What was your strategy for the Civil Services exam? - pravinnath/upscpreparationguide GitHub Wiki

Starting with the most important thing which once an already selected senior told me - in CSE preparation, it is more important to be able to decide what not to read than what to read. Thus quality content becomes important for studying and it's repeated revision helps one to succeed. Where there is shortage of such content for example in optionals then note making becomes very crucial and important.

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Prelims –

Prelims( Got 154/200) is a tough competition where first elimination for CSE takes place and one should devote proper time for its preparation.

Strategy which I followed was -

Dedicated three months preparation which would cover my static portion of mains syllabus as well as current affairs till prelims exam for GS.

Last five year question papers as guide to understand which type of questions UPSC is asking. For example reports by world organisations , space programs, missiles, national parks, biosphere reserves etc are frequently asked now.

Reading selected standard books and their frequent revision.

Followed gurutechy daily quizzes, Daily current affairs, gurutechy monthly, PT 365 and gurutechy revision tests. Revising the above as many times as possible.

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The art of eliminating the options is very important which one could learn through practicing tests and solving last year Question papers as UPSC many a times would be asking questions which are not straightforward.

Frequent revision of studied material is very important as that increases the accuracy in prelims as well as reduces the negative marking which overall helps in getting through.

Essay –

I got 158 this time and had taken inputs from the strategy of Chandra Mohan Garg sir who posted his essay strategy on InsightonIndia website.

One must practice two essays per week and get them evaluated from friends. This way one is able to prepare relevant material (which includes facts, reports, indices, judgements etc) on different topics which one could revise before the examination. One can also prepare quotations for broader areas like environment, women, science and technology etc. and successfully use them to supplement dimensions and sub dimensions in the essay. Strategy during the exam –

Choosing the right topic i.e. about which one has the relevant content – examples, facts, quotations etc. I wrote on “If development is not engendered, it is endangered.” I had previously prepared on women issues which helped me choose this topic. Preparing the blue print ( for 15-20 minutes) Revising the Blue print and structuring it. Writing the essay for an hour. Moving to second essay and selecting the topic keeping in mind that the content from first essay is not repeated in the second. I wrote on “Cyberspace and Internet : Blessing or Curse to the human civilization in the long run”. I had previously prepared on Internet of things, Digital world and Net neutrality, which helped me choose this topic. Preparing the blue print and writing the essay. Revising both the essays to avoid silly mistakes and thus saving marks. I have the habit of starting my essay with simple definition of the topic and giving a glimpse of what I would be dealing ahead. I used quotations in the body and conclusion. I used simple language and small paragraphs as well as tried to cover multiple dimensions and sub dimensions in the essay. The criticism should be constructive and solutions should be given to overcome the shortcomings if any. Dimensions like Rural areas, Tribal population, Agriculture are very important to be covered apart from social, economic, political, historical and cultural dimensions. Quoting examples to substantiate is must.

The conclusion should be futuristic and positive. The government schemes along with NGOs and media efforts should be mentioned. There must be some personal suggestions as well.

GS Papers –

Followed Insight secure and practiced writing few of those questions daily especially the ethics question. I used to discuss it with my friends which helped me in knowing the points that I missed as well as it helped in preparing the topics for mains. I wrote all the answers in points unlike my previous attempt in which I used paragraphs. I observed that with points one is able to write more relevant content along with various dimensions avoiding repetition. Followed vision mains 365 and test series. Last year papers are guiding light for aligning oneself with the UPSC. I tried to link the answers with current events, drew diagrams where I could and tried to give examples wherever possible. Practising comprehensive tests so that paper could be completed on time without diluting the quality. Peer evaluation and group study is important to know different perspectives. The word limit needs to be kept in mind while preparing notes on any topic or reading any material as one is expected to write quality 200 words only for any answer, neither more nor less.Revising again and again helps one to write more relevant answers in exam as compared to reading more and remembering less.

In the end I would like to say that everyone is unique and has one’s own learning curve, one must listen to everyone but must form one’s own strategy for this examination as per one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Failures must be thoroughly analysed and lessons must be drawn for future. Constant introspection is necessary to keep oneself aligned with UPSC.

The other important point I would like to stress upon is of keeping oneself healthy and fit during preparation and to be able to undergo the regress days of examination during mains.

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