MAINS 2019

Key Suggestions

Congratulations on making through one the toughest Preliminary Stages in the history of this
exam since the pattern change!

I hope you have taken the much needed break last week and are raring to get cracking on the
mains exam!

The purpose of this write up is to largely assist you with some broad timelines you might find
useful in your preparation!

The most important factor now is to plan every week diligently with utmost care. Spend a good
day or so planning your next few weeks and try as hard as possible to stick to the plan! A weekly
plan with exact topic areas and sources is a very good way to plan well.

The three cardinals for the mains are: Content + Speed + Presentation (In this order!)

There is no substitute for good content but it has to be distributed all across your papers. Always
remember attempting 20/20 questions in an above average manner will get you more marks than
15/20 questions attempted in an excellent manner.

Broadly, this could be a good way to plan your mains prep!

Phase 1 - Optional and Paper 4 - (June 2019 - July 2019) - Helps you cover your optional
substantially as well as paces you up with a relatively less burdened Paper 4

Optional -

1. You should do a thorough revision of your optional by going through your notes and standard
issue material. DO NOT over indulge in resources under any circumstances. Completing your
optional is very crucial.

2. Secure a minimum 275 in your optional first by covering the obvious and probable areas well,
and then work on the finer elements to get into the 300 bracket.

3. Start devising key points, headings, structures for your optional answers in case you don’t
have compiled notes.

Ethics -

1. Spend a good amount of time on past year papers. Read every question carefully.
2. Past year papers are the best sources of case studies. Make sure you have solved all of the
case studies ever asked in UPSC.

3. While attempting a case study, remember to identify the ethical values which are in play/
conflict in that particular case study and then define them in your own words if so be. Evaluate
the short term and long term benefits of each course of action. Conclude by logically deriving
how the most moral code of action is also the most viable action as well. The intent of the
case study is to also see the workings of your moral compass and not just you doing the
‘right’ thing!

4. As far as philosophers are concerned, you should only know what they specifically have to say
about moral philosophy and nothing else! Please don’t read about their other contributions to
this world, its never asked!

5. Feel free to send in your answers, key points, structures for Ethics to the email enclosed
below. I shall evaluate them and get back to you within 3-4 working days at the most!

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Phase II - Paper 1 and Paper 3 - (July 2019 - August 2019)

1. The reason behind doing these two papers together is that there is a significant overlap in
some areas. You would be able to do those areas holistically without a duplication of effort!

2. Keep the sources a bare minimum and DO NOT read additional reference books such as Lowe
for World History, Mishra and Puri for Economics, or Khullar for Geography.

Phase III - Paper 2 and Optional Revision - (August 2019 - September 2019)

1. Paper 2 is to essentially be prepared by working towards a hotlist of topics. For example,

Lateral Entry, as seen in the news, is a key policy reform underway. You should identify similar
topics that might be important for the year. Similar practice can also be done for Paper 3.

2. I would also release a topic hotlist for paper 2 towards this phase with some essential
readings.

3. Yes, paper 2 is largely analytical but the points of reason mostly remain the same. [Refer to
Answer structures as discussed in class, shall repost them again for ready reference]. For
instance, all schemes usually have the following issues - Are they identifying and reaching the
intended beneficiary?, Are enough funds being allotted?, Are they being implemented in a
dedicated manner without any institutional overlap?, Are the larger problems being solved with
the current mechanism? Etc.

4. DO NOT read heavy journals for IR, standard sources such as your newspaper, mains
booklets, or issue/country briefs on websites such as Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA)
is enough.

5. Feel free to send in your answers, key points, structures for Paper 2 to the email enclosed
below. I shall evaluate them and get back to you within 3-4 working days at the most!

Essay - To be or not to be -

1. One Full Essay to be written in timed conditions on a weekly basis

2. The Following Themes should be covered -

A. Women Empowerment,

B. Health, Education + Skill, Tourism and Culture,

C. Environment + Climate Change

D. Science + Privacy + Data Power + Artificial Intelligence

E. Materialism + Consumerism + General Moral Decay

F. India’s Global Ambitions + Superpower + New World Order

G. Local Legal/Policy Developments - Federalism + Elections and Democracy + Justice and

its context in today’s India etc.

3. Outlines/Flowcharts/Key Points for the sub topics under a theme to be defined

4. Break your essay into smaller sub questions and simply answer those sub questions as
headlines and you have a good essay ready! Its that simple!
For Instance - ‘Destiny of a Nation lies in its Classroom’

Q.1 - What determines the Destiny of a Nation?

Q.2 - How important a role does Education play in shaping such a Destiny?
Q.3 - How have other Nations used Education to shape their destinies?
Q.4 - What is India destined to become?
Q.5 - How can India reach its destiny through Education?
Q.6 - Are we doing enough to empower Education?
Q.7 - What else can we do to make Education better to make India better?

200 words in each Question gives you a 1400 word Essay!

5. Always write in paragraphs, use headlines if possible!

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6. You can always ask for the Essay of the week and I shall communicate the same to you. Feel
free to send in your answers, key points, structures for Essay to the email enclosed below. I
shall evaluate them and get back to you within 3-4 working days at the most! Please number
your paragraphs and pages when you scan and send them to me. It is easier to give
detailed feedback then!

Test Series -

1. If you are able to sit at home in a disciplined manner and write answers or tests in a timed
manner, there is little need to actually enrol in a test series.

2. At most, you can go and write full length tests once you have covered full portions of the
syllabus paper wise anywhere you feel like.

3. You can always pick up the test papers from the Market directly and solve them at your own
ease. NEVER EVER plan your preparation around a test but use the tests to supplement your
preparation when you need them to.

4. You can always take a photo copy of any test series you are attempting, and send your
answers across Essay, Paper 2, Paper 4, Public Administration, Law, and Political Science +
IR to the email mentioned in the footers of every page of the document.

The Crux -

The Mains is physically tough and strains your memory quite a bit but is still far easier than the
Prelims. It is far less predictable and is what matters the most to get a good rank.

This is your dream score card - Paste this on your study table and don’t stop till you think you are
getting close to this -

Essay 140+
Paper 1 120+
Paper 2 115+
Paper 3 120+
Paper 4 130+
Optional 280+

Get this and you have a rank this year, the interview simply becomes a rank improvement
exercise!

I am right here if you need me!

Good Luck,

Atish

[p.s. - A lot of you ask what is the reason behind this and if you have pay for any of this, the
answer is fairly simple - Its fascinating to be a part of someone’s learning curve and that is
priceless!

However, ‘Nutties’ Chocolates are always welcome as nourishment enhancements, nothing

more :)]

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