Pradip Sarkar Sir (from Sapiens IAS, known for Anthropology and Zoology optional coaching) emphasizes completing Mains preparation first (or at least building a strong foundation in Mains-oriented study) as a core part of his overall UPSC strategy. This approach is quite popular among several experienced mentors and successful candidates.

Here are the main reasons why he (and many others) repeatedly stress this point:

Mains is the real "make-or-break" stage — Prelims is qualifying in nature (you just need to cross the cutoff, around 90–100 marks in GS Paper 1 in recent years). But once you clear Prelims, the final rank (and service allocation) is almost entirely decided by Mains marks (1750 marks) + Interview (275 marks). A strong Mains performance can compensate for an average Prelims score, but weak Mains almost always ends your chances even if you somehow clear Prelims.

Integrated preparation benefits Prelims automatically — When you deeply study Mains syllabus (especially GS Papers 1–4, Ethics, Essay, and Optional), you cover most of the static portions and conceptual understanding required for Prelims. Many Prelims questions now come from analytical/depth areas that overlap with Mains (current affairs linkage, application-based questions). Preparing for Mains depth makes Prelims factual recall easier, not the other way around.

Answer writing and structuring skills take time — Mains demands structured, analytical, multi-dimensional answers with good introduction-body-conclusion, interlinkages, examples, etc. These skills (especially for GS and Optional) cannot be developed in the 3–4 months between Prelims and Mains. Pradip Sir often highlights that consistent answer writing practice, value addition, and high-scoring presentation style must be built over a longer period — ideally starting early.

Optional subject mastery is key for high scores — As someone who himself scored 300+ in Mains (in both Zoology and Anthropology multiple times), Pradip Sir knows that a very high score in Optional (300–350+) dramatically boosts total Mains marks and rank. Optional preparation is heavily Mains-oriented (conceptual depth, diagrams, case studies, answer writing). Delaying it until after Prelims usually leads to average Optional scores.

Time crunch after Prelims is dangerous — If your basics and answer writing are weak when Prelims ends, the roughly 100–120 days before Mains are not enough to cover the vast syllabus, practice tests, and improve writing quality — especially if you're also doing current affairs revision.

Psychological and strategic edge — Many aspirants burn out chasing endless Prelims MCQs and facts but remain weak in expression and depth. By prioritizing Mains-style study early, you build confidence, reduce post-Prelims panic, and enter the exam cycle with a "rank-deciding" portion already strong.

In his videos, mentorship posts, and Instagram content (e.g., posts urging to "start your UPSC preparation with Mains" for target years like 2027), he promotes this as the "right way" to significantly increase success chances. He often advocates integrated Prelims + Mains prep but with clear tilt toward building Mains strength from the beginning.