UPSC Mains Preparation Strategy After Prelims

Overview

Earlier than usual, this year’s Mains will be conducted in last 2 weeks of August. It is around 80 days from today before we give the first paper. While the available time is less that usual, every competitor of ours have same time, and what we do in this time matters the most.

One more thing I would like to clarify – irrespective of you’ve studied or not for Prelims, if you’re passing it, don’t treat it as lottery ticket. It’s a golden chance which is rare to get. Nobody knows what challenges will come next year. Don’t push it for next year.

Also, some of you might not have studied for Mains as comprehensively as you might have wanted. But again, that is also not an excuse to relax  for next three months. Mains is a different type of exam. It’s not just about knowledge, it’s more about how good you are at presentation. If you can push yourselves for next 3 months, it’s possible to clear it, irrespective of what you’ve done before. Believe my words. There are many toppers every year who fall under this category, and it’s your opportunity to do so this year.

Setting Priorities Right

First of all, throw away the traditional mindset of studying for next 3 months. If you want to study comprehensively each subject, and then give its mock tests.. and then improve on them.. well, best luck. Hopefully you’ll be done by Mains 2026.

We need a strategy which is practical and can be executed in next 3 months itself. And which, of course, will give results.

Know that it is not possible to comprehensively prepare all the subjects in 13 weeks. 13 weeks are not sufficient just to finish the one comprehensive reading of General Studies, what to speak of preparing for Mains.

So first, we need to prioritize. When I was studying, I had analysed the marks of around 200 toppers. I observed that Essay, Ethics and Optional is where most of the difference is created between toppers and non-toppers. There are people who get around 140 in Essay to those who get around 90. Similarly in Ethics, people get 120 also, and 80 also. In optional, the difference is too high, with some students getting 300+, while others getting around 220.

This is not the case with GS. If you sum GS 1-3, some toppers get around 320, while others get around 270. This is not much difference for 3 subjects.

Thus, Essay, Ethics and Optional should not be compromised running behind GS. As such essay and ethics only need writing practice, and Optional should be given its own space.

In GS, you’ve already read few of the subjects for Prelims like History, Economy, Polity and Geography, and you’re not starting blank in these.

With these priorities in mind, let us prepare a schedule.

Time Table till Exam

Let us divide our preparation in 3 buckets i.e. 1) Essay Ethics, 2) Optional Subject and 3) GS 1-3. I will recommend following schedule for all of it. Please take your time to go through it.

Week 1 starts from 2^nd June.. The GS exams are in 12^th week and Optional in 13^th week.

Regarding Tests

For Essay and Ethics, you can either join some test series of if you’re doing self evaluation, refer to PYQs. That is more than sufficient.

For PSIR, again, you can either do self-evaluation or join some test series. You can consider our test series as well, which we have arranged according to the time table given above. If you’re already subscribed to some other test series, that is also fine. You can adjust your tests / time table accordingly.

For GS, again, have a similar approach. For GS 1, even previous year test series will also do and self evaluation. For GS 2 and 3, you may want to go for the latest test series… but take decision based on your available time and resources. It’s not hard and fast to get the latest test series.

The given time table is not rigid. I’ve not given many tests to make it too difficult to follow. You can also make changes to it based on your priorities. However, even you trust this schedule blindly.. and follow it, it should be fine.

Conclusion

I will leave you with this much now. Next week we’ll discuss little more about doing first reading of the syllabus and later about giving tests, self evaluation etc. Time table is not everything we’ve to offer. There is more to it. If you’re giving Mains, please follow our articles scrutinizingly, we assure that you’ll get very good marks in Mains 2024.

This is not the time to get into doubt loops. Don’t overconsume YouTube. Don’t chase perfection. You need a realistic, warrior-like approach. Cut the drama. Cut the fluff.

We said this half-jokingly—but it’s worth putting in the final article:

“At this stage, motivation is for beginners. You need discipline, not dopamine.”

Treat your studies as a job. Respect time. Work when you don’t feel like it. And most importantly, believe that it is possible to crack this exam if you stay consistent for the next 75 days.

No tricks. No tips. Just execution.

Regards,
Abhijeet Pimparkar