If you are an UPSC CSE aspirant and have cleared Prelims but are worried about the Mains, then this is for you. For the unversed, the CSE examination is conducted in three phases – Prelims, Main, and the Interview or Personality Test.
Prelims for CSE-2022 was completed in June. The Mains will start from 16 September. There will be a total of 9 papers and all are subjective – in written format. The candidates will have to write the answers in descriptive format. That is why, answer writing skill is so important in this exam.
Learning to write descriptive answers is as important as preparing the subject materials. While you are preparing for this exam, your goal should be to learn and produce an effective answer, too. Many candidates don’t qualify due to their inadequate writing skills. No matter what you have read and studied, what matters in the Mains is what you have written in the answer booklet. Crisp answer, presentation, language, drawings, etc., should be part of your preparation.
In a thread on social media platform Twitter, IITian Abhijeet Yadav, who cracked CSE twice but did not take up any service, gave some suggestions on better UPSC Mains writing. We present these suggestions as they can be useful for aspirants in cracking the Mains exam.
FOUR POINTERS FOR MAINS
In his first tweet in the thread, he suggested four things that an aspirants needs to keep in mind while writing an answer. He suggested some skills, with which a candidate can excel in UPSC mains writing and qualify for the next round.
He tweeted: “Analysing answer writing for UPSC CSE. Things to keep in mind: 1. Content quality 2. Presentation 3. Ceaseless practice 4. Feedback. And finally, that this is my subjective take.”
CONTENT QUALITY
In his second tweet, he elaborates on the ‘content quality’ part. He suggested some important steps for enhancing one’s content quality. He says, “Content quality can be impacted by:
1. Notes for fast revision.
2. Have a fact sheet (from ministry websites/UN/Current Affairs/etc)
3. Understanding the trends and issues.
4. Relevant solutions from committees and judgments, not apne Mann Ki Baat (what you think).
5. Language skills.
PRESENTATION
In his next tweet, Abhijeet talks about ‘presentation’ in answer writing. He believes that a good presentation of your answers can cast a better impact on the invigilator’s mind.
“Presentation can be impacted by: 1. Structure of answer – intro part 1 and part 2 and 2. Conclusion.
2. Diagrams, maps and flowcharts.
3. Speed related issues like bad handwriting; cutting etc. (can only be solved by practice)
4. Underlining and highlighting.”
CEASELESS PRACTICE
In his next tweet, he sheds light on ‘practice of answer writing’. He suggests that before going for Mains exam, an aspirant should go for regular answer writing practice. It will not only enhance knowledge, but also better even bad writing skills. He tweeted, “Practice makes perfect:
1. Practice determines your chances of qualifying.
2. Writing regularly will clarify your thoughts.
3. Write analytical (trends and forces) rather than descriptive (what happened) answers.
4. Face failure before the exam not during it.”
FEEDBACK
In his next tweet, he talks about the importance of ‘feedback.’ He tweeted, “Feedback is essential because:
1. You’ve written the best answer ACCORDING TO YOU.
2. Evaluation will tell you your strengths & weaknesses.
3. Actionable points to improve.
4. Tells you what others are doing so you can adopt best practices.”
In conclusion, he says,“An aspirant needs to remember that instead of talking about the details of who, what, and when, talk about the trends instead, and back those trends up with data. Then nothing can stop you.”
(Abhijeet Yadav gave five years of his life to the UPSC CSE journey. He made 6 attempts, which covered 4 Mains, 2 interviews, 2 selections, and got AIR 653 in CSE 2017 and R-List in CSE 2018. He is now an UPSC mentor and the founder of UPSCprep.com. An alumnus of IIT Delhi, he also has his YouTube channel with over 123,000 subscribers, where he helps aspirants to prepare better for UPSC exams)
