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Now or Never !

Failures & Toppers

Overcome Failures and Try to become a Topper
Failures, small or big, affect us all. They dent confidence. They derail our routine. They create self-doubts. They instill fear. Well, that’s negative part.On the other hand, they make us strong. They teach us valuable lessons for life. Failures make us realisethat there are better ways to do things and helps us open our eyes to new avenues in life. You know stories of lots of great people who failed and then became great. If you choose to let failures affect you negatively, you will be injured for life. If you learn from failures and start chasing your dreams with renewed vigour, chances are more that you will succeed.When you started preparing for this exam, you knew the challenges. Most people around you, even parents might have doubted your abilities. Some might have stared at you with that indifferent look and told you that this exam is the toughest and you better be happy with what you already have, or aim for something smaller. Even some might have sympathised with you for wasting precious time of your life chasing the impossible.Yet, you made the decision and started this journey. Will you quit just because you failed in one of the stages of this exam?At present you must belong to either one of the following categories: Gave interview but didn’t see your name in the final list; Have given multiple attempts including Mains and now worrying about how to succeed in 2016; A beginner ardently readingtopper’s interviews here and there and trying to be one of them next year; Have failed prelims 2-3 times or more and depressed thinking what’s going wrong in your preparation; A beneficiary of extra attempts and trying to win the battle at any cost as you know that both age and attempts are not on your side; Or aperson who got rank but not at all satisfied with what you have got, and wants to figure in Top 50 next year.The common desire is to get a top rank. You might have already dreamt multiple times about getting first rank and becoming a national celebrity. But somewhere in your preparation journey, this dream of getting a top rank wanes and waxes – with your level of commitment to the goal you have chosen and with the number of failures that you have faced.Every failure that you have faced is a lesson. For some of you who never failed in life, these failure may be shocking and overwhelming. For some of you who have seen so many failures, this one more failure in this exam might be unbearable. Will you quit the race?Some quit. They see no point in struggling for too long when they have some other opportunities in their life. For some, IAS or IPS might be just another good job and their interest in them will not last long. But for you, what’s the motivation to get into IAS/IPS/IFS?Give it a serious thought. If your desire to get into these services is very strong, then have no self-doubt, even if you fail many times, you can still go for it and achieve it. Right attitude matters when you are after something that’s very dear to you. You know that you have that desire and determination to get a good rank in this exam, yet self-doubt keeps lingering in your head. Am I movingin right direction? Am I studying right materials? Am I following right strategy? Will I be able to score sucha high Marks as scored by Tina  Dhabi and Ira Singhal? What if I don’t clear prelims? What if I don’t get good marks in my optional? What if I fail? Do I have ability in me to clear UPSC civil services exam?Almost everyone gets these doubts. Topper will not know he/she would become topper. But, they will for sure know that they will get a good rank. They become better by working hard. Once they come out of exam hall, they know that they have given their best shot. They will know that their name will figure in the final list. This confidence stems from strong self belief, which in turn comes from very good preparation.Every day you have a chance to follow the right thing. You have an opportunity to correct past mistakes and push yourself towards your goal. If you think you lack ability, work hard and harder. You will gain the ability. If you think you are weak in optional, put more hours into optional preparation. You will master it. However  you work hard,  you will still get self doubts – especially while preparing for UPSC Civil Services Exam. But have faith and keep working hard. Gradually, self doubts get defeated by your consistency in your hard work. There are many who fought many odds and got top ranks despite spending so many years into UPSC civil services exam preparation. What distinguishes them from others who can’t make it finally?It’s ability to overcome failures and making course correction at right time. Don’t experiment all the time. Stick to the plan that’s giving you confidence and push yourself to improve efficiency and productivity.To give an example, we have seen students who used to complain that it used to take 4-5 hours to answer 2-3Securequestions. We told them that in the beginning it will consume lots of time, but if they push themselves and stick to writing for 15-20 days, they will get better at it. Some quit. But some who didn’t quit are today writing answers toallSecurequestions injust 2 hours.Shed cynicism. It’s a very dangerous attitude. Someone might tell you – he/she was the best and tried their best in this exam, yet failed. This might discourage you. But, you are not he/she. You are you. You should know what’s your weaknesses and strengths. Work hard to overcome your weaknesses.Try to improve your strengths. Follow one strategy that worked for most toppers, or that’s working for you, and no matter what people tell you, stick to the strategy.Don’t get lured by overwhelming amount of sources that are released in the market both online and offline. Everything seems important. But, can you digest everything? Whatever you see in market are just different shades of same colour (You will get current events and other stuff from so many sources, followany1-2 sources only). Go with the one you like and trust most.There is nothing wrong in aiming for a top rank.  To get there, you must be a ‘Serious Aspirant’. Most people mistake serious aspirant for the guy/girl who spends more hours ‘reading’ all kinds of books; or the one who appears very serious, always  roams around with 2-3 books in his/her hand; or the one who pretends to know everything.Appearances and attitudes can be deceptive. Don’t get disheartened by looking at thousands of ‘SeriousAspirants’ around you. A serious aspirant is the one who is determined as hell to win this battle at any cost. They are people of actions – they write whole year, they revise at regular intervals, they know their strengths and weaknesses, they know that with eachpassing day, they are getting closer to their goal. They are least worried about failures. They not just dream of becoming topper, they work towards achieving this goal. And their number is very less.There are very few serious aspirants around you. Their number may be less than 5000. Be one of them. You can be one of them. It doesn’t matter where you stand now in terms of preparation. You can still push, push and push yourself harder and inch closer to achieving your dream. You don’t know what are your limits unless you try to push them. Everyday push your limits. Youwill go on gaining confidence, and one day after writing mains, you will say – yes, I will see my name in the list even if I get 130 in interview!Yes, there are uncertainties in this exam. Even after giving your best, you might still not get a good rank. Will you quit? Unless we try our best again and again, we will neverknow what the future holds for us. This year you might have missed a rank by 1 mark, or failed prelims by fraction of a mark. Who knows, you can be a topper next time. So, never rest or quit. Neither complain nor protest. Silently work hard. Even though there are just no days to prelims, believe us – if you push limits, even if you start now, you can clear it. Gather all your strengths and go ahead. Right now, there are so many hopes on you by so many dear and near ones. Don’t disappoint them this time. Overcome inertia. Start again. If you rest, someone will take you rank. At the end of the day, it’s just competition. You have everything to win this competition. And you know what to do. Just do it.☺

KIRTHI C, AIR 14

My UPSC Journey
I’m Kirthi Chekuri. I am fortunate enough to have cleared UPSC with 14thrank in my third attempt (CSE-2015). My ranks in previous attempts were 440in CSE-2013 and 512 in CSE-2014. I was preparing for the exam this time while undergoing the training in academy.I would try to tell what worked and what didn’t work for me. I hope at least someone would benefit from lessons of mistakes that I’ve committed and how I rectified them. These inputs I’m putting across were the ones I gathered over the course of 4 years from many friends and seniors in services. Thanks to all of them EssayI am a consistently low performer in Essay. I got 100marks in CSE-2013 and 86 marks in CSE-2014. I lost in my second attempt due to essay. The mistakes I committed in these attempts were not to practice essays, over looking the importance of essay, thinking content in essay would automatically give marks and ignorance of what to be and what not be included in essay.This year I got 125 which is again not a great score but it didn’t pull my rank and my chances down drastically as it happened last year. I brainstormed on many essay topics(introductions/conclusions and flow of ideas)and discussed it with my friends and asked for criticisms.
*.We should clearly mention our stand in the essay initially after the introduction
*.The essay should cover as many dimensions aspossible and should have one dominant idea perparagraph
*.The thought in the essay should be as simple aspossible. Kids must be able to understand your essay. I used to make essays complicated which never gave good marks
*.Choose the essay topic you’re most comfortablewith. Don’t select the essay based on the perception of most written or least written topic. All that matters is how well are you able to do justice to the topic you’ve chosen
*.Your essay should have justifications supporting your stand, also include some criticisms against your stand and end in a positive/hopeful way on how things can be bettered etc.
Prelims All of us tend to overestimate our potential and tend to neglect prelims thinking Prelims marks wouldn’t count for the exam. Neglecting prelims can prove to be a very costly mistake. Many toppers in the list cleared prelims with a margin of 1-3 marks. One can understand that 1-2 questions in Prelims can make or break your dreams.I cleared the Prelims in CSE-2013 by 4 marks. It was a close margin. I got very lucky. In CSE-2014 I cleared prelims with a comfortable margin. My reason for low performance in Prelims 2013 was minimal practice in Quant and playing safe in Paper-1. I knew 45 questions comfortably in paper-1 and I just guessed 10 more there by attempting just 55 questions. Luckily I cleared Prelims that year but after speaking to many successful people in Prelims,I realized it was a very dangerous strategy. In prelims, one should mark the questions in which oneis 100% percent sure in the first round. In the secondround, one should also try to attempt those questions in which one can eliminate two options. With this strategy, I comfortably cleared prelims in CSE 2014, but in this CSE 2015, I cleared prelims only by 3 marks (110)MainsIn my first two attempts, my mains marks were marginally above the cut-off(10 marks) I cleared both the attempts only because of my interview. However this attempt, there is a drastic improvement in my mains marks. Here are the few changes I made in my Mains answer writing approach and I think they helped me enormously.
*.Diagrams: I drew a lot of diagrams. India and World Maps for geography or International Relations. Also I prepared diagrams for Geo from NCERT books which I thought I would replicate in case Geo questions come in Paper-1.
*.Side headings: In my first two attempts, my answer was just a flow of paragraphs/points or a mix of both. I realized the importance of side headings for an answer in this attempt. I included side headings in almost all the answers for paper-1,2 and 3 of GS. In paper-2 and paper-3, I usedWay Forwardas the last sideheading for some of the answers.
*.Flow Charts: I drew flow charts in Paper-3. I got 113 marks in Paper-3 and I think flow charts have a role to play along with side headings. People who got good marks in paper-1 drew flowcharts for society questions
*.Breadth instead of Depth: Cover as many dimensions as possible in an answer rather than covering the issue in depth with quality analysis. UPSC prefers the no. of dimensions in an answer and I guess it penalizes an in-depth scholarly answer
*.Introduction:Take the key words of the questionand explain them. That becomes the introduction. Eg: An introduction for a question on Cooperative Federalism would mean explaining itThough I gathered some of these points here and there in my previous attempts, I didn’t internalize them in my preparation. I didn’t integrate them while preparing for a particular topic. This time whenever I read a topic or whenever I read a question fromInsightsonIndia(I have been following answer writing challenges regularly), I give more importance to the above mentioned points- what are the side-headings I can give, how can I draw flow chart for this question, maximizing the dimensions etc. This way, I internalized this way of answer writing during my preparation for GS or Current Affairs, so I didn’t have to think afresh on the day of exam. Due to training myself well before hand, I didn’t take much time on the day of exam to draw diagrams, flow charts, side-headings etc.One should try to attempt as many questions as you can in the GS. Unless you are absolutely clueless and can’t make an intelligent guess about what’s asked, you should not leave questions.Please go through the question paper in first 2-3 minutes and select the questions you are good at(around 10) and attempt them first. Only then go for the other questions on which you’ll have little idea where you have to guess. In the last attempt, I started attempting questions from the beginning without going through the whole question paper and I realized I was left with all the well-known International Relations Questions in the last minute to which I couldn’t do enough justice. Do some test exams and if you’re not able to finish paper in time, you’ll have to improve speed through giving more and more tests and practicing with time limits. Ethics paper was very lengthy and many were not able to finish the paper.

STRATEGY FOR G.S PAPER 1

GS – Paper 1, which is of 250 marks, is one of the most scoring papers in the written examination. It also has the most static portion of all the four GS papers – once you read the standard books and understand the content, answering questions from this paper becomes easier.
Having said that, static portion in this paper, does not mean factual questions, nor does it mean repeated questions from previous years. (Of course, exceptions are always there). It only means that the syllabus won’t change with the current on-going events. Many opinion-based questions are a part of GS-1 as well, which are based on the static portion.
One brilliant example from the 2014 paper can be cited here.
The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat?
This is rooted in the static portion of History. Most of the students read the details about the First, Second and Third Battles of Panipat. Even though this question is “Static” in its true sense, it is not “factual”.
The student must “think” on the spot for a variety of factors, as to why Panipat was the chosen place for many battles. This has
geographical perspective, climatic, empire boundaries and many other such factors.
So, while attempting GS-1, even though it is rooted in static portion, one must not fail to “think”. While reading the static portion, one must always ask the questions “why” and “how”,
more than what.
The syllabus of General Studies- 1 can be broadly divided into
History, Sociology, Geography and a few topics related to Anthropology .
The article discusses about Preparation Strategy for General Studies-1. The strategy gives you
1. Topic-wise analysis
2. Book recommendations and
3. What to Read and How to read/Understand the subject.
Note: Before going through the strategy, click on Detailed Mind Maps for Syllabus . Mind Maps are only directive not exhaustive. It is done for a better understanding of the syllabus keeping in mind the requirements of a beginner
A. HISTORY:
It includes the following subtopics
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities, issues.
The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors or contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc- their forms and effect on the society.
1. Indian Culture: Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from Ancient to Modern times.
Frankly speaking, this topic is one of the most irritating topics in the whole syllabus as per many aspirants. There are literally thousands of paintings, folk dances, festivals, literary books, architectural marvels, and many more to remember. Considering the weightage given and the number of questions based on this is never more than 3-4. Out of 250 marks, the
weightage given to this section is not more than 30 marks. So, the cost-benefit ratio of remembering so many names and information is a sheer wastage of time and memory space. Moreover, the questions asked are opinion-based and not factual.
We are not discouraging you to, not to study this section altogether. Rather based on input-output ratio, one most devote the time smartly. You should not panic! If you do so you will end up with a heap of resources. Hence, IASbaba intends to give you the best resources and approach that will not only save your quality time but also earn credit in generating quality answers. A
myth about this section is that, it is completely static and only factual data has to be prepared through books and notes. Ah, really??
No, not at all!! Here you will get to know that even this section, seemingly factual can be prepared from newspapers if you can
relate it smartly . In the dynamic section, we have explained this in detail.
Sources/books to follow
STATIC : CCRT Website and Tamil Nadu book- Class 11th
Read these resources as per your convenience.
Indian Performing Arts
Indian Visual Arts
Indian Literature through Ages
Old NCERT Class 11 – Fine Arts
Tamil Nadu- Class 11th book
DYNAMIC:
In The Hindu, a section named ‘Friday Review’ is dedicated for updates in Indian Culture. It comprises of Dance, Music, Faith, Art and History and Culture.
UPSC has asked many questions from this section in past years. You just need to have a thorough understanding of topics
mentioned in the syllabus. This will help you in picking up or
selecting the right articles from the newspaper related to culture. And will immensely help you both at the Prelims and Mains. Let us see, How?
For example,
This article – mentions about Thang-Ta , a ‘Manipuri Marshal Art of Sword and Shield’. This can be asked in Prelims.
If you go through books and other resources, you will end up with unlimited facts and figures that’s beyond human capability. This is not required for this exam. What we suggest is study smart– Keep your resources minimum and Revise again and again!!
Now coming back to the importance of the Newspaper – ‘while reading the newspaper keep an eye on the topics mentioned in the syllabus’. Newspaper gives you more information and dimensions that you seldom find in a book (or say miss in books).
For example,
Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected
political history of South India, the Sangam literature portrays the
social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness. Comment (2013)
You might have read all the static part thoroughly, but still looking at this question makes you feel OMG!! Where the hell did UPSC come up with such a question?
The Answer to this is –
If you read static books then there is every possibility that you may not be able to answer it because there are infinite aspects in Literature section. Also, many of you will never prepare in such detail. So the Mantra should be ‘take the reference from newspapers and then prepare about that topic accordingly’.
Here is the reference for above question asked by UPSC in 2013.
Previous Year UPSC Questions:
Chola architecture represents a high watermark in the evolution of temple architecture. Discuss.(2013)
Here is the reference for this question
Reference 2
Discuss the Tandava dance as recorded in the early Indian inscriptions.(2013)
Here is the reference for this question
To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss. (2014)
Here is the reference for this question
Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain. (2014)
Reference: For quite a sometime in 2012 and 2013, Buddhist Sculptures were in news due to its safety issues and attacks by Taliban.
Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss. (2014)
Reference:
Recent opening of Nalanda University
Are you able to understand the intention behind these references and links?
So, do not read much into this topic. Just going through the
CCRT website or notes , NCERT’s, The Hindu-Friday Review or other links related to this topic and answer-writing for some model questions is more than enough.
Some tips to remember for Culture
Focus on retrospective study, once finished with the static portion. What we mean by “Retrospective study”- Make a note of terms, articles, which are in recent news from The Hindu or other sources and revise them.
Don’t fall under the trap of reading more books , this will only increase your anxiety and lower your confidence. After going through previous year’s UPSC questions and the strategy on how to prepare for Mains on IASbaba, you would have realized that even if you remember most of the things, there is no guarantee that one can answer such questions.
Do not even think of mugging up. It is Mission- impossible!!
Book references from fellow aspirants, coaching materials and books in the market will tempt you every now and then. But remember the Golden words of IASbaba –‘it is a sheer waste of time!!’ Instead study smartly – make your own plan, stick to a few resources, critically examine the issues from every possible angle and revise again and again .
The cost benefit of preparing this section as compared to other topics is very less. Even if you go for extensive coverage, you may not be able to produce it. But if you prepare smartly as discussed above, then there is every possibility for you to produce quality answers in the exam.
2. Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities, issues and The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors or contributions from different parts of the country.
Indian National Movement and Indian Modern history is one of the most interesting and eventful topics, which gives a sense of
nationalistic feeling in us while reading it. So, this can be read from a plethora of books for self-satisfaction, or to know more about the epic struggle for independence.
Many people do read a lot of books on this topic, solely because the books are page-turners and written in the style of novels. They do give a very intriguing story, and reading stories are always entertaining. But for UPSC, this topic needs to be analyzed from a historiographical perspective (critically examination of sources) , so just blindly turning pages, understanding only the “events” is not enough. The book that we recommend for the wholesome understanding and the implications of this phase is –
STATIC:
Spectrum’ Comprehensive History of Modern India
This book deals with more of understanding the philosophy of the events, rather than just listing the events and giving a gripping narrative. It is more of a subject matter book, than a story-telling novel.One book is more than enough for this whole topic. Other books like ‘India’s Struggle for Independence’ by
Bipan Chandra OR ‘India After Gandhi’ by Ramachandra Guha , can be read if you have the time and energy.
Note: You may find NCERT’s useful too but for Mains; Spectrum Book will suffice your need as you must have finished NCERT’s for PRELIMS preparation.
In Dynamic section, we will refer to the aspects of Modern India and relate whether it can also be prepared from recent news or articles, or not?
DYNAMIC:
The Hindu: Referring to newspapers will increase your awareness on the topics and aspects that is important from any section mentioned in the syllabus. It is important to study from static sources or books but it is more important to know and smartly guess what topics are important for the respective year.
And this can best be done by following the news and articles coming in newspapers like The Hindu. We will show you how?
Note: In past years, most of the questions asked by UPSC from Modern India had appeared in some or the other form in newspapers of that year or preceding year. In 2013, almost all the questions asked by USPC had appeared in the news. Let us check to build credibility
Examples: Check these questions from 2013
Defying the barriers of age, gender and religion, the Indian women became the torch bearer during the struggle for freedom in India. Discuss .
Reference: This article that appeared in March 2013, should have formed a light for preparing the content for answering the above question. The article even mentions about the crux word,
‘The Torch Bearer’ . How easy it would become for aspirants if they prepare like this!!
Several foreigners made India their homeland and participated in various movements. Analyze their role in the Indian struggle for freedom.
Reference: This article that appeared in August 2013, could have acted as a building base for above question.
In many ways, Lord Dalhousie was the founder of modern India. Elaborate.
Reference:
Reference 2:
Why did UPSC ask this question?
Because Telegram service was stopped and when the telegraph service was first set up in India, part of Lord Dalhousie’s ambitious reforms , it was the symbol of an advancing modernity.
Discuss the contribution of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to pre-and post-independent India.
Reference: Many articles appeared in The Hindu in the year 2013, mentioning about the contribution of Abdul Kalam Azad. Likewise such personalities are to be prepared in the Modern India section. You should prepare about all because UPSC is unpredictable but if you stick to smart study like this, your efforts will be maximized towards achieving success rather than wasting your time and energy.
Now check the questions from Mains-2014
Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence.
Reference: Though it is an easy question and forms part of every static book in detail. But one can easily know that it may catch the attention of UPSC as it has appeared in the newspaper in some or the other form.
3. Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
Post-independence consolidation is much more interesting than Indian National Movement, because it has its effects on the present scenario too. Instead of reading a book, we would refer to watch a web-series on the same.
Sources/books
Pradhan Mantri on YouTube : This program has 24 episodes, which gives a detailed analysis of events right from 1947 to 2014. Each episode takes one phase and the anchor talks about the issues pertaining to those times. Ofcourse, there is some bias in the depiction, but ongoing politics is always embedded with media bias. A true civil service aspirant should aim to extract the required knowledge and should ignore the inherent media bias.
After this, any of the standard books can be read for a further in-depth understanding, like
Bipan Chandra’s India Since Independence
You can also refer to Modern India, Old NCERT book.
4. History of the world – From mid 18 th
Before reading such topics, always try to watch videos on that, to have a basic ground-level understanding. These topics consist of a bunch of sub-topics like World Wars, American Revolution, French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Industrial Revolution etc. Most of them are stand-alone topics, and can be understood within 10-15 minutes if you watch the right videos.
Sources/books
We would recommend Khan Academy’s series of lecture videos which can be accessed online. Salman Khan, who is financed by Google, has created hundreds of videos on such topics, and watching them would help one understand the topic really well.After which, any standard book can be taken to give a further in-depth reading like
Mastering Modern World History- Norman Lowe
History of the World from the Late Nineteenth to the Early Twenty-First Century
One very good book to refer is Contemporary World History by J.S.Rajput published by NCERT. But this is not available nowadays. It is available in the premises of the Holy Mukherjee Nagar as Xerox
B. SOCIOLOGY
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society.
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Note: Refer to Mind Maps for Sociology topics. It has various dimensions related to all these topics. Detailed Mind Maps
All the topics can be read from the NCERT Sociology text-book, class 11th and 12th, newspapers, online articles etc. Many of these issues have been discussed/addressed in websites such as QUORA.COM
Note: YOJANA published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should be your first preference for social issues .
Most of these topics are dynamic, rooted in the static portion. So, a separate study from standard books is not needed. Just a
general awareness along with original thinking is more than enough.
For eg., In 2013, a question on the implications of globalization on the old-age was asked. You cannot find such answers in a single “standard book”. What it requires is awareness and on-the-spot thinking. So, instead of reading books, reading the newspapers along with innovative discussions is what is necessary.
1. Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Sources/books to refer
NCERT– Indian Society Class 12th – More than enough for basic understanding
You don’t need to read Ram Ahuja or any other book for this. Save your time and work efficiently. A basic understanding and general awareness is enough to answer UPSC questions and NCERT book will solve your purpose.
2. Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
As you can see these topics are dynamic in nature and enough content can be found from newspapers and YOJANA articles of previous months. Before jumping into sources to prepare, let us have a look at previous year’s questions asked by UPSC.
How does patriarchy impact the position of a middle class working woman in India? (2014)
Do you need to refer to any book to answer this question?
Not really. What you need is to quantify your knowledge base and analytical approach to such topics and the best ingredient available is Newspaper articles, debates and discussion on Rajya Sabha or social platforms etc.
Why do some of the most prosperous regions of India have an adverse sex ratio for women? Give your arguments. (2014)
Check these articles published in The Hindu in 2014 and introspect.
Reference 1
Reference 2
The life cycle of a joint family depends on economic factors rather than social values. Discuss (2014)
Check this article of The Indian Express published in 2014
Reference
Discuss the various economic and socio-cultural forces that are driving increasing feminization of agriculture in India. (2014)
Read this article, published by Live Mint in 2014
Reference
Sources/books to refer
NCERT- Sociology 12th
Human Development Report for Population and Poverty Issues
Do refer Economic Survey and India Year Book for data’s and facts.
Population and Issues- Read this
Urbanization Issues- 12th Five Year Plan
Newspapers- The Hindu, Economic Times and Business Standard
3. Effects of globalization on Indian society
This topic is a general one. You do not need to go through any book to prepare. Play smart and prepare the relevant stuffs from current affairs and news. Have a look at a question from 2013 Mains paper.
Critically examine the effects of globalization on the aged population in India. (2013)
Check this article published in Yojana, 2013
Reference
Sources/books to refer
No book as such because while studying from sociology, class 12th, economy and polity, you will generate enough content to understand this topic.
Articles from newspapers- A must
Yojana Magazine- Check for update
4. Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
All these topics do not require any scholar understanding. You just need a basic knowledge and analytical perspective to relate the basics into contemporary developments.
Note: Reading a whole book or several sources for these topics has many disadvantages. One of them is cost benefit ratio. Second is wastage of your precious time and energy. If one plays smart here, can substantially devote his/her energy for other important topics having more weightage.
One such example is from the question asked by UPSC on Secularism, in 2014.
How do the Indian debates on secularism differ from the debates in the West? (2014)
Reference:
In 2014, BJP Government came to power. There were questions raised on the secular fabrics of India by some religious fanatics that followed a huge debate and row over Indian Secularism. One article in The Hindu went on for an analysis of Indian versus Western Secularism. Hence UPSC came up with this question.
Refer to QUORA for having multidimensional views and opinion on social issues and topics related to this section.
Growing feeling of regionalism is an important factor in the generation of demand for a separate state. Discuss. (2013)
Reference- Telangana Formation
Sources/books to refer
No book to refer other than NCERT’s. While studying from NCERT’s, you will be able to gather enough content for these topics.
Newspaper Articles- For analytical aspect
Do browse the website of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and look for any important update on Social Empowerment.
C. GEOGRAPHY
It has following subtopics
Salient features of world’s physical geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
1. Salient features of world’s physical geography.
Generally aspirants rush to cover geography in length and breadth from number of books be it NCERT’s, Majid Hussain or G.C.Leong. But the changing trend by UPSC says otherwise. We are not discouraging to study basic books like NCERT’s but do not end up in rote learning. Since the change in pattern, 2013, UPSC is asking more of analytical questions than static. However, one should not ignore basic books as it forms the base for developing analytical perspective.
Now let us check some of the questions asked by UPSC in 2013 to understand the strategy and way ahead.
What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent evidences in its support. (2013)
Though static in its true sense but this topic and many more can be prepared with more attention while preparing from newspaper. How?
Yes, the same year two articles came in The Hindu. Click on the references below
Reference 1
Reference 2
Note: The comparison is not to discourage anyone from reading basic books rather it is to make you understand the smart way of learning. One can memorize everything on earth but UPSC exam is not about this. If you slightly tweak your preparation towards smart study, success will follow in less time.
Geography becomes very interesting when you can visualize various phenomena, and the best books to help you with that are the standard ones which everyone must read atleast twice.
Sources/books to prepare
NCERT- Class 11th, Physical Geography
Goh Cheng Leong – Physical Geography
Newspapers- The Hindu and Business Line
Videos on Youtube
2. Distribution of key natural resources across the world; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
Most of the topics can be prepared from static books but a reference can be found from newspapers.
Let us refer to previous years questions and check whether they were part of newspapers or not?
With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the atomic energy is gaining more and more significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of atomic energy in India and in the world. (2013)
This question is more of static portion and general awareness. India is shifting towards Nuclear and Solar power. Lots of initiatives and governments efforts are put to achieve efficient technological advancement. Many articles appeared in 2013 newspapers suggesting the need of Atomic Energy and Solar Energy. So this question was expected
Reference
It is said the India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of country for quarter century. However, tapping of the resources doesn’t appear to be high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved. (2013)
In September 2013, India gave way to Shale Gas Policy. Many articles in newspapers appeared suggesting the critical issues involved.
Reference 1
Reference 2
Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. (2014)
Reference
How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa? (2014)
This question signifies the interconnection of paper 2 and 1. Various articles can be found in newspapers of 2014 that has direct mention on the theme of this question. Check the reference
Reference
Sources/books to refer
Old NCERT Geography- Land and People
New Geography- Class 12th– Human Geography and India-People and Economy
Newspapers- The Hindu and Business Line
3. Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
These topics can best be prepared through newspapers because most of the changing phenomenon be it Earthquake, Cyclones, El-Nino, Tsunami etc are part of modern geographical changes due to climate change or Global Warming and finds mention in newspaper quite often.
Let us check previous year questions.
The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical cyclones named across the world? (2013)
The reference for this question can be found from this article of Business Line published in October 2013.
Reference
Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world.
Urban Heat Island was in news for quite a long time and even now in news. Here are the references for this question that were published in The Hindu and Business Line ( 2013)
Reference 1
Reference 2
Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats. (2013)
Uttarakhand Disaster was the reference here. But UPSC tweaked it and rather asked about the differences in the nature of Landslides for Himalayas and Western Ghats. One can find several articles at that time.
Reference
Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree? (2014)
It was an expected question. 2014 was thought to be El-Nino year and several studies and reports were coming in support of the changing pattern of weather and climate.
Reference 1
Reference 2
Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent. (2014)
These articles published in 2014 will do the talks
Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3
Sources/books to refer
C. Leong
Newspaper articles- The Hindu, Business Line and Economic Times
Youtube Videos
Ending Note:
The given strategy tries to give the minimum number of books and sources to complete the portion, along with a dynamic study of the syllabus. But, before starting off with this strategy, a simple reading of all the NCERTs from 6th to 12th is mandatory, as it builds a basic foundation to start thinking in an objective and subjective matter.
The type of study for UPSC has changed totally. Just reading many standard books is of no use, because the number of questions that can be asked from such books which have been there for over 30 years is exhausted. So, a new, dynamic,
on-the-spot thinking innovative questions are being asked, and one needs to utilize their time by using the internet and various other fora judiciously.
Do not read and accumulate data. Revision is key to your success. Do as many revisions as you can.
Start writing practice after one reading of NCERT (Beginners)
You should never wait to finish off everything to start writing practice. It will serve no purpose. In recent pattern, the importance of writing has immensely increased.
When you write something the retention is much more than reading. So, start writing as soon as possible. You can follow
‘Think, Learn & Perform’ of IASbaba.com for preparing yourself for writing ability and concept building for Mains

THE ART OF ANSWER WRITING

The Art of Mains answer writing

Anunaya Jha (AIR 57) has a whopping 418 in GS with 115, 100, 87 and 116 in GS 1, 2 , 3, 4 respectively. The blog that follows are his wise words. I am merely hosting the same. Hope this helps !
WARNING:
1. The gyaan that yours truly is going to dole out in the following 1200 odd words is NOT going to guarantee a fantabulous score in General Studies.
2. Take my advice with heaps of salt. Always remember, your path to success is very different from my path to success—what really matters is that we both succeed in the end.
Now that we’re done with the ‘pleasantries’, let’s come down to why I am writing this blog post. For starts, I am a successful candidate of CSE 2014. Add to it, that I scored decently well in GS in CSE 2014. Throw in the fact that I have qualified this examination twice i.e., 2013 and 2014 and improved my GS score by over 100 marks between the two cycles. And let’s seal the matter on the ground that it might just help you, maybe just a tiny bit.
I started preparing for the Civil Services Examination sometime towards the end of 2012, and fell in love with the syllabus from Day 1. I was a rather attentive lad in school and hence, when I started taking classes for General Studies, I had a strong sense of déjà vu. I think my job was well begun because I did not despise any portion—be it Art and Culture or Security or Science and Technology—and hence, the task was half done! So the first takeaway you have is that you should become familiar with the subjects and topics before taking the plunge for preparing full time. Know the basics of History, Polity, Economy et al, and once you get into the groove, bash on!
I have a confession to make, not that I have sinned but because I don’t wish to hide it from you, and that is that I have NOT (yes, NOT!) read a single book for GS throughout my prep. I have never read Bipin Chandra, or Mishra and Puri, or Lakshmikant or… well, I don’t even know what the other books are! My source of information was the notes that I made diligently in class whilst I was coaching and the internet. Yes, the internet is not a distraction. There is more to the world wide web than Facebook and Twitter. Use the vast resource, make it your constant companion. Whenever you hear a new word, google it. I learned so much from this open portal, and I am sure you can use it in a much better way! So, point two, reading books is not the only way to get a good score in GS. You must be inquisitive, and try to find out new things as soon as you hear of them . Newspapers are a great source of knowledge, keep them very close to you. Make precis of editorials, write the major news in bullet point. It always pays off in the long run, believe you me.
The first time I took the examination in 2013, I did not know how to tackle a question. I cursorily read the question, underlined the keyword(s) and barfed everything I knew about it on paper. Please do NOT do that! The examiner is not there to seive your answers for valid points. On the contrary, even if you have meat in your answers but it is covered in heaps of futile words strewn around, the person correcting your script will care two hoots about it. So how do you escape from such a kamikaze attack? Read the question properly. Underatand ‘what’ is being asked. Answer accordingly. And the most important aspect, linkage .
Link things that are happening around you to the question being asked. Give A LOT of examples from the present day happenings . I have tried to give an example of this, hope it helps—
“ To what extent has the urban planning and culture of Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to present day urbanization? Discuss.”
Why do you think this question was asked in the first place? Yep, that’s right! Smart Cities.
So link IVC and the modern civilization to the present day pet project of the government. Talk about Chandigarh grid planning. Issues of drainage and water logging and how that was addressed in IVC cities.
With regards cultural inputs, a distinct architectural features of houses in the IVC was that the kitchen and the lavatory were at diagonally opposite corners of the unit. Why do you think that is? Yes, hygiene. From there came the concept of keeping the two separate– kitchen being a ‘clean’ place and the lavatory, ‘dirty’. Ergo, those working in the kitchen would not be asked to work in the lavatories and those associated with the lavatories weren’t allowed entry into the kitchen. Varna comes from the root ‘varya’ or ‘to choose’ (your profession). Those working in the kitchen were considered inferior to those involved elsewhere. Thus came the concept of high and low in society. So although there wasn’t any caste system in the IVC, no Jati et al, but the seeds of modern day evils of caste system– it’s stringent vertical hierarchical structure– were laid way back in that period.
So this may not be the perfect answer, in fact I am certain it isn’t. But what I’m trying to drive at is that you should try to get inside the mind of the examiner. Know the reason why something is being asked, and once you’ve decoded the message, go for the kill!
Another grey area in the CSM hitherto has been the GS Paper 4 on Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. How do we write ‘ethical’ answers? Do we quote thinkers? Should we philosophise? Do we use a lot of jargon? My take on this is that you should include thinkers/concepts of philosophy/jargon only when it is absolutely relevant and understandably necessary. Don’t throw around terms and ideas, it’ll backfire. Majorly. Go simple, give loads of personal examples if you can (don’t drop any personal details, though!), and write to the point. I remember this question on Economic Development versus Environmental Degradation, and the strategies for sustainable development in the GS Paper 4 in 2014. Why was this question asked in the Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude examination? This should be a part of Paper 1 and/or Paper 3, right? The reason is that they want to know whether you are aware of something called ‘environmental ethics’—the concept of Stewardship and Ecofeminism. Read up on such things (yes, use the internet!) and link it in the answers. Once you’ve given them a comprehensice answer, no one– absolutely no one– can stop you from acing the examination.
With regards the list of books to read, and other sources, I may not be of much help. But then again, most of the source material and the booklist is readily available on several blogs. What I just wanted to put out there was the fact that GS can be made scoring with just a little effort. And no, it is not unpredictable if you know how to go about it. I learned it in a year, and I am sure you’ll get a hang of it much faster. Just be at it, you’ll shine. For sure.
How to Write Answers ?
I think one of the most important, yet most neglected areas in the course of preparation is answer writing. I had not written any subjective papers since school days and so after prelims I realized that I was in a tough spot. In the mock tests that I appeared in September 2014 , I could only finish 17 out of 25 questions in 3 hours . I realized then that all my preparation amounted to nothing if I could not present my knowledge to the examiner. Hence this is an area where I tried to improve my performance religiously in the next 3 months. In this process I realized the following:
1. Love thy examiner
This one person holds the key to your success. It is not only fair but also logical for you to make his/her life as easy as possible. Remember that he/she is not doing you a favour by checking your answer-sheet. Its your job to generate his/her curiosity and then grasp his/her attention.
For this, you should keep a neat and legible handwriting, use considerable spacing and write in a logical flow. In case of GS , I tried and wrote in bullet points wherever possible. I wrote an introduction, then analysed the pros in the first section and cons in next and finally gave a conclusion. Your introduction should set the tone for your answer and conclusion should be balanced with a slice of your own outlook.
In political science, I wrote in short paragraphs and avoided bullet points as I personally thought that as a specialist writing an answer, paragraphs imparted greater maturity and connectivity. As I stated earlier, put the most important point first and the least in the end. Also, use references of political thinkers wherever possible. For example, in the question on SAARC I wrote in the conclusion that following a functionalist approach ,we can resolve regional problems issue-wise leading to “peace by pieces”- which is the takeaway of Functionalist theory.
Such elements convince the examiner that you not only follow the news but you also think like a strategic affairs specialist. This is where I believe he/she will give you those extra marks which can propel you ahead of others.
Takeaway: Try and make your answer sheet the most pleasing one in the stack.
2. Keep points ready:
Answer writing has two parts- first and the more critical one is the recollection and organization that takes place in our heads and the second part is pure execution of the same. I realized that I was writing answers slowly because I had to pause and think. It was the first part that was pulling me down as my writing speed was fairly good.
So I started consolidating what I knew. I kept some points ready in my head for almost all topics. There are many topics which are in the news and seem important or broad issues at that. For example: In India’s role in UN peacekeeping, I clearly organized the issue into India’s past missions, laurels won, problems faced and need for reform. When I saw the question, I could tailor the answer to the requirements of the question much faster.
So, for speed not just writing practice but the whole exercise of retention and retrieval in your mind are very very important. While writing one point, you should plan about your next ones. By December, I could attempt 25 questions in 3 hours. In political science, I could attempt almost the full paper (left about 5 marks) because of my answer writing practice in GS mock tests.
Takeaway: The faster you think, the faster you write
3. Stick to your time schedule:
I had never given a political science test before the actual mains paper and so in the first paper my time management was horrible. I wrote 50 marks worth in the last 15 minutes. I am thankful that I got 136 because I am sure in those last minutes of blitzkrieg my brain was on auto-pilot.
In the 2nd paper, I managed time better and gave the right amount of time to each question. I ended up scoring much better in it ( 157) . Sticking to the time schedule is very important so that you can do justice to every question. Remember that attempting all questions well will fetch you much more marks than writing a thesis on 3-4 questions.
Takeaway: Your watch is your friend
4. Innovate and Interlink:
Especially in a subject like Political Science where there are so many connections, linking events can fetch you more marks. For example in US-India relations, you must mention the rise of China and the possibility of US visualising India as a counterweight to China in its Pivot to Asia policy.
Similarly, give examples to reinforce your points which will add weight to your answer, Using key terms which you may have picked up from newspapers can help. For example: I remember writing about the possibility of formation of a “middle powers coalition” in the question related to Japan. This is a reference to possible cooperation between India, Japan and Australia in the Indo-Pacific considering greater Chinese assertion. I thought then that putting such an idea seemed like a gamble, but it seems to have paid off.
Takeaway: Train your mind to form a web of information
5. Practice! Practice! Practice!
Needless to say, all of the above aspects can only be covered through thorough study, planned revision and practice in answer writing. Try and write answers of past years questions and try to observe the pattern and focus areas, especially in the recent years. You can then get them peer reviewed and assimilate the best points.
Takeaway: Do a little more when you think it is enough
With time, you should be able to plan an answer roughly before you put it on paper.

ABHIMANYU GAHLOT--AIR 38

ABHIMANYU GAHLOT
This was his first attempt at the coveted exam.
Abhimanyu has been associated with forumias.com since the last one year.
ForumIAS would like to congratulate him for his spectacular success and wish him all the best for his life as an officer.
Given below is the transcript of his interview with forumias where he describes his journey, experiences and preparation strategy. We hope that it would be of immense help to everyone.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
Your Name
Abhimanyu Gahlaut
All India Rank in Civil Services Examination
38
Which attempt was this at Civil Services Examination?
1
Where do you hail from?
Bahadurgarh, Haryana
Tell us something about your family background
My father retired as a Sub Divisional Engineer with the Government of Haryana. My mother is a headmistress at a primary school in Haryana.
Your graduation or early education
BA(H) Economics from SRCC (Delhi University); M.Phil. Economics from University of Cambridge
Your Optional Subjects
Economics
Your medium of Instruction in School?
English
Your medium of instruction in college?
English
Your medium of writing the Mains?
English
First, tell us something about yourself!
I’ve worked as an economist in Rwanda and Bihar for the last 4.5 years. In my second job (in Bihar), I seriously started thinking about what career can keep me motivated for the next 30+ years. After a lot of discussions and research, I realised that the IFS would be a very exciting and dynamic career. I gathered all the relevant material in December 2014, and started studying from January 2015. I didn’t quit my job to prepare. I moved to an apartment very close to my office to avoid spending too much time traveling, and I started studying for around 6-7 hours everyday.
PRELIMS PREPARATION
What books/notes did you refer to for General Studies and CSAT for prelims?
Too long an answer. I’ve written a detailed blog on the booklist and notes: https://reluctanteconomistblog.wordpress.com/
How many questions did you attempt in GS in Prelims?
87 (I think)
Do you think attempting more questions is the key to success in Prelims? Is there an ideal number of questions one should attempt? How did you decide to attempt those questions which you were not sure of?
Yes, I think one needs to attempt a fair number of questions. No, I don’t think there’s an ideal number of questions to attempt. For me, the rule of thumb was to at least get down to two options from four – if I was 50% sure of being correct, I would attempt the question. No wild guesses.
What was your score in UPSC Prelims?
113.34
How much was the variation in your official Prelims score in comparison to that of coaching keys?
I expected between 110 and 118, based on different keys. Not a huge variation.
MAINS PREPARATION
When did you start preparing for Mains Examination?
January 2015
How did you cover Current Affairs?
I read The Hindu and Business Standard everyday, and made notes in MS Word. I also regularly consolidated these notes with information from current affair updates on insightsforindia.com
Full Preparation: The Conquering of GS 1
I first prepared for the three GS papers sequentially. It took me about 2 months (January and February 2015) to complete the syllabus for GS 1. Amongst the four GS papers, I spent the most time on GS 1. However, at this stage, I hadn’t made many notes. After I finished GS 2 and 3 around mid-May, the notification was out, and CSAT was scrapped. I had to then pay much more attention to GS, and I spent the rest of the time till prelims primarily revising GS (so I could clear prelims), at the cost of studying my optional subject.
Full Preparation: The Conquering of GS 2
I started this in March. I found DD Basu and Subhash Kashyap interesting, yet somewhat dry. I had enjoyed studying for GS 1; I couldn’t say the same for GS 2. To avoid becoming demotivated, I started splitting my daily study time between GS 2 and GS 3. By mid-May, I had finished my first round of preparation for GS 2 and GS 3.
Full Preparation: The Conquering of GS 3
See above.
Full Preparation: The Conquering of GS 4
I did very little preparation for Ethics. When I first went to Jawahar Book Shop in December 2014 to buy books for UPSC, they handed me a fat book for GS 4 (I don’t remember now which one). Not knowing any better, I bought it. I tried to study from that, but gave up midway through the first chapter because I found it extremely boring and too general to be useful.
Then, I tried reading topic-wise links given on Insights for GS 4. Again, here as well, I thought that the readings were extremely dry, and I remember dozing off after the first couple of pages of the first recommended reading.
After these two attempts at reading something for Ethics, I thought maybe it would be better to see what kind of questions UPSC asks. I printed the GS 4 papers for the last two years, and took two timed tests. After writing these, I was confident that there is no need to study anything at all for GS 4. The paper is extremely general, but one needs to have good writing speed. So, in the end, my preparation for Ethics was simply writing 6 timed tests in total, 2 of which were past year UPSC papers, and 4 were from the Vision IAS test series.
Full Preparation: The Conquering of ESSAY
I practised 10+ time-bound essays, all after the prelims. I wrote about 6 essays for the Vision IAS test series, and I requested friends to review the rest. I wanted to maximise my score on the essay paper, and throughout, I was confident that I had somewhat of a comparative advantage here. Still, I didn’t neglect practising essays.
As luck would have it, essay was the first paper, and I was stressed out and under-slept during the paper. As a result, I did a bad job of handling my nerves and messed up one of the essays. I was quite dejected after the exam, and I was sure I won’t make it to the list. After speaking to friends, I calmed down, and geared up for the next day. In hindsight, my assessment of my performance was correct – I got only 108, which is a below average score – but I’m glad I didn’t take the rest of the exams as if I’d already lost the battle.
Full Preparation: The Conquering of Optional Subject
I had an economics background, but it had been around 5 years since I last touched an economics textbook. Initially, I wanted to start studying economics in May, after I was done with my first round of GS preparation. However, after CSAT was scrapped, I didn’t feel like I had covered GS in enough depth to clear prelims based solely on it. Hence, I had to revise my strategy. I started studying Paper 2 of economics (Indian Economy) for 2 hours daily in May (did this for about a month), along with GS. Around mid-June, I thought I should study some topics for Paper 1, too. I completed one reading of a microeconomics book, which is a small part of the rather large syllabus for Paper 1. However, I was still nervous about the unpredictability of prelims, and I didn’t prepare my optional in any depth before August.
After prelims, I focused almost exclusively on my optional (90-95% of the time). I was fine with this, because by now I was confident of my GS preparation. I had spent a lot of time meticulously covering all of the GS syllabus point by point for prelims, and consequently I was sure that I could perform decently in the mains.
MAINS EXAMINATION
How many questions did you attempt in GS1, GS2, GS3 and GS4?
GS 1, 3, and 4: 20 questions; GS 2: 18 questions
Which Essays did you attempt in the Mains Examination?
1. Lending a hand is better than giving a dole 2. Dreams that should not let India sleep
Did you use the headings/subheading in an Essay?
Yes
Did you underline the important statements in Essay?
Yes
What went wrong in your previous attempt(s)? Which changes did you make in this attempt?
Not applicable
Did you write your answers in bullet points or in paragraphs?
Mix of both
Did you make any diagrams along with your answers in any of the GS papers?
Made a flow chart in a poverty-related question in GS 1, I think. Otherwise no.
Did you give examples in most of your answers? Also did you mention any points from govt. reports like ARC, Punchhi Commission etc. in your answers?
I gave some examples from current affairs.
What was that one smart move you think you made in the exam which you would like others to know.
I carried a stop watch with me to time myself exactly. I was very strict about only allocating 7 minutes per 10 marks, even if there was a lot more to be written for any particular answer.
COACHING
Did you join any coaching classes for Prelims or Mains? If yes, which one?
No
How far do you think is coaching necessary for preparing for Prelims and Mains Examination?
I don’t think it’s necessary at all.
Did you join any test series for Prelims and Mains? If yes, please mention the name and also how useful it was.
Prelims: I initially joined Career Launcher to practise CSAT, but after this was scrapped, I stopped appearing for their tests. For GS paper in prelims, I became confident of my preparation only a few days before the exam, so I never had the time to take practise tests.
Mains: For GS and Essay, I took Vision IAS online test series and I think it’s useful. As I said before, after prelims, about 90-95% of my time was spent preparing for the optional papers. However, every Sunday, I wrote two timed tests for GS papers. This helped me become disciplined about writing rapidly and concisely.
Do get your answers checked by Vision IAS, but please don’t fret too much about the marks or ranks you get. I think I never got above Rank 80-90 in Vision’s tests, among 400-500 people writing the exams. In some tests, I even got Ranks between 250-300.
Look at their model answers, they are useful.
No test series for economics. Didn’t have the time, and didn’t know of any good ones.
Did you practice answer writing for mains? If yes, please mention the approach you followed.
Mentioned above – after prelims wrote two timed tests for GS papers every Sunday.
INTERVIEW
Which Interview Board did you face?
Professor David R. Syiemlieh
How long was your interview?
About 30 minutes
Can you tell us briefly about your interview experience?
It started on a bad note, because I didn’t expressly wish the lady member, and was reminded to do this by the Chairman. But I apologised, and the board didn’t fret about it. In questions that I didn’t know, I didn’t try to make things up, and simply said that I didn’t know. Overall, I just tried to have a good conversation, and didn’t worry too much about being a certain way.
What did you wear for the Interview?
A black suit, white shirt, and deep blue tie.
What qualities do you think are being tested in the Interview? Some strict Do’s and Dont’s for the Interview for aspirants and Interview candidates?
Be honest. If you slip up somewhere, move on quickly, and don’t keep thinking about your mistakes.
What magazines /newspapers did you refer to for preparing Current Affairs?
The Hindu and Business Standard daily. EPW for economics optional.
Did you attend any mock interview sessions at the coaching classes? If yes, were they beneficial?
Yes, Samkalp and Vajiram. Both were useful, but the only mock I had at Vajiram was chaired by an ex-IFS officer. My first preference is IFS, so this mock turned out to be the most beneficial, because the chairman grilled me on a lot of IR topics in great detail. I did well, and he told me as much. I was content with my preparation after this.
As things turned out, there were no IR-related questions at all in my actual interview.
Do you think marks in school or college can impact one’s score in the Interview?
I don’t think so.
Was there any improvement in your interview marks this year as compared to previous year(s) (if applicable)? If yes, what changed did you incorporate this time?
Not applicable.
USE OF INTERNET FOR PREPARATION
How far did you use the Internet for your Preparation? Do you think in the changed UPSC pattern, today an aspirant can prepare wholly by referring sources from the Internet?
Over 80% of my GS preparation was from the internet. Similarly, I studied for Economics Paper 2 almost exclusively from the internet.
How far did ForumIAS.com help you as a social network, as a sharing platform for you Prelims, Mains & Interview Preparation (and the excruciating period between the exam and results to chill out with co-aspirants and other successful candidates)?
Although I never posted actively on the forum, it was extremely beneficial to know that there was a big, and easily accessible, community of people who are taking this exam. Especially at the time results for prelims/mains were expected, I couldn’t help but spend a lot of time reading the speculative threads on the forum 🙂
What is the best thing you like about ForumIAS?
The sense of community.
Do you use any other websites for your preparation? Is yes, name them.
insightsonindia.com for current affairs, mrunal.org for reading interviews of past toppers.
Finally,
Congratulation for making it. Is there any message you would like to give to IAS Aspirants who look up to you?
Work hard, work smart, but most importantly, remember that luck plays a huge role in this exam.

ATTITUDE & YOU

“Attitude & YOU”-
Remembering Dr Abdul Kalam
Yesterday, one of the guiding lights of this generation has left us in body, only to motivate the stars now.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, our Missile Man is no more.
It now falls on our mantles, on the youth of this country to ensure that his legacy is continued to make his dreams for this country our own, to make his dedication, perseverance and excellence a hallmark of the people of this country. Now it is up to us to keep him alive, not by making idols (as we did with Gautam Buddha) but by each one becoming Abdul Kalam in his own sense. Now how can we accomplish this? Is it impossible to be like him? Was he the “Chosen One” –
“One in a Billion” . In his own words, “ Attitude makes a man” . Dr Kalam has time and again enforced the point that there is nothing like “God-gifted”. It is only your actions in life that decide your destiny. Now let us pay our homage to Dr Kalam and strive to imbibe values that he always stood in all our actions, including preparing for this prestigious examination. Success is bound to follow.
All of you are full of energy at this moment. Thousands might be at the excited level of preparation, some at the middle of transition to reach the excited level and rest, either being pushed by high energy protons or still juggling to realize how to cross the ground level?
Can you relate any one of the levels, mentioned above?
This article tries to unearth one of the most important and a sensitive aspect of one’s life that is, Attitude and related attributes while remembering our beloved President Dr Abdul Kalam.
Attitude is a subjective term. Here we’ll discuss varying types of it. You are preparing for a coveted exam and this in undeniably your dream. As rightly put by Dr Kalam
“Great Dreams of Great Dreamers are Always Transcended”.
Who can better to know about attitude than Civil Service Aspirants rather Potential Civil servants? Attitude or should we say, Right Attitude determines the success in Civil Services and life in general.
What’s the point of preaching all this, right now? Why are we bothered? The answer, AGAIN, is 23rd August, 2015.
We think our Attitude is perfect just because we are preparing for UPSC? Let us explore further
You know, they say
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do BUT Attitude determines how well you do it.”
Naturally as the exam nears the fuss, the fear and discouragement of an aspirant is at the apex. There are different kinds of aspirants with different sets of attitudinal behaviour. So, what we intend to do, is to direct this article towards ‘THREE’ broadly classified ‘TARGETS’:-
Over-Confident
Under-Confident
Mixed-Bag of Confidence
Let’s come to the first one i.e. OVER CONFIDENT :- Most Dangerous
Laxmikanth -CHECK, Bipan Chandra-CHECK, The HINDU- CHECK, et al-CHECK.
“I have studied everything. I’m doing excellent at mocks. I can relax”
NO, You Cannot.
‘I know almost everything’ – is a sign of non-seriousness. I have revised around 10 times and remember each and every word by heart, is a peculiar attitude that leads to perfunctory approach. At this moment (1 month before the exam), revision is the key.
What do you understand by revision?
It is not to re-read everything again. Revision is a successive reading wherein you make sure to go deep in learning concepts that you missed in first reading. Similarly, consecutive revisions are meant to assimilate all those left out or missed concepts.
Unfortunately, most of the aspirants falling in this category behave otherwise. Their revision is only to boast themselves since their mind is already convinced that “ I have studied everything. I’m doing excellent at mocks. I can relax” .
You cannot,WHY?
Because it doesn’t matter if you’re getting 95+ Questions right in the mocks, until and unless you replicate this performance on D-Day, there is no point in doing all this and your complacency won’t get you anywhere but a ditch of despair after the exams. Let’s tell you something which you might already know:
Typically F1 cars drive at 300+ speeds for ‘n’ no. of laps. The one who is leading the race doesn’t say that I’ve clocked 350+ so I can go slowly in the final lap unless of course the difference between the 1st and 2nd is very large (unlikely in F1 and in CSE alike). Driver keeps the throttle high till the time chequered flag is waved again
You are scoring well. NICE . You have studied everything under the SUN. VERY NICE . Re-visit them. Revise. Fill in the lacunae in your system. There is a shloka in Katha Upanishad
“ARISE, AWAKE, AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED.”
So keep striving. Keep Improving.
Now, the UNDER-CONFIDENT ONES :-
Hey! There. Just take a deep breath and think, of the journey in the past months (or Year; depending upon when you started preparing) It’s been good, isn’t it?
You have learned so many new things, new concepts, you have seen yourself transform; You have become a better human. That’s Wonderful, isn’t it?
You, guys have covered all the basic concepts, the books; you’re doing the current affairs diligently, you seem to be doing OKAY/Not-OKAY in the mocks. You know WHAT, It’s Okay! It’s an exam albeit an important exam and you are losing your sleep, meals, health over it. It will do you more harm than any good.
We have a stupid yet practical advice for you
Remember when you were in 6th standard and you had a Unit Test, next day. A whole freaking Unit had to come. You were prepared yet under-confident still you topped the class by scoring 50/50.
Think on the same lines. Usually we are over-awed by the magnitude of the task, so why can’t we look at it, microscopically. We are all small fragments of matter. Aren’t we? Divide the damn pressure building blocks and let it release.
Anyways it would in no way help you by thinking that you wont be able to make it, it is absolutely pointless to think like this. Just study in the remaining time as much as possible, give your best. Who knows what the result might hold for you!! You may TOP the exam. Just be confident
As they say
“There can be no positive result through negative attitude. Think positive. Live Positive”
Now, the last one MIXED-BAG OF CONFIDENCE:-
One day, you are BATMAN and the other day, you are JOKER (not Heath Ledger, but JOKER :P)
You have studied everything, did the mocks diligently and become (over?) confident. Next Day, you can’t seem to remember a certain function of the politico-administrative set-up and BAMM! On the ground, you fall.
It has been a periodic phenomenon for you to be pernicious and guess! What? You’re the most vulnerable ones of the lot with a potential to go from “Arsh se Farsh”(top to bottom) and vice-versa. Chuck!
All your fears, apprehensions and inhibitions should be channelized properly into a monk like embodiment of yourself. Even Achilles had a heel. Come on! Buckle up! Make this attempt your last (by succeeding). Devote yourself to the idea of becoming an IAS. If the driving force is big enough then nothing can come in between.
Let us quote a dialogue from Batman Begins for you
“ If you become more than a man, devote yourself to an ideal, then you become something else entirely”
Become that something else. Become an epitome of success so that People look up to you.
So, everyone! Rise up; conquer your fears and weaknesses. Fight your inner demons and Shine!
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude”
So what is the CORRECT ATTITUDE then?
Pulkit Garg- UPSC-2014 Rank Holder- IIT Delhi, First Attempt
I would like to bring some points from my preparatory phase last year which helped me to score decent marks in Prelims. The fundamental strategy comprises primarily to :
Stay curious and hungry for knowledge – the desire to know – to emotionally relate with everything would provide you holistic coverage and good retention capability as already mentioned by
IASbaba through this wonderful piece of writing- A Must Read
This is succinctly put in 3 Idiots – “Dont run behind success. Strive for excellence, Success would come running behind you” .
So in the last 1 month before prelims exam, I made sure that I studied as much as I possibly could.
1. My main focus was on revising the most important standard books for main topics, such as :
2. Laxmikanth – Polity
3. Spectrum – History
4. NCERTs – 11th, 12th – Geography and E&B
5. CCRT – Art and Culture
6. NCERTs – S&T
7. 11th, 12th NCERT + Economic Survey – Economics
8. You are already getting the Daily doses by IASbaba
These are the core topics of the Prelims from which a huge number of questions come in the exam. It is of utmost importance that these books are done with utmost care and precision without fail. wards. Doing this well could fetch very good marks in Preliminary Examination. Daily Tests is covering them all. You just need to learn the concepts from them. Don’t rush for magazines and compilations. Won’t help much other than killing your time and energy.
Giving as many mock tests as possible and learning from them- But not at the cost of revision and conceptual learning. saying in Bhagwad Gita goes – “ Karma kar, fal ki chinta mat kar” – I did the best I can and did not worry about the result. As long as you are giving your best, it is pointless to worry about results as it does no good in any way. It would just waste our precious energy and reduce our efficiency in studying. Just keep studying smartly and stop letting emotions dominate your intellect.
To cut the matter short, just focus on studying and revise as much as possible. There is no time to think if you would do very well in exam or if you might do well in exam or if you won’t do good in exam. It is useless to think on these lines at least at this moment.
On Difficult times like this one, Dr Kalam has rightly said ” Man needs Difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy Success”.
Let us pay homage to our Great Leader and Human Being by pledging that, we all will strive towards excellence with a positive attitude since “Problems are common, but attitude makes the difference!!!”
Share your thoughts and let us form a community of strong people with strong determination.

How should i start my preparation for UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM?

Answered by Roman saini
Follow me @ facebook.com/romansaini.official
You would have asked me 4 years ago what is UPSC, I could not even tell you the full form, forget about anything else. I was horribly bad at English and studying social sciences or Humanities as they call it, was extremely inhuman atfirst. But somehow I developed a likening towards studying diverse subjects which is the first and foremost requirement for preparation of this examination, one of the hardest in the world. Hardness of any examination is determined by Success ratio. In 2014, one million candidates applied, but this year IAS was allotted only till 92nd rank in General Category and one of my friend who got 98th rank has given the examination again just to get into this coveted and sacred service. So, the odds of getting into IAS is less than 1/10,000 i.e <0.01%, making UPSC CSE one of the hardest examination on this planet. Competition is on the rise because many more candidates from professional backgrounds (Engineers, Doctors, MBA) are becoming Civil Servants as it is full of attractions like diverse challenges, authority, opportunity of touching millions of life, prestige etc.It was never my childhood dream, and I thought of writing UPSC in 4th semester of MBBS. At that time I realized that the basic maladies and grass-root problemsneeds to be tackled first and if I am being brutally honest with myself, they simply cannot be solved by being a doctor. You need to lock horns with problems like lack of awareness, medication, diagnostic facilities, drinking water,sanitation  and above all, opportunities with a level playing field. In short, touching, influencing and affecting millions of lives at one go is possible only by becoming IAS.I was sleeping when the result was announced 12th June,2014 @ 3.00 pm as I was tired after my work in Psychiatry department of AIIMS. I got to know from my friends the next day i.e. 13th June, 1.00 morning. Yes, I felt good, but thinking that the real work had just began, it humbled me.My marks:PRELIMINARY TEST (26th May,2013)Attempted   Correct       Official scoreCSAT 1    100               72               125.34CSAT 2    80                75               183.33Total                            309
​These marks are one of the highest in India and I am yet to find someone who has more marks than me. Also, I was just 21 year old when I gave prelims. This is just to emphasize that age is just a number and what is needed is proper guidance and strategy.
MAINS ( First week of December, 2013)English and Hindi Compulsory Paper: Passed (Obviously)
GS 1   :97GS II  :61GS III :108GS IV : 98Essay: 145Medical Science I: 109Medical Science II: 112Total 730/1750​This is the fourth highest written score in India, clearly busting certain myths:It is not possible to clear this examination in first attempt, while doing graduation, while working or at age of 22-23, blah,blah.Interview154/275These are below average marks and there is a sense of arbitrariness that runs throughout both interview and essay preparation so no complains there.Final score: 884/2025 ,18th rankBefore we get into specifics, I wanted to tell that do not fall prey to these myths:
1 Dream to be an IAS: You really don’t need it. Any reason for you to be a civil servant is good enough as long as it helps you to stay focused.
2 Preparation is possible only by staying in Delhi: It is a myth which has been perpetuated by coaching instates. Though it certainly helps, but it is not sacrosanct to stay in Delhi. You can watch all my videos, order book from Flipkart, get hold of any material on internet today, so your sincerity is the only requirement.
3 IQ=220? Most of the toppers I know have an above average IQ only, hardwork is what separates wheat from chaff here.
4 Study for 25 hours per day? We Toppers are very much from Earth and are not aliens. We need our sleep for 7-9 hours per day. Self study for 6-8 hours per day is more than sufficient.
5 Good Bye Social Life? You don't need to become a hermit to clear this examination, though you do need to limit your social outings. You should exploitsocial media as much as possible by joining relevant FB groups and going to mypage where I provide lot of worthy content.
6 Bad English/Obscure College/Financially PoorIts good that you have acknowledged your English is poor. Improve it. College and background hardly matters in interview and before that, you are just known by your roll number. Finances are not that necessary since lots of material is available online and joining coaching is not absolutely essential.
7 It's all Luck?Luck play a big role and no one denies it. But luck shows random distribution and all of us have an equal chance to be lucky. On top of that, hardwork is the only variable that can actually create a significant difference. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
8 Completing 200 books in 400 days?You need about 400 days to prepare this examination. You will get 2400 hours (400*6) and considering you can read, understand, analyze, retain and reproduce the content worth 4 pages, it gives us 9600 pages and considering you revise it three times it gives us 3200 pages worth of content over the entire duration of preparation. So you have to be extremely choosy when you buy any book in the market.Preparation mode: You need to get into a preparatory mode before you start to actually prepare for this examination. Just remember this quote that if you are not living on the edge, you are taking too much space.
1 Roman’s Rituals:These are the rituals I followed meticulously for 2 years and they helped me and I am extremely optimistic that they will help you as well in your preparation. If you have any classes, attend all of them without fail. Do self study for 6 hours per day on a long-term basis. Revise daily whatever you read as that it helps in consolidation of memory and effective recall. Have a dedicated leisure hour per day which is completely stress and anxiety free just to unwind yourself after a hard day’s labor. Keep going out for bare minimum so that you have lots of time left for studies. Put good food in your body, exercise for half an hour per day like walking, yoga, meditation etc. Do not drink and smoke as it hampers memory formation and performance in other areas. Sleep for 7-9 hours per day. Strategy is to read as much as you can from the same source and revise it again and again.
2 How to read a book or textNever read a book from page to page. Directly jump to index and mark importantpages which you are going to read and then just read them only. Do not try to memorize anything. Keep reading again and again from the same source and you will be able to remember stuff. Just focus on keywords, key phrases and key topics, no need to study trash.
3 Book list (Common to Pre and mains)Solve previous year question paper atwww.upsc.gov.in
NCERTs Class 6-10 Read all humanities, Science and whichever is relevant for General studies. Freely available NCERT websitewww.ncert.nic.in. Read new only.Biology NCERT Class 12 Last 4 chaptersChemistry NCERT Class 12 Volume 2 Last 2 ChaptersPolity, Economy, Geography, History Class 11th and 12th
Indian Polity - Laxmikanth 4th editionA Brief History of Modern India- Spectrum
Economics: Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma,Mrunal.org, Sriram Economy manual, Economic SurveyArt And Culture: No Separate book. Cover from NCERTs and CCRT website, my videosScience and Technology: NCERTs, Thursday edition of The Hindu for SnT,mrunal.orgGeography: GC Leong (At least Part 1)Current Affairs: The Hindu, Yojana, Vajiram Current Affairs Modules
Environment and Ecology: Shankar IAS book, NCERTs,Mrunal.org, my videosFor prelims only : CSAT Paper 2 : TMH Manual as one stop solutionMains only:Lexicon by Chronicle Publication for ethics, solve as much questions as you can especially case studies.
Do not take a very high ground or you might come across as idealist which will be a hindrance in day to day work, but show zero tolerance to corruption and never compromise on integrity, these should be reflected clearly in your answers
World History: Watch videos at Unacademy, Norman Lowe (From 1911 onwards) and L MukherjeeScience ReporterYojana,The Hindu
International Relations : Ravindran Sir of Vajiram Classes , Hand written or printed notes.Prsindia.orgfor draft legislation and bill passed.Your optionalFor any abstract topic, do read on Wikipedia or simply google it.Do not forget to read about the compulsory papers as though they do not contribute to the rankings, yet they are extremely crucial because 8-10% people fail in them and their copies are just thrown away without any evaluation whatsoever.For compulsory English paper, English by Unique PublicaitonFor Modern Indian Language, I took Hindi, so do read Hindi by Unique Publication
Interview:Madhukar Bhagat : How to prepare for Civil Services Interview.
Test Series:Do join a test series, online or offline, doesn't matter. You have to give all tests with full preparation. As it enables you to fail faster, earlier and more often. Give all test as if you are appearing for UPSC preliminary examination. Start revising at least three days before the test. And always keep a balance between class and test preparation.Classes:If you are attending any classes, do attend all of them. Sit far away from anyoneyou know personally. Listen to teacher diligently. Make note of every single keyword they are dictating. Revise the class in half an hour on a daily basis.
Self Study:At least 6 hours per day cumulatively. Make your own goals depending upon your talent, knowledge base, potential and learning speed. Try to achieve at least 70% of that goal. Study whenever, wherever and however you can whether notes, text book , desktop, laptop, tablet, capsule ;) only thing that matters is the content. Do revise again and again from the same book. It is advisable to read 10 times from a single book, rather than reading 10 books single time.Books to avoid:Any book which is difficult to revise i.e having more than 500 pagesIndia after Independence, India after Gandhi, India Year Book (Read summary only), Manorama Year Book, India’s struggle for independence etc.Also avoid doubling of books for same subject like DD Basu, Subhash Kashyap etc as only Laxmikanth is needed for polity.Avoid any market magazine except Yojana.Distractions:Avoid heeding to advise of so-called well-wishers, who always try to demoralize you and pull you down. Do not be bogged down by sheer syllabus or number of candidates that apply for the examination.In fact, from time to time, I also got stressed, anxious and depressed (SAD) because it is a perfectly normal thing to be SAD being in such a high pressure situation. Certain level of anxiety is rather appreciable as it helps in delivering peak performance.For the benefit of aspirants, I have made lots of video tutorial lessons, absolutelyfree of cost, for the benefit of future candidates who can not afford coaching and it has turned out to be one of India’s largest Educational YouTube channel, i.e.
, http://youtube.com/unacademy , 15% of syllabus came from videos with just 2 hours of watching time.  and also my education channel
http://unacademy. in
Best wishes!

Preparation via YOUTUBE

Youtube as a source of preparation
YouTube had became an indispensable source for UPSC preparation specially to those who cannot afford coaching or from rural areas. Thanks to broadband penetration and Youtubers like Mrunal,coaching came to our study rooms from old rajendar nagar.In this post I would like to share some channels and playlists which will help bridge the gap between those who can afford coaching and those who cannot, in a humble way Youtube is bringing knowledge tothose who seek .“Ability isnothing without opportunity.” – Napoleon BonaparteI strongly believe in less sources and more revision and I place my trust on Government sources primarily. So what are the government sources for UPSC preparation. All India Radio,Yojana,KurukshetraEconomic survey and Loksabha andRajya SabhaTV channels.Luckily Loksabha Tvstated posting its videos on Youtube , I suggest English shows mainly, so what to watch in Loksabha tv ?*.
Insights* : Daily discussion on some important issues*.Public Forum* : its an alternate day program,  TUE-THU-SAT 7 PM English , other days in Hindi, very useful for mains preparation.
RajyaSabha TV is in next level compared to LSTV, they have wide range of shows , here are some suggested ones .*.Big Picture* :  a 30 minutes show on most important issues.*.Sarokaar: in Hindi very useful .*.Science monitor: round up of science and technews.*.State of the economy: discussion oneconomywith the best in field.*.India’s World: a discussion show dedicated toIRand Foreign policy*.Policy Watch :  detailed discussion on important policies.
Mrunal : in UPSC circles he need no introduction , his channel cover geography, economy and few other subjects.*.Mrunal YouTube playlists *.Economic Survey & Budget for 2016: Mrunal – YouTube**.Economy Lectures for UPSC General Studies – YouTube**.Geography for UPSC General Studies by Rajtanil Solanki **.Indian Art & Culture for UPSC Prelims & Mains by Ms.Ishani Pandya Vision IASThey also started posting some good stuff liketoppers talksandhowto prepare for UPSCwhich will give some nice idea to beginners.CivilsPrep Team15-20 minutes video explaining the articles of Hindu and Indian express daily byCPTGeneral suggested videos :*.Justice with Michael Sandelfor ethics*.crash courseworld history they cover wide range of subjects.*.The School of Lifethey cover short videos on wide range of topics from Philosophy,political theory etc.*.
Kurzgesagt– In a Nutshell Videos, explaining things. Like evolution, time, space, global energy or our existence in this strange universe.
*.TED-EDanimated educational short videos*Highly Recommended , rest are optional completely up to you. Even in these shows not every episode is useful, viewers discretion suggested depending on your time and patience.

How to ace the Essay Paper

How to write a marks fetching ESSAY
Essay though is one of the most scoring papers in Civil Service Exam, it is also the most vague when it comes to preparing a good strategy. An essay paper is for 250 marks and generally contains two questions which are to be broadly answered in about 1000–1200 words.
After extensively reading, researching and following the strategies given by previous year toppers, certain institutes, writing various mocks etc this is the strategy I have arrived at. I guess it must be a decent strategy because I ended up scoring 141. This was my first attempt.
Hope this can help those like me who were very confused about how to ace the essay paper.
I had attempted the following essays:
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.
Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?
Before I start in depth about writing a good essay, some important pointers to remember:
Always stick to the question asked in the essay. Eg: Here the capitalism question specifically talks about whether or not it can bring inclusive growth, so the answer should be around that too. Don’t start writing about everything you know about capitalism because that wont fetch you marks.
Include many examples. Specifically pertaining to current events. Try to relate the topic to current events as much as possible. Eg: In the capitalism essay you can write about how PMJDY which is for inclusive growth can be fuelled by Private sector banks or how initiatives like Make In India can provide employment and thus increase the purchasing power of many Indians. NOTE again examples are sticking closely to the question asked.
Do not write theoretical jargon. Essay is a generalist paper and thus writing theories of economists at length or other subject heavy jargon will not result in good marks. If at some places you want to mention some theorists that is fine as long as you relate them to the essay question and try to explain their theories in as simple language as possible in not more than one to two lines.
Do not write flowery english. Please remember this paper is for UPSC selection process. It is to understand your analytical skills along with your command over writing but it is no way a test of your english writing capabilities! It is not a test of how literary capable you are. Please refrain from using english words which you wouldn’t otherwise use in everyday language.
Do not lean on only the positive or the negative! Overall take a balanced stance weighing both sides of the question. Eg. In the essay on capitalism do not write the entire essay with a tone of “yes it can support inclusive growth” or “ no it cannot”! Try to give a critique looking at both sides. A balanced approach would be to say “It seems that capitalism cannot bring inclusive growth because of examples in the past like example 1,2,3 but at the same time it may lead to inclusive growth if example 4,5,6,7 are followed.”
You may or may not divide the essay in sub headings. In my case, I divided my first essay in various subheadings but in the second one I did not have enough time to do it, so I wrote the entire essay without sub headings. Both worked.
Underline! This is all about presentation. Notice here in my article I have written certain parts in Bold, the sole intent of this is to make the content easy on the eyes of the reader. Same goes in the exam. Underline your key ideas. But please do not overdo it to the extent that the non underlined parts get highlighted!
Ingredients to a good essay:
1. Structure
When it comes to structuring the essay, I broadly chose the theme of Past-Present-Future. Follow this theme across the entire essay i.e introduction should start with past, then the major body talking about present and concluding the essay with the future. The idea here is that once you start an essay on a topic, you give a background which essentially means that you start with what has already happened in that context in India or the world. Eg: In the capitalism essay a good idea would be to start with how across the world in the past capitalism created a divide in terms of creating categories like developing, developed nations or why capitalism was the ideology followed in India until 1991 after the LPG reforms.
Next the major body should talk about the recent developments in the given topic. Here try to give as many examples pertaining to current affairs as you can.
Finally end the essay with what is expected in the future. What can be the major developments or whether it will be a paradigm shift from the past etc. Eg: In the context of capitalism you can talk about how the CSR initiative might help in capitalism taking a more society oriented goal rather than pure profit orientation, in the future.
2. Introduction
The introduction should be powerful and must make the reader feel excited to read further. A good idea would be to start with a story, the story can be a made up one or an actual story about some happening of recent time. This is the only part in the essay where you can have be a little “dramatic” and try to create suspense or interest. Eg: In the essay on education, you can start with the story of an individual who is taught nuclear science but instead uses it to create weapons of mass destruction.
The introduction can also be a famous quote related to the topic or the findings of some great individual qualified to talk on that topic. (Again please note don’t get technical and try to keep it at a layman’s understanding.) Eg: The capitalism essay can be started with some substantial finding of Angus Deaton or Amartya Sen on this topic.
3. Dimensions
This is the most important part to writing a good essay. A well written essay though must have enough depth but it must also have good width. What that essentially means is that the essay must touch varied dimensions. For example, if we look at the essay on capitalism, our basic instinct is to highlight purely the economic aspects of the essay. That is the worst mistake to make in a CSE essay. For a good essay, try to touch varied dimensions. These can be broadly:
Political
Social
Environmental
Ethical
Technological etc.
While writing any essay, always brainstorm about how that essay can affect these various dimensions. Create as many linkages as you can. These links definitely fetch more marks.
Eg: The environmental aspect of “capitalism” affecting inclusive growth can be that Industries result in pollution and even sometimes lead to catastrophes like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy due to negligence. In such a case, looking at capitalism as a pure initiator of employment would be wrong as it is affecting the quality of human life and may thus hamper development.
Or the social aspect can be how capitalism creates a divide in the world in terms of developed and developing nations leading to notions like Westoxication (aping the west) or even notions like Mc Donaldization or certain similar examples in India.
4. Conclusion
Always conclude the essay on a positive note with solutions to address the given question – what can be done, what should be better implemented etc. Here you can be innovative at the same time don’t write impractical solutions which are impossible to implement.
Eg: The essay on education can be ended with solutions such as introducing subjects like moral science or ethics as a part of compulsory curriculum in school or adding Emotional Intelligence as a measure of child’s capability too. Other solutions can be to introduce children at a young age to spirituality etc. The conclusion can also elaborate on how purely education with values i.e theoretical aspect will also not ensure good citizens, education must be such that it incentivises behaviour with good morals.