt. Have joined awfg this year and wrote answers religiously. Made notes out of every text book that i read. Still I don't know where i am lacking. I am sure there is something wrong from my end. Now i dont know whether to give the attempt. :( ** This is a classic case of high level confusion.
Do you not “kill a mocking paper “ ?
@Neyawn i did that for simulator tests. I realised my basic questions are getting wrong so i revised and made notes of laxmikant and spectrum. My marks were getting little better like 90-100 but again it dropped to 70 and have been getting that for past tests.
Focus on just 6-8 papers. There is wonderful post by some previous year girl topper “malhotra” . She said she had a choice of attempting more papers VS revising old papers and basics . She chose revisions. Have you watched Apala Mishra”a interview on YouTube. Watch her prelims talk.
Hi everyone, I have been fortunate enough to get AIR 151 in UPSC CSE 2020.
I have been mostly a silent follower of forum now for a longtime now. As someone completely unknown to the exam process, ForumIAS right from its discuss.forumias days was a source of immense knowledge for me. From the success stories to stories of struggle and sacrifice, genuine advice to banter all have been motivating and refreshing for me. Over the last year and a half the community in its resurgent form has become an even greater support tool for me. The Daily routine thread, threads relating to questions and finally the Post Mains thread has all been very helpful in keeping me motivated and sane.
I would like to sincerely thank all the kind people on this forum who have been so helpful. A very special thanks to@Neyawn for all the motivating posts and guidance via this platform. Despite not having met any of the people in the community, I have been able to feel comfortable and at home in the various discussions on Forum. Infact as a person who has been consistently struggling with depression, Forum was the only place which has ever tried to delve into the mental aspect of what this exam and life in general does to us. The maturity of the community and the helpful attitude of many here is something I deeply appreciate.
Finally, to end this long write up, I sincerely hope that all the lovely people here make it to their dream services. All the best for those appearing for the upcoming Prelims :)
I have always been intrigued by your name. Who are you ? Have we met ? And what with the name ? Sorry if I am missing something obvious like a popular character or book :/
And many many congratulations !
Hi @Neyawn sir..
I gave my interview recently.
I got 942 (2 less than cut off) with split
126+90+102+99+97+249(134+115)
This is my 4th attempt with anthro and I'm not able to improve my score with anthropology despite putting lot of effort . My scores for last 4 times are 263,281,217,249.
Is it a wise decision to skip this year and change my optional to psir and give next year.
Seeing a lot of students , your experience is immensely helpful.
Thank you
Have you / your teacher incorporated the book Sapiens in your notes? Yes or No ?
O man! I have looked up to you for the participation you have done all these days. Can we do a zoom call?
UPSC has seriously messed up 2020 prelims. Every year it does, but 2020 is horrible. No one objects. People just keep working hard and praying god to pass this gamble. Country men are worshipping socalled toppers.
Country men worship because we have toppers who enjoy bieng worshipped.
Watch his video of this year's topper. I lost all respect for him.
He comes from a backward community. A development deficit place. I am sure it must have been extremely difficult for him to rise to this level. Also this video, if not anything else, shows the importance of representation in India.
Then that is even more worrying..
One who clears this so called prestigious exam are supposed to be more humble less elitist.
He could have refused to be part of such reveration. But he didn't.
This is in no way related to representation. If he seriously thought of representing his class or caste, he would not have arrived in a convoy of 6 police cars...
“He would not have come on a convoy of 6 police cars”
Maybe that was a choice that was not his to make.
@Neyawn If he found it difficult to refuse now, tomorrow he may have to face many situations where people want him to compromise on administrative integrity, would he surrender and say that he could not say no. Also, the exam is supposed to test the strength of character, couldn't say no sounds poor.
Not defending him, and not judging anyone here. Just having a discussion, and hoping no one judges me here as well.
The situation is simple. He landed at the Airport. The political class sees this as an opportunity to showcase some governance positivity. He has no idea such a big arrangement has been made for him. I happened to speak to him ( had a brief interaction as he wrote an Essay Test Paper ) just before he boarded the flight .
The political class may have asked the district administration to make some pomp and show. In a state that has massive development deficit and when people do something extraordinary , ( such as topping a toughly contests exam ) , people like to see him as someone “who has made it in life.”
They are equally enthused for nothing good or big May happen for a very long time in the place. So it’s a big celebration.
The man we are discussing is mobbed and crowded. He is not the district magistrate who may have made the arrangements .
The administration on the other hand expects lakhs of people to turn up on the roads in a state where ten thousand people accumulate to see a JCB machine clean a drain. The best way to avoid a stampede and his safety is to provide a cavalcade lest he gets mobbed.
The man in the car just sees a windscreen with plenty of people around, and a huge ocean of people. He has no count of the vehicles behind him, and has no say or control in the situation.
Could be many things why things are the way they are.
He May choose to fight his battles and not make a controversy by acting high headed when state officials would have told him that there is administrative arrangement for his travel.
@Neyawn With respect to this situation, will give him a benefit of doubt. But we can take an opportunity to discuss how "big" we continue to make this exam appear.If not in this scale, there are many instances where civil services is projected as important. It is not about a particular community or state. There are many who actually are 'inspired' to achieve this for the show they get. Someone actually asked here 'if not for this what else' one prepares for.What's the nature of this job? this is not some international competition where Indians fight for crucial posts and if they don't win someone lese steals it (I believe its high time we get over the colonial hang). Our government every year recruits from our own people so they can put into posts where they ensure faithful implementation of policies designed by the government. If not person 'X', person 'Y' will fill the post and there will be invariably someone who gets posted in every state. Achieving positions that get invariably get filled no matter what the difficulty of the exam is not something to be celebrated with such show.But innovations in science and technology is not like that. If a particular person has not worked on it, certain discoveries may not see the light of the world. If a brilliant businessperson doesn't make certain risks, we cannot see certain growth. Similarly, there are numerous such avenues. But the light this exam takes obscures every other field that can make great contributions to development. Potential achievers 'inspired' by such show spend years preparing for this exam. Even if they move on to different fields later, they carry a scar of 'failing big' resulting in low esteem.We as a society (the aspirant community, government, academicians along with innocent people) have failed to objectively gauge the contributions of several fields that can make to the development of the society. If this is the ultimate 'inspiration' to many, I am concerned.
There is nothing that you have said above that I disagree to :)
I once asked an investment banking friend, you have almost turned into a corporate slave. He was one of the few people in India who actually got a 7 figure salary including bonuses at an age of 28. What will do you with so much perks and bonuses?
He said something, which was worth giving a thought. He said that’s the only thing you can do. He said if I don’t “ indulge “ in it , I may just have an existential crisis. Some sorta mid life crisis worrying about what the duck am I doing in life. That’s another set of depression.
While you are into something, you have to make a big deal out of it. Else you may not even have the motivation for it.
You know what is more dangerous than people who don’t think it’s a great job? People who crack the services and think its a crappy job. All the responsibility, political pressure and thankless public. Try meeting one of those.
As far as the “inspiration” part is concerned, aren’t we all under the colonial hangover?
P.S. Thank you for keeping the debate mature and impersonal :)
@mahi2501 I am an old ( age wise too! 😥 )
member here so you may see people agreeing with me on some issues. That does not mean they are disagreeing with you . Please don’t disappear after taking this the wrong way :(
I won’t forgive myself, then!
@Neyawn So much agree with you here. I am state services officer in a state where state services still are a big deal. I have had 3 postings thus far. I like to believe that "power has not gone to my head" as I chose a very low profile posting for my current role. This was driven by the fact that with power comes great responsibility and with responsibility all the expectations of public, of accountability , of your seniors, of your own self. Administration is not an easy job. Once the initial rush settles down, then the reality comes knocking on your door. I think this reality comes for everyone. That is why administrators like to believe that they are doing something great because without thinking so, and often repeatedly telling themselves this, one wouldn't survive a day in administration. Particularly if one is honest.
The last part, yes that’s so very true. You gotta believe you are doing something great, or you wouldn’t survive doing ANYTHING.
@Neyawn Infact I would argue, Having people look up to you and come and pay their respects is itself a big motivating factor. They are there because they respect hardwork and success, and those values are worthy of being respected. When you see so many people coming and looking up to you as inspiration, you get a lot of energy and strength to do much better stuff in life and hence become a better administrator, innovate policy more effectively and get to bring change much faster. As Paulo Coelho said, "The world changes by your example, not by your opinion". Shubham has done it, so people deep down feel the need to see and visit this person who has achieved success. That's one of the best ways to live life, I feel.Further, in a general sense, I feel we have very, very less gratitude for the tremendous hardwork and dedication the present level of administrators/officers/civil servants are putting to keep this humongous system functioning. It is quite a hard job, and those who do it day and night deserve our gratitude. A little bit, if not much.
I wouldn’t go as far to say that a public should be thankful or “indebted” to the public servant who serves them, but yes a small recognition is always good. The indebtedness is a very third world phenomena, but the recognition and acknowledgment exists even in the first world.
I will agree to the part that more people see Shubham as a success , than just an IAS officer. And success is rewarded ( not very equally though) in almost all walks of life.
And people here, do you know that@Inselberg from the forum has under 30 rank and will be joining IFS. let us congratulate him and ruin his anonymity which he so ardently asked me to protect this morning 😬😈😈 ( evil smile )
“ No candidate can get through CSE by reading crap materials of coaching mafia”
But many people do clear the exam by reading vision PT365 or Mains 365. Many people do write tests. In fact they spend a lot of time improvising , taking feedback’s and coming up with better answers.
Most of the teachers are very well read, at least in New Delhi and after a point of time they may be bad teachers because they are unable to go down to the level of the students knowledge and start from a certain basic - not because they lack conceptual clarity!
Sometimes you may not get the right answers because probably you are not asking the right questions.
When you make a statement like that, you do not discredit selected candidates or the coaching, you just further the objective of putting people into some sort of skepticism and on a progressive path of nihilism.
That nothing can be done ,the exam can’t be prepared for, we must sit back and play Russian roulette every year.
The truth is that there are only 761 seats and only 761 people will make it. And like In almost all walks of life, there will be an element of luck in success.
When you said books/notes/ test series are a waste of money by all means , you forget to add that “for people who do not read them.”
The time is obviously saved because they did not read them in the first place.
Being a liberal has its own disadvantage. Earlier I would not have countered such opinion because as some sort of liberal I would think that an extreme opinion like that should exist. But the last decade has shown that radical thoughts must be countered because while liberal views may make space for radical thoughts ,but radical thoughts have no space for other views.
Also, have you tried reading any of those notes ? Have you tried writing 10 or 12 tests and seen if it brings some changes / improvement in you? That would require you to write about 30 hours of test writing and 500 pages in writing . If you study about 30 hours before a test preparing for it, you have studied 300 hours and that would be very exam oriented, and that you make something out of you.
Or you could rest back, relax and wait for someone to do the hard work, get successful and pounce upon them and find some pleasure in that.
@Neyawn I was not ready to have a midlife crisis now :(.
What have I done to cause it 🤭
Also please note that as moderator, I will not tolerate selected candidate bashing on this thread. I let that happen on the discuss forum, and everyone who was selected left because of such bashing. Then you have no good people and are left with a bunch of negative people. I have done this mistaken before because I thought I must tolerate intolerance and vehement criticism ( afterall it is the lifeblood of decmocracy )
This forum is for Civils preparation, and celebrates success in the exam. It also, unlike the outside world does not penalise or criticise failure.
But I would also not let it become a place to penalise or criticise success. That has happened in the past and good people flee because they have less time and more things to do. The negative people take over and run amock and kill the forum.
I have my inbox full of people who have flunked and I would like to talk to them today as it is October 2, a holiday and dont have the burden of other work. I can either do that or counter annual topper-coaching notes teacher bashing. But I wont let this thread be inhospitable to people who have been successful. Seven years ago, we have a wonderful girl - her name was Tajasvani selected in the IPS - who had among the top 5 highest marks in Mains - but got IPS because of low interview score.
Looking back, I realise that some people mauled her just because
(a) In a media interview , she said that rural women could look up to her and realise that they can rise like men too, and
(b) asked for inputs for rank improvement to get into IAS.
Some people who did not have the burden of writing Prelims or Mains, but merely call names sitting from the audience, mauled her because they felt she was a hypocrite and that she should say to the media that she is disturbed because of low interview marks and was a little disappointed with her rank.
She kinda broke down, and literally blamed me for not defending her then or banning such people - because back then I thought that freedom of speech means on a civil services preparation forum, people should be allowed to criticise the successful civil services aspirant on the very thread that is created to congratulate them . Won't let that happen again.
Thank You Forum community. It's been a 6 year long association. Can't express my gratitude in words now. I will come again to do it.
Jagat
AIR 32
Many many congrats, Jagat! The last time someone said that from the community was leomessi10 :)
Six years with forum, and then finally selection in the IAS.
Quite a journey, it must have been!
