Deepti Rohilla (AIR-39 CSE-23) Geography 323 Marks

Hello readers! I am Deepti Rohilla. I have secured AIR 39 in UPSC CSE 2023. This was my 2nd attempt. I missed the interview call by 18 marks last year. My optional is geography in which I have secured 323 marks. It has been analyzed that it is the highest among humanities subjects this year. So, it is very much achievable, and I hope you guys achieve more than this.

I live in Gurgaon with my parents. I have done my schooling from Delhi Public School, Gurgaon. Thereafter, I went to Miranda House, Delhi University for my graduation in Geography (hons).

Journey

A) What's the vibe of the exam? In later half of my college years, I started reading basic books and glancing through coaching notes, topper’s copies, newspapers etc. Though, I was not consistent as the course demands time and attention plus, I did not want to miss the fun of college days. Next, COVID Lockdown happened and amidst the chaos there was calm as well. I finally got some time to make my own notes as travel time was eliminated due to online classes.

B) Pride + happiness —> Humble + Anxiety: I gave my first attempt in 2022 and cleared prelims. Considering the toughness and uncertainty of this stage of examination, I was on Cloud nine and got swayed for a few days. Due to improper subject and time management, I missed the interview call by a small margin. I was dejected as being the topper throughout my life, it was my first academic failure and I do not know how to bounce back. I faced mental struggles, days of crying, loneliness, desperation and loss of identity.

C) Rise like a phoenix: The mark sheets were not out but I figured out that it was probably my optional that could have been my weakness. But it took me some days to realize and reflect where I lacked. Over-relying on coaching notes without referring to basic books was a mistake. Once my weakness was known, my head down execution mode began. It had its own challenges though as my focus duration reduced as monkey brain overpowered. I was taken out of the overthinking mud with the help of few tools -

• NSDR ( Non sleep deep rest ) by Andrew Huberman #NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) with Dr. Andrew Huberman to get my focus back
• YPT app for clocking my study hours and have self-accountability
• Joining library to change my study space

D) Go all in: I was afraid deep inside which made me negatively visualize consequences of not clearing. So, this pain led to tenacity in my studies (basically, neuroplasticity) and finally by god’s grace and my hard work - AIR 39.

Strategy

A) Prelims

• Making static subjects strong.
• Using comprehensive sources (Books + Topper’s notes + Self-made notes).

(Image - Compiled sources and revision ready notes which only I can understand)

• Multiple revisions of PYQ with thorough analysis.
• D day mindset = Confidence + Common sense

In prelims, both focused study and abstract thinking is required according to me. Focused 6-8 hours of study along with ruminating on PYQs, getting randomly curious about stuff like tracing a river’s journey and places on its bank. Getting in the groove in the last month and relaxed studying with visualization in the last few days worked for me.

B) Mains

• Comprehensive notes based on syllabus keywords.
• Huge focus on optional and proportionate outcome, thankfully.
• Breaking the question into sub parts + Answer structuring + Content dense and
• diverse answers.
• Daily newspaper reading as covering monthly magazine was a huge task

Geography Optional - The game changer

• Comprehensive notes
• Making frameworks and quick revision notes
• Things that jumped my score from 219 in 2022 to 323 in 2023

1. Referring to basic books selectively (emphasis on selective reading and not cover to cover) - Must read are Rupa Made simple for physical geography and Models by Majid Hussain.
2. Newspaper reading especially for optional perspective. Say, hunting down for news that could fit in as an example or case study or in general keywords that give an edge to the answer. Eg - Savannisation of Amazon or Atlantificatio of Pacific Ocean. These 2 key words have been picked from newspapers about a month ago. It gave freshness to map wherein earlier i just wrote Pacific warming or Amazon deforestation.
3. Layered answer writing (Thanks to Akshansh Yadav sir for valuable insights) Even in a simple looking question there can be layers. Say, Define peneplain. Explain in various geomorphic cycles. My approach would be to frame structures - Intro with keywords like cyclic school, Davis diagram, Peneplain by various scholars, Concept, Geomorphic cycles (FAKE CAG mnemonic - Fluvial, Arid, Karst, Etchplain, Coastal, Glacial and periglacial , it may sound childish but in those last 5 minutes, I could wrote comprehensive answer due to these hacks ), Connected theme - 2nd cycle of erosion, Critique by structural / non cyclic school , conclusion with keyword. Now, this simple looking answer has so many hidden components that need to be thought, analyzed and written by the candidate. It comes with regular practice and a lot of analysis and comparison with topper’s copies.
4. Very short notes that summarize the whole unit. See image. It has frameworks, cherry points, directions for myself (WOW written on some parts which are so important that need not be missed)
5. Pick and choose coaching guidance as per convenience and not over-relying on few for spoon feeding. Know thyself! Being courageous enough to follow what works for you.
6. Must give a map / diagram in the question and write Indian examples in paper 1 as well.
7. lNot over writing scholars to make it look impressive. Answer what is asked, that is the cake and mentions here and there are just cherry on the cake. Be mindful.

(Image - Optional short notes)

Huge thanks to previous toppers from geography optional whose sources and approach i tried to imbibe. I highly relied on Preksha Agrawal maam’s answer copies to get the knack of optional specific answer writing. I also followed Katyayani Bhatia maam’s approach, which is to have notes for even very small topics, say soil forming processes.

The last 15 days before Mains exam - The inflection point

This time feels as if you are some other person whose revision speed is increased, ability to link everything is increased and there is desperation to write such good answers that I will be proud of myself that I gave my every ounce of energy to this process, you almost feel divine and devoted to the exam. Whenever, I used to feel dejected, this inflection point idea kept me going.

C) Interview

I relied on detailed current affairs analysis along with brushing up on optional. Since, my interview was on the very first day so there was less time to hone my skills. But, it was a great learning experience and the whole “mahaul” and vibe of that day is Aha!!

Message to the Students

1. Set system, rather than goals - Taking the example of newspaper reading, if it's a goal it will be sidelined by the seemingly big task say polity or PYQ analysis but if it's made into a system, say 8 to 9 am current affairs preparation, even if it got completed before, i used to revise previous day’s topics.
2. Know yourself - It requires being honest with oneself and always questioning why I am not doing this? Say, why I'm not solving tests because probably I'm afraid of low scores. So, it means - Fear is inhibition.