CSE Mains 2021 Experience explained by
Rahul Chavan, IPS'20
UPSC CSE'19 AIR 109.
ESSAY..
( UPSC syllabus mentions well educated person will be able to answer ( write upsc papers) without any specialised study ..this is biggest MYTH ..and that will reflect in essay itself )
How I attempted .. section A ..2nd essay ..( your perception..) ..in 1 hr 40 minutes..then Section B ..5th essay ( Hand that rocks cradle ..) in 1hr 20 minutes.
Analysis
- All are philosophical essays .
- Very subjective statements.
- All are equally hard and difficult to decode.
- Essay changed from 2017( two GS and two philosophical in each section ,so one had liberty to attempt both GS topics ) , In 2018 ( one section complete GS topics and other section complete philosophical topics ...so here one had to attempt one philosophical essay ) , In 2019 , 2020 .almost continued with 2018 pattern with more philosophical topic inclination and this year All are philosophical topics ..So One must attempt both philosophical..
- All essays are demanding our perspective so it will also show inclination of candidates... it's very difficult to write neutral essay and if one is mentioning some extreme quotes, philosophies and thinkers ( present or past ) it may backfire ..we don't know the exact expectations and ideology of examiner , so better to keep it simple ..don't try to overdo any one perspective, better to write multi dimensional essay to avoid being misjudged ..
How to prepare ..
- Write at least 10 philosophical essays..
- Work on structure and flow .
- Try to connect essay with GS and Current affairs don't keep it as complete philosophical.
- Read toppers essay to understand the skills of essay writing and perspective development.
- Give equal time as one gives to GS ..On the spot essay writing won't be possible without practice so spend more time on essay writing.