Author: Root

  • Flagship Prelims 2018 Batch 1 & 2 | TS 14 Science & Technology Discussion

    All aspirants who are giving tomorrow’s test should discuss all there doubts/queries about any question on this thread and not in the comments section of the test

    Around 20 questions of the test can be solved using Tikdam method

    Tikdams explanations in those selected questions are given in the explanation column itself

    By closely observing those questions after every test you will gradually learn the art of Tikdams which will assist you in clearing the UPSC prelims

    Highlights of tomorrow’s test:

    Q.1 Consider the following statements with reference to Gelator

    1. It helps to recover marine oil spills with a simple, efficient and cost effective method

    2. It is completely hydrophilic

    3. It can be used only once

    Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

    a) 1 only

    b) 1 and 2 only

    c)  2 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Q.2 Consider the following with respect to Rare Earth Elements

     1. Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of seventeen chemical elements that occur together in the periodic table

    2. They are plentiful in the Earth’s crust

    3. Japan is the biggest producer of Rare Earth Elements

    Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) 1 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Q.3 Consider the following statements

     1. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It is caused when the body’s immune system kills the alpha cells

    2. Type 2 diabetes is caused when your body loses sensitivity to insulin or fails to respond to the insulin produced by the body

    3. The “liver”, which encapsulates insulin-producing cells, is capable of naturally producing insulin in a sustained manner

    Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

    a) 1 and 3 only

    b) 2 only

    c) 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Q.4 With reference to “bionic leaf”, consider the following statements

    1. Bionic Leaf uses solar energy to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen

    2.  Its efficiency is higher than photosynthetic plants

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a) 1 Only

    b) 2 Only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    All the Best! 

  • CD Magazine Mega Combo: Nov '17 to May '18 now available

    Subscription Start Date: December 2017
    First Bundle: Mega Combo – November 2017
    Last Bundle: Mega Combo – May 2018

    Around 14,000+ students subscribed to our previous combo and benefitted from our news analysis.

    Encouraged by your love and trust, this time we are offering more magazines with a targeted focus on Prelims and Mains.

    If you can afford a cup of tea a week, you can surely afford to part with 299 INR for a 6-month high-intensity PDF combo.

    Subscribing to this combo will go a long way in ensuring that we continue our content curation initiatives with as much zeal and dedication as you go daily for your UPSC Prep.

    This combo contains magazines of all news, op-ed snaps, PIB releases that we publish daily on our website and app.

    It contains compilation of all Prelims Daily questions which we create out of previous day’s newscards.

    Apart from that out weekly Target Mains questions and model answers are also compiled for entire month and given to you for better Mains preparation.

    Subscribe now: Click2get

  • How to best use Civilsdaily for my IAS Prep?

    Subjects:

    IMP: Civilsdaily IAS Prelims 2018 Test Series Module Launched – Click here


    Hello,

    Let’s set your expectations straight. At the end of this read – you will understand how you can adapt to the changing UPSC syllabus by being a regular at Civilsdaily. You will understand the power of connected NEWS for a better analysis via our concept of STORY when you look back and read all of them.

    You will come to appreciate our one pointed focus on making daily news and related static concepts (b2bs) easy for you guys.

    Trust us when we say this – unlike overwhelming writing practice or daily dose of daunting 5,000+ words long articles, our seemingly simple but connected news & stories go a long way in making you feel on top of the major happenings of the world around you.

    Civilsdaily lets you remember everything important that happens around you and use that information in a way to make yourself more productive.

    At the examination hall, on the D-day, if you remember the key points of most of the major themes and stories of the year, you are going to ace Pre & Mains – come what may!


     

    So, here we are, writing a long but practical blog post which is going to help you understand, explore and utilize CIVILSDAILY to its maximum potential for the exams to come. Read this one very carefully.

    #1. Use the calendar widget the read daily news from the NEWS tab

    • Every day, we pluck out the most relevant daily news and push it on our FREE android app as well as the NEWS’ tab at civilsdaily.com
    • Since many of you do not keep up with daily news, we designed a calendar widget to help you go back in time – any date & any month! Available in both english and hindi (hindi translations are available after 6 PM everyday)
    • So, go to the NEWS tab – click on a date – toggle on the language and scroll down to read the most important summaries of the NEWS

    #2. What do I do after NEWS reading? These are just 4-5 points. Is this going to help me clear IAS?

    • These are not just any 4-5 points – these are the most relevant 4-5 points. What’s more – once you are done reading the NEWS, go and click the green text next to the orange tree on each newscard
    • Once you click on the green text next to the orange tree – you go to the mother of all pages on the “State of Forest in India” where you can see all the related news stacked up wrt this topic. Isn’t that awesome! No more concerns about revising news from a week before – everything is already stacked for you!
    • Whenever we have a news item relevant to this TOPIC/ STORY, we will keep adding it here so that you never lose a trail.
    • And to make sure that you also get detailed analysis on an ongoing story – we have inserted another tab – CD Explains on each story page

    If you have been a Civilsdaily user for long, then you would be happy to know that we have shifted most of the CD Explains articles in their relevant stories so that you lose no time in searching for them!

    For the new users, this is the best time to start using Civilsdaily. Read and make notes! Which brings to our most important segment of the day –

    #3. What the hell is a story and how is it going to help me in my IAS Prep?

    A story is a collection of related newscards. This is the most innovative method to stay in touch with news (past & present). This is what UPSC wants to test you on – your ability to analyse a news better and connect the dots!

    Click on a story and you can track down all the important changes which happened on that theme over the last few months – sometimes even year!

    Click on any of these stories and you can go back and read the trail of news + CD Explains articles which we would have written about that topic.

    In case, you find that we have not written the CD Explains on a particular story – go ahead and suggest what you want us to write about. We are always listening!

    #4. Use the forum to the fullest – a lot can happen over discussions

    Ask questions – Get answers. Participate in discussions – grow your knowledge. Help your peers – get helped by our moderators.

    Good Karma always helps!

    #5. Blogs, blogs & blogs

    To make sure that we do not miss the static portions of your syllabus, we write elaborate writeups on course modules which are difficult to understand from textbooks and coachings institutes. There’s more – Toppers Strategies, How to clear guides, Daily motivation etc etc.

    Add to that, to help you discover old related blogs, we introduced a concept of “Collections”. Here are 3 quick steps to find the related blog posts.

    #6. Monthly Magazine – CivilsDigest E-book

    And one last thing, to make sure that you get the best of monthly news and blogs, we started out with state of art magazines every month – get your copy from here – CivilsDigest Magazine – Click to buy

    That’s it! This is all you need to do to take the best out of Civilsdaily.com. Make sure you download our FREE App to get daily news in crisp, clean layout.


    If you still have doubts, please put in your comments below.

  • After Mains, before results: What to do!

    The time after you have written your Mains and are awaiting the results is a very disturbing one. Sometimes you feel like you should gear up for interview and still on other times you feel like brushing up the standard textbook in the case of you not sailing through Mains and writing the Prelims again.

    The condition still worsens when we breed negativity by thinking too much about the results. We become anxious and frustrated. We are unable to focus on studies.

    All this is pretty normal so be happy if you have such symptoms because it certifies your normalcy!

    Having discussed the situation, let us now see what needs to be done in this duration.

    • Keep reading newspapers. Current affairs is one section that will help you immensely in interview preparation. And God forbid, if you do not sail through Mains, Current Affairs will come handy for your preparation for Prelims
    • Be busy. This is easier said than done. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop. If you keep lazing around moving from couch to bed, you will keep brooding about results. This is the worst thing to do. You will only impact your results adversely by breeding pessimism. You can also indulge in some daily chores that you have been otherwise escaping due to a busy schedule. Buying groceries would make your mother equally happy.
    • Workout. Yes, you read it right. Most of us during UPSC Preparation tend to become a couch potato. And rightly so. The rigour of the exam is such that you are forced to be glued to your study table and chair. This obviously takes a toll on your fitness level. So use this relatively relaxed phase to shed those extra pounds. This will help you in your interview as you will look more presentable in suits/sarees minus the bulging tummy!
    • Build your CV. You can choose to work for a start-up or an NGO as an intern or full time that interests you. Not only will this boost your confidence but also give pointers for your interview. In interview a very favourite Question of the board is, “what are you doing now?”. If you mention being engaged to some organisation, it can leave a lasting impression. You can then predict your interview and hence score great marks!
    • Avoid social media overdose. Most of us stay away from our social networks until Mains. But once we write that last word of our Paper II optional, our virtual self becomes prominent to the level of almost spamming! Forums become alive with speculation about cut offs, result date, etc. All this is good but only in moderation. Too much of it will always keep you on the edge and lead to anxiety.
    • Build up on your hobby. When filling the DAF, hobby forms an important component. And assuming that you filled a genuine hobby, it would be fun to develop on your existing interest. This will help you unwind and also come handy in the interview stage. Just an hour a day can help.

    The time after Mains and before results is a golden one. One may think it to be a carefree one but it can prove to be quite determining to your selection. Be positive in this phase, take a vacation, unwind but in a limited quantity. Too much of “instagramming” will distract you. And believe me being rejected at interview stage is the last thing an aspirant wants.

    All the best for results!

    This is a guest post by Ms Ila Tripathi (Rank 51, 2016).

    You can follow her blog at https://iasjourneyandbeyond.net/2017/11/17/after-mains-before-results-what-to-do/

  • Civilsdaily Flagship Prelims 2018 Batch 4 | 32 Tests + Tikdams +10 Months Mag

    Civilsdaily’s Flagship Test Series Batch 4 starts on 10th February – Click to Register


    Since Civilsdaily’s Newscards and articles have always been bullish on current affairs, 2017 Prelims current affairs heavy paper was a cakewalk for most of our students.

    But that should not be the only reason why you should join us for IAS 2018 Prep.

    What benefitted our students the most were our well defined conceptual questions and our heavy focus on making them solve those questions with smart hack techniques (Tikdams). 



    This year, we have set up a dedicated academic team to focus on the nitty gritties of the UPSC Exam Space

    • You would have seen the heavy initiatives – Target Mains – GS Questions with DNA Model Answers which is already running on the portal every day
    • The 3 tier test series has been made so that Beginners to IAS Prep get a separate treatment which helps them evolve their test-taking skills to the Advanced level guys after the first 6 tests
    • All 32 tests are 100 mark papers which focus on one particular section only

    Our team consists of members who’ve qualified prelims many times with ease and are well-versed with the changing patterns of UPSC. They have also been instrumental in creating test series for top notch institutes and are aware of the deficiencies in them. We have put together a program that is fine and balanced and increases your chances to get through. 

    #1. Focus on concepts 

    Be assured that our questions will cover ALL core concepts that are an absolute must. Do not neglect your static course at the cost of current affairs preparation. We are going to make sure you stay on top of everything.

    #2. Intelligent questions over Difficult ones

    Some coaching institutes/ Test Series take immense pride in framing questions that test very advanced and alien concepts which are hard to find in the reference book.

    Such questions are irrelevant and have a negative impact on a student’s preparation, especially the ones who are just starting out. A relatively low score makes a student go hunting for difficult questions and ends up wasting time he would’ve spent perfecting his base concepts. 

    Here’s an example of such question – 

    Consider the following statements : 

    1. Ventricular systole of heart increases the ventricular pressure causing the closure of semilunar valves, producing the second heart sound called dub.

    2. Ventricular diastole of the heart decreases the ventricular pressure causing the closure of the right and left atrioventricular valve providing first heart sound called lubb.

    which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) both 1 and 2

    d) neither 1 nor 2.

    Good luck wracking your head against a wall if you think such questions are going to pave way for success!

    We believe that you should be thorough with the base & reference books + Newspapers and should be able to attempt difficult questions from here.

    The Intelligent questions should be such that they make you think of tikdams and smart hacks to solve for. That’s the sure shot way of confidence building. You will come out of our FLTs and write in comments about how you hacked through some of our questions – and feel empowered because the options were framed in a way to help you do that!

    #3. Not engaging in vague nitpicking 

    Amateur test series have all sorts of questions made from insignificant lines of reference books/ ncerts. Moreover, they are framed in such a manner that its difficult to infer what they actually mean if one has not read those exact sentences.

    Consider one such vague question –

    The juvenile justice care & protection bill 2014 has been passed by both the houses of the parliament, seek to bring the following changes 

    1. To lower culpability as an adult from 18 to 16 years

    2. To amend the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act 2000 suitably

    3. To implement the recommendations of JS Verma Committee on criminal law reforms. 

    Now, many would find statement 2 to be correct. But the catch here is the JJ C&P Act is not an amendment but a replacement of the JJ C& P Act 2000. And that is what this question maker wanted to test you on.

    This is a badly structured question. This comes neither in the ambit of smart testing nor in the ambit of tikdams. We don’t think UPSC sets illogical traps like these and neither do we plan to do so. 

    Make sure that every question counts


    We are spending a lot of time framing questions so that you understand the requirement and attempt accordingly.

    We have separated static tests (basic and advanced) from current affairs tests so you know your weak points individually and can go back and hone them. No point giving ~20 CA questions with 80 Static questions. It is all about FOCUS!

    Our explanations would have sufficient amounts of tikdams to help you develop that knack of problem-solving which is going to help you prepare for any kind of exam pattern.

    In case, you wish to give sample test – Attempt them here

    Join in today

    Link to the Flagship Course – Click here to Join

    If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. Mail us at hello@civilsdaily.com or call at 08823831311

  • Weekly Updates | List of all UPSC/ IAS Initiatives at Civilsdaily

    January 7-14, 2018

    Tests Live @ CD 

    Prelims Test Series [Join Anytime]:

    • 5 January: TS 06 CA – July’17 Flagship Prelims Test Series Batch 3: Attempt here
    • 11 January: TS 07 Geography Flagship Prelims Test Series Batch 3: Attempt here
    • 14 January: TS 16 Polity (Advanced) Flagship Prelims Test Series Batch 1 & 2: Attempt here

    Samachar Manthan Initiative: Current affairs coverage on weekly basis along with dedicated answer checking and detailed explanatory videos: Know more and join here

    • 7 January: Week 4  Video lecture and Mains Answer Writing Test now available: Join here

    Prelims Prep with Dr. V

    Special Mains Oriented Content @ CD

    • Complete coverage of UPSC Prelims + Mains Economics Syllabus @ Indian Economy  | The economics syllabus is curated and made UPSC specific by Himanshu Arora, Ph.D. Candidate from JNU
    • 60 Important Case Studies of Ethics from Pooja Chaudhary and Pritam Kumar with critical inputs from Dr. Vipin Garg, IAS

    Compilations

    • CivilsDigest + Prelims Daily Mega combo released for November 2017 to May 2018: Click2buy the 6-month compilation for Rs. 299 only
    • 100 Most Probable Questions & Answers for Mains 2017 + 100 Most Probable Issues for Mains 2017 + 60 Most Probable Ethics Case Studies | IAS 2017-18: Click2Get
    • Prelims 2017 Analysis + Directions for Prelims 2018 Workbook by Dr. V: Click2buy

    Videos

    • QIP Geography videos by K Siddhartha sir- Open Access: Click2watch

    Other Initiatives

    UPSC Calendar/Announcements

    • Result of Indian Forest Service Mains 2017 declared
  • Prelims 2017 Analysis + Directions for 2018- Workbook now available

    In Prelims 2017, UPSC again showed that it has the power to spring a surprise, catching both students and market coaches unawares.

    2017 tests the candidate’s ability not how much does he/she knows rather the manner in which the candidates know, the attitude with which one knows.

    This is also a move towards student orientation, and respecting their abilities by undermining the hegemony of coaching institutes. No more will compilations of current affairs and run of the mill carpet bomb test series work as quick fix solutions. Curiosity base, Observation fuelled learning and Knowledge (not information) scores over pure examination tactics like guess estimation.

    Civilsdaily brings you a comprehensive analysis of Prelims 2017 with inputs from K Siddhartha sirVipin Garg (IAS, 2016 Batch) and Praveen Verma (IAS, 2017 Batch).

    Get it here- Click2Buy

       

     

    P.S.- August month’s Civilsdigest and Prelims Daily Magazine are now available for download. If you haven’t bought the discounted 6-month mega combo pack of CA + PD magazine yet, buy it now- Click2Buy

    We have changed the layout of CA magazine from this edition. Few glimpses:

    1. More similar to our newscards layout:

     

    2. Included images for better understanding:

     

    If you have read the magazine in full or partially, please give a feedback on the new layout here in comments. That will help us in improving subsequent editions of the CA magazine.

     

  • [Update] Public Administration Optional Test Series 2017 | Starts 15th September

    We have rescheduled the Test series for Public Administration optional students + reduced the price (Now Rs. 2997 only)

    The test series will help students command the subject concept wise, material wise and to help fill in the gaps left in their preparation.

    This test series aims to generate and develop coherent knowledge to subject and also try to develop writing practice before mains exam.

    Test Series contains:

    6 TOPICWISE AND 2 FULL-LENGTH COMPREHENSIVE TESTS
    COMPREHENSIVE ANSWER KEY TO SAVE THE 3 HOUR TIRING DISCUSSION CLASSES

    People behind

    Adarsh V Dharan in collaboration with Civilsdaily. Marks obtained in UPSC Mains 2016 in Public Administration- 295

    See what Topper’s say about our mentor:

    Test Series starts from 15th September 2017. Buy Here- http://imojo.in/g1xpqo

    Get all details regarding test series in this PDF- Click2download

    For any other doubts, mail us on hello@civilsdaily.com

  • Public Administration Pilot Answer Writing Programme | Daily Answer Review by UPSC Veterans | Starts 21st August

    Archive (click on highlighted days to attempt the daily quiz)

    We are coming up with a pilot programme for Public Administration optional students as a precursor to Test series being launched for them after a few days.

    The highlights of the programme are:

    • Daily 2 questions (10 marks + 20 marks) will be made available at 10 am.
    • Evaluation will be done by 8 pm.
    • Model answer will be available from 9 pm on the same day.
    • Doubts can be asked. We will get the doubts cleared on the same day.

    Other features:

    • Comprehensive evaluation. Stress will be given on-

    -Content

    -Facts, figures, value addition, Case studies, current affairs etc.

    -Structure of the answer

    -Presentation and Format

    Conducted by:

    Adarsh V Dharan in collaboration with Civilsdaily
    Marks obtained in UPSC Mains 2016 in Public Administration- 295


    PS: Confirm your participation by posting in comments below. After registering, click on the links on the top and start attempting the questions. Questions attempted on the same day before 8 PM will be checked. 

  • Toppers Testimonials | Aman Mittal | AIR-20 CSE 2016

    Subjects:

     

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    20
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    1

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

    Electrical Engineering


    Prelims Strategy:

    My preparation started about a year before the Prelims because I prepared for the Prelims and Mains simultaneously (the syllabus is largely overlapping). However, serious preparation for the Mains like answer writing and covering the topics that are not a part of Prelims started after the Prelims. The optional should ideally be done 2 months before the Prelims.

    Preferred books:

    • Bipan Chandra and NCERT for History
    • NCERT for Geography
    • Constitution App for Polity apart from the papers and manuals from GK Today.  

     

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    • After Prelims, the focus should always be on writing practice and shining the rough edges as well as preparing topic-wise notes for GS I, GS II and GS III.
    • Ideally, I think one should at least do 80% of the questions. Questions that I was not sure about, I generally left and didn’t guess.
    • Specifically for Mains, I was diligent in reading newspapers and ensured that I read the editorials carefully. I generally relied on making a mental map of the things stated in the article, but I advise people to go for making topic wise notes of the same.
    • For the static part, it is necessary to cover the NCERT first hand. These can be backed up by online resources available on the subject such as Mrunal. What will be crucial is the writing practice that one does during the course of preparation.

    Tips for students:

    Interview was a good experience but then the beginning was not that good and I was told to be more specific in answering. Such moments are crucial, and as I kept my composure and the rest of the interview was smooth. There were many instances where the answer was unknown.
    It is best to avoid such questions by apologetically replying in negative. But in general, it is important not to be worried too much about counter questions as it will unnecessarily burden you during the process.

    Point to be noted:

    • Always remember that UPSC will never ask tough questions here, unlike in the Engineering Services, but will cover a broad range of areas.
    • It is important to go through the previous year’s questions to get an idea of the questions and the papers. In fact, one should go through previous year papers as soon as possible as it will clarify many doubts automatically and show the way forward for the preparation.
    • The most important message to the aspirants is to have faith in yourself and to leave your ego in order to succeed.

     

  • Toppers Testimonials | Rajarshi Shah | AIR-81 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    81
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    4

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject


    Prelims Strategy:

    The changing pattern of prelims every year has become a concern for many aspirants. The 2017 paper is testimony to that. In such scenario, scoring high marks in prelims has become quite challenging. I had focused equally on fundamentals of static portions (polity, economics, geo & environment etc.) along with current issues. This year UPSC tested the knowledge depth and as a result preparation should be molded accordingly.

    Preferred books:

    • NCERTs (11th & 12th std.)
    • Laxmikanth Polity
    • Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
    • Spectrum for modern history
    • Environment book by Shankar IAS

    Views about importance of Test series:

    Practice of mock tests and previous year papers will perfect the art of elimination leading to good accuracy and higher scores.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    • Practice- During my first mains, I didn’t practice answer writing and my mains score were too low. I rectified my mistake by writing answers, joining test series for essay, gs and optional and practicing previous year papers. Mock tests help a lot in improving score in both prelims and mains.
    • Structure and Presentation of answer- I wrote in a combination of paragraph and points. I followed the usual structure- introduction, body and conclusion. Whether the question asks discuss, examine or critically analyze, my strategy was to always try to show both aspects of the answer and simultaneously cover various dimensions.
    • Thinking and writing in broad and holistic manner helps in improving scores. I also focused on interlinking theory and current issues by substantiating points with current facts, examples along with proper references like constitution articles in paper 2, economic survey in paper 3 etc.
    • Also, some innovation through quotes, diagrams in essay, gs as well as optional papers will enhance the presentation of answer. I tried to incorporate this strategy by looking at toppers answer scripts and practicing a lot.

    Tips for students:

    • Syllabus- Study the entire syllabus carefully and try to cover each and every topic. I took out hard copies of entire syllabus and went through it multiple times.
    • Time Management- for GS and optional, I tried to devote almost equal time throughout my preparation. Regarding Newspapers, I didn’t spend more than two hours daily and followed Indian express religiously plus the editorial section of the Hindu.
    • Note making- I made notes of those topics which I had to study from multiple sources for gs and optional. I didn’t make notes for static portions from laxmikanth, sriram economics or spectrum etc. Similarly for newspapers, I collected case studies, facts along with the name of experts to be used in answers.  
    • The case studies are the most scoring in ethics paper. As a result, one should not leave them for the end.
    • Kautilya had said “A single wheel cannot move a chariot”. The underlying principle is the division of work and increase in efficiency through group effort. This thing helped me a lot for learning a lot of information through discussions and improving my speed and quality of answer writing.

    Point to be noted:

    • Learn Definition of every topic listed in the syllabus- It should be simple two line definition.
    • Gather quotes to be used for substantiating the answer.
    •  Current Example relevant to the topic. Try working on those lines to collect examples from newspapers.
    • Personal Example/ Example from the lives of administrators, philosophers, religious personalities etc.
    • Sanskrit shloka/ lines like Vasudhaiva kutambakam for ethics in International Relations.
    • Solutions- Use UN conventions, Government laws and schemes, Case studies, and 2nd ARC recommendations.
  • Toppers Testimonials | Kumar Harsh | AIR-43 CSE 2016

     

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    43
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    1

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

    Mechanical engineer 

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    • Try to know at least 3-4 important points on every topic – current or dynamic.
    • Watch Rajya Sabha TV debates. As it is a visual medium it helps remember better.
    • Don’t become an academician or do PhD on a topic.  

    Preferred books:

    The standard material.  

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    • Answer writing is most important. Just reading books would not help. Start answer writing immediately.
    • Focus more answer writing, rather than reading/studying.
    • Ultimately, you have to go and write the exam.
    • What you finally write in the exam hall is important.   

    Tips for students:

    • GS pattern has become very dynamic.
    • Topics related to contemporary issues are important.
    • Focus mainly on Currents Affairs for mains, especially for the dynamic part.
    • GS – 2 and GS – 3 is mainly dynamic.

    Point to be noted: 

    • The Aim should be to complete a topic in minimum time with maximum output, so that one can solve most of the questions from the topic.
    • Get a general idea on most relevant topics.
    • Think in different dimensions while writing the answers.
    • ‘Keywords’ are important. Expand the keywords in exam.
    • Try to put maximum number of points in answers.
    • Always put a positive conclusion. Have an optimistic outlook and end the answers on a positive note.

     

  • Toppers Testimonials | Milind Bapna | AIR-61 CSE 2016

     

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    61
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    3

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    My mantra is KEEP IT SIMPLE. Read from limited sources, revise more and have a sense of self belief that whatever you are reading is enough.
    Generally most aspirants keep on buying new materials like fresh green vegetables on everyday basis and end up leaving all of them, this should be avoided.

    Preferred books:

    • History Ancient- Old NCERT
    • History Medieval- Old NCERT
    • Culture and society- GK Today Compendium, CCRT
    • Polity (theory + current) – Laxmikanth
    • Economy (theory + current) – Mrunal, Sriram Eco.
    • Science (theory + current) – PT 365
    • Environment (theory + current) – Mrunal, Shankar Env., PT 365
    • Geography- 11th & 12th NCERT   

    Views about importance of Test series:

    Never joined any test series but downloaded papers from internet and attempted them in exam conditions.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    • I did no specific preparation for essay, just maintained a quote book and dumped everything from it in paper. Try to make a flow chart before writing and have a wider approach rather than a deep one. Mostly wrote what I read for my GS prep.
    • Ethics paper is not a test of how good your ethical vocabulary is but how ethical and sensitive one is towards everyday dilemmas and how one reacts to them.
      So avoid being a Shakespeare, keep your answers simple and lucid, include real life examples from great leaders/your own life etc.
    •  Attempt each and every question, whether you know it or not. A completely attempted paper any day is better than a paper where one attempts around 70-80% questions only, because the range of marks is quite less between the best and average attempted papers, so every
      marks counts.  

    Tips for students:

    • Every year a new pattern comes out and online forums start debates on future course of UPSC exam pattern etc.Just keep on reading and learning whatever good source you have.
    • It doesn’t matter what and from where you are reading, what makes the difference is on exam day what you can recall and deliver there.

    Point to be noted:

    I would never ever do selective study on basis of useless R&D on future papers. I will go through everything from current affairs to core syllabus. It is never safe to predict this.

     

  • Toppers Testimonials | Dr Nandhinidevi K | AIR-54 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    54
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

    Medical Science

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    • Prelims is not just about mugging up facts- understand the concepts
    • HISTORY- I made separate notes on INC meetings – president- decision and timeline of events.
    • ART AND CULTURE – Focus on architecture , Dance , music , paintings and literature
    • GEOGRAPHY – International organisations related to current events
    • ECONOMICS – Economic survey
    • POLITY– Laxmikant and notes are sufficient.
    • SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Current affairs – focus on Space technology and defence
    • CURRENT AFFAIRS- The Hindu amd Any monthly magazine ( I followed institute magazine. Yojana kurukshetra- to know about new schemes , programs and their specificationCSAT- Workout Previous 2 year question papers

    Views about importance of Test series:

    Important but stick to one test series genuinely and you can use other test series inputs with respect to current affairs.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    For essay I looked into previous year question papers and toppers answer sheet to have an idea. I Wrote 4 essays before mains. Analyze the trend of events.  

    Having a good writing skill is important. Making notes helps in framing answers.

    Tips for students:

    People fear to attempt more questions because of negative marks. Try to attend at least 70-75 questions starting with class test series – so that you will learn how to crack the answer.  

     

  • Toppers Testimonials | M Prathap | AIR-21 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    21
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    1

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    1. Prelims is full of concepts and facts.
    2. In the beginning go for integrated preparation.
    3. Keep your sources minimum  

    Preferred books:

    The basic book that everyone uses. One NCERT and one basic book for each subject.

     

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    1. Mains- focus on writing answers.
    2. Give focus to optional
    3. Essay is easier and gives edge. Practice many easy.
    4. For GS keep a focus on newspaper
    5. Have in mind 3-4 pros and cons per topic.

    Tips for students:

    In the interview they test the personality. Be careful with the words that come out of your mouth because that will determine the course of interview.

    Point to be noted:

    Be consistent and determined.

  • Toppers Testimonials | Suman Sourav Mohanty | AIR-9 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    9
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    2

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

    Public administration

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    Don’t

    Preferred books:

    • History- Bipan Chandra; NCERT, BANDHOPADHYAY- GAVE CONCEPTUAL CLARITY+ notes
    • Culture – NCERT, CCRT website
    • Geography- current affairs mainly because questions are more dynamic in this, NCERT
    • World history- Norman Lowe, NCERT
    • The Hindu

    Views about importance of Test series:

    Test series are important. It helps in the final exam. You get an idea about what kind of questions can come.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    • Work on your writing skills.
    • I wrote point wise so that no repletion is there.
    • The structure is simple- introduction, main body, conclusions.
    • I used facts and figures properly and a solution and way forward. This must be a standard structure for every answer.
    • Try to write in sub headings. This fetches more marks. It becomes easier for the examiner to check.

    GS Paper 2- mixture of static and dynamic concepts

    • Laxmikant
    • The Hindu
    • 2nd ARC
    • Regular analysis of govt. policies
    • Draw diagrams were its relevant not unnecessarily

    Tips for students:

    Be specific with time and don’t compromise on time even if you haven’t covered the word limit.  

     

  • Toppers Testimonials | Ganga Singh | AIR-33 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016 33
    Number of attempts (include present one) 2
    Medium (English/Hindi) Hindi
    Optional Subject Hindi literature

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    Be consistent with your studies and also do smart study.  

    Preferred books:

    Geography- NCERT and Oxford Atlas available in hindi.
    History – NCERT (old and new)
    Polity- NCERT, Political theory, Laxmikanth
    Economics- only basi concepts required-NCERT- From 9-12
    Current Affairs- Dainik Jagran and magazine- jansatha  

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    World history is not in prelims but in mains. So the book I used was Arjun Devki NCERT.
    For geography NCERTs from 9-12

    Ethics paper is very important and helps in securing good marks easily.

    Read two newspapers at max. Be regular with it. If it gets missed then at least read the headlines. Dainik jagran is a holistic paper. Be through with the syllabus and read those topics in the paper. Make notes from it. Don’t take more than 1 hr to read it.  

    Tips for students:

    Be good in writing answers in brief. Practice answer writing as much as you can

  • Toppers Testimonials | Abhilash Mishra | AIR-5 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    5
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    3

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    Keep all your data handy. Briefly have facts and recent developments with you. Notes are not very important in prelims.  

    Preferred books:

    Basic books.

    Views about importance of Test series:

    Extremely important.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    Presenting answers is a great challenge. Use flowcharts etc. use a good framework. Don’t overdo diagrams or flowcharts. Also, capitals in a larger font size can be used.  If not through with optional then give more time to optionl than GS.

    Tips for students:

    Be thorough with the optional. Give equal marks to all subjects as all carry equal marks.

    Point to be noted:

    Be regular with newspapers and current affairs won’t be a problem.

  • Toppers Testimonials | Athul Janardhanan | AIR-13 CSE 2016

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    13
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    2

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English
    Optional Subject

    Geography

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    Don’t

    Preferred books:

    Standard material.

    Views about importance of Test series:

    I took tests series to see progress and tricks and how to take risks. One gets better with practice.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    Thorough reading is important for mains because ideas need to be clear in mains and it comes only when you read thoroughly.
    The current affairs are important to get through the exam as questions in mains are more dynamic than static.

    Tips for students:

    For interviews, mock interviews are important as it enhances confidence. The feel of that ambience is important.

    Point to be noted:

    I never followed a systematic timetable for my studies and my policy was to make optimum use of time whenever possible.

  • Toppers Testimonials | Tejasvi Rana | AIR-12 CSE 2016

     

    About:

    Rank in CSE-2016

    12
    Number of attempts (include present one)

    2

    Medium (English/Hindi)

    English

    Optional Subject

     

    Prelims Strategy:

    For prelims never attempt less than 90 questions. This I say with surety because if you attempt those questions also in which you have been able to cross one or two options out of 4, then definitely you will be able to attempt more than 90. And if you mathematically calculate the expected score on the basis of the probability of getting it right, it is higher than the case if you don’t attempt those.  

    Preferred books:

    Standard material.

    Views about importance of Test series:

    I took a number of exams online and they were very helpful.

    What to focus on for Mains Prep?

    I worked hard and spent 8 to 10 hours every day for the preparations. I didn’t do any coaching but joined online series and gave a number of online tests. Planning and having a schedule is the key to crack this exam.
    Short movies were my stress buster, which also gave me strength to work in the right direction for social issues.

    Tips for students:

    When I began preparing, I was of the view that this is an un-crackable exam. But I got to know over time that here one does not need to be excellent in everything. One just needs to be average in all papers. If we write average answers to almost all questions in all papers, one will get a good result. For this, one needs to devote a minimum number of hours to familiarise with the relevant issues, and remain calm and confident on the exam days.

    Point to be noted:

    For interview there are two advices to give, first, the subject in which you have done bachelors plays an important role so be really good in it. If you are giving your bachelors along with preparing focus on your bachelors more.
    Secondly, give mock interviews. It helps in preparing a repository of questions on your DAF. Moreover, you can see your body language in videos and try to improve that. Since the question is to be answered in a crisp and clear manner, practice helps in structuring the answer and articulating it as soon as the question is bombarded at you.