Hello Everyone, Shivani Jerngal here. Quick bio- Hometown: Jammu (J&K) Alumnus of Delhi Technological University (DTU) Attempt- 2nd (Did not clear prelims last time)
I have a peculiar surname that is pronounced as J-Run-Gaaal 😅😅😅 No one has ever pronounced it correctly in the first instance. Some people might know me by the username @ sjerngal on Forum..
Through this post, I would like to share my detailed strategy. But more than that, I would like to share my struggles with MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES and ANXIETY . A lot of candidates face this and this is one area that is often neglected. This is a topic that is very very close to my heart and I would like to share my journey with as many people as possible. If I am able to bring a smile and a sense of relief to even one person, I would consider my job done.❤️
Good Afternoon everyone. So, a lot of you might be appearing for the prelims exam on 5th june. I had not really expected to see my name in the holy pdf and I was preparing whole heartedly for the exam. I am grateful that I don’t have to go through the cycle again.
I wasn’t able to clear prelims in my first attempt and scored fairly decent in this attempt. So, I would like to share few pointers that I think worked for me.
I had already CALCULATED MY AVERAGE ACCURACY based on the full length mocks that I gave. I figured out that it comes out around 68%-70%. However, considering the fact the prelims is highly unpredictable, I considered 60% as my worst case accuracy. I did this to get a rough idea of how many questions I need to solve in order to be fairly above the cutoff (I would target 100+ marks). In my previous attempt I had only attempted 60 questions, so any way I wasn’t expecting to clear it. This time , i solved 82-83 questions by the end of the second iteration. The paper was not at all easy, but I knew that I had to attempt 90 questions based on my accuracy . So I forced myself to attempt 7-8 questions more. (I am glad I did, because I did get 3-4 questions correct from those 7-8).. So, I would suggest that ONE MUST BE AWARE OF THEIR STRENGTHS .. Are you able to solve less questions and score good or do you need to solve more questions to be on the safe side?
Secondly, before starting the paper, I took 5 minutes to scan the paper to see the nature of the paper. Usually it is seen that we might have history or random S&T questions in the start or in the end (in case u start paper from the 100th question). We tend to get nervous and don’t realize that there are many easy questions as well. History was my strong area and questions 80-100 were from history. I started paper from the 1st question and when I reached around questions 50-60, it was all about sports and some random things which I had not heard of.. I realized that 1 hour had already passed and for split seconds I got really really nervous. However, quickly I told myself that there still are 20 questions from history which is your strong area, so it gave me a boost of energy .. I would not have been able to overcome the stress had I not scanned the paper.
Thirdly and most importantly is to REMAIN CALM.. Every aspirant goes through the same anxiety that you are going through. This is the nature of prelims. I know many people who perform so good throughout the year, but end up losing their nerves on the D- day. I would be lying if I say that I was very confident. I face anticipation anxiety in a big way and find it really very hard to have faith in myself before I appear for the exam. This has happened with me in all the three stages of the exam. However, somehow on the D-Day, it is imperative to cool your nerves. There might be 20 questions that you haven’t heard of. However, there will be 80 questions that you must have heard somewhere in the course of your preparation. Focus on maximizing your score there.
Lastly, When ever you feel anxious while attempting say to yourself “I have worked throughout the year. I have given my 100% and nothing can stop me from conquering this paper.” It might sound stupid, but it works. It really does. Nothing can motivate you more , than you, yourself. So BE YOUR OWN CHEERLEADER..❤️ and have faith in your preparation when it matters the most🤘
Prelims tips by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
So, the CSE -2022 prelims was conducted today. Most of you would have already got a rough idea about your expected scores in prelims. There will be three kinds of people at this point of time.
People who are 100% sure of clearing prelims
People who are at the border line
People who are 100% sure of flunking the prelims
I have a few words to share with everyone.
Last year, I was sure of clearing prelims based on various answer keys. Considering this, I jumped straight into mains preparation. I did not take any break. It was my first mains and obviously, I was scared. However, what I did not realize was that, since I had been studying for long hours even before prelims, I DID NEED A BREAK. Things became so difficult that by the month of December 2021 (one month before mains), I had reached a saturation point.. There were a few days when I did not study anything because my brain was full. I was like, “Screw it, I dont want to study anything.” I had to literally force myself to study in the month of december.
So, my only message for people who are sure of giving mains this year, is, to PLEASE TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF. This time there are sufficient number of days between prelims and mains. Do not over exert yourself. Your mind needs rest. You deserve a break. Utilise this time to chalk out a rough plan for the next 100 days or so.
Secondly, for people who are at the border line, I understand that this can be a mentally challenging time for you. I have seen that so many people who are in such a situation, usually indulge in BAKAR and ARGUING WITH STRANGERS ON THE INTERNET, regarding the answer keys. What they do not realize is that this way they will waste 2-3 weeks of your crucial time. This is the time when serious candidates will start preparing for their mains. By the time UPSC declares the result, a lot of people would be ahead of them in their preparation. So, I would recommend abstaining from any such activity, because it will not just waste time, but will also lead to MENTAL AGONY. At the end of the mains, you should not feel that ‘I wish I had not wasted those 15-20 odd days’. Use this time wisely. Even if god forbid you don’t clear prelims, there is no harm in picking up a book and studying.
Anthropology Optional Preparation Strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
Changing exam pattern- Since the last 2-3 years, anthropology paper is not basic anymore. There was a time when one could read selected number of books and score good marks. However, this is not the case anymore. A lot of candidates have been opting for anthropology in recent years and simultaneously UPSC has run out of topics to ask questions from. Or I can also say that they have become one step ahead of us. So, now if one is thinking of getting 250+ in the optional paper, they need to work harder than what they earlier used to. The commission does reward value additions, especially so in Paper 2.
Anthropology Optional Preparation Strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
My strategy for optional: 1.After prelims and till the time result was declared, I did value additions for Paper 2. 2.I went through the current events/research papers/newspaper articles related to anthropology . 3. I referred to these telegram channels for this – ANTHROGURU(PAVAN), ANTHROPOLOGY NEWS (INDIA), LEVEL UP IAS ANTHROPOLOGY(KARANDEEP SIR) 4. When you go through any news item, segregate it according to the topics in syllabus, so that you can use it in your answers. 5. I also made structures for answers in paper 2 .. By structures I mean that if a particular question is asked i will write X and then Y and then make diagram of Z etc. Presentation does matter a lot, not just in GS , but in optional as well.. I will share a sample of this very soon. 6. Going through pyqs is non negotiable. Make ur notes as per the pyqs. You will understand the sort of questions that are being asked lately.
Anthropology Optional Preparation Strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
Scoring good marks in paper 2 is very challenging. I scored 137, which is a fairly good score for this paper. (Although I did expect a lot more). One very very important thing is to DEVELOP INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT.. USE THE NEXT 10 DAYS TO FIND CASE STUDIES OF YOUR OWN. BE EXCITED TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT TRIBES IN INDIA AND THEIR PROBLEMS. People have been going through the same case studies again and again and hence are ending up scoring average marks. An anthropological perspective is very very important.
How to make an anthropology answer stand out? This time when I wrote mains, Me and a friend tried to makereadymade introduction and conclusion for various topics of the syllabus. We did this by using the Anthropology related current events that had happened throughout the year. I have used these extensively in almost all my answers , which I think really helped me in securing decent marks. Attaching a sample of that.
My purpose of solving the tests- 1.In the initial tests, I focussed on just attempting the paper and to find out my strengths and weaknesses in terms of presentation and content. I did not really care about the time taken for the test. 2.By the end of the last test, my focus shifted entirely on trying to finish the paper in 3 hours and seeing how much marks I can score even if I miss a particular question. 3.If you see clearly, there is a common feedback that I need to improve conclusions. I did work a lot on that in the actual paper and concluded almost all answers with either some thinkers or some current events related to the question. This helped especially in paper 2. Had I not messed up in the 10 markers, I would have scored even more.
Anthropology Optional Booklist by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
My Sources- Paper 1 (Social Anthropology) 1. Introduction to Socio Cultural Anthropology- NK Vaid 2.Ignou Material 3.Decode Anthro 3.0 (Yogesh Patil sir’s class) 4. Ember and Ember (selective reading) 5.Vivek Bhasme, Akshat Jain, Sachin Gupta notes (Only for those topics that I was unable to find anywhere) 6. For value addition- KArandeep Sir’s test discussion videos, Telegram channels for Current affairs
Paper 1 (Physical Anthropology) 1. P Nath (as base) 2.Decode Anthro 3.0 3.Ember and Ember (selective reading)—- Highly recommend 4. Ignou Material- selective reading – especially for application of anthropology 5.Vivek Bhasme, Akshat Jain, Sachin Gupta notes (Only for those topics that I was unable to find anywhere) 6. For value addition- Karandeep Sir’s test discussion videos, Telegram channels for Current affairs MAKE IT A POINT TO QUOTE UPCOMING RESEARCHES, NEW FINDINGS ETC.
Optional Preparation Strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
Gs Sources and strategy: This was my first mains and like almost every candidate writing mains for the first time, I was very very confused about how to begin the mains preparation. I read A lot of mains specific topics like World History, Post Independence, Security, Governance etc. for the first time, only after prelims. On top of that there was a lot of time constraint because of lesser number of days between pre and mains. So I wrote just 3 GS FLTs, one each for GS 2,3,4.. However, I did other things that helped me in increasing my chances to clear mains.
1. I utilised topper’s copies extensively. I picked 2-3 copies for each GS paper and used to solve questions by allotting timer of 1 hour in which I tried to attempt 7 questions. After this, I used to compare my answers with what toppers had written and noted down any important thing that I found in those answers. This is especially very very helpful in ethics which requires more practise .
2. For GS-1 , since the syllabus is very very vast, I relied on PYQs, Model answers (Vision IAS past 2 years test papers; AWFG- Forum IAS, IAS BABA TLP and MGP best copies). When I say that I relied on these sources, I don’t just mean reading them. I used to make mental frameworks for a few questions, would write down some questions in a timed manner or add important things in my notes.
3. I did similar exercise in Gs-2 and GS-3.. Surprisingly in Gs-3 a decent number of questions were similar to what was asked in PYQs, so it really helped me in keeping my calm, even when there were around 3-4 questions for which I had absolutely no idea.
Answer Writing strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
Working a lot on Presentation: 1. Write more number of points. Rather than explaining 2-3 points in detail, I personally think it is better to write 6-7 points, where you can explain half of them and keep half of them as generic. It really creates a psychological impact on the examiner. 2. There should not be any blank spaces in you answer sheet. My answer copies were usually content heavy. In answers where I had not much content, I used to make extensive use of flowcharts, spider diagrams, vicious cycles, maps etc. I made 12-13 diagrams in paper 1, which I think helped me in scoring decent marks. 3. Try to maintain similar type of quality in all the answers, (excluding the ones in which you are completely blank). 4. I personally focussed a lot on introduction and conclusion. For introduction, I used to read the question and try to think in my mind that why is this question asked? If there was something related to the current affairs, I used to use that context in the opening line of my answer. I think this creates a good impression on the examiner as he comes to know that you are aware of what is happening around you.
When I made this Channel, I really wanted to share my journey with anxiety and depression. There was a point in my life, when I thought that I will never be able to do anything in my life. I will never be able to fulfil the dreams that I had for myself. This continued for a good one and a half years. I was so ashamed of myself and what I was going through that I thought I am not normal.. Thankfully with a lot of support from my family and friends and professional help, I did come out of the rut.
I am glad I got this opportunity to share a part of my struggle and how I over came it.
Sources (Tribal Anthropology) 1. XaXa Report 2.Tribal India – Nadeem Hasnain 3. Main bhi Bharat (selectively) 4. Sachin Gupta notes (Only for those topics that I was unable to find anywhere) 5. A lot of value addition from telegram channels- Anthroguru PAvan, Team Anthro, LevelupIAS Anthropology (Karandeep sir), Google search for new case studies 6. Test copies of Jayant Singh RAthore, Yogesh Patil, RAdhika Gupta
Mains last few days strategy by Shivani Jerngal UPSC Topper
Last few days before mains. Few points to keep in mind ( and which I feel really helped me)– 1. Make short notes. By short notes, I mean consolidating all important stuff in as less a space as possible. It might include definitions, diagrams, facts, data etc. or anything that you feel you might end up forgetting in the near future. These should be the notes that you would be going through in the last week before the exam or a night before the paper or maybe an hour before going to the examination hall. So try to make it as crisp as possible. 2. Go through Previous Year Questions. We often pay a lot of attention to PYQs for the prelims, but tend to ignore them for mains. This happens mainly because we are so engrossed in giving mock tests and all that we don’t get the time or consider it important to give equal attention to PYQs. I would suggest going through all the questions from 2013 onwards and make it a part of your revision process. Try to answer those questions in your mind or scribble it on a piece of paper. See how many questions are you able to attempt. If you do not have content for any question, re-read your notes or maybe do a quick google search to look for model answer for the same. 3. Skimming through mock test papers of atleast one coaching institute other than the one that you are using for the mocks. I had joined MGP at ForumIAS and along with that I skimmed through the model answers of VISION IAS for GS-1 and GS-3. These two papers are generally very vast and I wanted to make sure that I did not leave any area or any type of question untouched. 4.Giving two papers in a day . Even if you have not written any test till now or if you have given some mocks, it is highly recommended to simulate exam like conditions in the last few days. This is very very important for people giving their first mains. You may use the OPEN MOCKS being conducted by various coaching institutes to do the same. Due to paucity of time, I could not give open mocks, but I did give two mocks in a day, twice, in proper exam like condition. You may do the same. 5. Stop obsessing over new resources. Unlike prelims, where it is beneficial to consume as much content as possible, It is not so for mains. I have seen a lot of people who study for hours, but are unable to produce that performance in the exam. This is mainly due to lack of revision and the bad habit of going through new material again and again. Let’s be honest, it is much for easier to read new things than going through the boring process of revising over and over again. Our mind understands this and thus tricks us to follow the easier path. It is high time that you stop feeding your FOMO and have a little faith in your preparation and try to be 200% sure that if anything comes from your notes, you will do complete justice to it.
