u/Simple_Television676

Summary: If I were planning my preparation again in 2026, I would focus on three things: a stable home environment, searchable digital notes ideally OneNote, lot of LLM queries to solve my specific doubts and subscription of a AI based answer evaluation portal.

I started preparing in 2021, when COVID had just receded, offline institutes in Delhi had seen a slump and online classes were picking up. I took my foundation course from a then online only platform and decided to study from my home in Bangalore.

Studying from home was a blessing in disguise. My food was taken care of by my mom, I had people to talk to and my friends were nearby whenever I needed a break. I continued going to the gym, attending family occasions, eating good food and occasionally hanging out with friends.

And trust me, this did not backfire. In my first attempt, I cleared the Prelims GS cut-off but failed CSAT. In my second attempt, I reached the interview stage with 772 marks in Mains.

When I spent around ten days in Delhi for my mock interviews, I cherished my decision to studying at home. ORN felt like an entire micro-economy centred around UPSC. It works for many aspirants, but I knew I would not fit into that environment. If you have a supportive home, moving to Delhi is not ideal.

Since I studied from home, my preparation was largely built around my laptop. YouTube channels, Telegram, news, google search and podcasts such as The Print by Shekhar Gupta, Think School etc..

I knew that if I made notes from every source, I would never be able to consolidate or revise them. So, I made notes only for value addition materials eg: case studies, anecdotes, data and interesting arguments.

I used OneNote and divided it into sections and pages according to the UPSC Mains syllabus. The digital format made everything searchable and easy to update. Standard books remained my base, my notes contained only those extra points that could improve an answer.

The next thing I would do is use LLMs properly. I would talk to them to generate dimensions, examples, counterarguments, introductions and conclusions. The purpose is not to copy complete answers but to develop multifactorial thinking.

I used this more seriously during my 2025 attempt, especially for GS Paper I. For eg - if a question was on the Rashtrakutas, most candidates would begin with their region and time period. I would start with a hook such as, “The Rashtrakutas were magicians of monoliths” and then add the basic details.

I knew everyone would mention the area and timeframe. I wanted a small edge in presentation. My GS I score increased from 86 in 2023 to 109 in 2025. I would not credit this technique alone, but it would have played a role.

The biggest opportunity in 2026, however, is Instant answer evaluation.

In traditional test series, evaluated copies can take one or two weeks to return. By then, you lose the context of why you wrote a particular argument. Evaluation can also be subjective, usually one evaluator may give an answer three marks, while another may give the same answer five.

This is where AI-based evaluation platforms and the startups working in this space can be game changers, provided we know how to use them.

My approach would be simple: write two answers, upload the handwritten copies, receive instant feedback and rewrite the weaker answer on the same day, or at least note down the points i missed in the same page. On Copy-based evaluation is better because UPSC ultimately evaluates what we write by hand under time and space constraints.

The AI-generated score is not the main benefit. The real value is quick and consistent feedback that helps identify patterns like - Am I missing dimensions? Are my introductions too long? Are my examples relevant? Am I addressing every part of the question?

AI evaluation should not completely replace a good human mentor. But for daily practice, shortening the feedback cycle from two weeks to a few minutes can make a huge difference.

So, for my remaining attempts, I would keep my preparation simple - study from home, limit sources, maintain good online notes for value addition, use LLMs to improve my thinking and create a daily cycle of writing, evaluation and rewriting.

Information is available everywhere today. The real edge lies in how well we organise it and how quickly we learn from our mistakes.

That is how I would prepare for CSE 2027.

Happy to discuss how we can use AI to make our preparation more effective. Do share your thoughts.

CSE Mains is around the corner. Around 15,000 aspirants will be appearing for Mains this year, while many others may not have cleared Prelims this time.

First of all, my best wishes to everyone writing Mains this year. These last 12 days are among the most stressful days of the journey. Yet, they become some of the most cherished memories if you make it to the final list and some of the most painful if you remain non-recommended.

Based on my experience of scoring 772 marks in CSE 2023 and 767 marks in CSE 2025, here are a few last-minute tips:

1. I hope you have prepared last minute notes for quick revision. Read through them with as much focus and intensity as possible.
2. If you have not prepared last-minute notes, simply stick to your existing revision strategy. Do not change your approach now, just try to revise as much as possible.
3. If you are unable to complete a full-length test within the prescribed three hours, do not panic. Trust me you will complete the paper on the actual exam day. Just ensure that you allocate your time carefully to each question. Wear a wristwatch and check it after every question. Keep track of the remaining time through reverse counting.
4. If you have already added value addition material to your notes, well and good. If not, do not start chasing value addition at this stage.
5. Addressing the question’s demand is the key. Make sure you identify all its explicit and implicit demands. This is not the time to write too many answers, as you need to remain fresh for the actual examination.
6. Stay well hydrated. It is not usually Friday, the Essay paper that causes the most fatigue. The exhaustion becomes real on the third day, particularly during the Ethics paper. Do not pull all-nighters or compromise on sleep between examination days. You have covered the basics, and you are good to go.

All the best! I hope to see you among the toppers soon.

For those who are not appearing for Mains this year but know that they will be writing it next year or in a subsequent attempt, treat this period as an opportunity.

Once the question papers are available, collect them and brainstorm every question. Sit with each paper for around 1 to 1.5 hours. You will begin to notice several patterns that can make your preparation much easier.

This exercise helped me understand the examination during my first attempt, when I could not clear Prelims. It also helped me clear both Prelims and Mains in my second attempt.

So, take the question papers, sit with a few A4 sheets, and brainstorm. Write down every relevant point that comes to mind. Identify both the explicit and implicit demands of each question. For more difficult questions, spend one or two minutes carefully understanding their demands before brainstorming the answer.

In 2023, when I wrote my first UPSC Mains, I had not practiced even a single essay beforehand. I only started serious Mains preparation once I was reasonably confident of clearing Prelims. Essay was my biggest weakness. I simply did not know how to approach it, what to write, or how to build convincing arguments.

This was the strategy I eventually followed.

First, I read around 50 topper essay copies from various websites. That gave me a clear picture of what a good UPSC essay actually looks like, the structure, the flow, the balance of arguments, and the level of depth expected.

Once I understood what needed to be written, I started brainstorming with GPT. This was back when ChatGPT was still relatively new and nowhere close to what it is today. Even then, it helped me immensely. I used it to refine my thesis, explore different dimensions of a topic, and understand the kinds of arguments that could be presented. More importantly, it taught me how to think about an essay rather than just what to write.

By this stage, I had decent content and a workable framework in my mind. But everything existed only in my head. I still did not know how to translate those thoughts onto paper, connect different ideas smoothly, or articulate them well within the time limit. The bigger challenge was that, by then, I was already in the final phase of Mains preparation, juggling General Studies and Optional. There was not enough time left to build strong writing skills.

So I started writing essays. I wrote a few, struggled through every one of them, and honestly never received particularly encouraging feedback from evaluators.

On the day of the actual exam, I was genuinely worried about the essay paper. My only thought was, do not overthink it, just write. And that is exactly what I did.

Despite not being a good essay writer in my 2023 attempt, I ended up scoring 122 marks. It is an average score, but it ensured that the essay paper did not become a liability.

So, for anyone feeling the same way I did, do not wait until you feel ready. Learn how to build strong arguments, support them with relevant examples, understand how good essays are structured, and then simply express yourself. Your first few essays will not be great, and that is completely okay. The goal is to ensure that the essay paper does not become the reason your overall score suffers.

In 2023, when I wrote my first UPSC Mains, I had not practiced even a single essay beforehand. I only started serious Mains preparation once I was reasonably confident of clearing Prelims. Essay was my biggest weakness. I simply did not know how to approach it, what to write, or how to build convincing arguments.

This was the strategy I eventually followed.

First, I read around 50 topper essay copies from various websites. That gave me a clear picture of what a good UPSC essay actually looks like, the structure, the flow, the balance of arguments, and the level of depth expected.

Once I understood what needed to be written, I started brainstorming with GPT. This was back when ChatGPT was still relatively new and nowhere close to what it is today. Even then, it helped me immensely. I used it to refine my thesis, explore different dimensions of a topic, and understand the kinds of arguments that could be presented. More importantly, it taught me how to think about an essay rather than just what to write.

By this stage, I had decent content and a workable framework in my mind. But everything existed only in my head. I still did not know how to translate those thoughts onto paper, connect different ideas smoothly, or articulate them well within the time limit. The bigger challenge was that, by then, I was already in the final phase of Mains preparation, juggling General Studies and Optional. There was not enough time left to build strong writing skills.

So I started writing essays. I wrote a few, struggled through every one of them, and honestly never received particularly encouraging feedback from evaluators.

On the day of the actual exam, I was genuinely worried about the essay paper. My only thought was, do not overthink it, just write. And that is exactly what I did.

Despite not being a good essay writer in my 2023 attempt, I ended up scoring 122 marks. It is an average score, but it ensured that the essay paper did not become a liability.

So, for anyone feeling the same way I did, do not wait until you feel ready. Learn how to build strong arguments, support them with relevant examples, understand how good essays are structured, and then simply express yourself. Your first few essays will not be great, and that is completely okay. The goal is to ensure that the essay paper does not become the reason your overall score suffers.

In 2023, when I wrote my first UPSC Mains, I had not practiced even a single essay beforehand. I only started serious Mains preparation once I was reasonably confident of clearing Prelims. Essay was my biggest weakness. I simply did not know how to approach it, what to write, or how to build convincing arguments.

This was the strategy I eventually followed.

First, I read around 50 topper essay copies from various websites. That gave me a clear picture of what a good UPSC essay actually looks like, the structure, the flow, the balance of arguments, and the level of depth expected.

Once I understood what needed to be written, I started brainstorming with GPT. This was back when ChatGPT was still relatively new and nowhere close to what it is today. Even then, it helped me immensely. I used it to refine my thesis, explore different dimensions of a topic, and understand the kinds of arguments that could be presented. More importantly, it taught me how to think about an essay rather than just what to write.

By this stage, I had decent content and a workable framework in my mind. But everything existed only in my head. I still did not know how to translate those thoughts onto paper, connect different ideas smoothly, or articulate them well within the time limit. The bigger challenge was that, by then, I was already in the final phase of Mains preparation, juggling General Studies and Optional. There was not enough time left to build strong writing skills.

So I started writing essays. I wrote a few, struggled through every one of them, and honestly never received particularly encouraging feedback from evaluators.

On the day of the actual exam, I was genuinely worried about the essay paper. My only thought was, do not overthink it, just write. And that is exactly what I did.

Despite not being a good essay writer in my 2023 attempt, I ended up scoring 122 marks. It is an average score, but it ensured that the essay paper did not become a liability.

So, for anyone feeling the same way I did, do not wait until you feel ready. Learn how to build strong arguments, support them with relevant examples, understand how good essays are structured, and then simply express yourself. Your first few essays will not be great, and that is completely okay. The goal is to ensure that the essay paper does not become the reason your overall score suffers.

In 2023, when I wrote my first UPSC Mains, I had not practiced even a single essay beforehand. I only started serious Mains preparation once I was reasonably confident of clearing Prelims. Essay was my biggest weakness. I simply did not know how to approach it, what to write, or how to build convincing arguments.

This was the strategy I eventually followed.

First, I read around 50 topper essay copies from various websites. That gave me a clear picture of what a good UPSC essay actually looks like, the structure, the flow, the balance of arguments, and the level of depth expected.

Once I understood what needed to be written, I started brainstorming with GPT. This was back when ChatGPT was still relatively new and nowhere close to what it is today. Even then, it helped me immensely. I used it to refine my thesis, explore different dimensions of a topic, and understand the kinds of arguments that could be presented. More importantly, it taught me how to think about an essay rather than just what to write.

By this stage, I had decent content and a workable framework in my mind. But everything existed only in my head. I still did not know how to translate those thoughts onto paper, connect different ideas smoothly, or articulate them well within the time limit. The bigger challenge was that, by then, I was already in the final phase of Mains preparation, juggling General Studies and Optional. There was not enough time left to build strong writing skills.

So I started writing essays. I wrote a few, struggled through every one of them, and honestly never received particularly encouraging feedback from evaluators.

On the day of the actual exam, I was genuinely worried about the essay paper. My only thought was, do not overthink it, just write. And that is exactly what I did.

Despite not being a good essay writer in my 2023 attempt, I ended up scoring 122 marks. It is an average score, but it ensured that the essay paper did not become a liability.

So, for anyone feeling the same way I did, do not wait until you feel ready. Learn how to build strong arguments, support them with relevant examples, understand how good essays are structured, and then simply express yourself. Your first few essays will not be great, and that is completely okay. The goal is to ensure that the essay paper does not become the reason your overall score suffers.

Hey so, i got 404 in CSE 2023 and 415 in CSE 2025 - I shall go subject wise and tell my learnings from both the attempts.

GS 1 - I improved my score from 86 (CSE 23) to 109 (CSE 25) -

• What i did uniquely was make diagrams / value addition figures in 17 of the 20 Questions, i had 17 in my mind, but was able to execute about 15 diagrams in Mains 2025. That helped me improve 23 marks.
• So diagrams here means - India map, Venn Diagrams, Timelines, Boxes, Flow Charts, Ray Diagrams, World Maps for Geography, Art and Culture Diagrams etc...
• Its doable and can be easily integrated into your answer, use 30% space towards the right side of the page, and draw the diagram, horizontally take 50% of the page's width.

GS 2 - I Scored 112 in CSE 23 and 111 in CSE 25 -

• Be very thorough with Case laws, Articles, Amendments, Committee Reports and Good value addition materials, that you can grab from internet or using any LLM.
• Make diagrams for IR. Try to make at least 5-7 pictographical representations.
• Also ensure that the structure of answer is with lot of examples and articles mentioned for Polity Questions.
• For IR keep quotes ready from Raja Mohan Sir, Jaishankar Sir, Brahma Chellaney Sir among others.

GS 3 - Has been tricky, score 86 in CSE 23 and 89 in CSE 25 -

• Still not figured out how to ace this paper, but what works is writing pointed facts, and making your answer very close to the demand of the question.
• Nothing much to comment here. Complete the paper.
• Facts should be remembered and written.

GS 4 - My Marks Decreased from 122 in CSE 23 to 106 in CSE 25 - Big Blunder -

• So the blunder i committed was that i wrote Ethics Case study first, i had actually mastered the case study part with lot of practice, and i thought as it is 20 marks per question, i will be able to get 12-13 marks per question.
• This backfired, i finished case study in about 1hr40mins. Then i had only 1hr20mins left for Part A. Then when i started writing Part A, i lacked that creativity that was required, because my energy was already drained, and my head was just not working. I knew i messed up.
• While in 2023, i did not know much, i key theories, philosophers, thinkers. I wrote very simple answers, brought my life experience in and then eventually i got 122 in that paper.
• Also the best strategy for GS 4 is - as soon as you get the GS 4 paper, read the first case study in that 5mins before 3hrs actually starts (why waste that 5mins). Then write that one case study within next 10-12mins. Then strait away jump to Part A, complete all of them, and then to Part B. I did not miss any question in CSE 23, following this trick.

So yeah, i hope this is useful.

Please do not DM me, i shall reply to all comments here, so that all the replies and queries can give a new perspective to every reader.

EDIT: [I did not clear both the attempts, i got 937 and 945 marks respectively in 2023 and 2025, sociology was the problem area for me, scoring only 242 and 235]

So my interview was scheduled in the afternoon. I vividly remember how anxious I was. I left Kerala House around 12 noon, as 1 pm was the usual reporting time. Since it was my first interview attempt, I was quite anxious, but also confident that I could hold up the conversation because all the mock interview panels had told me that I was very articulate and communicated well.

So yeah, I entered the Bhavan, reached the central hall, and got my document verification done. Since I had written the exam from Bangalore, my roll number started with 03. In that batch of six people sitting together (all six would go to the same board), I was the first to be called.

At sharp 2 pm, one attendant came in, called my name, took me outside the room, and asked me to sit there. That entire environment exactly resembled the scene from 12th Fail.

Finally, when I walked in, I was in shock. The seating arrangement was completely different from what I had imagined. I expected the chairman and members to be sitting directly in front of me, but the setup was so unique that I couldn't make sense of it. If I looked at the chairman, I couldn't see any of the members, and one member was seated almost at a 90-degree angle to my right.

The chairman briefly asked me where I had come from and then set my DAF aside.

The first question was absolutely bonkers: "It is not the lions who write history, but the hunters." Please explain this quote.

I was completely perplexed. I had heard something that made no sense to me, and sitting there, I was in total panic. I took a breath. Sir asked, "Should I repeat it?" I said, "Yes, sir, please."

He repeated it, and I still had no clue.

So he moved on to the next question.

"Who sets narratives in the world?"

From there, he kept asking questions, and for every point I argued, he took a diametrically opposite position. It turned into an absolutely crazy conversation.

Then Member 1 asked me about the Bhakti Movement. I mean, who in their wildest dreams reads about the Bhakti Movement before an interview?

The interview then spanned across topics ranging from geopolitics and art & culture to Environmental Impact Assessment and its various stages. It became more like a recollection and memory game than an actual conversation.

I knew the moment I walked out that my game was over.

And so it was.

I got 165 in the interview and missed the final list by just 13 marks.

Hi everyone!

I'm a UPSC aspirant who has appeared for the Civil Services Examination 4 times, reaching the Interview stage twice but narrowly missing the final list, despite getting 937 in CSE 2023, and 945 in CSE 2025. Along the way, I've experienced the full spectrum of the journey, from failing Prelims to clearing all three stages, dealing with setbacks, and eventually transitioning into Corporate.

Looking back, there are a lot of things I would do differently. Some strategies worked, many didn't, and a lot of my learning came from mistakes rather than successes.

So I thought I'd do an AMA.

Feel free to ask me anything about UPSC CSE.

I'll start answering questions from 7:30 PM IST and will be around for a couple of hours. If more questions come in later, I'll try to get to those as well.

Looking forward to the discussion!

Hey Guys, myself working as a PM at a startup in BLR, have about 9months experience as PM, and 11 months as software engineer (cumulative 1Yr 10m). Finding it extremely difficult to make a job switch. So was thinking of taking Institute of Product Leadership (IPL) Course, just for connects and referrals. As i am confident that i dont want the course materials or anything as i can upskill myself. Please throw some light on should i make a decision to take this course, which costs about 80k.
Would be grateful for your views.