How I am preparing for UPSC and building Mockyard | The Dawn

Most people tell you that UPSC demands 100% focus and I am sure you've heard that "Delete Instagram, lock your phone, and become a baba."

So, why on earth am I-a serious aspirant targeting the 2027 attempt - spending time everyday building Mockyard, fixing bugs and all..

Why build Mockyard when I should be reading Lakshmikant?

The answer is simple, but it might sound contradictory: I am building Mockyard because I am terrified of the randomness of this exam.

1. The "Engineer's Itch"

I'm a btech graduate. My brain is wired for logic: Input + Process = Output

But UPSC feels like chaos. You study History for 2 months, take a mocktest, and score 40/50 marks because the question was vague or "random." Most aspirants accept this as "fate." They just study harder

I coudn't do that. My engineering brain screamed that there had to be a data problem.

• Was I actually bad at History?
• Or was I just bad at Ancient History?
• Was I guessing too much?
• Was I slow?
• Was I not studying enough?

The existing apps gave me a score (e.g. 89/200), but they didn't give me Control. They treated me like a customer, not a student.

So , I decided to build a tool I coudn't buy.

2. The Strategy: "Dogfooding" the Prep

In tech, "dogfooding" means using your own product. This is my secret weapon.

I am not building random features. I am building exactly what my study schedule demands.

• The Problem: I kept forgetting Economy concepts (Banking vs. Finance).
• The Build: I built the "Daily Drill"—a streak-based 5-question quiz.
• The Usage: Now, I force myself to keep a 50-day streak on my own app. If I break the streak, I fail myself.
• Outcome: Consistency

By building Mockyard, I am forcing myself to be disciplined. I can't skip the "Daily Drill" because I have to upload the questions for the aspirants.

3. The 3-Hour Rule

How do I manage time? It is brutal, but simple.

• 07:00 AM - 10:00 AM (The Builder Mode): I code. I fix bugs. I upload PYQs. I engage with the Telegram tribe. This wakes up my brain.
• 10:30 AM - 06:00 PM (The Aspirant Mode): I study. No code. No server logs. Just me and the books.
• Evening (The Review): I check the app data. Did other aspirants struggle with the same Polity question I did? If yes, I feel less alone.

4. Why 2027?

I am treating 2026 as a "Diagnostic Trial" and 2027 as the "Sniper Shot."

This long runway gives me time to build the Mockyard Ecosystem slowly. I don't need to rush. I don't need VC money. I just need 100 serious aspirants who want the same thing I do: Precision.

5. Join the Guild

I am not a "Expert." I haven't cleared Prelims yet. I am an Engineer-Aspirant building in public.

If you want generic motivation, go to Instagram. If you want to see how a regular guy uses Data and Logic to hack the toughest exam in India, you are in the right place.

This blog series will document everything: my failures, my revenue (or lack of it), and my mock scores.