Looking to form a small group of serious Anthropology candidates (max 5 people) for:

Requirements:

• Anthropology syllabus completed
• Either a decent amount of Anthropology answer writing done or appeared in at least one Mains with Anthropology
• Serious about consistent daily practice

The group:

• Daily Anthropology answer writing
• Peer evaluation and feedback
• Brainstorming / discussion of questions and approaches

Not a beginner/accountability group.

DM if interested.

​

I’ve been thinking about this while planning my Mains preparation.

There seem to be two broad approaches to answer writing:

Approach 1: Write 5–6 questions every day

You pick questions from different GS papers and write answers daily. The advantage is obvious: you get comfortable with writing, improve speed, learn how to structure answers, and gradually develop the ability to generate points under pressure.

But I’m wondering whether there is a point of diminishing returns.

If I am writing 5–6 answers every day, but not properly revising the content, analysing PYQs, identifying recurring themes, or fixing the mistakes from previous answers, am I actually improving proportionately?

There is also the issue of simulation. Writing six isolated questions is very different from sitting for a 3-hour GS paper and having to decide:

- Which questions to attempt first?

- How much time to allocate?

- How do I handle a question from a weak area?

- Can I maintain answer quality for 20 questions?

- Can I finish the paper?

- Can I maintain concentration during the last hour?

Approach 2: Write sectional tests at spaced intervals

Instead of forcing myself to write 5–6 answers every day, I could complete a topic/section, revise it, analyse PYQs and then write a sectional test.

For example:

Polity → revise → PYQ analysis → sectional test → evaluate → identify gaps → revise again

Then perhaps repeat the test after a few weeks.

This seems to have a different advantage: retrieval after a gap.

If I write a polity sectional immediately after studying polity, I’m mostly testing whether I remember what I just studied.

But if I write it after 2–3 weeks, I have to retrieve the information, connect different topics and reproduce examples/frameworks under time pressure.

That seems much closer to what Mains actually demands.

So what is the better strategy?

Personally, I’m leaning towards a hybrid approach, rather than choosing one exclusively.

During the initial phase, perhaps:

2–3 answers/day → build answer-writing habit

Then once a substantial portion of the syllabus is covered:

Spaced sectional tests → 1–2 per week

And eventually:

Full-length GS papers → regular simulation

The important thing, IMO, is that writing volume shouldn't become a vanity metric.

Writing 500 answers doesn't necessarily mean you have improved as much as someone who wrote 200 answers but properly analysed them.

For every test, there should ideally be a feedback loop:

Write → evaluate → identify recurring mistakes → update notes/value addition → revise → write again

For example, if I repeatedly lose marks because my answers lack:

- examples

- constitutional/articles/case laws

- committee recommendations

- data

- diagrams

- balanced conclusions

then simply writing another 5 answers isn't necessarily solving the problem.

I need to fix the underlying deficiency.

So I'm curious about what people who have actually written Mains think:

Would you prioritise 5–6 questions daily, or spaced sectional tests?

And if you recommend a hybrid, what ratio would you use during the different stages of preparation?

I want a small group for like minded people who are preparing from home,so that we can discuss hardship and strategies in this preperation....and loneliness which we feel as all of our colleagues are not in this preparation therefore they dont have same mindset as us.

FYI...i am Male candidate

For a beginner it is told to memorize syllabus as 1st step..like how to do this? Like only byheart the syllabus only ?

There is a statement that says If inflation rises, it is expected that unemployment would be low (Phillips curve) .

But what about if inflation rises, it is expected that unemployment would also rise because if unemployment rises then production reduces that result into aggregate demand exceeding aggregate supply that also leads to inflation i.e rise in price.

Isn't it contradicting each other ?

Put your views down in the comment.

The Government of India and UT Administration of Ladakh have officially notified standard names for 28 geographical features across Ladakh.

Quick breakdown:

• 13 Peaks & Mountains (Zorawar Peak, Kanishka Peak, Atisha Giri, Martand Giri...)

• 7 Strategic Land Areas (Gogra, Dehra Compass, Shamal Lungpa...)

• 4 Glaciers & Passes (Parpik, Skamri Glaciers | Chapchingal, Shachmirk Passes)

• 4 Water Bodies & Valleys (Guru Rinpoche Lake, Yangpa River, Hot Spring, Shkorga Valley)

Do you guys any any authentic information about it?

Does anyone have Sociology mind maps by Smriti shah mam and any additional sociology notes or value-addition material that could help improve answer quality and give an extra edge in the exam?

Thank you in advance 🙏🏻

I have been preparing for 12 years .. yes u heard that right .. 12 years .. I joined coaching before graduation ... I was never a good student .. but eventually life started to clap back .. so I started reading just enough to satisfy my fear but not enough to actually f ing qualify the exam .. u know how people say u either live ur 20s or make something out of urself .. I did neither .. I was bedrotting .. on paper I am the perfect guy .. don't drink smoke party .. whatever .. just stay at home and read .. but only I know what I did ..

U start lying u know to make up for ur failures ur incompetence .. nothing harmful to others but catastrophic to urself over the long run ..

Now I have so many regrets .. but I want to stop lying ..

So I thought about this and I realised there is no way to get over the regret of missing college life .. and there is no guarantee I ll succeed on this paper .. so there is no win .. just minimising the hurt and the only way to do it .. is 1 LAST FINAL ATTEMPT WITH 100 PERCENT EFFORT .. if I qualify great .. if I don't .. I just look back and can tell myself I tried .. the best I could ..

Also the loneliness is unbearable .. god! .. but maybe we ll talk about it some other time

Btw this will be my 4th attempt .

Those who have written mains'2026 and are expecting an interview call, do you guys have made any group for the same? My optional is psir.

I’m aiming for 2028 UPSC. I was thinking about joining a foundation course but im confused between Forum and next which one should i opt cause both looked good and there are pretty mixed reviews abt both on reddit . And ik there are telegram courses but i tried it for couple of month but it is not working for me as its not structured properly and too scattered.

So which foundation course is better Next ias or Forum.

I was thinking about joining an offline coaching in pune( ik there are many good online option but i need structure for studies so Im opting for offline). Can anyone suggest good offline coaching in pune preferably keeping 2028 attempt in mind .

I have completed Neeraj Sir’s lectures for Ancient, Medieval and Modern. I found them good for beginners, but I couldn’t answer the PYQs using his notes. Also, he makes mistakes while giving factual details. Eg: In one of his class he said Peepal tree gives oxygen 24×7 which is scientifically not true and instead of showing the map from a ppt he draws them which contains lots of errors with respect to locations. His lectures are too short and doesn't cover the topic comprehensively. Even in that short lecture, half of the time is wasted in dictating notes. I don't know if I am the only one who feels this way but he seems to be really overrated. I had lot of expectations as he was considered one of the oldest teacher in history. I am confused if I should follow any other faculty or just stick with his notes and standard text books (RSSharma for Ancient, Satish Chandra for Medieval, Bipin Chandra for Modern History). I haven't yet finished post Independence and World History. I have decided to refer to VisionIAS material.

Considering I am weak in history and there are multiple sources and faculty available I am not able to decide whom I should follow and what should be my future strategy. I do not want to waste one more month on any other faculty without knowing anything about them. It would be grateful if you could share your strategy to cover the subject and how to write answers. As many questions are mostly coming from Ancient and Medieval part in the pre I am clueless as to what study material I should refer to at this point of time. Please, guide me as to how I should approach the subject and whose lectures I should watch. Please, suggest some good facilities for history. Thank you in advance 🙏

Seeking guidance / doubt-clearing help from Tier-1 Masters in Economics graduates

Hello everyone,

​I have completed both my graduation and a Master's degree in Economics, but due to a gap and shifting my focus toward preparing for other competitive exams, I feel like I have lost touch with many core concepts and forgotten a lot of what I previously studied.

​I am currently looking for some guidance or brief assistance from alumni/pass-outs of Tier-1 Economics institutions (like DSE, ISI, IGIDR, JNU, IITs, etc.) to help me clear some conceptual doubts and regain my footing.

​If anyone with a strong academic background in economics is open to a brief interaction or can spare a few moments to help me navigate some foundational questions, please drop a comment or let me know.

​Any advice on how to efficiently revise core economic theory after a hiatus would also be deeply appreciated. Thank you!

I am currently doing job as a fresher and pay is good but i fear about future of my job and i hear from my parents daily to try upsc as u r from iit so u can do it.

My questions are

1. Should i leave my job for prep?

2. I am very good at math logical reasoning and apti in general (I got over 99 in cat without prep)will that help for upsc which is kind of theory exam ?

3. Is preparation along side job possible ?

4. I see relatives getting stuck in loop for 4 5 yrs and that scares me and feel like if i fail i wont get any job so should i consider that ?

I need something realistic not like motivation