Doordarshan Interview: UPSC Experience

A breif discussion on UPSC preparation and personal experience of the journey

Civil services Preparation strategy

This video discusses what was my preparation strategy from starting to end in course of CSE examination.

Mains tips: Essay, Ethics and Answer writing

Here in this video I have talked about essay and ethics in brief with some emphasis on Answer writing. 

ETHICS PREPARATION

Hello freinds

I am attaching a pdf where I have consolidated major pointers to be kept in mind while preparing for ethics and its case studies

I am also attaching my notes just to give you some help in how to make notes and consolidate things.

Link is Click here

Essay Notes: Prep Strategy

Hello Friends

I am sharing whatever quotes and other info I collected for essay. I have discussed preparation strategy in some other article in this blog.

Hope it is of some use. Thanks !!!

Here is the LinkClick here

Sociology Preparation Strategy

Coming straight to the point. I would like to tell few things about sociology:-

1. The syllabus of the subject is comparatively less. Mainly thinkers are the tough & very vast. Once you understand thinkers sociology can be easily done. Overall 3-4 months are suffice to cover the entire syllabus.

3. It is important to have good articulation skills in sociology.It is because Exam paper is generally having direct questions which you will be able to attempt. So what becomes important is what you write and how you write it. 

4. Sociology is helpful in understanding Indian society , which indirectly helps in GS papers and Essay as well

**  No optional is good or bad. Identify your interest, see past few years performance of the subject, availability of time , coaching and material and take up the subject.

I have tried to discuss the following things  in sociology preparation strategy:-

1. Book list for Paper -1 & 2

2. How to Cover syllabus

3. Coaching for Sociology

4. Test series for Sociology

5. Answer writing for sociology

You will find all this answered in this article of mine Sociology Detailed Strategy

Most Important FAQ's related to CSE Preparation

As beginners we are really confused about UPSC Civil services examination. Most of us are able to find some strategy or tips on preparation. But some very important and crucial questions go unanswered. Some of these questions include :-

Why Civil Services?
What UPSC looks for in a candidate?
How to go about CS preparation?
How much time is required for preparation?
Do I need coaching?
How to prepare without coaching?
How to prepare along with job?
How to choose an optional subject?
How to keep yourself motivated?
How to cope with my fears, insecurities?

I have tried to answer them in detail here 

Why it is difficult to clear Civil Services in 1st attempt

Without any sugar coating I will speak truth and plain. Yes it is difficult to crack civil services in the first attempt.

Everyone around us has two cents of wisdom to lend on civil services. Be it our friends, neighbours, a far flung distant relative who tried his hands on UPSC once, an unknown accidentally encountered on a road , for that matter anyone or everyone will keep littering in our ears once they know you are an aspirant.

When I started preparation I had totally wrong perception of civil services preparation. I felt it needs rigorous efforts like studying 12-14 hours a day, it will take years of preparation, I need to study lot of books, only few lucky people make through the exam and plethora of such misconceptions imbibed in my mind mainly due to those so called two cents of wisdom heard from people who themselves had no idea what UPSC is all about.

And the outcome was as expected I had a very confusing start, half hearted effort with a already inbuilt perception that failure is bound to happen. And the result was I even failed to clear prelims in my first attempt.

The point I am trying to make is simple. It is so difficult to clear in 1st attempt not because we lack capabilities or because exam is too difficult to clear in first attempt. It is mainly because of lack of proper guidance and direction to our preparation. It is due to lack of planning, strategy and consistency. It is due to lack of self confidence.. Most of us fall flat on our feet and then learn the right way and slowly and steadily make our way. On the other hand people who already come enlightened find it easy to sail through and make it in their maiden attempt.

So point is simple, if you really want to clear civil services you need to overcome the above mentioned weaknesses. For that some essential things to do include.

Clarity of goal – First be clear why do you want to be a civil servant, clear motive is very important if you want to succeed. The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential. these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. And this will happen when you know what you want and why.

Self Confidence: It is the common people who do the uncommon things when they repose a leap of faith in themselves. UPSC is no rocket science, trust me all toppers had same butterflies in their stomach when they were aspirants. What made them successful is that they held their nerves tight and believed in themselves. Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. Each one of us has our own story and we craft it with our own hands. You just need to believe that your’s is going to be a beautiful one .
Consistency and persistence for goal - Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. Keeping that in mind remember each day is new , you need to have goals and targets for each day. Its important to wake up with a clear purpose and sleep with a dream that aspires towards goal attainment.

These are the common yardsticks to ensure success in first attempt. Apart from it is important to do the following things:-

1. Having clarity about Civil services examination: what is the syllabus, is coaching needed, which optional to chose, what UPSC needs etc . I have made a small video that might help in this.

2. Understand UPSC preparation process – Booklist, timelines, how to write answers, make notes, read newspaper, how to cover books etc. UnAcademy, Insights, Mrunal will help here. Also I have written one article that will help. Link: Chandra Mohan Garg's answer to How do I study for civil service examination?

3. Make your plan– make your own plans – how to prepare for prelims, how to cover subjects, how to get myself evaluated, how to revise, how much time needed , daily targets , weekly targets etc.

For a fact let me tell you, it is half our fear and half our lack of understanding of what UPSC demands that make us fall in our first attempt. Just be aware, be planned and prepared and be confident .You will surely succeed and achieve what you wanted even in your first attempt.

Someone beautifully said that Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity. Successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results.

What is the best way to crack civil services examination

I have been lucky that I did not faced the wrath of UPSC as it gave me a selection in my previous attempt (617 last yr) and then 25 this year. I think I could make it because of two reasons. First and foremost because I was lucky and secondly I followed an exam focused approach from day 1 of my preparation.

Few points I would share which I feel are a part of best way to prepare for civil services:-

1. Focus on concept building, without it nothing will work. Read less but whatever you read should be crystal clear.
2. Do not run away from making notes. Notes are the key. they help u revise, consolidate
3. Answer writing and discussions with friends is very imp. Thinking buds have to be ignited,
4. Have a plan for next 1 year in your mind. How am I gong to approach UPSC- my daily, weekly and monthly targets.
5. Be consistent in your studies. 1 serious attempt in what we require, rest is destiny, you might face some obstacles.
6. Look for small appreciations , be it through tests results, discussions among friends etc. A small success helps in keeping us motivated in a long run.
7. Be focused, keep evaluating yourself.
8. Most Important, enjoy your journey. If you don’t feel interested nothing will work.You won’t be able to connect the dots in preparation.

Attitude, Aptitude and Articulation and Knowledge are four most important pillars. If you focus on all 4 of them simultaneously in your preparation, you will definitely reap results.We need not be be best in all of them but average at all these spheres. So be it prelims, mains or interview, we will be able to sail through all easily.

Does hardwork really produce results in the UPSC Civil Service Examination?

Yes hard work does pay off but then you need to keep in mind following considerations:

• Everyone of us have different level of aptitude, concentration and ability to grab things. This will determine the amount of time one needs to prepare for services. So never judge your hard work from comparative perspective and feel bad if you fail.
• Hard work can help you to build up your knowledge quotient,but UPSC is much more than that. It demands articulation and application of that knowledge on paper .That requires smart work and ability to deliver in 8 minutes.
• Most Importantly hard work without direction, with low motivation or pessimism will never bear results.

So hard work is very important and probably the most important tool but it needs to be complimented with some aptitude, common sense, articulation and analytical skills , and yes positive attitude. If you have it you will reach your destination. Just don’t doubt yourself.

I have one person with me in services who got visually impaired at age of 4, worked for years as a laborer, after metric did not went to a regular school. Still managed to become a civil servant. Point is enjoy your journey and your efforts, things will automatically start falling for you.

And yes if you want something badly, failure can only delay things but not stop you from getting it. Most of the people who appear for services fail( odds are less then 0.1%) but it is people who don’t give up make it at the end to the list. Majority of people have subsequent attempts to their profile. They failed, they felt bad but they faught back. Analysed their mistakes, worked on them and ensured their success.

What is the best attitude one should maintain to crack civils upsc?

The most important thing is never to underestimate your self and your capabilities . This exam is not an aptitude based exam like IIT or IIM,  but it needs a mix of many things like aptitude, hardwork, persistence, ability to think and ability to express.  There is no one who has all these abilities but yes everyone of us  have some of these abilities. All we need is to identify our capabilities and hone them, and simultaneously  improve ourselves in other spheres too. Most importantly believe that you are equally capable to crack this examination.

Most of the people who crack this exam have average academics, what differentiate them is their attitude for this examination. Attitude is something you can't develop by thinking that oh now I will be positive, Oh I am the best and blah blah.

You need a motive to crack this exam is the very first requirement.

Apart from motive you need to be mentally prepared to pay the price to achieve your goal This price is time, failures, frustation, tension and constant fear. Every candidate goes through it and 99% breakdown here. People who sustain it only emerge as the champions. So more than intelligence, it is your patience and persistence that leads you to success.

A right attitude should not just make you strong enough to face hurdles, but a right candidate is one who keep introspecting and making himself better. This is very important. If we perform well, we need to figure out ways to become better, and if we fail we need to look where are we missing.

A very important factor is motivation and appreciation. Attitude will wither away in their absence. So avoiding people who are pessimistic. Being in company of positive people and people who motivate you is very importnant. Also performing well in test  help in providing constant motivation. All this helps a lot.

Most Impotantly this is not an exam but a process to make ourselves better, when we prepare with this attitude, there is aways scope to learn even after subsequent attempt and failures.

How can one use INSIGHTS effectively for IAS exams?

I think Insight is doing a great job. Keeping in mind that the current trend of UPSC demands lot of contemporary knowledge and its application to real societal issues . Forums like Insights are really helpful in preparation of UPSC. Especially people preparing on their own can make the most of it.

1. Insight Current Events

They are very good especially for prelims. Reason - say DRDO developed xyz missile. It will explain DRDO and then the features of missile developed. Like this very good factual info on government plans, schemes, organisations, institutions, scientific developments , personalities etc you will find. Make notes of it.

Also there daily quiz are good for learning and revision

2. Insight Secure Initiative ( very helpful for mains)

• They post questions related to GS-1 to 4 topics on a daily basis and people write answers. so a platform to write answers and get evaluated. Though time consuming
• More importantly a good repository of Information. I would daily scan the questions and look for questions which were of high relevance or those where I have little info. I would read best answer to get some points or value addition and note them down in my own notes. eg : Question is issues with cyber policies in India.Now someone would have researched on current cyber policy, issues and challenges and also looked into solutions and best practices. Now all this info I can get in one place in the answer. This is researched, refined and most concrete and simple way to collect fodder information of multiple topics and issues.
• Good for GS4 especially. Read answers on general ethical questions and case study. One good repository.
• Good place to read others essay and write own’s own on sunday’s

3. Insight Plans of self preparations

People who can not afford coaching, they can make the most of insights self preparation mode. They set a time table, give targets and put up tests both for prelims and mains. A little tough timetable but good if u are unable to make one for yourself. You can follow directions of Insights self preparation plan.

4. Insight Test series

I feel it is very good for prelims. One of the best in terms of questions. Over all 33 so a lil bulky to solve. All available on photocopy shops in delhi, some people have uploaded on google drive as well

5. Editorials analysis, TV discussions analysis, Mind maps and articles all very informative and helpful.

6. It also gives lot of information , downloadable stuff, links, preparation strategy of toppers etc.

Overall a very good source for UPSC preparation and a very reliable one. I personally gained a lot out of it.

Which is the best source of current events for upsc prelim apart from the newspapers?

Some good sources from prelims perspective include:-

1. InsightonIndia website:- Their current events section and daily current event quiz are really very helpful
2. Civilsdaily :- Its a website which summarise daily current events and is helpful if you want to see factual info is less time consuming way.
3. Monthly Magazine - Vision, Vajiram,IAS baba to name a few. I liked Vajiram from prelims point of view and vision ias from mains perspective. Not much diff so one can choose any.
4. Some publications even sell MCQ bank on current events, that can be seen as well if you need.

Is one full year's preparation enough to crack the IAS?

We read a lot about failures and success in this examination and come across lot of stories. Stories of people doing it in their first attempt and stories of people doing it in 4–5–6 or never. So this question of yours that one year is suffice or not is very subjective.

People who have strong aptitude, are well read, following civil’s related stuff from sometime, have command on current affairs, good articulation, have been in touch with optional . They need less time. If someone cracks in his 1st attempt with less time given to preparation you need to keep in mind that some or all of these factors helped them in preparing in lesser time. Plus to some extent they were lucky not to get massacred at any stage.

Do not quantify this exam in terms of time, it checks each and every aspect of you. Knowledge,aptitude and articulation. Different people will need different time to come to the level. Its just like climbing up the mountain, you need time depending on your agility, weight, will etc. Same is with UPSC, just different parameters.

Yes people have done even in 1 year of rigorous preparation and so you can. Just prepare hard, enjoy the journey and be optimistic.

Should I quit IAS preparation?

I too had quit my UPSC dream in college and went on to join one of the the Big Four because I didn’t had enough trust in myself. I thought I won’t be able to clear civil services so why take a risk.I never had that confidence in me.

One day I was sitting with a senior of mine and he was working. I asked him “ so sir How is it going”. He said “How will it go, its my daily bread so I have to do it whether I like it or not” . Then I asked him that why don’t you leave it. He simply replied “now its too late, I have been doing this since years so I have to continue with it”.

Two things I learnt that day. If you don’t like your job no matter how much respect or perks it has , you will never enjoy that, as its just not your way of life. Secondly never give yourself a chance to regret. “ I wish I had not given up then”. And that was the biggest reason I quit my job and prepared for civil services again.

I personally don’t find any logic in quitting up your dream, for you feel you just not capable enough. No one is born with capabilities , we have to learn capabilities to excel in life. And it is easy to learn when there is a desire or drive.

You want your dream accomplished but you are not ready to pay the price of accomplishing it. Failures, challenges, frustration and risk are definitely the price to pay.

You are not a loser, having failures in life and being an average is infact a boon as it never lets you become complacent. All you need is more clarity about what you want in life and how to go about it. And in achieving that if you meet with failures it is totally fine. At least you will be happy that you gave your self ample chance to do what you wanted in life.

Sometimes you have to trust yourself and make a genuine effort. And when you persistently do that with patience things do change, confidence do come , success do happen and then dreams do get fulfilled.

Just don’t be in someone’s else shoes for rest of your life . Get your own ones, no matter how they look like. You are young enough to take a risk to do what you want in life.Just trust yourself that you are good enough to chase down your dreams.

How to prepare for CSE - Strategy, Booklist, timetable etc

Attitude, Aptitude and Articulation and Knowledge are four most important pillars. If you focus on all 4 of them simultaneously in your preparation, you will definitely reap results.We need not be be best in all of them but average at all these spheres. So be it prelims, mains or interview, we will be able to sail through all easily.

When people start their preparation they face issues related to book list, time management , planning, strategy , coverage of syllabus and many more. I am addressing the following questions in this video. 

How do I start my preparation for CSE?
What should be the booklist for both prelims and mains examination?
Should we prepare for mains and prelims separately?
Covering the same resources, why results differ?
Booklist exclusive to mains examination
How do I cover the entire syllabus?
What should be your revision strategy?
Some other tips

Current Affairs and reading Newspapers

In mains most of questions in GS paper 2 & 3 are current based, even ethics questions or case studies at times relate to current. In prelims lot of direct current affairs related questions are there and from static part current related topics become more important. So current affairs is very important today.

I have made this 9 minutes video to discuss few Current affairs related questions like:

How to begin reading the newspapers?
Which newspaper should I read?
What exactly should be read in the papers?
How to read The Hindu?
How to read The Indian Express?
How to make notes out of a newspaper?
What else has to be referred to apart from the newspapers?

You will find the answers here

Some Good Essays List

I am giving links of few websites from where you can find some good essays. Please read some sample essays and try to understand how to frame an essay overall. You can learn how to begin Introduction, how to keep the essay connected, how to present arguments and how to conclude essays. Reading some essays will help you in giving more clarity about how to go about writing an essay.

Some links from where you can download the essays :-

1. VVR Test series Toppers Essays

2. Vision IAS Toppers Essays 

3. GS score Toppers Essay Copy

Hope you have enough to read :)

How to prepare for Civil Services from scratch

I feel privileged today to share my two cents on civil services preparation. Before I begin let me clearly state that there is no magic wand to clear civil services. Also there is no correlation of intelligence and high aptitude with chances of selection in civil services. Most of the people who crack it are no indifferent (at one point of time even they were a part of the herd and felt the same uncertainty of clearing up this exam).But yes something worked for them, that made them successful.

I would like to list down some of the most important components which you will find common in preparation of all successful candidates. We can call them as Basic Pillars of UPSC Preparation

1. A timetable and strategy: Nothing is possible without proper planning, a daily timetable and short/long term goals setting. So plan and timetable is the first pillar.
2. A strong foundation and conceptual clarity: it is important to ensure whatever we read, we understand it thoroughly. UPSC questions are very much applied, they need analysis and that can come only when we are crystal clear with our concepts of subject matter.
3. Consolidation and revision: The syllabus is like a vast ocean, it is important to keep consolidating and revising it time and again.So make notes and continuosly revise every now and then.
4. Evaluation of Preparation: At every point of time you should know where your preparation stand, that is possible through self-evaluation and evaluation through tests.
5. Consistency: Nothing happens without it. People who show consistency are sure shot to be rewarded, provided they work smartly
6. Discussions and Answer writing: Discussions are very important, they will help in clearing your doubts & better understanding of subject matter. Similarly Answer writing has a very important role, knowledge without ability to express and articulate is futile. It is important to develop the ability to deliver in 8 minutes.
7. Being Optimistic: This is the last but the most important one. UPSC is a time taking process, full of obstacles and failures. How to cope up with them, keeping yourself motivated is the biggest key to success.

I will discuss each of the above point in detail sometime later. Also I shall take up discussion on soft aspects like right time to start preparation, should job be left, need of a backup, how do I decide why civil services etc. Clarity on all this is must before giving a full-fledged effort for preparation.

Now let us discuss how to prepare for civil services.

Pre –Preparation Mode

The initial two-three months are very confusing. People are generally not able to understand what to read, how to make notes, which newspaper to refer and other plethora of questions coming to their minds. What most people end up doing is they join a coaching thinking it to be a solution to all problems , others blindly start following some senior who himself is misdirected. This is a very crucial stage and I feel most of the people lose their momentum here because of a faulty start and they find very difficult to realign later.

So starting has to be steady and sober. I think it is important to give at least two months to yourself to get yourself in UPSC mode. Start reading newspapers and noting them down, basic NCERT’s of economics, Polity & other basic ones, some good blogs/book etc. This will not only help in giving you a foundation but also help in taking informed decisions related to preparation (estimation of time you will need, need of coaching, should job be continued, optional choice etc.). This will act as a trial and error time where you can learn how to make notes, how to read books, learn from others etc. So this will make things smooth in your preparation be it self or through coaching.

I shall discuss in detail how to go about in pre-preparation mode

Preparation Mode

When you start your preparation, have a clear cut idea about your study plan. Which books/material to read, which subjects to cover up, how to divide time between (GS, current affairs and optional), what will be the daily targets, short and long term goals.

Time Required for Preparation: Since every one of us have different grasping power so please do not go by others set timeline. Take your own time for civil services preparation. Ideally 12-15 months is at least required for preparation mode.

Book-List

Prelims Book List (My Prelims Book List)

Polity – Laxmikanth

Modern History – Modern Spectrum , few chapters from Old NCERT class 12th (before 1857)

Medieval History – OLD NCERT

Ancient History- OLD NCERT CLASS 11th

Culture- Nitin Singhania + CCRT/NIOS selectively , Mrunal Videos can also be seen

Environment – Shankar Ias, Old Biology Class 12 Ecology unit

Economics- Sriram Printed Notes + Macroeconomics Class 12 NCERT . Mrunal Videos are also good .

Geography – Class 11th &12th NCERT, Class 6 to 10th NCERT selectively, Biomes chapter from G C Leong. Mrunal Videos are also good.

Science- NCERT 6th to 10th (Mainly 9th&10th), Some selective chapters from 11th & 12th as mentioned by Mrunal. Vajiram Yellow books of PCB are also fine

Current Affairs- Hindu + InsightsonIndia + Monthly Magazine

Other stuff – Budget+ Eco survey selectively + Indian Year Book Selectively(only if time permits)

Test Series – InsightsonIndia papers for its questions . A question bank like Arihant might also be of help

What if the basics are very weak. You can do the following:-

• Read NCERTS 6th to 10th of subjects you feel you are very weak
• Take help of online videos. Mrunal, Unacademy are good platforms.

                                           General Studies Mains

GS Paper 1

Culture : Nitin Singhania Notes + Vajiram Notes

Modern History – Modern Spectrum/Shekhar Bandopadhyay , few chapters from Old NCERT class 12th (before 1857)

Post Independent History – Vision Ias (selectively), Bipin Chandra India since Independence(selectively).

World History – NCERT 9th &10th Old ones, Class 12th NCERT (all selectively) , Vision IAS notes

Society – Ram Ahuja selectively can be seen, current affairs

Geography – NCERT 11th& 12th , GC Leong , Mrunal Videos, Vision reference for resources part

GS Paper 2

Read one reference source for static part and compliment it with current affairs .

Polity: Laxmikanth thoroughly + Current Affairs

Public Admin related topics:Vision IAS + Current Affairs

IR: Current Affairs. If need be Subhra Ranjan mam IR notes of Pol science are also good to be selectively referred.

Insight secure Initiative is very helpful here. Look at paper 2 questions posted up and read answers on topics you have little or no idea. Collate it in your notes.

GS Paper 3

Economy & Infrastructure : Prelims studied sources + Sanjeev Verma + Economic survey + Budget + Current Affairs

Agriculture & related topics : Mrunal + Vision Ias + Current Affairs

Security – TMH book on security + Current Affairs

Environment & Science : Mainly current affair + whatever studied for prelims

Disaster Management : Summarise ARC on DM + Current Affairs

Here also make most of Insight secure Initiative + Newspaper + Vision Ias Magazines

GS Paper 4

It is not a technical subject , this subject requires very clear understanding of value aspect and then its application in real life and contextual problem. So focus should be on general understanding and answer writing.

Read one reference book say lexicon. Summarize and make your own notes for values, concepts and relate it to examples. Eg attitude. what is attitude, attributes of attitude, how to change attitude etc. Make simple points on all these and relate it to real life examples.( how to change a bureaucrat attitude, society attitude etc). This year a question was based on it only- changing attitude of villagers towards female education. How will you do it.

UPSC expects application of ethical knowledge in real life and this is how we need to do it.Refer Insights secure for answer writing and reading others answer.

Key is read less, think more ( collect examples, reason and analyse etc) and then practice how to write. Refer some test series if you want. GS score case studies solutions were really good earlier. Don’t know now.

Use: Lexicon, InsightsonIndia articles + Secure Initiative , Some test papers with solution on case studies( GS score solutions/Lukmaan), self analysis and note making.

General Good books / sources for knowledge addition :-

1. India After Gandhi :- Must to understand India’s transformation
2. Imagining India :- Discusses well India’s issues and solutions to them
3. 12th 5yr Approach plan: Very helpful for paper 3
4. Economic Survey and Budget
5. RSTV discussions
6. Selective reference to Kurukshetra, Yojana, EPW

How to Cover Syllabus

Syllabus can be divided into 3 parts

1. Pre cum Mains:

This is that part of Syllabus which is more or less common for prelims and mains. E.g. Polity, World Geography etc. You will get to know just by seeing Syllabus which all parts are common.

Prepare this part holistically for prelims and mains together i.e. understand the concept and as well learn the factual part. For example if you are reading Laxmikant and topic is Speaker, from prelims perspective you will focus on how speaker is elected, his powers, which committees he heads etc. & from mains point of view you will focus on role of speaker in effective functioning of parliament, how to ensure political impartiality of speaker, UK vs India model for speaker etc.

If possible make some notes or put stickers in the book and summarise. Write some answers for practice every now and then (get this evaluated by someone).

Pre cum mains section needs to be covered well in advance before prelims examination, so that you can revise twice before prelims. Also you should practice at least one test series for prelims.

I will discuss prelims and GS-1, 2, 3, 4 preparation paper strategy separately, where I can talk about how to cover syllabus, book list, note making, how to link static and current knowledge, how to consolidate and what to write in answers.

2. Mains topics Only

This refers to those part of syllabus which are not common with prelims. E.g.- GS Paper 4, World History etc. Refer syllabus and you will get all of it.

One should read each and everything from this section and make some notes also before prelims. So that after prelims you can join a test series and write test and evaluate and revise only.

3. Optional

Choose optional on the basis of interest, time requirement, material availability, marks trend etc. It is very important to cover the entire syllabus of optional before prelims. After prelims it should only be revision, value addition and answer writing practice.

Other Important Components of Syllabus

1. Current Affairs

Current Affairs is very important for prelims and mains point of view. One needs to make continuous notes because most of the questions asked in prelims and mains have a correlation with contemporary developments taking place. Sources you need may include:-

1. A current Daily: to capture recent happenings, reading editorial, noting examples, general awareness and facts. Hindu and Indian Express are good sources
2. Monthly Magazine: To get a consolidated source every month end. Vision, IAS Baba or any other will do.
3. InsightsonIndia: Secure Initiative for Mains Value addition and Current events for prelims majorly.

For prelims: Capture all events, organisation, initiatives, schemes & policy, scientific developments, Institutions, people etc. in news

For Mains: Go through the syllabus thoroughly and make categories (Polity, IR, S&T etc.). Capture any government initiatives, policies, latest development in any field, issue analysis, editorial, case study, facts related to the syllabus.

2. Essay

Most of the people generally ignore essay preparation. I could increase 32 marks in my GS altogether (375 to 407) after putting up lot of efforts. But not even 1/10^th of effort was required to increase 28 marks in essay (121 to 149). So it is very important to prepare for essay. Essay preparation does not require any coaching as fodder you will get from GS preparation. What needs to be learnt is how to articulate that knowledge, how to create an outline of essay and structure your ideas, how to give illustrations and include quotes, facts, examples in essay. All this will come with practice and some homework.

I will write on this in detail later.

PRELIMS TIME (what to do)

Prelims has become highly competitive, keeping in mind that CSAT is out and cut-off is going very high one needs to give a lot of attention to prelims .Now focus has to be on two areas. One is what to prepare and Second how to solve the paper.

What to prepare:

Firstly focus on basic books and NCERT and cover them thoroughly. This is the most conventional and safe area from where you can be sure that question will come and you will be able to solve. Secondly read budget, economic survey and current events thoroughly. This is another favourite area of UPSC now. Apart from this there are so many growing resources for environment, culture, conventional subjects coming up. Read them selectively on your discretion once you are done with above mentioned things.Most Important is revision, revise at least thrice.Also do give tests they help in evaluation, course completion and revision. If you don’t want to join take papers from the market. InsightsonIndia papers are very nice.

How to solve the paper:

The papers these days are very confusing due to multiple choices, making it difficult to attempt questions with 100 percent surety. So at times we need to take calculated risks. Paper need to be solved through 2 ways. One you know what is the answer, other you know what can’t be the answer so indirectly leading you to the answer. Read the questions and solve them in the question paper first. If you know the answer put a tick in the question paper, if you don’t know leave it, if you are 50-50 ( able to eliminate at least two options) you can put a round or any other way you like to make it like a marked question. Now in your answer sheet first fill only those questions you are 100 percent sure. Count such number of questions. Based on your self-evaluation figure out if you need to take some risk. If you think you have done ample questions and will easily clear so don’t take a risk. If you feel your attempt is very less then take some calculated risk with questions you had put as marked questions, choose those questions among them where you are able to eliminate one more option or are more or less confident towards one of the two options left.

I am only sharing an approach using it is solely your discretion, don’t go by mine or anyone else advice. Practice it in mocks and then take your own decision. Though best thing is to ensure you take minimal risk, but such conditions are idealistic and we have to be prepared for emergency situations.

PRE-MAINS TIME (what to do)

This is the time when all your notes/revision sources should be ready. No new reading in this period except current affairs and some value additions. Now set a timeline for revision. You can use a test series or even self-defined deadlines. This time 116 days are there so plan accordingly.

Consolidation (75-80 days)

Tests will have a weekly/bi weekly plan and a part of syllabus is supposed to be covered. First cover the left over parts of the topics if any left. Then revise everything. While revising keep your static and current affairs notes /sources together and consolidate them.

For eg- you read speaker in Laxmikant, in current affairs you would have come across how speaker misused anti-defection law in Bihar, how a bill was labelled as money bill to bypass Rajya sabha etc. Likewise consolidate your knowledge of current and static parts for every paper.

Most importantly focus on answer writing a lot. Not just writing but get evaluated through test series, friends, seniors in services or Insight on India. Objective behind writing is solely improve your articulation, structuring etc.

First and Second Revision ( 35-40 days)

It is important to remember basic ideas in the examination hall. Rather than reading new things focus on strengthening what you have read. So two rounds of revision are much needed. It sounds idealistic when we are not even able to cover the syllabus. But my focus is on quality of coverage than quantity. And if you plan properly you can have quality along with quantity.

Note Making

Whatever you read in Static and Current part keep consolidating topic wise. Anything new add in your notes rather than reading again and again. Later these notes can be consolidated and used for revision purpose. If you will not make notes you will not be able to catch hold of entire syllabus, keep forgetting things. So start making notes from day 1. In course of time you will learn how to make, manage and revise them

What else is required?

I think three biggest facets of this preparation are Knowledge, articulation and positive attitude. Nobody talks about this third facet which is the most important and critical aspect of not just Upsc preparation but life in itself. I am focussing on this because I left my preparation once thinking I am not capable of clearing UPSC and here I am with rank 25. It happened only when I changed my outlook, had I not changed it, my capabilities would never had come out. I could not have achieved this feat.

I am sharing a small link to an article I wrote sometime back. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-attitude-one-should-maintain-to-crack-civils-upsc

My Marks

Queries?

I know all of us are full of confusions and queries. So in case any one of you needs any help you can reach out to me on a fb page I created this page to upload articles and videos and answer all your queries. In case you need any help in answer review. You can post here only.

Link is : https://www.facebook.com/CSE-Preparation-1713358785598474/

Also you can poke me on quora. https://www.quora.com/profile/Chandra-Mohan-Garg-1

I shall try to write a series of article or make some videos on each and every aspect related to UPSC preparation. Please give me some time.

                   Best wishes to all of you. Hope we all do our best in our lives.