Akshay Mahadik (AIR-212, CSE-21) Prelims and Mains Strategy

Akshay Sanjay Mahadik, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, has cracked the Civil Services Examination (CSE-21) with an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 212. His remarkable performance included scoring 138 marks in the Essay paper and 403 in the General Studies (GS) paper. Mahadik's comprehensive strategy for both the Preliminary and Mains examinations has garnered significant interest among aspiring civil servants.

Mahadik's UPSC Journey

Mahadik's UPSC journey began with his first attempt in 2020, where he narrowly missed the cut-off for the Preliminary examination by just 1.36 marks. Undeterred, he analyzed the reasons behind his failure and made strategic adjustments for his second attempt in 2021.

First Attempt (2020)

During his first attempt, Mahadik struggled to maintain his composure in the real examination hall, leading to silly mistakes. For instance, he failed to read all the options thoroughly in a question on the aim of bureaucracy and made an incorrect selection in a question on Expansionary Monetary Policy. These mistakes, which cost him 1.5 years of preparation, highlighted the importance of mental stability and conscious decision-making in the Preliminary examination.

Mahadik also acknowledged that he had placed too much emphasis on current affairs, allocating 60-70% of his preparation time to this component, while neglecting the static part of the syllabus. Additionally, he had relied on multiple sources for each subject, which resulted in a lack of cohesion and difficulty in recalling key information during the examination.

Second Attempt (2021)

For his second attempt, Mahadik streamlined his preparation by focusing on fewer, more reliable sources for each subject. His Preliminary examination sources included:

• Polity: 11th and 12th NCERT books, M. Laxmikanth
• Economy: Mrunal Sir's notes
• Geography: 6th to 12th NCERT, selective topics from G.C. Leong
• Environment: Rau's IAS PT Compass, selective reading from Shankar IAS

Mahadik also utilized online platforms such as YouTube channels (Target UPSC, IAS Baba) and Telegram channels (Vivek Singh, Vikas, Vaishali Anand, Kaushik, Shubham Kumar, Jagruti) to supplement his preparation.

In addition to the sources, Mahadik's strategy for the CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) paper involved attempting the Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning questions first, followed by the passage-based questions. He aimed to solve as many questions as possible, focusing on the relatively easier ones, as he found the passage-based questions more challenging.

Mains Examination

Essay

Mahadik's approach to the Essay paper was structured and well-planned. He devoted 10 minutes to carefully selecting the topic, ensuring that he had adequate content and could comprehend the theme effectively. During the 20-minute brainstorming phase, he would develop a rough outline, considering various levels (individual, family, society, nation, international) or sectors (social, economic, political, historical) relevant to the essay topic.

In the actual essay writing, Mahadik emphasized the importance of maintaining a coherent flow, using relevant quotes judiciously, and diversifying the content to cover multiple perspectives. He also utilized anecdotes to start his essays, which he had prepared beforehand.

General Studies

Mahadik's GS paper preparation involved a combination of subject-specific sources and strategic techniques:

GS 1

• Society: Saurabh Kumar's notes, Mains 365, IAS Baba TLP questions
• Geography: Rajtanil Ma'am's presentations, NCERTs
• World History: IAS notes, Decode History (Mudit Jain)
• Modern History: Spectrum, Reverse analysis of IAS Baba TLP, Previous Vision IAS tests
• Post-Independence: Vision IAS material
• Ancient, Art, and Culture: Karishma Nair's notes, Reverse analysis of IAS Baba TLP, Vision IAS previous tests

GS 2

• Polity: IAS Polity Notes (Mains), IAS Baba TLP, M. Laxmikanth, Mains 365
• Governance: Vision IAS value-added material, Mains 365
• Social Justice: Saurabh Kumar's notes, Mains 365
• International Relations: Mains 365
• Value Addition: Articles from the Constitution, Supreme Court judgments, Committee recommendations, Best practices, and Maps for IR

GS 3

Mahadik acknowledged that he had scored relatively lower in GS 3, attributing it to a lack of time for preparation and insufficient focus on current affairs, particularly in the last two months leading up to the Mains examination.

GS 4

• Ethics: Lukmaan IAS notes, Tirthankar Roychowdhary's YouTube videos, Newspaper case studies Mahadik emphasized the importance of understanding each terminology in the syllabus, finding relevant examples to support arguments, and practicing answer writing to manage time effectively in the examination hall.

Answer Writing Strategy

Mahadik's approach to answer writing focused on aligning the response with the demand of the question, managing time efficiently, diversifying the points, maintaining the word limit, and using visual aids like diagrams, flow charts, and maps.

He had the opportunity to write only a few mock tests, as he could complete the paper within the time limit during his actual attempt. Mahadik believes that the answer writing strategy should be customized based on an individual's strengths and weaknesses, as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the Civil Services Examination.

Conclusion

Akshay Sanjay Mahadik's success in the Civil Services Examination (CSE-21) is a testament to his dedication, strategic planning, and adaptability. He has shared his comprehensive insights, from Preliminary preparation to Mains examination techniques, to inspire and guide aspiring civil servants.

Mahadik emphasizes that there is no single perfect strategy or set of sources that suits everyone. Each individual has unique strengths and weaknesses, and the key is to identify and work on one's own areas of improvement, rather than blindly following a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Mahadik's journey serves as a valuable lesson for future UPSC aspirants, encouraging them to believe in their own capabilities, customize their preparation, and strive for excellence in their respective fields of interest.