MAINS ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME

Mains Test Series for Mains 2020

Course Description

NOTE: Tests will be evaluated for those writing in Kannada medium as well.

FEATURES:

  • Total 16 full length General Studies tests and 4 full length Essay papers.
  • Detailed discussion on the same day of the test by respective subject experts.
  • Total 9 quality improvement and current affairs sessions.
  • Answer and essay writing strategy sessions in the beginning of the course for two days.
  • One-to-one guidance for individual feedback and approach.

The time between Prelims and Mains is too short to even think, leave aside strategizing! The traditional way of preparing by aspirants has usually been taking multiple number of tests! If for a moment, we ponder the basic question that crops up is whether an aspirant will be able to cover the entire syllabus of Mains and also tackle the challenging questions in Mains through writing just 300 questions in the test series? A reasoned answer for this is sure NO. What should then be the best strategy which would cover all topics of Mains with intensive answer writing practice? The answer for this lies in the preparation which provides a right combination of tests and strategic inputs with respect to the higher dimension of topics (not available in standard textbooks) and current affairs linkages to those topics. MANIFEST TEAM has come up with an initiative which inculcates all these ideas through the Mains Enrichment Programme (MEP) which will begin on 10th October 2020

Mains Enrichment Programme(MEP) is a holistic course of nearly 90 days which includes the following components :

Component 1 - Tests and evaluation

Component 2 - Test discussion

Component 3 - Synopsis

Component 4 - Quality improvement classes

Component 5 - Personalized inputs on evaluated scripts through appointments.

Component 6 - Essay Writing Session

Features

 

Component 1 - Tests

  • There will be a total of 20 tests with evaluation
  • The tests are spaced in a manner taking into account the needs of the students and the weightage of the topics in UPSC. For example, the component of Art and Culture and World History which is usually a problematic area for students will be given sufficient preparation time.
  • Clubbing of similar disciplines is done like History and Society to build theme wise integration.
  • Clear bifurcation of topics within a subject based on themes. For example, Ethics has been neatly categorized into four different themes: Philosophical Aspects, Aspects related to Psychology and Decision Making, Aspects related to Administration and finally issues related to Ethics in the Economy. 
  • Questions will range from basics to interdisciplinary. The word inter-disciplining in UPSC has various facets to it varying from interlinkages between subjects (for instance

How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development of India?  (Paper 1 2019) (Geography and Economy)

  • And also within subjects i.e., static and current part, for instance,

What is CyberDome Project? Explain how it can be useful in controlling internet crimes in India. (Paper 3- 2019) (Internal security and current affairs)

  • Manifest team always wants to stay at the cutting edge of the exam preparation. And we are very much awake to the changing needs of the exam particularly with respect to Governance and public policy making. The questions from this particular discipline are cutting across all papers of the exam. For instance:

Paper 1

Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India and explain the nature of convergence, collaboration and competition for its success. (15) (2018)

Paper 2

‘In the context of neo-liberal paradigm of developmental planning, multi-level planning is expected to make operations cost-effective and remove many implementation blockages’- Discuss (15 marks)

              The need for cooperation among various service sectors has been an inherent component of development discourse. Partnership bridges the gap among the sectors. It also sets in motion a culture of ‘collaboration’ and ‘team spirit’. In the light of statements above examine India’s development process. (15 marks)

      Paper 3

It is argued that the strategy of inclusive growth is intended to meet the objectives of inclusiveness and sustainability together. Comment on this statement. (Answer in 250 words)

The public expenditure management is a challenge to the government of India in the context of budget making during the post-liberalization period. Clarify it. (Answer in 250 words)

Paper 4

Explain the basic principles of citizens charter movement and bring out its importance.

There is a view that the Official Secrets Act is an obstacle to the implementation of Right to Information Act. Do you agree with the view? Discuss. (150 words)

In order to tackle this dynamism of UPSC we are including special sessions on governance as part of our Quality Improvement sessions (read on to know more)

Questions for a test will be framed keeping all these in mind as Manifest believes in UPSC way of preparation!

Evaluation

        The evaluation is a three-stage process

  1. The first stage is based on Part Wise and Detailed Evaluation of the scripts wherein the question and answer is broken down into subcomponents and marked accordingly.  Which helps the students to understand their own strengths and weaknesses in each part. For example, if part wise marking is not done a student will be left in the dark about which parts he/she is weak in and why he/she has been given fewer marks for a particular question. Part Wise Marking brings scientific assessment to the process of evaluation. To better understand the importance of part wise marking refer to Manifest Vlog.
  2. The second stage involves the evaluation of the student overall performance in the examination wherein inputs will be given on ways to improve the attempt rate and the places to cut down in order to optimize the overall performance as in UPSC mains speed of answer writing and intelligent decisions during the examination on the questions to attempt make a huge difference in final marks of an aspirant.
  3. The third stage of evaluation is done with the specific subject faculty through appointments which will be explained in Component 4.

Component 2 - Test Discussion

  1. Test discussion will be done by the faculty- Subject Expert on the same day
  2. Test answers will be discussed in Part wise format
  3. The discussion will be limited to 20 questions wherein detail explanations of each question will be given.
  4. Varied kind of introductions and conclusions will be given so as to ensure each student's innovativeness. Brainstorming technique will be used to generate these parts.
  5. Body component will include a mix of precise factual details and analysis.
  6. There will not be any standardized synopsis for the question papers.  
  7. We believe in test discussion to effectively groom the candidates to tackle Upsc in a meaningful and right way

Component 3 – Synopsis

This year we are going to provide detailed synopsis for our test series questions along with innovative methods of answer presentation as part of our course. This will help the aspirants to revise all the tests in an efficient manner in the penultimate stage of the exam.

Component 4   Quality Improvement Classes

This is the unique aspect of the programme where the programme goes beyond the test series component. This aspect includes

  1. Two classes at the beginning of the programme on General Answer writing approach(How GS answers differ from optional answers) and General approach to Essay writing (How Essay writing differs from GS and optional). 
  2. Inputs on the answers of students with a broad discussion on Do’s and Don’ts in the exam.
  3. Approaches to answer writing in specific subjects with the methods for effective presentation of answers. For example Timeline based answers in history and the need and methods of integrating pictorial representations in Geography.
  4. Higher dimensions (not available in standard textbooks) on the topics of the last test. For example, the current debate on the farm bills and its effect on the federal structure of India is a possible question for this year. 
  5. Current Affairs linkages on topics of the last test will be provided. Even in a subject like History, current linkages will be done for example Mophla rebellion is in news in its centenary year and there are varied interpretations of the rebellion which makes it a probable topic for this year. 

Component 5 - Personalized Appointment System

  1. This component is based on the needs of students for expert guidance with respect to various aspects of the exam.
  2. Here the faculty will discuss with the students about their roadblocks and provide them specific inputs on the ways to overcome them.
  3. The methods, strategies to approach the exam and effectively prepare a workable timetable according to the need of a student is provided during this one on one discussion.
  4. Appointments are technologically mediated so that students get quality time with faculty without wasting time waiting for them. To know more click this link

Component 6 - Essay Writing Session

The essay component has a class on a genralized approach to essay writing and a detailed method of Brainstorming, Prioritizing and building narrrative. There will be a total of 4 essay tests along with 3 rounds of evaluation as stated above. Personalized inputs will be given through evaluation. The tests will be designed in the UPSC pattern i.e, 8 essays divided into two sections wherein the students have to select one from each section. The essay component is aimed at fine tuning the essay and give the extra edge to the student.

This approach and strategy will give a good shot for an aspirant to clear the mains examination.

We are offering the course in both offline (once the authorities permit it) and online mode. We have created a seamless portal for the convenience of aspirants which integrates all the aspects of the course here.

We are also offering the course in two different formats one with evaluation and personalized guidance and the other without evaluation and guidance. The fee structures of these modules also vary. 

T & C

VISIT OUR OFFICE / CALL US ON 99644 32222 TO KNOW MORE

You can pay/transfer the fees and mail us the reference number and screenshot of transaction along with your full name and contact details to [email protected] or WhatsApp or Telegram it to 9964432222 with your email id. Account details given below:

FEES: Rs.15000/- for all features

Rs.6000/- without evaluation (includes QIP classes)

Beneficiary name: MANIFEST LEARNING

AXIS Bank account number: 919020072648736

IFSC: UTIB0000468

Rs.15000/-

Rs.15000/-