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 CONTENT
KNOW YOUR WHY ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
MINDSET .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
HABITS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
PHILOSOPHIES OF UPSC TOPPER ........................................................................................................................ 6
20 MISTAKES ALL ASPIRANTS MAKE................................................................................................................11
THE PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS (PYQS) ......................................................................................................17
TRAP OF ATTEMPTS ....................................................................................................................................................17
SELF-STUDY AND COACHING ................................................................................................................................17
HOW MANY STUDY HOURS ARE REQUIRED TO PASS THIS EXAM? ...............................................17
NCERTS: IS IT REALLY NEEDED? ........................................................................................................................17
CURRENT AFFAIRS PREP, READING NEWSPAPERS, AND NOTE-TAKING....................................18
NOTES MAKING FOR UPSC CSE: IT'S IMPORTANCE ................................................................................20
REVISION STRATEGY .................................................................................................................................................22
SMART RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................................................23
EDGE HOUR ......................................................................................................................................................................23
USE OF TECHNOLOGY ...............................................................................................................................................23
PRELIMINARY TEST/ PRELIMS .............................................................................................................................23
CSAT PLAN ........................................................................................................................................................................23
OPTIONAL STRATEGY ...............................................................................................................................................24
TIME MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................................................25
TIPS TO NOTE WHILE ESSAY WRITING ...........................................................................................................25
ANSWER WRITING PRACTICE ...............................................................................................................................27

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ENHANCEMENT OF VALUE .....................................................................................................................................28
PERSONALITY TEST/INTERVIEW ........................................................................................................................29
HOW CAN I CREATE AN IDEAL SCHEDULE FOR THE UPSC CSE? ....................................................30
STRESS MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................................................32
LIFE BEYOND UPSC ......................................................................................................................................................32

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 KNOW YOUR WHY
• What should one do as a preliminary
measure before beginning UPSC
preparation? What should be done before
you begin anything?
• It's important to start with the right step.
Recall the times when we have all hesitated
to start something or have remained in our
shell of thought, only putting off the tasks
that must be done. Why do we take so long?
Even if the solution is simple, we typically
miss it unless someone else makes it clear.
• We're not sure why that work is crucial to
our goals. Students rarely sit down to study
out of interest or self-motivation for the
same reason. Motive deficiency is rarely the
cause. Few people are self-motivated
enough to study. Top performers, leaders,
and other high achievers are defined by
their WHY.
• Identifying your “WHY” is the first thing
you should do. You must determine your
motivation for taking the test before
investing in study materials or books,
applying to coaching programs, or
relocating to one of the capital city's
residential neighborhoods where candidates
prosper.
• It is more crucial to determine “WHY” you
want to achieve something than it is to
determine “how you need to do it.” The
“HOW” won't even matter if there isn't a
compelling enough reason “WHY” to carry
out the action.
Reasons to Know Your “Why”:
1. Foster a sense of accomplishment: Putting
our attention on the “HOW or the WHAT”
makes all the barriers to our success visible,
and this helps a lot of us come to terms with
the fact that failure is a fair setback. All of
the challenges become irrelevant when we
change our perspective to focus on the
WHY. Individuals who have a strong
emotional connection to their work
typically see it through to the conclusion.
2. Promote innovation: When you are
emotionally invested in something, you will
put all of your effort into coming up with a
solution to make it happen. This is what it
means to put your heart and soul into a task.
Finding the WHY helps us uncover our
enthusiasm for learning, creating, or
inventing.
3. Empower yourself: When you are aware
of your why, you have all the tools
necessary to cut out pointless activities and
make choices in the face of shifting
conditions. The ability to study early before
classes start or finish late into the night
when everyone is asleep is fueled by your
WHY. You can only pursue goals that
bring you fulfillment when you have a clear
understanding of your WHY, or the reason
behind your actions.
How to find your WHY?
• Understanding your purpose in life is a
significant turning point for anyone.
Performance pride is not the same as ego. It
stands for modesty combined with strong
performance requirements.
• How then do you discover your WHY? It
will require some reflection on your behalf
to realize this, but the results will be
worthwhile once you do.
• Asking “WHY” repeatedly is the most
crucial question you need to ask yourself in
order to discover your mission or WHY.
• Start by recording your thoughts and
emotions in writing every day. Attempt to
identify the most frequent ideas and
behaviors you have during the day. Our
motivations, or “WHY”, are concealed in
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the things we say, do, and think, as well as
in the way we engage with the outside
world. To bring it out, we just need to be
conscious of what we are doing.
• There are a few general areas you can
concentrate on. Your personal code of
behavior, or your principles, comes first.
Everybody has one. It serves as the
foundation for our conduct and interactions
with the outside world.
• And then there are your strong points, those
areas where you are considered to be
'naturally talented' or highly skilled.
• Do you have any particular passions? An
internal urge drives you to take an action,
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 but it always seems to leave you wanting
more?
• And starting with why is the best way to
figure out what your goals are.
• It is going to take some time and a lot of
work, if you haven't worked it out already.
The most crucial thing is to persevere.
Every day, set aside two minutes to monitor
your thoughts and actions. You can record
them in a journal or on your phone.
• You can also ask your closest friends or
relatives as an extra workout. Ask them to
recollect instances when they witnessed you
at your happiest or most enthused about
something, rather than asking them to tell
you your WHY. Find out what they
perceive to be your strong points and what
they think of your behavior. Their
responses may provide helpful pointers
about where to concentrate your efforts.
• You have to be very selective about the
things you do when you are dedicating all
of your energy to them. If not, you are
wasting your time and energy in the wrong
place. It is for this reason that your WHY
becomes significant.
• The procedure can take a while, and the
solutions won't always come to you
quickly. Don't give up though! You'll
discover your motivation eventually.
MINDSET
• Every topper's achievement is based on two
essential components. Mindset is the
primary element, followed by Habits.
• First, mindset. When we refer to a
mentality, we imply a set of typical
behaviors that apply to all top performers,
be they students, professionals, or people in
general. A person with this kind of mindset
is more concerned with continuing to study
and pick up new skills.
• Even with the greatest of intentions, you
cannot get the best outcomes if you are not
genuinely committed to your endeavor.
• And UPSC is one exam which requires
your 100 percent effort. A lack of effort
here or there can have unfortunate
consequences, which will finally reflect in
your marks. By now you must know that in
the fight to crack it to the top 180, every
mark counts.
• If despite your best efforts you are not able
to score high, your problem lies in your
mindset, not in your study efforts.
• One of the most important factors that
determine a person's success in life is
whether they believe in their abilities.
• Once you figure out your WHY, you have
your motivation, and to use that motivation
and reach your goal, you need to believe
that you can do it.
• It is easier to think about what we want but
to actually get it, we need to first believe.
• Mindset refers to a person's way of thinking
and opinions. It affects the way we think
and feel, including the way we do things.
• A person's mindset is at the core of
whatever he or she plans to achieve in life.
• Our attitudes, beliefs and thoughts are all
interlinked to our mindset. Your mindset
makes up your mental attitude and
determines to a large extent how you are
going to react or respond to a situation.
The two types of mindsets: Fixed v/s Growth
• Being confident in oneself is one thing but
if we believe that our abilities are already
great to begin with then we end up trying to
prove ourselves at every chance we get.
• Everyone has some beliefs that restrict them
from achieving their goals. Part of the fixed
mindset, they are called limiting beliefs
mere thoughts, opinions that one believes to
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be the absolute truth but actually they are
not.
• Limiting beliefs tend to have a negative
impact on one's life by stopping them from
moving forward and learning.
• A person with a growth mindset will brush
away any embarrassment they feel when
they make a mistake. They are more likely
to take it as a part of the learning process
and be more focused on not making the
same mistake again. They believe that
everyone can grow through learning and
application. This way of thinking is one
reason why ordinary kids go on to perform
extraordinary feats later in life.
Limiting Thoughts