Mehak Jain, AIR 17 : Notes and Strategy

TIME MANAGEMENT IN MAINS 🕰️ To be able to complete the paper in 3 hours is a task in itself and hence, it is a habit that you must cultivate and nurture all through your journey. Some quick fixes for the same can be : 1. You have to know what you are up against, before you approach it. So the first thing is to actually practice enough mock papers (10-12 in total) within the prescribed time limit. 📝 2. While you attempt these mocks, try to formulate your own strategy on how to attempt the paper. I used to follow - Q1-5, Q11-20, Q6-10. 👩🏻‍🏫 3. The first and the last half an hour is very crucial. DO NOT START SLOW. Try to gain early momentum. 🤺 4. Time saved is time earned. The two ways to save time are to finish off the prepared questions before time and to steal 1-2 mins from questions that you have absolutely no idea of. (Overthinking in this case won’t help you much). 🙅🏻‍♀️ 6. Try not to leave a 15 marker unanswered (shouldn’t be attempted at last). And it is a CARDINAL SIN to leave a question that you know of and hence, the easy and doable questions should be attempted first. ⚠️ 7. Try to write quick points wherever possible and avoid paragraphs. Flowcharts and diagrams also help - more information, more space, less time. ♻️ 8. Read the entire paper once at the beginning. It will activate your subconscious mind. In the background, your mind will keep recollecting all that it knows of, about that topic and will reduce your recall time. 🧠 And most importantly, do not fear it. With practice, you will achieve the needed coordination between your brain and your hand. It’s all about muscle memory!💯 All the best! ❤️

ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD ANSWER 1. Mental frameworks - A good idea to start with. As beginners, you should have a rough frame of how you’re going to attempt the question. This frameworking time should eventually decrease and ultimately be done away with, when writing Mains (except for completely unknown questions). 2. Introduction - A 2-3 line introduction is a must. You can start off your answer with a definition or a fact or the relevance of that idea. 3. Body - discuss both the positives and negatives of the topic in question. The length of it will depend on the tail word/directive in the question. For instance, critically examine will require equal focus on both (say 5 points each) while in assess/discuss, you can lean towards one (5+2/3 points). However, there are no hard and fast rules with regard to this so don’t lose your sleep over it. 4. Use keywords and sub-headings from the question to structure your answer. As a general rule, 10 marker should have 10 elements (introduction, 7-8points including maps/diagrams and conclusion). 5. Try to fill at least 1.5/2.5 pages and full 2/3 pages wherever possible. 6. Conclusion - should include some way ahead for the problem statement and can also give a reference to existing efforts being taken to address the challenges. As a beginner, you can take help of solved papers/toppers copies to see these principles being implemented on ground and then try to adopt them in your own answers. Practice PYQs and target to achieve all of these essentials in the allotted time limit. For those writing this Mains, the focus should be on ABCD of answer writing - Accuracy, Brevity, Completion and Dimensions. Happy Answer Writing!❤️

Quick links to help you navigate through this channel 1. GS 1 Notes History History Personalities Art and Culture Geography Indian Society Indian Society Quick Notes World History Post Independence History GS 1 Test Papers GS 1 Sectional GS 1 Sectional GS 1 FLT 2. GS 2 Notes Polity IR IR International Organisations Social Justice GS 2 Test Papers GS 2 Sectional GS 2 FLT 3. GS 3 Notes Economy Agriculture Disaster Management Internal Security Science and Tech Environment GS 3 Test Papers GS 3 Sectional GS 3 Sectional GS 3 FLT 4. GS 4 Notes Strategy Section A Case Studies Value Add GS 4 Test Papers GS 4 Sectional GS 4 FLT GS Diagrams

FRAMEWORKS FOR MAINS ANSWERS History Geography Art and Culture International Relations Indian Society Science and Technology Internal Security Agriculture Disaster Management Ethics USPC syllabus is the ultimate framework Happy Frame-working! ⚡️

Sharing for the benefit of those preparing for mains. Consolidated Post for Mains 1. GS paperwise content and strategy 2. Acing Public Administration 3. Essay essentials 4. Ethics 5. Current Affairs strategy 6. What constitutes a good answer? 7. How to use PYQs 8. Self-evaluating Answers 9. GS 1 (2023) solved 10. Time Management 11. Notes Making 12. PYQ topic wise compilation 13. Dealing with random questions 14. Managing time between prelims and mains 15. Mains session takeaways Happy Mains-prepping! 👩🏻‍🏫

How was the prelims paper?

Hi guys! Wishing you all, the very best of luck. Do remember that the d-day performance has more to do with calming your nerves than knowing it all. Prayers and wishes✨

Taking up reading again after a long slump! Will try to share the learnings whenever possible.

Hi guys! Wishing you all, the very best of luck. Do remember that the d-day performance has more to do with calming your nerves than knowing it all. Prayers and wishes✨

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/opinion/technology-mental-fitness-cognitive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WlA.6ZKN.Zf47rdbx8Sqm&smid=nytcore-ios-share Must read!

IAS Mehak Jain Session.pdf

As committed, all the questions have been clubbed into relevant themes. We want to extend our gratitude to Ma’am for taking out her valuable time to honour the commitment. We’re sure this will help you structure your prep better. :) @UPSCneil

Hello everyone! Took a closed group session today and addressed some of the doubts for the upcoming prelims exam. Sharing them here for the larger benefit of all. And will plan to take an open session soon! 1. What should be my minimum safe attempt range considering negative marking? Imo, minimum should be 80. My score used to be maximum when I attempted upwards of 90. So my range was 90+-3. In 2021, I attempted 93 questions. 2. How many mock tests are ideal before Prelims, and how should I analyse them properly? Number of mocks - addressed in the sheet above. For analysis part, identify patterns in your mistakes, identify strengths and weaknesses (in which areas/subjects, your guesswork largely fails/succeeds) and the final attempting strategy (no. of rounds and no. of questions). 3. In the final month after 2 revision, should I focus more on revision again or test-solvin and in what ratio? Final month should be more about revision. Can give 1/2 mocks per week just to maintain the MCQ solving acumen and mindset. 4. What kind of questions should I leave completely in the exam hall? The ones which you have no idea about. If you can’t do 50-50, no point of solving that question as probability of getting it wrong (75%) is more than probability of getting it right (25%). 5. How should I revise current affairs in the last without information overload? Using yearly compilation and skimming through. Without focusing too much on specific details. Ultimately, in the exam hall, you have to ‘identify’ and not ‘reproduce’ the answer. 6. On exam day, is paper given early to read like 10 mins or as soon as paper is distributed time starts? Different experience in different centres. It is given 10mins in advance but that time is mostly for filling OMR sheet. 7. Can I skip defence current affairs? It is very difficult to retain them or suggest any strategy to learn them. Do not skip any class of current affairs. Instead, do only the most important ones. Ones that were always in news (say S400 during Op Sindoor). The only strategy to retain is make 1 pager notes, stick them in front of your study desk and read it twice everyday. Goes for all things that are very factual and hence, difficult to remember. 8. While filling omr sheets, if the ink goes out of circle or remains little uncoloured, do they go unchecked? No. Unless it is only half filled or it is filled way beyond the circle. Minor deviations here and there are not an issue. The OMR sheet also indicates what constitutes a rightly/wrongly filled bubble. Just be mindful of that. 9. Focus should be more on static or current affairs Balance is the key. But static lies at the heart of even current affairs. The best strategy is to link them and study. But still, static is finite (is it?🥲) and current affairs is infinite. Contemporary affairs is what they now call them. So, one word answer is static. But can you ignore the current affairs? To your own peril. So you have to do it all (😭😭). 10. What works better going sequential or rounds based on elimination Sequential first. Mark the sure ones. Identify the 50-50 questions. Then go in rounds. 11. How do I understand that I am prelim ready a month ago? I wish I knew🫠 I think one can never know. The only confidence you can derive is from your hold over standard books and static content. And understand that, readiness and the consequent result constitutes hard work and luck/god’s grace in equal parts in an examination like UPSC. So, do your best and leave the rest (to the almighty). Wishing you all, truck loads of good luck! May you preserve your sanity and sense of self in the process. Happy Prelims-prepping! 🫡

Hi guys, it’s been very long since we last connected! Planning a few sessions in the upcoming days. Will find a way to collate all your doubts beforehand. And this is my win against adulthood😄 An acrylic painting on canvas! For all things artsy - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS1XMYUCFU9/?igsh=cmlzdWIyazhvc2Rq

Beach art 🏝️

Soft pastels👩🏻‍🎨

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Happy diwali everyone! ❤️✨🪔🦢🪷

As you grow up, you realize the most beautiful part of festivals isn’t the food, the dress-ups, or the gifts and greetings —it’s the feeling of coming home. 🎈✨