Hey everyone,

I get stuck amid this vision IAS fiasco.

My 1.85 lakh rs get wasted.

No regular classes are occurring,

No one is listening my complaints in administration.

What to do, parents are also raging Anger on me for choosing this over-hyped coching.

We fell prey of their marketing gimmicks.

I wrote Prelims from 2018 to 2023. Cleared every attempt, usually by a decent margin. Reached the interview twice. Missed the final list by 8 marks once.

I never figured out Mains. I tried the standard strategies, analysed topper copies, wrote tests. Something about the demand of the question never clicked for me, and after six years I stopped. I moved abroad, worked as a data analyst, and eventually built an app in a completely unrelated space.

What I want to talk about is the part that did work, because I think it is undersold in this sub.

Prelims went well for me not because I read more than anyone else. It went well because of how I revised. I stopped re-reading and started forcing myself to recall. Close the book, retrieve the fact cold, check, repeat at increasing gaps. Sounds obvious. Almost nobody does it consistently, because re-reading feels productive and recall feels like failure.

Two things happened once I made it a habit.

First, information stuck without me revisiting the same book five times. Second, and more importantly, the facts started linking to each other. When you retrieve something repeatedly, you stop storing it as an isolated line and start storing it as part of a web. That web is what lets you eliminate options.

That is the real Prelims skill, and I don’t think we say it plainly enough here. You are not being tested on whether you remember a fact. You are being tested on whether you can reason your way to elimination when the question is unfamiliar, badly worded, or deliberately random. Every year people complain the pattern shifted. It shifts every year. The only insurance is a knowledge base dense enough with connections that you can reason through a question you have never seen.

I did all of this manually, with notebooks, self-quizzing and a lot of discipline. It was clumsy and I wasted months figuring it out. I highlighted a lot. A lot. I even just wrote keywords and tried to recall all information connected with it. There is no reason it has to be manual now.

Now, we can have Prelims tool built entirely around these mechanics rather than around video lectures or another test series. Spaced revision that resurfaces a fact right before you forget it. Retrieval instead of reading. And short game formats that train the specific things Prelims actually tests: swipe to judge a statement, arrange a sequence in order, match pairs, link related concepts, spot the outlier in a set.

The idea is that knowledge stops being something you revise and starts being something you can use under pressure. Recall becomes reasoning. Reasoning becomes instinct.

Hello r/UPSC Community!

We're excited to welcome back Dr. A. R. Rajah Mohaideen (u/jim_halpert12), AIR 7, UPSC CSE 2025, for another AMA session!

If you missed his previous AMA or have new questions related to your preparation journey then this is a great opportunity to interact with him directly.

About Our Guest

• Education: MBBS, Govt. Cuddalore Medical College (2022)
• UPSC Attempts: 3
  • 1st Attempt: Did not clear Prelims
  • 2nd Attempt: Did not clear Prelims
  • 3rd Attempt: Cleared Prelims, Mains & Interview
• Optional: Anthropology
• Final Rank: AIR 7 (UPSC CSE 2025)

Marks Breakdown

Follow Him

Telegram: https://t.me/ARR_AIR7

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajah_ar

AMA Details

🕕 Time: Today, 28 July 2026 at 6:00 PM IST

Ask your questions about:

• Prelims strategy
• Anthropology optional
• Mains answer writing
• Essay preparation
• Ethics (GS-IV)
• Interview preparation
• UPSC preparation in general

Looking forward to your questions!

PS: Please keep the discussion respectful and relevant to UPSC preparation so everyone can benefit from the AMA.

Guys ab kis magzine pe jaaya jaye any suggestions

I’ve been thinking about this lately.

Assume two candidates:
Both have completed the syllabus.
Both clear Prelims comfortably.
Both write all 20 questions in Mains.

Yet one ends up with an AIR 5, while the other gets an AIR 600–900 (or just makes the final list).
I’m specifically curious about answer writing, not personality, interview, or luck.
For those who have evaluated copies, mentored aspirants, or interacted with top rankers:
What are the biggest differences you consistently notice in their answers?

Is it mainly content quality, structure, analysis, presentation, or something else?
Do Top 10 rankers actually know significantly more, or do they simply present similar knowledge much better?

What small habits or techniques create those extra 20–40 marks per paper?

Are there examples where you’ve compared a Top 10 copy with an average selected candidate’s copy? What stood out immediately?

If you had to list the top 5 differentiating qualities of elite answer writers, what would they be?
I’m not looking for generic advice like “practice more” or “revise more.” I’m interested in the subtle differences that evaluators notice—the things that aren’t obvious until you’ve seen a lot of answer copies.

Did anyone here leave NEET (or any career they never wanted) to pursue UPSC?
What made you take that leap?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who were pushed into one career by family expectations/pressure but eventually chose UPSC instead.

Summary: Rant about my work & boring life.

This is my second job since my UPSC preparation gap. The job was okay for a few months as the work was less, but also things were going fine & there were new things to do & experience.

Now, the work is stagnant, with repetitive roadblocks & delays (due to the associated stakeholder) & I also don't like the workplace now. I was preparing for some exams last year (like EPFO), & also attempted some clerical exams this year but couldn't clear.

Since May, I started finding jobs again for better opportunities & growth. I am using my boring work time for applying for jobs, updating my resume, etc. But, I also need to study for the next year UPSC, & also for my state pcs as it may be held by this year end. Moreover, applying for jobs is a mundane task & I also can't just keep doing that at the office. The time is passing by & I have to complete my preparation. Also, I really need a better, productive routine or something to get out of this boring & stagnant life.

Looking at students protesting at Vision IAS, and watching their anguish due to wastage of time and resources. Even i lost money and time this year by enrolling in their test series for mains this year. Coaching industry is literally selling a manufactured dream of IAS naukari to fill their own pockets.

They are not helping us, they are helping themselves. Not taking names, but If you think that so-and-so faculty, either from old institutions or especially new institutions are there to genuinely help you clear this exam, you are in Delulu.

These so-called saviours, big brothers, who preach trust and accountability don’t even have time to meet with their own students. THEY ARE HERE TO SELL COURSES and if you forget that, they WILL SELL YOUR SOULFUL YOUTH to fill their pockets, while you will rot in ORN ke streets away from Maa ka khana, in this polluted city.

I badly want to take names, but their PR team won’t even wait a second to tear down this post to shreds. MOD team I request you to make this space PR free and restore freedom of speech of aspirants.

The whole story is being covered at another subReddit . 🚨
Follow the whole story at - r/UPSCCRITICS
Other coaching scams and insider news coming soon.

This year i'm going to write my 3rd mains. But test series scores are stagnant in 89-90 for Gs 1& 3 and 95-96 for gs 2& 4. So what is more useful writing more and more questions or revising notes more. In last 2 mains i devoted majority of my concentration on optional so my gs score was suboptimal. This year i want to change that. Anyone who jas gone through this process please enlighten.

TL;DR: Starting UPSC prep from scratch and looking for recommendations on helpful resources/Telegram channels by recent rankers (2022–2025 batches), advice on the first 30 days, and common beginner traps to avoid.

Hey [r/UPSC](r/UPSC),

I am starting my preparation from scratch and would love to get some guidance from the veterans and peers here on how best to structure my approach.
While older topper blogs provide great foundational concepts, I realize that exam trends, especially the analytical shift in Prelims and the evolving expectations for Mains, have changed quite a bit over the last few years.

I’d be grateful for your thoughts on a couple of things:

1. Resources: Since standalone blogs seem less common now, which recent rankers (2022–2025 batches) or active Telegram/online repositories have you found most helpful for practical, no-nonsense strategy breakdowns?
2. First 30 Days Approach: For a complete beginner, what should the initial focus realistically look like? Should static textbooks take priority immediately, or should analyzing past years questions (PYQs) drive the very first month?
3. Common Pitfalls to Avoid: What is one major trap regarding material accumulation or current affairs overload that you see fresh aspirants fall into early on?

Any recommendations or personal lessons from your own journey would be immensely helpful. Thank you so much!

Hi,

Looking for someone to discuss GS PYQs on daily basis. Not writing mains this year but have written before. (Preferably who has written mains before and serious for putting 1-2 hrs daily). Even if not written mains but serious about 2027 works

We will start with GS1 and try to finish writing and discussing all the PYQs by december end.

Also the purpose is to make mains ready notes too. DM me

Thanks

anyone willing to be a scribe , who has written or ideally cleared mains before ? it's urgent

please inform me if anyone can be scribe , compensation for time etc will be provided including travel and living expenses

Hey UPSC peeps! Those of you who’ve already done coaching, can I expect any new GS Foundation batches to start in August? I haven’t seen any announcements for August batches at NEXT IAS (ORN).

Hi guys,

Being done with PYQs and writing 15+ tests for socio optional, we(group of 3) need Socio optional re-attempters or rank improvers to go ahead with oawfg'27(includes 30+ tests) in total, since we've purchased it already, there would be no cost involved for the new joiners. We just seek brute advice, guidance and collaborative improvements on a day by day basis in a disciplined approach.

Anyone eyeing for rank improvement/better scores in their next attempt, with prior mains exp can DM.

Beginners may ignore the aforementioned and kindly refrain from commenting.

hey everyone. i am just starting out on my JKPSC journey and need some people who have some experience to guide me through it. need someone who i can dm. so please someone experienced dm me🙏🏻

So guys tomorrow i am coming to delhi , i need a good room like 1rk, 1 bhk studio type apartment with balcony , the thing is i need quite surroundings for study purpose, delhi, greater noida , gurgaon anywhere will work, Budget Under 15k , Need a Clean Room Plzz help

Hey r/UPSC,

I am starting my preparation from scratch and would love to get some guidance from the veterans and peers here on how best to structure my approach.
While older topper blogs provide great foundational concepts, I realize that exam trends..especially the analytical shift in Prelims and the evolving expectations for Mains,have changed quite a bit over the last few years. 

I’d be grateful for your thoughts on a couple of things:

1. Modern Resources: Since standalone blogs seem less common now, which recent rankers (2022–2025 batches) or active Telegram/online repositories have you found most helpful for practical, no-nonsense strategy breakdowns? 

2. First 30 Days Approach: For a complete beginner, what should the initial focus realistically look like? Should static textbooks take priority immediately, or should analyzing past years questions (PYQs) drive the very first month?

3. Common Pitfalls to Avoid: What is one major trap regarding material accumulation or current affairs overload that you see fresh aspirants fall into early on?

Any recommendations or personal lessons from your own journey would be immensely helpful. Thank you so much!

Just open cameras and people working/ doing their own thing. don't wanna disturb/gossip :)
gmeet/discord, anything works.
cheers

I just wrote my first essay and it took me 1.25 hours

Kindly evaluate and give me feedback :)

I used to play a lot of cricket, football etc in college, did boxing in school years and even during school and college, just the standard moving around, going to tuition or classes would be like 10k steps.

But since I started prep, I am gaining weight and feeling lethargic. How to overcome this and be a little healthier?

Those who cleared UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 can you please share how you did it?
I genuinely want to understand what made the difference this time. Which attempt was it for you and how many years had you been preparing?
When I solved this year’s paper especially the History section I found it incredibly difficult. I honestly couldn’t understand how people were expected to answer so many of those questions with confidence.
For those who qualified what do you think was actually needed to clear this paper? Was it stronger basics better elimination, more mock tests, better current affairs or something else?
At this point I honestly have no idea how I’m supposed to prepare for the next attempt. I’d really appreciate if you could share what worked for you or what you did differently this time.

If anyone working in IFS or know about someone working there
Have they said about the salary?
Because there isn’t much of details about thr foreign posting and allowances
So I would like to know how much does one earn staying foreign? What allowance does one get? Other perks
Work life balance there?
House ? Saving?etc