Prelims
Read the clues in the question and the options. Cut the wrong choices. Attempt only what is worth attempting.
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By Neil Sir · UnlockIAS
Sherlocking
Think better when you don't know everything.
UPSC is not just a memory test. It rewards the aspirant who reads a question properly, avoids the obvious traps, and makes a smart call even when unsure. That skill can be taught. Sherlocking is how Neil Sir teaches it.
Pioneered by Neil Sir, HCS 2021 (Rank 93). Utilised by thousands of aspirants.
The idea
You will never know everything in this exam. Nobody does.
The aspirant who clears is not the one who has read the most. It is the one who uses what they know better. Sherlocking trains exactly that.
What is Sherlocking
Four questions, before you answer anything.
1
What is this question really asking?
2
What can I rule out?
3
What structure can I use?
4
What is the best call I can make right now?
These four questions work in Prelims. They work in Mains. They work in the Interview. And they keep working long after the exam is over.
Where it helps
One method, every stage.
Mains
Understand what the question is demanding. Build a clear structure. Turn limited recall into a balanced answer.
Interview
Stay calm with an unknown question. Think aloud. Show honest, reasoned judgment.
Preparation
Treat past papers as clues. See what repeats. Revise what gives you the highest return.
Life
Separate signal from noise, and decide with confidence even when you do not have the full picture.
The Sherlocking move
The same four steps, every time.
DecodeEliminateStructureDecide
When you don't know everything, this is how you use what you do know.
Why it works
Marks come from more than how much an aspirant has read.
They come from reading carefully, spotting traps, writing with structure, staying calm, and attempting wisely. That is the part most aspirants never train. Sherlocking trains it, one question at a time.
Neil Siron Telegram
Aspirants in the @UPSCneil community share their Sherlocking attempts on practice questions — learn from real examples and Neil Sir's feedback.
Join @UPSCneil to see morePutting it to work
How aspirants learn and apply it.
Module videos
Short, focused videos that break down each Sherlocking move on real UPSC questions.
Sessions with Neil Sir
Regular live sessions where Neil Sir applies Sherlocking to fresh questions and clears doubts as they come.
Test series
Every test is taught the Sherlocking way, so aspirants practise decode, eliminate, structure and decide on each question.
The same thinking reaches far beyond the UPSC Civil Services. It works for HCS and other State PCS exams like BPSC, UPPSC and MPSC, for defence and forces exams like CDS and CAPF, and for most competitive exams built on tough objective and written papers. Every one of them runs on patterns. Sherlocking teaches an aspirant to read those patterns, whatever the exam.
Questions aspirants ask
Straight answers.
What is the Sherlocking methodology?
It is a thinking method created by Neil Sir at UnlockIAS. Before answering anything, it makes an aspirant ask four questions: what is really being asked, what can be ruled out, what structure to use, and what is the best decision with the knowledge at hand. It works in Prelims, Mains, the Interview, and in everyday decisions.
Does it work for Mains and the Interview, or only Prelims?
It works at every stage. In Prelims you decode the question and eliminate traps. In Mains you decode the demand and build structure even when recall is low. In the Interview you stay calm, think aloud, and show judgment. The same four moves carry across all of them.
I have already finished the syllabus. Will this help me?
Yes, and usually it helps the most prepared aspirants the most. Many people score below their level not because they lack facts but because they misread the question, fall for a trap, or freeze when unsure. Sherlocking turns the knowledge you already have into marks.
Stop guessing. Start Sherlocking.
Learn to use what you know better, in Prelims, Mains and the Interview.
Start with UnlockIAS