Dear Friends,
Now the prelims
result is out, some of you have cleared some may not be that lucky enough. I
can understand the feelings of both. Those who have cleared might be confused
how to utilize the remaining 2 months to crack this exam and those who couldn’t
clear will be demoralized and will be in confusion how to proceed further.
First let talk about
those candidates who could not clear prelims, first I make you one thing
clear that I will not console you as after your result so many people must be
consoling you. I will rather give you a reality check, this exam is a knock out
exam and you will have to clear every stage to get into next stage. Guess What,
competition is maximum at prelims stage. So if you are not among top 3% i.e.
among 13000 candidates approximately in prelims result then you are not ready
for next stage also. Your criticizer will be feeling happy for your failure and
must be thanking god as well, but your job is again to become a deaf frog. You have
to ignore their voices and must be ready with better strategy and more energy
for next attempt.
One feeling a candidate
gets after failing in prelims exam is that he/she cannot clear this exam or he /she
does not have necessary capability to clear this exam. Before starting your
preparation so many people must have doubted on your capability and after
failing you must also starting doubting on yourself. One should not fall in
this trap otherwise he/she will not be able to clear next time also.
So what should be
strategy for those who failed in this exam??
One should prepare
in the same way he/she would have prepared for the mains if they would have
cleared prelims. If you were writing any
test series, continue the same and do not leave your classes in mid way.
This way your next year mains preparation will be completed and one can assess
him/herself also about their preparation. If you are not leaving spectre of failure
behind, you will lose continuity of studies and will become more prone to fail
next time also. Now it is your responsibility to accept your defeat and
learn from your mistakes rather than cursing the UPSC or coaching institutes.
I am quoting here a famous quote by Muhammad Ali:
“I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened, the
only thing is to do it right. That's my obligation to all the people who
believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life. “
-Muhammad Ali,
After losing his first fight to Ken Norton, March 31, 1973
Path is equally
tough for the candidates who have cleared this exam as they must be
confused how to utilize remaining time to their best. One should not become
complacent after clearing prelims as this only the first ladder in the journey
of your becoming a civil servant, rather one should be more dedicated and
energetic for the mains exam. Mains marks will play a crucial role in not only
getting interview call but also getting a good rank in final list also.
So what should be
strategy for who got success in prelims??
I should reasonably
assume that most of you were preparing immediately after your prelims exam, so
a chunk of portion a candidate must have revised. Even if some portion is not revised
properly these next 2 months should be devoted to improve upon your weaknesses
and maintaining your strength. One should divide these 2 months as per his/her
comfort. Last one month should be dedicated for revision only and August can be
used to write test series and preparing over unprepared area. One should do GS
portion on daily basis and one can leave newspaper reading by 15th September.
If you have sufficient leave between your optional that will be an added
advantage.
One should write
some essays as well to get a hold over this area and spend some time on
language paper also, but one should not spend much time on language paper
rather solve previous years’ question papers within 4-5 hours only. If somebody
thinks that these two months are not sufficient for covering a huge syllabus
then I must remind you that Mahabharta was fought in 18 days only and it
also happen often that when we have less time our reading capabilities
increased and better performance comes in less time.
One should not keep
too many doubts at this time and should prepare with the cool mind for this
exam. Writing practice is again the key for success in this exam and one should
maintain it. An Olympic champion do hardwork for atleast 4 years, you are just 2
months away from your success so give your hundred percent and rest leave on
the almighty.
Best of Luck!
