He cracked the UPSC Mains code | Ayan Jain (AIR 16 in 2023 and AIR 87 in 2022)

Summary

In this insightful video, Ayan, a successful UPSC candidate, shares his journey and strategies for cracking the Mains exam. He contrasts his second and third attempts, highlighting his shift to a quantity-over-quality approach in answering questions and emphasizing time management. Ayan also discusses the importance of concise, organized notes, regular revision, and using topper copies for content extraction. He stresses the need for persistence, efficient time management, and mental resilience during the preparation process. Ayan's practical tips and personal experiences offer valuable guidance for future aspirants.

Takeaways

• 📈 Ayan improved his Mains score significantly from the second to the third attempt, highlighting the importance of learning from previous experiences.
• 📝 In his GS preparation, Ayan emphasized 'quantity over quality', writing numerous points and examples for each answer to ensure comprehensive coverage.
• ⏰ Ayan's time management strategy involved allocating specific minutes to each question, ensuring all questions were answered within the allotted time.
• 🌟 He incorporated value addition such as SDGs, landmark judgments, and best practices into his answers to distinguish his responses from others.
• 🔄 Ayan stressed the importance of revision, especially through writing answers and using topic-wise notes to reinforce learning.
• 📚 He used topper copies as a source of content and to understand the question-answer format, which helped in formulating concise and relevant points.
• 📋 Ayan created micro-notes for easy reference and quick revision, focusing on conciseness and usability over comprehensiveness.
• 🧘‍♂️ Mental preparation was crucial for Ayan, who managed self-doubt and anxiety by staying in touch with peers and reminding himself of his preparation.
• 👨‍🏫 Ayan's clear exposition and communication skills are highlighted as a superpower that would be beneficial in any career, including as an educator or service officer.
• 📉 Despite a lower score in GS this year, Ayan attributes the difference to writing style and rigorousness, suggesting continuous improvement is key.
• 💡 Ayan's approach to dealing with 'waste' such as tiredness and distractions was through ruthless prioritization and endurance, accepting that not all problems need to be solved but managed.

Q & A

What was Ayan's rank in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2023?

Ayan ranked 16 in the CSE 2023.

What was Ayan's rank in his second attempt at the CSE?

In his second attempt, Ayan had a rank of 87.

How did Ayan's marks in the essay paper change between his second and third attempt?

Ayan's marks in the essay paper were below average, 104 in his second attempt and 111 in his third attempt.

What was Ayan's strategy for General Studies (GS) preparation in the Mains exam?

Ayan's strategy for GS preparation was to focus on quantity over quality, writing a large number of points with many examples, and adding value with current affairs, landmark judgments, best practices, and SDGs.

How did Ayan approach the time management during the GS exam?

Ayan managed his time by dividing it proportionally for every question, giving around seven minutes for every 10 markers and around 10 minutes for every 15 markers.

What was Ayan's approach to revision for GS preparation?

Ayan focused on revision by making topic-wise notes and revising them multiple times. He also used topper copies as a source of content and organized his notes in a point-form manner for better usability.

How did Ayan improve his score in the Maths optional paper between his second and third attempt?

Ayan improved his score in the Maths optional paper by 68 marks, going from 103 marks in the second attempt to a score of 171 in the third attempt.

What advice did Ayan receive from his seniors regarding the GS exam?

Ayan was advised by his seniors that one cannot mess up GS as it is very different from prelims and that persistence is key during the exam.

How did Ayan manage mental pressure and self-doubt during his preparation?

Ayan managed mental pressure and self-doubt by staying in touch with friends who were also preparing for the exam, enduring doubts rather than trying to overcome them, and reminding himself of his extensive preparation.

What was Ayan's score in the interview in his first attempt?

Ayan scored 187 in the interview in his first attempt.

How did Ayan deal with the 'waste' or negative byproducts of his high-efficiency mental and physical systems during preparation?

Ayan dealt with the negative byproducts by ruthlessly prioritizing, anticipating future tiredness, boredom, and distractions, and managing doubts by enduring them and staying strong.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Reflecting on Exam Strategies and Improvements

The speaker, Ayan, discusses his journey through two attempts at a competitive exam, highlighting the significant improvement from his second to third attempt. He emphasizes the importance of clarity of thought and mindset. Ayan shares his marks distribution, particularly pointing out the drastic improvement in his Math optional paper. He outlines his strategy for General Studies (GS), focusing on quantity over quality in writing answers and incorporating value addition like current affairs, best practices, and SDGs. His approach to answering GS3 and time management during the exam is also discussed.

05:16

🕒 Time Management and Revision Techniques

Ayan delves into his time management strategy for the exam, allocating specific minutes per question type and maintaining a steady pace throughout the paper. He stresses the importance of completing the paper and covering every question. Ayan then shifts to his revision strategy, which involves writing a large number of answers and focusing on revision more than mock tests. He also discusses the importance of concise and organized notes, using topper copies as a source of content, and extracting points from various sources including tests and current affairs.

10:17

📝 Preparation and Organization of GS Notes

The speaker provides insights into his method of preparing for GS, focusing on micro topics and in-depth understanding. He details his note-making process, emphasizing the importance of concise, point-form notes for usability during the exam. Ayan also discusses the organization of his notes, using headings and subheadings to cover various aspects of topics. He highlights the value of topper copies for content extraction and the benefits of learning from them, including the point-form answers and the inclusion of value addition and examples.

15:18

🌐 Value Addition and Exam Mindset

Ayan talks about the importance of value addition in the exam, such as incorporating ethics, best practices, and contemporary issues. He shares his strategy for GS geography, focusing on themes that repeat in the exam and identifying low-hanging fruits. The speaker also mentions his website, ay.com, as a resource for exam preparation. He discusses the importance of mindset in the Mains exam, emphasizing persistence and the ability to manage mental pressure during the exam.

20:20

🤯 Managing Mental Pressure and Exam Experience

Ayan reflects on his experience with the Mains exam, particularly the mental pressure and how he managed it. He discusses the difference between his first and second attempts, noting the importance of persistence and the ability to write through pain. The speaker also talks about his learning from the Math optional paper and the importance of understanding the exam's nature. He advises on leveraging secondhand experience and reaching out to seniors for advice.

25:21

🧘‍♂️ Dealing with Self-Doubt and Preparation Fatigue

The speaker shares his approach to dealing with self-doubt and the fatigue that comes with intense exam preparation. He talks about staying in touch with friends, enduring doubts rather than trying to overcome them, and the importance of self-affirmation. Ayan also discusses the anticipation of future tiredness and distractions, and the strategy of ruthless prioritization to manage these challenges.

👨‍🏫 Final Thoughts on Interview Preparation and Teaching

In the final paragraph, Ayan discusses his preparation for the interview and his approach to it, despite it being dropped in the previous year. He reflects on the effort he put into preparing for the interview and the stress he experienced. The speaker also touches on the potential for a career in teaching, given his clear exposition and communication skills. The session concludes with thanks to Ayan for his insights and advice for future aspirants.

Keywords

💡Clarity of thought

Clarity of thought refers to the ability to think and express ideas in a clear, logical, and organized manner. In the video, Ayan emphasizes the importance of maintaining clarity of thought for effective preparation and performance in exams, particularly when dealing with complex subjects and large volumes of information.

💡Mains

Mains, in the context of this video, refers to the main examinations or the second stage of competitive exams like the Civil Services Examination in India. Ayan discusses his strategies and experiences with the Mains, highlighting the importance of understanding its structure and requirements for success.

💡Marksheet

A marksheet is an official document that records a student's grades or scores in an examination. Ayan mentions his marksheets to illustrate the improvement in his scores between his second and third attempts, underscoring the effectiveness of his revised preparation strategies.

💡GS (General Studies)

General Studies is a common term used in competitive exams to denote a section or subject that covers a wide range of topics, often including current affairs, governance, ethics, and other areas of general knowledge. Ayan's discussion on his preparation for GS highlights the significance of comprehensive and strategic study methods.

💡Value addition

Value addition in the context of exam preparation refers to the inclusion of additional relevant information, such as landmark judgments, best practices, or SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), to enrich the content of an answer and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic. Ayan mentions value addition as a key component of his GS preparation strategy.

💡Time management

Time management is the process of allocating time effectively to tasks or activities. Ayan discusses his time management strategy for the GS exam, where he allocated specific minutes per question to ensure he could address every question within the allotted time, reflecting the importance of pacing in exam performance.

💡Revision

Revision is the act of reviewing and consolidating information previously learned. Ayan emphasizes the importance of revision in his preparation for the Mains exam, particularly through the creation of concise, point-form notes that facilitate quick recall and application during the exam.

💡Micro-notes

Micro-notes refer to brief, focused notes on specific topics or subtopics that are easy to review and recall. Ayan mentions creating micro-notes as part of his revision strategy, which helped him to efficiently organize and retain information for the GS exam.

💡Ethics

Ethics, in the context of competitive exams, usually refers to a section that tests knowledge of moral principles and values. Ayan discusses his performance in the ethics section, indicating that he used value addition and a clear writing style to improve his scores.

💡Topper copies

Topper copies are the answer sheets or notes of high-performing candidates in exams, often used by other students for reference and inspiration. Ayan mentions analyzing topper copies not only to understand the writing style but also to extract valuable content and points for his own preparation.

💡Mental pressure

Mental pressure refers to the psychological stress or strain one experiences, often in high-stakes situations like competitive exams. Ayan talks about managing mental pressure during his Mains exam, emphasizing the importance of persistence and a positive mindset despite the challenges.

Highlights

Ayan discusses his journey from scoring 87 in his second attempt to 16 in his third attempt in the CSC 2023 exam.

He shares his strategy for GS preparation, focusing on quantity over quality in terms of writing numerous points with examples.

Ayan emphasizes the importance of value addition in answers, such as mentioning landmark judgments, best practices, and SDGs.

He explains his time management approach during the exam, allocating specific minutes per question to ensure all questions are covered.

Ayan talks about the significance of revision, using answer writing as a central part of his revision process.

He mentions the use of topper copies for extracting content and learning from their writing style and points.

Ayan describes his method of creating concise, point-form micro-notes for easy reference and usage during the exam.

He explains the importance of organization in notes, using headings and subheadings for clarity.

Ayan shares his experience with handling mental pressure during the exam, focusing on persistence and maintaining a positive mindset.

He discusses the role of ethics in his exam preparation and how he managed to score higher in ethics in his second attempt.

Ayan talks about the importance of understanding the exam pattern and adapting one's preparation strategy accordingly.

He shares insights on dealing with self-doubt and anxiety during preparation, advocating for endurance and self-affirmation.

Ayan provides advice on how to manage distractions and maintain focus during the intense preparation period.

He reflects on his interview preparation, discussing the effort he put into it and the mindset he adopted.

Ayan concludes by emphasizing the importance of a clear exposition and the ability to communicate thoughts effectively.

Transcripts

so uh welcome back we have Ayan with us

again a 16 CSC 2023 he gave us a

wonderful uh description

ofs how to maintain like you know

Clarity of thought

mindset and today we'll pick his brains

about what to do for

Mains right so hian welcome again thank

you so much sir even though this is the

same recording session so

but uh uh so this is something that I

said to Aon on uh the day of the

selection also that in a second attempt

he had a 87 and in his third attempt he

had a 16 so there is something that he

has clearly figured out how does Mains

work so Ayan can you break it down for

us ke you know what happened in your

second attempt what changed in your

third

attempt right sir so I think I'll

briefly talk about my marksheet itself

both years I had average orow can share

the marksheets also we'll show them on

screen definitely sir I do that both

years in essay I had around below

average marks itself 104 and 111 maths

optional May last year I had only 243

marks paper 2 May it was abysmally low

score much below my expectations only

103 marks this time I had in uh in math

option I had 31 marks and basically 68

marks Improvement paper two so that I

think I've covered on other platforms

itself but the good thing has been that

both years I have had a very good score

in Gs last year 463 is 450 so I think

I'll talk mostly about GS itself I think

figure out and so sir talking about

GS number one I think I can divide it

into two parts number one is

exam how did I prepare for it so exam my

basic strategy was quantity over quality

I used to write a huge number of points

and many examples I did not worry too

much about the quality of points now one

reason for this is that because optional

intensive to I have had to focus more on

things which were easy to I think easy

to build upon but not requiring too much

understanding even right now I can admit

that

understanding especially current affairs

topics but number of points I would like

to sort of uh take up an example and uh

go from there like for example GS3 2023

there was a question how does e

technology help farmers in production

and marketing of agricultural produce

explain so how would you attempt this

question how many points would you WR

break it down for us so number of points

I used to always write for 10 markers I

wrote around 12 to 15 points and for 15

markers I wrote around 22 to 25 points

sometimes even more again syllabus

topics like e governance I think GS2 e

question I wrote more than 15 points in

that 10 marker itself let me just get

the E governance all question in

discussion over here so I think here

itself I should give a disclaimer that

naturally when I'm saying 15 points to

S but again my Approach of quantity over

quality simple

points and naturally they have to be

aligned to the question they cannot be

repetitive also but as long as they are

valid points I think it

counts that was the I worked on that

even though my points used to be simple

and sometimes generic also but

examples the other thing the second part

about my approaching the exam was a lot

of value addition committees Landmark

judgments best practices sdgs

articles mention my aim was to write one

at least one value Edition in intro and

conclusion of every answer

okay but I used to try to just force it

even if it's not very much relevant

there but

top

sayban data 35 urbanization of world

B um let's say sdg sdg 11 is again I

sustainable cities urbanization question

conclusion this can help us achieve

sdg1 sdg1 sustainable cities S2

responsible

consumption examiner just by seeing

these can will probably get the

impression that this student has done

something more than the average person

so deserves slightly more marks this is

Again Naturally my guess but mer work

huge number of points and lot of value

addition and

examples exam again

white spaces left naturally handwriting

size played a big role in that but the

other thing that played a big role in

this is my time management

strategy proportionally divide for every

question so for every 10 marker I used

to give around seven minutes and every

15 Mar I gave around 10

minutes what happens is sometimes we

start start at our fullest speed

but realiz it's only in the last one

hour

weiz but if you're looking if you're

managing every single question to

throughout speed maintain I think

there's a quotation also that if you

manage your daily goals then your yearly

goals get finished on those

lines following this time management

strategy will ensure that you're

completing a paper you're covering every

question so whatever suits the person as

per their experience of mock test again

experience how many

not too many sir Mains for GS I focused

a lot more on revision I think timeline

October 20121 after not clearing my

first prelims that is the time where I

did most of my answer where I did a lot

of answer writing I centered my revision

around answer writing itself programs

join but

it's Forum Forum awf join and GS SC CSC

qualifier so what I noticed is that

Improvement but when I adopted this

strategy of topicwise notes point

for in fact if I may then I think people

can refer to my copies of forum is is

before this

strategy compared to that if people look

at my vision copies to even last year ke

copies not even this year clear

Improvement especially in the number of

points

strength of having good enough writing

speed for me revision is making more

sense than mock tests I think last year

between my prelims and Mains I gave two

mock tests for

GS c22 I gave three

mock test and practice but GS it was

from my experience that I realized that

for me rision seems to work better but

again I think disclaimer that for

everyone it's different a lot of people

prefer to write more mock test and

Improvement should

give now I

think about the second part of my GS

strategy how to prepare for it basic

number one thing was that

staer for Mains I did very much

compromise on current affairs because

math

option

sta GS 2

and syllabus is divided into micro

topics her topic in depth again like I

mention

agure e techology Farmers clearly

mention marketing clearly storage

transport and questions every year I

think there is a question on inclusive

growth and it's very well there in the

syllabus marketing storage transport I

think every year there has been a

question coming at least

last

topics I would note down at least 15 to

20 points now

points approach of

Dimensions

marke what are the issues in

Agricultural Marketing what are the

potentials Of Agricultural Marketing

what is the way forward with respect to

this but Dimensions broadly same let's

say about information

information can be an issue information

provide is a way forward and information

is also a potential of marketing yeah

price Discovery again this is a

potential of marketing

price

then have to Simply modify that point

very very marginally

replicate the more important part was

revising these notes a good number of

points good number of times five six

times at

least again the thing that I learned

from experience sort of

the thickness of your notes how many

pages so yes

exactly they werey I

think layer of notes what I called micro

notes purose something again I learned

from experience Point form and because

what I realized is that

bu especially between PRS

and usability is the most important

thing bulky notes even comprehensive

notes is not of much value unless you're

able to use those notes in your actual

exam so that is not a very good idea

for that usability conciseness is key

and point is very important third thing

is being organized recently someone

asked me a doubt that current affairs

and

static answ my answer

was should be well organized and point

form like the sort of larger notes

organization let's say for example GS3

how are they organized

so as

such marke storage transport e

technology PDS different headings

combined PDF and I think total Pages

because point for point point is just

taking one line

paragraph because this is this was my

second layer

of it's impossible and

again what I was talking about that over

time and

toer even though I'm telling you that

the notes are just 20 pages

but so I think this reminds me of a very

important aspect of my main sprep which

I should mention right now itself is

topper copies Toppers ke copies

not at all only to analyze how they're

writing but for extracting content

ethics ethics I had 127 marks last year

and 138 marks this year

sh to some extent literally value

Edition I used to not

down I would not it down and

actual same goes

for to topper copies S I used to look at

them as another source of content

multiple advantages

number one is that it's in question

answer format not only question answer

format but question

answer prelims this may not work this

works because simar Tye

questions because of

question second thing is

Toppers they are in point form they very

easy to replicate third thing is that

already

to over the years value addition

examples

points basically I'm avoiding

[Music]

Reinventing toies again you were talking

about last week for prelims

last gs1 I think was

one because history and geography

clearly and they are very big

topics is

cop I think I'll mention some other

Toppers also musan maam then

ethics

sh but for

GS and one more thing is looking at the

copies of recent Toppers is helpful

contemporary Affairs question

so topper copies help me a lot even as I

was talking about my notes I think

comprehensiv as I mentioned to you

is thing was from my previous notes

itself my points extract number two is

from topper copies number three is from

solution PDFs of tests so whether I have

given the test or

not specific current affairs I would

skip

that in fact the reason why I mentioned

education social justice and

all but every year one question is

coming from education or health of

social justice

clearly some what you can call some Bas

material

now specifically if I talk about GS

geography

Ando not

micro the good thing is py themes repeat

ocean circulation air pressure Arctic

and tactic World War I World War

I this was what you can call the low

hanging fruits of these

topics digital I'm working on

Shing

definitely

and on that note I think I have

something for you I think that that'll

be did I share your domain with

you I think

so I

think I think that's a great thing

definitely what I can simply share is

ay.com and you can find things over

there huh

yes yes sir and sir I think last aspect

is about value addition to Value

addition again one thing I did probably

differently from other

toban

35% best

pril again one thing I will reinforce is

usil so essentially your ruthless

prioritization is also visible over here

where you have taken the best of every

sort ofce

all of this is getting collated at one

single location which are your

micronotes yes and once you have made

these sorts of Micron notes so then

again this is an absolutely wonderful

resource you have content for every

answer then that becomes the other skill

you have the raw material then raw

material translate that's on

you pretty solid and domain that

is.in not.com because.com was taken so

I'll share that with you again and uh I

think you can share your notes over

there so the idea here is Mains is also

sort of very rigorous PRS exam PR

mindset is important but Mains mindset

is much much much more important so what

do you think and like how did you manage

yourself in that first time when you

were giving Mains in your second attempt

though obviously it's a new experience

so there you cannot Bank

on uh like in your second attempt when

you're giving Mains so that's your first

experience of mains right so just

prelims you were saying the experience

helped you a

lot you did not have a lot of experience

in your first Mains of that sort right

to how did you manage that mental

pressure because obviously 463 use

scored in Gs though you didn't seem to

manage it well

sir one good thing about GS means is

that one thing that I think my senior

told me is that you cannot mess up

GS this is very different from

prelims it can completely throw you

off even in my first M I did not feel

Panic as such

but by the time it came to GS I I don't

think I felt Panic first second maths

may definitely Panic again this is the

kind of subjects where Panic usually

happens C prelims even interview those

are the papan mindset is more important

M GS Panic important is persistence

number one

because but you have to write another

paper

literally but you just have to write I

remember

even but point is even through that pain

you just have to write because it's only

about those three

hours and during those three

hours number one for hand pain secondly

because continu time crunch 3 hours are

very less for all those 50 pages even 55

for ethics continuously

sper again what help me for that as I

mentioned earlier is my time management

strategy of per

question continuously Sprint mode

activated I think that allowed me to

write to my fullest

potential I could have done better in

those three hours but I definitely but

in those three hours I think I was able

to bring out my best

GS I think last year worked for me but

this year I got a lower score but again

overall gsma in those three hours having

persistence is more important than being

C math option I think the biggest

learning was that

again but this year I told myself

I thought paper one went much better

than last year but same marks 140 and

142 paper two last

year but year there's a difference of 68

or 69 66 marks yeah but I think there is

a more a difference of writing style and

rigorousness again these are things that

I've covered in math talk

separately but definitely mindset which

understanding what I did is I talk to

some

seniors

but one valuable advice I

got you were able to do your

best so I think these are a few things

that you can reach out to your seniors

or friends basic experience mang even

when I when you don't have firstand

experience secondhand experience also

helps to some extent okay so again I

would repeat this only

pressure I

think this is also you've given

a and which is one of the reasons why I

would highly highly recommend that you

share your notes because I think it will

help a lot of people C

already which I think future aspirants

can keep adding to and you know moving

on from there as they see fit so what

did you do for interview

finally interview is drop last year so

last year 187 and this year I did a lot

of things for interviews but I was proud

of how much effort I put into interview

but is 160i despite the fact that is

average be much higher so I don't know

if what I did was right or not probably

one thing that my teachers used to also

tell me is that this this year I was

more stressed about the interview

probably I took it a bit too seriously

and Sh exam

Hall that he's too stressed or too

serious sobly

again then I don't think I should talk

too much about it so like uh in between

all of this how did you just say like

think of any system any system when it

is functioning even if it is functioning

almost perfectly uh

produces

waste so given the fact that you're

running your mental systems and your

physical systems at such high efficiency

how did you deal with that waste

like how did you deal with all of those

things while preparing for

Ms so I think was very clear to me

before and itself that

tiredness prior again that ruthless

prioritization was an anticipation of

the future tiredness boredom

distractions

everything prior what I would tell

myself that

talking about doubts

self-doubt one thing I did is I used to

stay in touch with a few friends from my

college who were giving the

exam I was not in Was preparing from my

home second I left WhatsApp also

complely but staying in touch with a few

friends was good so I think doubts that

is a good thing but definitely doubts I

think it's to some extent it's also

about enduring those doubts rather than

trying to overcome it I think there is a

famous quote also that not all problems

have to be solved some have to be

managed so extent being prepared for

such doubts and staying strong it's a

matter of staying strong for those last

one or two weeks near the

exam irres how the exam has gone but

exam definitely anxiety self out so

repeatedly I think we staying strong and

telling yourself reminding yourself that

youve prepared extensively you are ready

for it and that everyone is facing these

doubts I think these things help a

lot I think that's a pretty solid idea

self

affirmation and I think uh rest Ayan has

pretty much summed it up very nice ly by

himself I don't need to add anything to

it uh have you ever considered a career

in

teaching no sir not yet

sir but like even in service even as an

i officer you will be required to teach

a number of things to a number of people

because uh I think you'll do well in

service at least on that front in that

regard because you have a very clear

Exposition which is rare but uh which is

super power when you go out into the

world that's what you realize for the

first time keep able you know this clear

thinking and clear being able to

communicate what you're

thinking so I think we'll end this

highly informative session for Mains

here and uh thank you all for watching

if you haven't if you're preparing for

2025 or some other exam you can check

out ayan's previous video which was uh

on prelims and the tips that people can

follow there book

list I'm sure will share

in you'll find the link to that in this

video description so again thank you aan

for your time it was wonderful talking

to you thank you so much sir

[Music]