problems of self study 2

the alternative cycles
the whole universe seems to obey the same mystical rule,life mirrors it,and we experience it when we study alone.what?the alternating cycles of the best with the worst,the lean with the peak.just like a sine wave there seems to be no respite from this wild ride,what should we do?
first,realize this is not just our own problem,but in fact a universal phenomenon.every candidate has to go through this,self-study or coaching class.

Gagan narang despite years of practice peaked in CWG and dipped in ASIAD didnt he?
its wrong to expect the cycles not to alternate because we are only human,and stressed out at that.then it is futile to imagine the cycling can be avoided.
But,what is achievable is reduction in the Lean time and increase of the peak time.
how you do that is again a personal affair,but here are my tips-
understand yourself-know what works best on you..In times of lean focus,do things you know will relax you..carefully observe your peak period and make a journal writing what all you did,read,studied and how you felt and so on..in lean times read the previous entries and try to emulate.if you notice,the oldest entries on this blog are of that type.it helps at time to recreate a burst or two of sustained focus.
also know how you get rid of stress the best,and do it in lean times.Use the lean period constructively and de-stress and re-motivate yourself.
personally i use the guilt-shock treatment..i leave my studies completely and indulge in a long time wish-watching a movie,going out to play a match,reading a novel,or just anything that tempted me earlier but i put it on hold.
i keep my books and scheduler both on the table,and at times open...i have learnt by experience that barely a day or two into the lean period guilt mounts...i drive that guilt higher.
at the same time i read interviews by toppers and other sites and blogs on civil services preparation online.Seeing these adds to my guilt and a feeling of being left out in the rat race.
i let both of the feelings grow till my tipping point is reached and its back to the books with a bang!

as i said the method may vary,but here you are no different from an out of form cricketer trying to regain his touch.its often said the best way to do that is spend time in the middle,and maybe for some thats the best way to maintain consistency.as i said,the cycles will come and go,but your goal and mind need both be steady and resolute,and the rest can be managed by self-understanding!

problems of self study 1

when i say self study i presume your optionals are set, because i meet many aspirants who are in a dilemma of which optional to chose and whether their choice is correct!please make up your mind and do not indulge in statistical wizardry as its a sheer waste of time in a rapidly changing exam.i can promise you,chose any two optionals,come in top 5 in both and irrespective of your optionals you will sail through with a modest performance in common papers.too much dithering on optionals confuses a person,and a confused person can not study.
now that i presume the optionals are decided let me address the problems that come with self study:
1.how to pace yourself to ensure you complete the vast portions in all papers.
2.how to check your own progress in study.
3.how to keep your head about yourself though you lag behind on both counts(which most will).
 the only advice i can offer is enumerated serially:
1.pace is personal.lots of things determine it.your potential,time on hand to study,your grasping,reading speed,retention,choice of optionals,stage of preparation,method of study and so on.however,i presume all of you have a copy of  the syllabus(if not go to www.upsc.gov.in) and some books or notes to study from.check for yourself how much time a identifiable part (but important part) of the syllabus takes to complete.i will use an analogy of history,i may check how many days it takes to complete Indian national movement,or maybe rule of the Mughals by doing it,and then see how many  such parts the syllabus entails.multiply the time taken by th number of such parts that remain,and as a safety measure add one third the final figure to come up with a conservative estimate.
repeating my example,i took say 10 days for Indian National movement,there are 20 such topics in the syllabus of history,means i will take,
20 *10= 200 days for the all the topics.since all are not uniform,as a safety valve i add 1/3*200= 70 (app) to the figure to come up with my final figure of 270 days(at current speed).
dont be scared by the figure,the example was hypothetical,but do up your calculations to invariably find you are lagging behind the ideal speed.
once you have figures for GS and both optionals squeeze them in the number of days at your disposal and you have a ready plan with signposts ready to follow to pace your study and complete the portion before the due time.
2.how do you check progress?first,if you prepare the above plan you have the pre-designated portions in place so you know instantly if you are on track.also,you may join a test series.but most are only active during a certain part of the year,are expensive,ask irrelevant questions,give shaky feedback,and take a lot of time for the feedback,what do you do?
download all the question papers you can,and make a folder.study each paper divide it into sectors of study from your syllabus.For eg In history,all questions asked on 1857 group aside,all questions on 1909 reforms group aside and so on.apply the same logic to your optional.that would mean you have prepared question banks from your syllabus on each topic from the questions asked thus far.
once you do feel like checking yourself,ask a friend or anyone else to pick some random questions from the relevant question bank,and jot down 5-8 questions.see how you answer them,and if you are happy with the answers.that should tell you what to revise and with what attention.  

3.the last of my questions was the most important of all.When you prepare on your own you are unaware of the competition,in an empty world of your own.

an empty mind is the devils workshop.you begin to worry if you not joining a coaching class was wise,was it the reason you are lagging behind,of miraculous coaching given to other candidates which gibes them an edge.your friends in coaching classes brag and discuss on topics irrelevant and  not likely to come at all,but not knowing that adds to your pressure.this is the time when your productive time is being eaten away by stray thoughts.

how you check that is again a personal thing.Try meditation,talking to yourself,writing a journal of record or any such thing that emphasizes the rational side of your mind.accept your situation and bring out the fighter in you.instead of worrying about the edge gained by others,study to give yourself one.as i said methods vary,but each will have to do something to keep his mind in a stable frame to maximize his output in study.

i dint mean to scare anyone and push them to coaching classes,but to hint at what ordeals await if one takes this path.knowing in advance helps to factor in the problems and not be taken by surprise by them.these are by no means all the problems,just a small part of the common ones,and many others wait to vex your heads.after reading the problems if one feels they are too much to take,i advice them to go on and join a coaching class.what is paramount is a peaceful mind,so that it can absorb.if joining a coaching class does that for you,then by all means go ahead.

never in the whole time doubt your ability,and gods grace for these are the two things that will pull you through eventually.

all the best and happy studying!

  

a must for all new civil service aspirants!

To those that will want some more information,i found this online,though i cant remember where.I guess i vaguely remember it was Mr Mrunal Patel that originally gave the link to this file.He deserves our common thank yous.
hope you guys find it useful. 


click on the  following link 




 http://swamyme.fileave.com/how-to-crack-civil-services-examination.pdf 

coaching for civil services2

I am not blind.i will never hesitate to admit the atmosphere at Rajinder Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar may probably be the best you will get as regards preparation for civil services,something akin to Kota for IIT!but what beats me is many people who did not go to Kota for IIT go to Delhi for CSE regardless!!!!!!

Victory for propaganda i say.

Recently there were protests at Jantar Mantar as regards preliminary results.I would love to see just how many of the people there were from the above mentioned areas.

there in lies the catch.You will get company,but at the cost of added distraction and other diversions.see,fact is post-results was a time of introspection and determination,not sloganeering and conspiracy-mongering.The first step was taken in the wrong direction and the second is not going to help either(i mean supreme court).

In an examination which values action more than talk,to have a band of 50000 co-aspirants,numerous friends and buddies around you,and consequent human tendency to talk,may actually prove a bigger liability than acknowledged.

IIT see the super 30 clear with 100 % selection rate from Bihar,and countless from elsewhere without any coaching to speak of.All i intend to point out is a good atmosphere is great,but not the sole condition to clear.Plenty clear without 'coaching' they only dont advertise.

Again i admit,there are many(not including me) who say the material these classes provide are good,concise,to the point etc.

great if it is,get the material.For those that dont know the material of each class worthy of being named is availiable readily from the classes itself on payment of some money,or Ber Sarai and old JNU campus at a pittance (~1000Rs) compared to what you would spend if you stayed and studied in the same classes (~100000Rs,boarding lodging fees included)!

The coached clones clear and face the numerous problems of governance in service.Who coaches them to manage these problems then?????

This exam is tough,and testing.It will show you what stuff you are made of.Part of my indignation lies in the fact that the coaching propaganda is undermining confidence of an overwhelming majority of the youth of this country,my country,and there is not much that right thinking people can do to change it.

if i had lakhs i might have thought of putting ads in all magazines i could-

Clear Civil Services Without Coaching,No Fees Charged!!!!

but i dont have lakhs to spend in the said manner.I am not some disgruntled maniac writing because i cant afford to join these classes.I can and i may if till my third attempt i fail on my own.but i want to give myself a chance.

till now twenty of my friends have not cleared prelimns with coaching,i have cleared prelimns

without coaching.

I dont have lakhs and all i do have is a person(me) and an exampla i am trying to set (again myself).

Those that read my posts know of my travails this year,but with solemn intent i inform you that mind you,my time will come,

i will clear without coaching,of any sort.

i will get what i want,even if i have to move heaven and earth to do so.

and i will make my point in eloquent actions,and in the process hopefully inspire some more young friends to first seek salvation in their own efforts,and then think of that infamous thing-The coaching class that promises much,and delivers little.

PS-

In the intervening time,there will be a few thousand (whose pictures everyone will see in due course of time) who will clear the exam cloned by the centers at Delhi.There will be tens (whose pictures fewer will see and that too only in newspapers) who will clear the same exams from humble origins like the wards of illiterate parents,villagers,and so on.

There will be many who will read this,nod their head and still go on to join the said class and get coached.

Some of these may clear,some may not.Be sure the ones that do,will work just as hard as me,if not more to achieve their success!

and in all this there may be one or two,who will read,and importantly reflect,and hopefully back themselves to join me in this single handed fight against the established propaganda,and save more youth from the rumour mills by setting more examples.

It may sound grand,but our role here is like the revolutionary terrorists of our freedom struggle-to strive to rouse the populace by our own (heroic) individual struggle,and i hope to succeed in this noble cause.

It is for those one or two that the whole exercise is undertaken.

i await my comrades patiently,even as i swear to prove my point as soon as UPSC permits me too.

godspeed.

coaching for civil services

what does the word coach bring to your mind?A track suit- sports cap- whistle around the neck tough speaking jockey (to stereotype) or a smooth and confident erudite guru out to solve the deepest doubts you have?????

whatever be the case as far as civil services is concerned the case is neither.Nor is your teacher erudite nor is he the hunky bloke that springs to mind!In most cases he is like your old average school teacher trying to supplement a measly monthly budget with extra earnings by 'Coaching' some innocent little civil service candidate like you.

look guys,get serious.from when and why may i ask has civil service been equated with coaching for civil service?

think for a second why has preparing for civil service become equal to shifting to Rajinder/Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi and joining the most publicized dingy little stifling coaching center?

who is responsible for this?

My problem does not lie with what the coaching center guys do for a living,though i consider it dubious and unethical.My problem is the steel frame of India,the civil services are getting more and more recruits who take the first step towards that direction with insecurity and under-confidence!!!

Like some wheezy whining kid most rush to Delhi and big ticket coaching classes spending fantastic amounts,the rest rush out to fast mushrooming regional clones that are equally hopeless and a moron like me is left wondering why what is the big hurry?

i do understand that it is everybody's wish to clear.in the first attempt if its possible,and appreciate it.

fine thinking guys.

now what beats me is why do you falter at the second step?

why not back yourself to study yourself,to ask your own known professors for guidance if any(i have asked more than 30,none refused) and give a decent shot??????

oh that will be too radical aint it?

That means you doing all the work and slogging it out,why do it when a magic course at a 'coaching' class can make you sail through anyway?

IT CANT.IT WONT.FACE IT.YOU ARE BEING PLAYED FOR A FOOL,AND IF YOU GIVE IN YOU JOLLY WELL ARE ONE.

i know many (10 or thereabouts) who cleared from delhi in last 3 years,two of them in their 1st attempts.What i also know is the awesome amount of hardwork they put in,the heartbreaking disillusionment they had,and he final secret admissions that all the work they did was late in the nights in a rented accommodation spoiling their health eating suspect food and with no support to speak of.

Verdict(theirs not mine): the same effort put outside (their own homes) would well see them at the same place....contd