MOTIVATION for Mains 2017 – Next Seven Days will Decide your Fate
Despite preparing well for this year’s Mains, you will have self-doubts. Every serious candidate will have some amount of fear. The uncertainty associated with this exam will breed these self doubts no matter how much efforts you have poured in during last few months.
These fears are due to the fact that the difficulty level of UPSC question papers is unpredictable. But whatever be the difficulty level of question papers, you can actually do very well in Mains provided you avoid certain mistakes and follow certain rules. A difficult paper is difficult to everyone. How you deal with a difficult paper makes a huge difference in your prospects of getting good marks. It’s attitude that is most important now, not how much you know, or what kind of failure you have had in past.
Based on our experience we can tell you that almost all toppers have faced bouts of frustration, disappointment and fears just few days before the exam. You are no exception. The very fact that you are little anxious shows that you are a serious contender. But, when you go and face exam tomorrow, you should not be anxious.
For next seven days, be greedy, be selfish and be ruthless. Your sole objective during next seven days must be to maximise marks in each and every paper. You should make every effort to score an extra mark in each and every answer. This attitude of not giving up and trying to score well till the end is extremely important.
Many times it happens that one will be focused more on completing the paper. But loses focus on scoring marks. Being conscious of this difference has huge positive implications. In addition to being focused on completing paper, you should constantly think about getting extra marks.
Extra marks come in the form of writing examples or writing different examples (to validate/substantiate/justify a statement or point in your answer). They come from better presentation of your answers. They come from intelligent usage of each and every second in the exam hall. Your mind is more powerful when you push its limits. Though exhausting, you must use all your brainpower to fully concentrate on stealing marks wherever there is an opportunity (sometimes you should create opportunities).
Get energy drinks, drink ORS, eat chocolates – get energy to think intensely in exam hall. Moreover you need energy to overcome pain in your hands. If you write less, you will score less. You should write more to questions for which you know more. Don’t waste energy by writing non-sense answers to questions where you absolutely know nothing. Preserve energy at every level.
You should always remember the value of every single mark. A single mark might decide fate of your rank, service and cadre.
You should be selfish till the end. Don’t try to help your friends at the cost of your preparation (you might have noticed outside exam hall some altruists explaining concepts or helping with other things to their girl/boy-friends). Help only if your actions benefit both of you. Avoid all distractions. Go with positive people if you need some kind of moral support. But always remember that before entering the exam hall, enter with determination, enter with purpose – the purpose of scoring highest marks.
You might notice certain people chilling out, walking around with (attitude), and talking loudly with co-aspirants. Ignore them. Constantly think about maximising marks. Before entering hall, you should enter with thoughts related to that day’s paper to overcome any inertia. For example, before essay paper, brainstorm for 5-10 minutes on a predicted topic and enter exam hall.
It may happen that you may not do well in essay paper. Don’t let this bad experience have any impact on remaining papers. After essay paper, your immediate focus should be on next paper. Don’t ever try to discuss what you wrote in essay. It is a completely wasteful exercise, and might negatively impact your performance in other papers too. 
At this stage, give preference to staying healthy and energetic. You should be super confident irrespective of preparation level. Without confidence, you can not think clearly. Being very serious doesn’t mean you should not smile. Be relaxed and enjoy whole process.
Your marks in Mains largely decide your final rank. You can score good marks only by writing very good content. Do last minute revisions of important topics. Try to remember important facts.
All of this doesn’t mean losing your sleep. Do sleep at least for 6 hours every night. Remember, you need lots of energy in exam hall to outsmart and outcompete others. It’s competition after all. You need stamina to perform well. Don’t do the foolish thing of waking up whole night and going to exam hall without adequate sleep. You might study well, but you will fail to write well in exam.
Remember all your hard work and sacrifices at every moment. get motivation from all your failures. Use each and every experience of yours(breakups, insults, depressions, frustrations, sacrifices etc) to get you more energy and enthusiasm. Do your best.
Ninety nine percent people don’t ever try to be the best. They don’t try to be a good and different person. At least for next seven days, try to be the very best you every aspired to be. It’s in your will power. If you will, you can. Pump yourself with immense confidence. Tell yourself that no matter how difficult it’s going to be, you are going to defeat all odds and emerge as winner. Be the better person that you always wanted to be.
You don’t have to be the typical hero in our movies – who despite bleeding to death, slowly opens his eyes and emerges from jaws of death to kill hundreds of villains with bare hands!
You just have to bring out the best in you that you have not brought out yet. Next seven days is your opportunity to put an end to this arduous journey. It’s all in your mind. Your willpower will be your only saviour.
Wish you all the best!
