Mehak Jain, AIR 17 : Notes and Strategy

Psychology Hacks to help deal with UPSC and Life!

1. Paradox of Choice Hack

When facing the myriad of optional subjects, study materials, or strategies for UPSC preparation, too many options can lead to decision fatigue. Simplify your approach by limiting your choices.

For example, instead of wondering “What should I study today?”, decide between “Should I revise current affairs or practice answer writing?” This small narrowing down of options helps your brain make faster, stress-free decisions.

2. Dopamine Anchoring

Pair a challenging study task (like a tough subject area) with something you enjoy - a favorite playlist, a warm cup of tea, or a cozy study corner. Over time, your mind will start associating the challenging task with positive feelings, making it easier to tackle difficult tasks (like Answer writing for most people)

3. Expectation Effect Hack

Our minds tend to validate our expectations. If you tell yourself “Today’s study session will be productive,” your brain will focus on evidence that confirms this belief. Start each day by setting a positive expectation, whether it’s memorising prelims tidbits or making progress in answer writing.

4. The 90-Second Rule

UPSC preparation is overwhelming, and you experience stressful emotions every now and then. Remember that most emotions peak and dissipate within 90 seconds unless you keep feeding them with negative thoughts. If anxiety about the upcoming Prelims hits, pause and let the feeling pass before dwelling on it.

5. The Peak-End Rule

We often judge our experiences by their most intense moments and their endings. Try to end each day on a high note - a small win, a quick recap of what you have studied, or a moment of gratitude. Over time, your overall perception of your preparation will become more positive, keeping self doubt in check.

6. Pause Before Saying Yes

It’s common to overcommit, especially when there are new study material/courses/hacks coming up in the market everyday. Before committing to any additional task or material, pause and consider if it aligns with your UPSC checklist (I am screaming PYQs here).

Happy hacking! 💁🏻‍♀️

https://www.instagram.com/stories/mehakjain_ias/3588024253254601460?igsh=bzRwNWNtOTV1dG5h


Happy Holi people! ❤️💛

🥳.

What a match! ❤️

🥳.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/mehakjain_ias/3553988717322991027?igsh=MXh3MXN1dHdrbDI3Mw==


Happy Republic Day🇮🇳

https://www.instagram.com/stories/mehakjain_ias/3533968236419027990?igsh=aGh0c2hic3E5ZTk0

Most beautiful lion sighting ever! 🦁

FAQ : PYQs

PYQs are like a window to the priorities of UPSC. They help you understand the broad themes from which UPSC tends to ask questions repetitively and also gives you the most authentic mock test possible. So here are my two cents on dealing with PYQs :

1. Last 10 year's PYQs are an absolute must. For static subjects like history, geography etc., go as far back as possible. I did it from around 1995 for all the subjects using Arihant compilation.

2. There are two broad approaches for practicing PYQs :
a. Subjectwise - Read a particular subject, say Polity and then attempt all the PYQs of polity. This can only be done after you have completed reading a subject as I don't think topicwise questions are available in the market.
b. Yearwise - In this case, you have to solve PYQs as a full length test with mix of questions from all the subjects.
Now there is no right or wrong approach in this. You can cover them whichever way you like. For people with their first attempt, subject wise approach is more feasible. In subsequent attempts, you can solve them yearwise.

3. For people who have already solved UPSC CSE prelims questions very many times, you can also cover PYQs of other exams like CDS (not advisable until you have thoroughly and sufficiently covered UPSC CSE)

4. From where to practice? Compilations (for subjectwise), UPSC website (yearwise). Some institutes also offer PYQs as mocks and can also try solving them on various telegram channels for the same purpose.

5. How to utilize PYQs?
a. To find out repetitive themes and prepare short notes on them.
b. To work out your own elimination strategy. Can checkout this playlist for the same. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMQXK8QZSo&list=PLFrAJkEb21Aw-F1VhLk9b1LstQh4zeU_R)
c. If there is any topic that has featured in PYQs but you had not read it in course of your preparation, do a quick Google search. If it's a technical subject/process, watch 2-3 short videos on it (3-5mins Wali, not necessarily by coaching institutes). Else, just readfirst 2 paragraphs on wiki. If it's about a govt programme, go to it's official page and read the 'About Us' section.
Remember, the idea is not to know everything about that topic but just to have a functional knowledge so that you're able to eliminate and arrive at the answer based on your limited awareness on the topic.

One last thing, PYQs are non negotiable part of the preparation. There are no shortcuts to it, you have to sit and solve them on your own. Take all the help you need in this process - from YouTube, coachings, mentors or do it yourself, but DO IT. Unfailingly.

Best wishes!🫶🏻

Ethics FAQs

1. From where to start?
Discussed here - https://t.me/mehak_jainAIR17/10

2. Quote based Questions
Take them as Mini essays. A quick introduction which comprised of what I understood from the quote (for complex/long quotes which needed some decoding) or its present relevance (if it’s a simple, commonly known quote).

Then you can open up some dimensions as to what the quote means in different contexts, it’s importance, what are some of the challenges in bringing it to life and lastly, how it contributes to some larger goal (can relate it to some ethical philosophy or some practical, tangible goal for individual/society/ country. Towards the end, you can decide the flip side of the quote.

A few samples (apart from my test series answers) - https://t.me/mehak_jainAIR17/288

3. Time management
Considering Ethics is a lengthy paper, you should devise your own way of attempting the paper so that you’re able to complete it.

What I did was - https://t.me/mehak_jainAIR17/11

4. Not able to write answers?
Read some basic sources (any exam oriented material available in the market). Develop an understanding of the subject. Refer to topper copies. Now you’re good to go. In your subsequent readings, you can make your own short notes (if you so wish) and update/upgrade these notes on the go.

If you’re not able to write even after doing all this, it’s just fear of answer writing at best. Don’t be afraid to write a ‘bad answer’. Everybody starts that way. And others have already written their first bad answer, so hurry up!

5. How many points/dimensions in answers?
A 10 marker warrants at least 5-6 points. Consider each ‘element’ of your answer to be of 1 mark. So introduction, conclusion, 6 points, 1 value add element gives you a total of 10. Plan your answer accordingly.

However, there can never be just one way to go about writing subjective answers, more so in ethics. So some questions would demand you to write 10 points, while in others 3-4 points will suffice. Be smart enough to judge this. (Comes with practice of reading and writing multiple answers).