[CONNECT WITH BABA] IASbaba’s Dedicated HOTLINE, #ASKBABA, Phone-a-Friend for UPSC/IAS Aspirants!!

Hello Friends,

When everyone thought that this year things are going to be fine and the situation will be normal, we are hit by a monstrosity that is right now belittling human existence. We are back to the lockdowns and there is large-scale panic, distress, and pain. It could have been avoided, but what did not happen, did not happen.

Now is the time when every single one acts like a hero and saves lives. The best way you can do this is to not get out of your houses unnecessarily. Remember, you are civil services aspirants, in the coming time, you are going to take charge of such disasters. You need to learn how to control yourself now and be disciplined.

Students are also anxious about the UPSC Prelims exam, whether it will be held on time or not. Honestly, in our opinion, it should be postponed. The situation is worsening. The virus is there in the air and every second person is infected. In such a situation, students shouldn’t be called to any center to take the exam.

The crisis that we face today is a momentous occasion for mankind. Good times are bound to come; we are not very far away from it. Together we can overcome this crisis. All that we need is active support from all of you!

It is time to Introspect, Ideate and Improve!!

We are all driven by certain desires or aspirations. This driving force has the ability to get us going despite the odds. So, to ensure that your preparation goes smoothly and keeping up with our promise, we are coming up with a Dedicated HOTLINE (Communication channel) – Connect with BABA for all UPSC/IAS Aspirants,  #AskBaba – you can ask your queries related to 60 Day plan and ‘Phone-a-Friend’ – talk to our Mental Health Expert and Counsellor.

Details are as follows –

HOTLINE, ASK YOUR BABA (#ASKBABA), PHONE A : Modus of Operandi

1. HOTLINE – Connect with BABA ( Monday – Friday between 10 am – 6pm)

With this hotline, you will be able to speak with the Core Team members of IASbaba on the telephone regarding ‘any queries’ related to UPSC preparation in general or how to approach a particular subject or current affairs.

Unlike last year where we opened the hotline for 2 hours, this year the communication channel will be open from 10 am – 6 pm daily (excluding Saturday and Sunday – holidays). Please do not make calls before or after the specified time and date, as we will be occupied with other daily initiatives running on the website and mentorship. Hope you understand our time constraints.

Please note that, call facilities are mainly for queries related to preparation per se like strategies, difficulties in reading a subject, what to read, what not to read, how to manage time, revision, motivation etc.

Note: Subject-specific queries will not be entertained. As in, don’t expect a mentor to teach you a concept on phone. Eg. Don’t ask, Sir, explain the phenomenon of Temperature Inversion.

You can call on the numbers given below.

Contact Number: 8882913399

2. ASK YOUR BABA (#ASKBABA) – clear your doubts on the 60 Day Platform (Online from 11 am – 10 pm)

Use the disqus comment section of that particular day (60 Day post) to clear all your subject-specific doubts of the day.

Here, doubts related to the 60 day questions or conceptual clarity in a particular subject can be asked. Your doubts will be cleared on real-time basis (or max within 2 hours it will be answered from the subject experts)

3. ‘Phone a Friend’ – You can talk to our Counsellor/Mental Health Expert  ( Monday – Friday between 2:00 – 4:00 pm).

Our mental health determines how we think feel and act and is important at every stage of life from childhood to adulthood. Good mental health is when you feel positive about yourself and cope well with everyday pressures. During these trying times of social distancing, we need emotional support at all stages of life.

Anxiety is natural in the present scenario. But don’t you worry. You can speak with an expert about anything regarding anxiety, depression, etc. The counsellor will be available from Monday – Friday between 2:00 – 4:00 pm.

Our mental health expert is Swetha S. K. She has an experience of delivering educational assistance and instructions to various levels of learners. She is a certified counsellor who is committed to providing students with the necessary tools to achieve academic goals, instilling confidence, love of learning, building self-esteem and self-awareness. She is an empathetic person with a passion to listen, who is sensitive about feelings and emotions, and believes in empowering and being congruent.

Feel free to speak with her.

Contact Number: 8882913399

How to make the maximum use of this HOTLINE and #ASKBABA (Disqus comment of 60 Day Plan) on Daily basis?

From Babaji: Regularly (from Monday to Saturday- 6 days a week), questions are posted between 10:30 am. 35 Mcq’s ( 20 mcqs Subject specific, 10 mcqs Current Affairs related and 5 mcqs from CSAT) are posted per day.

As a Student: Inorder to simulate exam like scenario, download the OMR sheet which is published along with the post. Set the stop-watch to 35 minutes and solve the 35 mcq’s and post your OMR Sheet or number of questions attempted on the disqus comment. Also importantly use this daily thread (disqus comment) to clear your doubts related to the subject of the day.

For instance, the subject on Monday (30^th April) is Polity, so you can post all your queries/doubts related to that subject and we have a dedicated team, who will clear all your doubts on the same day. This makes it a meaningful learning as your doubts are cleared on real-time basis (or max within 2 hours it will be answered from the subject experts).

Please don’t shy away from posting your scores. Nobody will judge you based on that. As time and again we have reiterated that 60 day plan is a ‘training ground’  for knowing your weak spots and then working to address those before the final battle. You need to be true to yourself, ready to accept your weakness, only then will you be able to progress and learnings can happen.

Now, that I have solved 30 mcq’s, what to do next? This will be your next obvious question.

Once you devote 35 minutes on 60 Day Initiative, focus on your day to day reading like Newspaper or follow our initiatives (Daily Current Affairs, PIB, AIR, RSTV, Yojana/Kurukshetra). Later, you can focus on the static/core subjects of your choice – Polity, History, Economics, Geography, Environment & Science and Technology. If you are following 60 Day plan, then you will not have any issues with regard to covering the syllabus comprehensively and on time!

The Solutions are purposefully posted around 5 PM to simulate exam-like scenario and create seriousness in the students.

Once the solution is updated (in the same post of 60 Day plan) around 5 PM. Cross-check your answers with the Solution and post your score in the same comment thread as you had posted earlier. There are 2 advantages on posting your score –

1. It makes you more accountable (which is very important to keep a check on your preparation). And you can see the incremental increase in your score on a day to day basis which will lead to sure shot success in Prelims.

2. As you all know ’60 Day’ is a peer-driven initiative and by participating actively, you are placed to get better with each passing day. Your ACTIVE Participation will motivate the entire student community to prepare in the time of uncertainty prevailing right now.

NOTE- Follow this in the Comment Section.

• Mention- Time Taken after solving the Test
• After the release of Solution Edit your Comment to Mention-  Correct/Incorrect and Score
• 2 Marks for Correct/0.66 minus for Incorrect.

P.S: Hotline, #AskBaba, ‘Phone-a-Friend’ will be functional from tomorrow (28th April 2021).

Thank You

IASbaba