PRELIMS-SPECIFIC:
My UPSC Prelims-Specific Session Video: https://youtu.be/Hx0JpVM9pwA?feature=shared
You can write any Prelims-related questions, doubts, or confusions in the YouTube comment section of the above video.
Prelims-Specific Resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lF1UmRgqPYQB89oTnOhAGblA1uNkh0mf?usp=sharing
MAINS-SPECIFIC:
My UPSC Mains-Specific & Q&A Session Video: https://youtu.be/IFbxYoYDOgE?feature=shared
Mains-Specific Resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DJ27SE_S55hCSAqUUiHmhO6AfCvI0hyx?usp=sharing
You can write any Mains-related or general questions, doubts, or confusions in the YouTube comment section of the above video.
Also watch this video by Dr. Shivin Chaudhary Sir to understand which mistakes you must avoid for UPSC CSE 2025: https://youtu.be/QmAbwsfcWKk?feature=shared
Description of the Session:
Hello everyone, I’ve decided to independently conduct a Q&A Session for people preparing for UPSC CSE 2025 and beyond. I will share the insights, strategies, and knowledge I’ve learnt over my 2.5 years of experiences, including preparation, giving and clearing the 2024 Prelims in my 1st attempt, and giving the 2024 Mains last month.
This session will be open to anyone who is interested and preparing for the CSE, but please only join if you are serious about the exam and the career that lies beyond it. If you’re not, please don’t waste my time and yours.
Whatever I tell you about this exam (both Prelims and Mains) will be a combination of learnings from my own mistakes, from months and years of figuring out what actually works and what useless noise in the UPSC market you should ignore, what sources have yielded results, the experiences and advice of serving IFS officers I have interacted with, and the experiences and advice of golden mentors I’ve learnt from (several of which cleared the Prelims and Mains multiple times and gave multiple interviews).
Most importantly, this session will contain brutally honest truths derived from my implementation of these learnings in the exam hall this year in Prelims and Mains.
For the MisFits members, I will also talk about how you can integrate the MisFits recorded episodes with your preparation – which things to focus on, how much, and how.
Hii sumant bro. Hope you are doing good and.all the best for your result.
My questions:
1) is misfits lecture alone enough for all the topics in the syllabus? Like international relation. Internal security. Disaster management. Science & tech. Ecology. Indian society. What other sources should be followed?
2) how to read news paper? Actually it’s takes me bit more time to read news paper. How to exactly pin point the important topics and facts from news paper. Is notes making needed for news paper?
3) how to build answer writing skill from scratch for mains? Which source are you used for answer writing practice like test batch suggest me that also.
4) in your mains exam when you seen your question paper. How did you structure the answer in few seconds and write them?
5) how do you manage your stress level and calmness during the prep and examination period?
6) could you tell me mains prep should be completed by which month ( before jan like that)
Also when is the right month to focus on prelims perspective?
I am going to give my first attempt in 2025 give me suggestion based on that.
Hi Sumant, I hope your Mains exam was great and you make it to the service this time. My question is also based on my main experience and is about completing the paper in those 3 hours. I have struggled with completing that. What kind of practice would you recommend, or I would say approach, that one should have to build answers after seeing the paper?
1. How to go about mains preparation for GS? How much focus should be given before prelims and what all should be covered.
2. What part of syallabus is left uncovered at misfits. From both prelims and mains perspective.
Hi, Sumant first of all, All the best for the result i hope u make it in your first attempt to the holly Pdf. Secondly i wanted to ask if you could
1- guide me if i should watch misfits second time bcz it feels like too much time consuming.(alrdy attended them live n some recorded)
2- if u have a list of episodes in each subject to revise b4 pre or mains of misfits, pls share
3- your advice/sure shot tips on cracking PRELIMS 2025
4- time management as per subjects
I’ll be really thankful for ur response.
Hi Sumat Bhayya
Greetings to you !!! Really fantastic initiative and thank you . Most of my friends have covered several topics in comments , and I am left on very few areas to question you . I just have a couple of questions for you –
1) what should be the way of notes making and revision of GS ?
2) how to cover ancillary topics of GS like internal security and agriculture?
3) accuracy of mcqs ?
4) answer writing methodology?
I am in my second year of graduation and my attempt is in 2026 if you could please give me some tips and tricks on my trajectory of exam it will be grateful for me .
1) How to make the most out of misfits GS episodes? Did they help you in writing answers in mains? Is it necessary to make notes out of these episodes?
2) How to revise such a vast syllabus before mains? Did you make any notes for this purpose?
3) Did you join any test series for pre & mains?
Hi Sumant
thanks for the initiative
I’m a part of misfits recorded comunity.
1) started my preparation in the Sept month
2) also enrolled in Dr. shivin’s mains ready course
3) Should I complete mains module till December
like 1) GS 3 and 2) GS 4
at least these 2 mains syllabus
or I’m thinking wrong.
4) Do u think that , it’s important to complete Misfits lecture beforehand from (October till April )
to have the command and then after prelims, I should focus on Mains ??
5) or vice versa that I can watch recording in Jan and right now just Dr. shivin’s mains course , in thet also some specific subjects ??
6) Unable to manage time :- optional, GS, Current affairs, mains or prelims
7) How many subjects in a day , how many hours per subject, how to plan for next prelims and mains .
8 ) When should I start CAST prepration?
9) How to stay positive as its my first attempt, I’m nervous from inside, Am I late for the preparation as I’m starting right now in October??
Hi Sumant,
I hope you gave your best in the mains.
I just had one question – When is the ideal time to prepare for subjects like internal security, society, disaster management and agriculture?
What would be the life of IFS officer, is it really all rosy ? Responsibilities, private life, Perks , earnings,
I want to learn your experience and avoid as many mistakes i can .
Hey Sumant, firstly million thanks for this session. It’s great to learn from you.
Here are my questions:
1)How to increase the accuracy of guessing correct answers in the prelims exam hall?
2)Regarding csat, how to choose easy questions and solve them within time limit?
3) How to pick appropriate points to write as per demand of the question besides studying static and current affairs contents? What is your answer writing strategy for various subjects ?
4)How did you merge various sources like byjus, misfits,understand upsc and make use of it effectively?
Iam facing difficulty during mains preparation. Why ? As someone told me you should complete ur mains by December So i decided to do so but iam revising or reading most basic things and end up unable to write mains answers. How to make seperate notes for mains and revise the same and most importantly how to add new updates in that notes.
And how to make most probable notes for the revision in between prelims and mains?
What should we study besides the Misfits lecture for prelims?
What strategy and schedule did you have post prelims?
How did you practice answer writing?
My questions/ concerns are as below-
My question is as an aspirant, along with GS misfits recording how to cover current affairs effectively in the context of pre and mains preparation in upcoming months(especially when backlog of current affairs has pile up)