Dear Students,
Cricket is considered to be a religion in India. There is a really high chance that you follow cricket and are passionate about this game. What happens when a batsman scores a test century? He raises his bat, greets the spectators and gets back to scoring more runs. The inning doesn’t stop after a century is scored. The point to be taken home is that a century consists of singles, doubles and boundaries. Consistently scoring the runs is important. The century follows. The Main examination is also like a test inning. You have to spend 5 days in the examination hall. During these 5 days, you have to write and write well. Each answer that you will put on the booklet will act as a single. Each example that you put in the answer will feel as a double. Each data or report that you mention to substantiate your arguments will contribute as a boundary. Ultimately, the same building blocks would create the century in the form and shape of your success.
In test cricket, each delivery that a batsman faces has to be played on merit. One can’t score a boundary on each ball. The batsman first understands the wrist position, anticipates the point of contact from the bowling action, estimates the bounce and then plays his shot. Similarly, in the Main examination also, you need to treat each question with caution- understand the demand of the question, structure the answer in your mind and then present it in the best possible manner. The job is half done here. The remaining half has to be done by the examiner. He will evaluate the answer and award you marks suitably. But unlike cricket, there is no DRS here 🙁 Therefore, you need to give your best attempt and have faith in your decision.
Success or failure is always a matter of perspective. Ask the cricketers and they would often rate some of their double digit scores as their best. It happens because they derive satisfaction from the process that was carried out in a testing situation. The same holds true for the Main examination as well. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the challenge by embracing them and giving your best shot. Be happy with each answer that you write and derive satisfaction from the fact that you are going to write the most difficult examination conducted in India. Let this occasion be celebrated, not by merely relying on your luck but by doing your best bit to taste success.
Someone amongst you, reading this write up, is going to be Rank 1 this year. It could be you! Yes, YOU! But you are scared and stressed, aren’t you? So is everyone my friend. Even Sachin Tendulkar used to have sleepless nights before an important match despite his mastery and skills. You must understand that by all means even Rank 1 in UPSC is a poor performer. Scoring only 60-70% in any exam is, in absolute terms, a poor show. But then, UPSC isn’t searching for the ones who can score full marks! UPSC simply wants to weed out those who would buckle the most under pressure. So, the key to Mains is to keep performing your best despite the pressure even if the ‘best’ isn’t the best as per your expectations or standards. Believe us, my dear friends, success would be yours.
We have seen scenarios in which toppers couldn’t even score 40% in different papers but yet went on to qualify. It could happen because they didn’t let the minor setbacks unsettle them. With 9 papers, Mains examination is just like a relay race. It doesn’t matter if a particular subject couldn’t perform well unless the overall performance was good. So, don’t get depressed with one bad paper and also don’t get buoyed by one good paper. Just keep doing your work. In the 3 hours that you get in a paper, all your focus and energy should be on producing the best possible answers. Keep doing this throughout the week of examination and no one can stop you.
Few suggestions from IASbaba:
We believe that we have already equipped you with many tools and instruments through various initiatives and programmes on our website. If you have followed them religiously, success shall definitely be yours. In your journey towards success, you shall always find us beside you.
Not everyone gets to write the Main papers. You are amongst a selected few to have gotten this opportunity. It is a matter of great pride and that is why when you enter the examination hall, do it with honour. Let there be no negativity around you. You have given so many sacrifices already. Let there be one more- a sacrifice of your fears.
Remember what Guruji had told Ganesh Gaitonde- Balidaan dena hoga!!
All the best 🙂
IASbaba team
