Mains analysis

Analysis of Mains mark

My essay marks is lower than what I expected. I had put in a lot of effort, but it didn’t yield the results I was hoping for.

GS1 102 MARKS

GS1 went well except for one geography question(twister). I had prepared my notes thoroughly, and many questions repeated in the actual exam. I was able to write enriched answers for most of the questions.

GS2 122 MARKS

My GS2 marks is a bit surprising. I honestly had no clear idea about most of the questions asked in the paper, but I made sure to address all parts of each question with proper subheadings. I used the available content judiciously

GS3 90 MARKS

Most of the questions in GS3

were based on syllabus keywords. I had prepared it well and was able to deliver accordingly. I included diagrams in 10 out of the 20 questions. However, overall, I’m not sure whether the score is good or not

GS4 128 MARKS

Unlike the other papers, my GS4 was not well-prepared before the prelims. However, I put in a lot of effort during the gap between the prelims and mains. I joined the Ethics Enrichment Course by Peeyush Sir at Vajiram and Ravi

https://t.me/peeyushupsc, made short notes from his classes, and practiced questions from his mini tests — all of which really helped.

The GS4 paper was quite challenging this year, with lengthy questions and contemporary themes. Still, I ensured that I addressed each part of every question with proper subheadings and substantiated each point with relevant examples.

Additionally, many questions were repeated from the Ethics tests I had written at Fortune IAS Academy, so I had ready-made answers for several questions in Section A. Overall, it was a combination of content, examples, and writing practice that delivered the result

GS Total = 442 marks

Overall, I am very satisfied with my GS performance, considering how the hard work I put in translated into marks

Optional: Malayalam Literature (278 marks)

The optional marks were a huge surprise, especially considering that Malayalam hasn’t performed well this year. Even my target during the mains was only around 270 marks😁🙈

Paper 1:

Paper 1 has always been my weak area, with limited content. However, this year’s paper was slightly analytical. So instead of writing whatever I knew, I focused on addressing the exact demand of each question — and I believe that’s what worked in my favor.

Paper 2:

I had strong content for Paper 2.The paper was quite narrow this year, requiring very specific content. I answered each question with the necessary specificity and quoted extensively from the texts — both prose and poetry. I used at least 2–3 quotes or lines in every answer.

Additionally, there was an out-of-syllabus question (I think it was Question 3), which I was able to answer well — that might have left a positive impression on the evaluator.

But I don’t have much of a strategy to share for Malayalam, as my preparation was quite messy — with an unfinished syllabus, lack of writing practice, and overall inconsistency. In fact, 50% of my Malayalam preparation happened during the 5-day gap between the GS and optional papers.

I don’t even have a single answer sheet that matches the quality of what I wrote in the actual UPSC exam — obviously because I studied most of the topics just five days before the paper😁It was that last week of intense preparation(with atleast three mental breakdowns everyday🙈) combined with presence of mind and a bit of creativity on the day of the exam, that really saved me