UPDATE: Due to multiple requests from students to postpone the revision test (to give more time for revision and due to Diwali), we are postponing the revision test by 10 days. This means the revision test will be on 11th Nov and not 1st Nov. All subsequent tests will be postponed by 10 days to maintain the 10 day gap between them. The CA test is still going live on 28th October.

Flagship students,

Some very important takeaways from the basic tests

Hi guys, with TS6, the basic science test, all the basic tests have come to an end.

Aspirants of 2017 Prelims who want to leave no stone unturned in their preparation are advised to join our Flagship module. We are leaving nothing to luck as we ensure your basics are covered and neither should you.

Link to Flagship TS – Click here

Very soon the advanced level tests will start where our flagship students will compete with the senior players. But first we have an important revision test coming up on 1st of November.

Over time, we have seen students give tests and then forget about them. If they get a good score they are happy. If they get a bad score they get depressed or try to study harder for the next test.

But most students forget about the test they just gave. They forget that tests are for motivation AND for learning. Whether you get a good or bad score, always remember that you have to learn from that test. How do you learn?

First, you read all the answers given in the TS. Second, you find out all the questions you did wrong or were not able to attempt and pick up the book and start reading those entire chapters. Yes! The whole chapter, not just that one paragraph which contains the answer.

If you got a tributaries question wrong, don’t just see the answer for that tributary, but also see the whole river on the map, and also other rivers.

We have done an analysis of the 6 basic tests which just went by to find out what your weaknesses are. Do understand that the ideal score in each of the test should be 140+ Nothing less than that will give you the confidence of doing your NCERTs well.

Here are some of our observations regarding your attempts on Flagship Tests’ Basic module

1.Polity –

• Some topics which everyone was weak in – history of constitution, executive (powers and roles of President, Vice-President, PM etc)
• Strengths of students – basic understanding of concepts
• Everyone is smart enough to understand the basic concepts, however details matter in polity. What is the term of the Vice-President? These are not just small details.

3.History –

• This is the subject you all could have done much better. Only one student got a 3 digit score!
• Weak spots for students include – art and culture and medieval India. We understand that these sections are difficult to relate to or retain in long term memory but it has to be done.
• Good News #1: The revision test on 1st Nov will have a lot of tough questions from history re-introduced
• Good News #2: Civilsdaily is making rich, detailed course modules on art & culture basics for both Pre & Mains. Rich with detailed images and only the most relevant information – this module will serve as the one stop solution for all your art & culture basics

4.Geography –

• Some weak spots here are map related questions (e.g. locations of hills, plateaus, rivers etc). Surprisingly climatology is a weak point.
• As are questions on industries and resources. Students also tend to not pay attention to technical terms like diastrophism.

5.Science –

• Weak spots here are in chemistry and physics. Reread basic NCERT’s.
• Although you don’t need to memorise the chemical formulas, you should know what elements are contained in carbohydrates.

Overall we would like to point out that its not just concepts which are important, but details too. Reread your NCERT’s. Even more importantly, make notes from them.

To give you an opportunity to implement all this advice, we will be putting the tougher questions till now into our revision test.

Use the tests to learn, and not just as an item on your schedule or checklist.

Checking that your base is sound through these tests is very important. All Flagship students must give these tests. Reread you NCERT’s and aim to get 150 marks. Once you see these questions and they look like child’s play to you, the work will be done.

To all other IAS Prelims 2017 probables who are still deciding on which test series to join – Join any but stick to the philosophy of that test series. That’s the most important thing.

For students who joined our Flagship Course

We want to train you in the philosophy of covering your basics and advanced course along with the art of smart hacks (tikdams). Very sincere efforts are put into making the explanations richer and more meaningful for you so that you get to revisit the basics.

Make the most out of your efforts. After your revision test – we will give each of you a chance to talk to the mentors @CD so that you know how to make the most out of your advanced modules.