Mains preparation strategy, sources and Answer writing tips..!!

So,the dust of Prelims is about to settle down and people are busy predicting their scores on the basis of Answer keys. Now starts the most intense phase of CSE preparation. Mains will decide whether you will be in services or not (As it carries 1750 marks out of 2025, considered for final selection. So  I am writing this article to share my strategy for Mains. I have got reasonably good score in GS (96,94,99,104) last year and hence I hope my strategy  will help you guys in your preparation. I am also sharing my GS practice papers for your reference. Also go through my previous article on “How to write a captivating and number fetching essay” for essay writing startegy. Link is (https://ravindrakhatale.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/how-to-write-a-captivating-and-number-fetching-essay/)

A. How to Make best use of 100 days between prelims and Mains?:

1. Take a break of 5 days after prelims (Watch movies, go out with friends, get refreshed for the most exciting phase)
2. In next 10-15 days complete paper-1 of optional. By this time test series for GS and optional will start , so now onwards give 4 hours each to GS and optional and remaining time for The Hindu and current affairs.
3. Test series for Mains is a must. It will give required momentum for your preparation. (Vision IAS is good for GS, their model answers are top notch and they simulate UPSC in the format of questions)
4. Take value Addition material of Vision IAS for mains ( It helps you prepare random topics like Disaster management, NGOs, Security, IR.etc)

B. Resources for Mains:

For mains you have to use very limited resources, as it will not check your knowledge base as in Prelims, but it tests your reasoning, logic and wisdom. I did not even open the books like Laxmikant, Bipin Chandra, Shankar IAS after prelims. Sharing the resources which I have used.

1.General Studies I: This is the paper where you have to do most of the reading, anyways 80% of it is already covered during prelims.

1. Spectrum for modern India
2. Vision IAS printed notes for World History ( They are really good and comprehensive)
3. Baliyan written notes for Modern India, World History and Arts N culture.
4. Geography- NCERTs notes and Vision IAS value addition material for some topics.
5. Insights on India compilation of GS-I questions ( You can buy hard copy or can get soft copy from your friends.)

2.GS_II: Paper 2 and 3 are 70-80% current affairs based and hence Newspaper notes and Current affair manuals of Vision IAS has to be the primary sources

1. M. Puri written notes
2. Chokalingam sir written notes for International relations (IR)
3. Vision IAS value Addition material on selected topics
4. Own handwritten notes for important cases and amendments- 4-5 pages notes only
   Insights on India GS_II daily Q&A compilation for current questions based questions (really helpful)
5. Own handwritten notes on selected 30-40 topics (Both evergreen and Current)

3.GS_III: For economy as well newspaper has to be primary source, along with it

1. Economic Survey and Budget
2. NCERT of 11th standard
3. Own handwritten notes on selected 30-40 current topics
4. Newspaper Notes and Vision IAS current affairs monthly
5. Ashok Singh (IPS) book on security
6. Vision IAS value addition material for Disaster management (Roman Saini’s videos are good as well for DM), Agriculture, Investment models,etc.
7. Vision IAS Science and technology compilation.

4.GS_IV: Very limited use of quality resources is the key here. No need of any class notes

1. Vision IAS Ethics material (One of the best and concise material that I have come across)
2. Mrunal.org videos on Ethics and integrity (Prefer text material over videos to save time). This is the link (http://mrunal.org/ethics)
3. Previous years topper’s answer sheets on Vision IAS for case studies format.
4. Justice series by Michael Sandel to start your preparation.

D. How to Approach GS-II and III:

1. GS II and III study has to be issue based. Before starting your preparation, list down 30-40 current topics of both GS-II, GS-III that made news for the last one year. (e.g. Haryana Panchayat bill, NJAC, President’s rule, GST, Bankruptcy bill, Ujjwala, e-NAM, etc)
2. After listing down these topics, make to the point notes of these topics in your own words. Use all the possible sources to make your notes comprehensive.
3. Make list of important Cases (e.g. ShahaBano, Keshvanand Bharati, Praksh Singh, Shreya Singal,etc) and amendments which you will be using in your GS_II answers to make them more convincing.
4. Have the habit of compiling important data for economy (e.g. 60% population dependent on agri and its contribution to GDP is 15%, 93% workers working in unorganised sector,etc

E. Answer writing tips:

1. UPSC mains is the test of your analytical capabilities and not of your memory, so you need to be to the point and convincing in your arguments.
2. Write your answers in the point format. But answer should have a small opening paragraph for introduction. It can just be just the rephrasing of the question with some data in economy or articles, cases in polity. (e.g. India is a country which imports around 800-1000 tonnes of gold every year, inspite of having the stock of around 22,000 tonnes of gold. Now to bring this idle,dead stock of gold into the market and reduce our import bill on gold, government has recently launched Gold Monetisation scheme. The Merits of this scheme are.. 1,2,3, etc)
3. Conclusion should be optimistic but cautious (e.g. Gold monetisation scheme is the right step in the positive direction but it needs some more changes to make it acceptable to masses)
4. While writing the answer have the habit of breaking your answer into 3-4 parts wherever possible and analyse each part. (e.g. On a question of history: Was Germany responsible for world wars?. I wrote it in four parts like this. 1. WWI_Responsiblity of Germany, 2.WWI_ Responsibility of other European countries, 3. WWII_ Responsibility of Germany, 4. WWII_ Responsibility of Other countries.) By doing so you keep the examiner engaged in your answer and it fetches you better marks. Cause just writing two-three paragraphs or 10-15 points one after other may cause the examiner to lose interest in your answer.
5. Read a question twice-thrice and try to answer each and every part being asked in the question.
6. You can mention some constitutional articles and cases in GS_II, but it should be relevant, but avoid overdoing it as it may make your answers look artificial.
7. Be comprehensive in your answers (e.g. When asked about Arbitration and conciliation act amendment and it increasing the pace of judiciary my conclusion was : Arbitration and conciliation act amendment is a welcome step in the direction of speedy justice, but we also need to explore other options such as Additional dispute resolution mechanisms like Guilty plea, Gram Nyayalaya,ect and increasing the judge:population ratio, improving Investigation quality, use of ICT,etc)
8. In Ethics and integrity, start with case studies first. Finish them in first 1.5 hour and then go for other questions.
9. In ethics questions, use very simple language. No need to use jargons like Utilitarian theory, Gandhian Ethics, Kantian Ethics, etc. Rather focus on answering the question in your own words and give many real life or hypothetical examples to elaborate your point.
10. If possible draw some diagrams (with pen itself) in Geography. But it should be real quick and relevant.

F.Final Words of wisdom:

1. Join a test series for answer writing, as writing 20 questions in 3 hours is the real practice. You can analyse how are you managing the quality and quantity of your answers.
2. Follow the time-table of test series, as it will take care of your study plan.
3. Never give a test without preparation,as in that case you won’t be able to evaluate yourself truly.
4. Never worry too much about test series marks as their is an element of subjectivity. but keep on improving your skills and speed.
5. In a paper you will write 10 excellent answers, 5 average answers, 3 ordinary answers and 2 just nominal answers (Even toppers also write like this only). So focus of=n your strong areas and at the same time complete the paper.
6. Your originality will fetch you more marks, so maintain it in your answers.

I am also attaching my practice test papers for your reference. They will give you real insight into my strategy and may help you in formulating your answers. Click below to view them. ALL THE BEST for this most important phase of CSE…!!

GS-IV,GS_II,GS_III,GS_I

Importance of Documentaries,videos and Extra-curricular books in making UPSC Enjoyable

  I was able to clear CSE in my first attempt and that to with a dedicated  preparation time of nine months before Prelims in Aug’15. I went to Delhi on 1st Dec’14 after resigning from John Deere,Pune. I was initially planning for 2017,but after starting my study in Delhi I realized that I could clear UPSC in this attempt itself. Now this happened because, my prior habit of reading books,watching documentaries and reading newspaper had indirectly prepared me for UPSC. So this is an attempt to explain the importance of watching documentaries,Youtube videos and other such stuff from internet.

 

Remember one thing, when people start their UPSC preparation,everyone reads NCERTs,standard books, but what will set you apart from others is how you make your preparation enjoyable because, “If you enjoy the process,you will not feel bored and obviously output will be positive”. So two things that I always emphasize are ‘reading extra-curricular books and watching documentaries,videos.’

A. Start your preparation with the book “Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani”. Don’t even look at UPSC syllabus while reading this. You will understand the importance of this book when you start your actual preparation with NCERTs and standard books. ( I have recommended this book to many people and they are thanking me for recommending the same to them)

B. See lots of documentaries,Youtube videos: The benefit of doing these are as follows

1. They make your study interesting.
2. Our audio-visual memory is far better than visual memory alone. (That’s why we remember the movies and forget the chapter from a book)
3. It removes the boredom and monotony of reading standard books.
4. They also help you improve your English (Especially to those form Marathi medium)
5. An animation of 10-15 minutes on Earthquake,Plate tectonics,Global Recession of 2008-09, El-Nino, etc is far effective in understanding the concept as compared to a chapter from book.

Now,you will be curious to know which videos to watch. I am recommending some of the below things, which I feel are responsible in a big way to make me IAS in my first attempt. This list is what I have seen and I will strongly recommend it to you all. I am providing links wherever possible.

A.Starting your preparation:

1. See some preparation tips videos by Roman saini (AIR-19,2014). such as Demolish CSE in one year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvnv0UffD-w)
2. See videos by toppers like Gaurav Aggarwal, Aditya Ranjan for motivation and guidance: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojrO69fxJAw), (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOM3yGEcO3I)

B.Economy:

I always suggest people to start their preparation with economy and polity NCERTs as it helps them in understanding the Newspaper in a better way.

1. Once you have read NCERTs of 11th and Macroeconomy, You must see below videos. They will make economy a cakewalk for you.
2. EconDalplus Series for macroeconomy, these are around 25 videos of 5-6 minutes each: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DmyOHPHg0k&list=PLWeicFreBUYDlaLppnRTZpwgBASflf4lU)
3. Commanding Heights:Battle of world economies, a beautiful series of 3 videos will explain the journey of world economy and Indian economy as well.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCYU_HviAh0&list=PLJ11aiJdsq8cNtIMQoqNkgh2OzxvnupMe)
4. Inside Job:explaining the causes behind 2008-09 recession (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ub25WjEK0)
5. The crisis of Credit: The best animation of 15 minutes explaining the 2008-09 recession(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_LWm6_6tA)

C.Polity: Watch these two series.

1. Pradhanmantri (It will also help you in post-Independence History)
2. Samvidhan

D.Geography:

It is an area where animations play a very important role. So whatever topic you are studying from books, search a video on youtube. See 100s of videos for geography. I have just given some examples. You can search as per your requirement.

1. Plate Tectonics, Earthquake, Monsoon, El-Nino, La-nina,formation of Himalaya,etc
2. Most importantly search for mapping tricks on youtube. They help immensely in International relations as well. E.g. Countries in south America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qWOlZiHoq4), Central America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTP9ntGC1D4), Central Asia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3Q961Jn6w)
3. Europe Countries (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdCu2sKhYfk)
4. Mrunal.org Geography series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMPO60DOTKQ&list=PLAMBum9_RkuNDtzpNQlCRcaOrNqrD4Gf7)

E.History:

History has to be studies like a story and this is where documentaries play most important role. During my study I have seen so many documentaries on world history, so when I started preparing for it through books, everything was in front of my eyes.

1. Some useful documentaries: World war-II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfRq-JeUCSM), WW-I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFCWfyXSe70), Hitler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Zxy3Z2i34), Stalin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIzApqzlP3Q), Mao Zedong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIzApqzlP3Q), Nepoleon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm3Blagm_-E)
2. A Very useful series of world history in 10 videos by Roman Saini (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk9AoEvNGlI&list=PLwYR7WJw1-QVuM5U5gp6SUjNmwhMBzbkG)
3. British Occupation of India (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhKYg641K3c)
4. BBC story of India, A 3 video series, I have given link to the 2nd video only. Search other videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcT5J0l3HNU)

F.Arts and Culture:

This is a part where you have to remember so many facts and hence become bit boring. Hence the best technique is to see lots of videos so that you have a picture in front of your mind. What I used to do was to study Arts and culture from NCERT and Baliyan notes for 2-3 days and dedicate one day to watch videos related to them. Some examples

1. Ajanta and Ellora caves: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVA0Dmi5YLU)
2. Mahabalipuram monuments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwDi_e_zqKI)
3. Hampi-Vijayanagara (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik3KiYAMxic)
4. Temples: Dravida-Nagara-Vesara-styles by Buju Classes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvo-cFeC14w)
5. Roman Saini’s  video series on Arts and culture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luBdsUQOJQM&list=PLwYR7WJw1-QX6rzHRn-pKnPWpkIfRCTop)

There are so many things like Classical dance styles, Sculptor styles of Gandhara,Amaravati,etc in Arts and culture where you can search and see related videos. This will not only help you in UPSC preparation but also will make you feel proud of our great legacy. This is what I call enjoying your preparation.

G. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude:

Just go through these two series,they will make Ethics a cakewalk for you.

1. Justice: A beautiful series by Michael Sandel, Watch it till you understand, Some parts may be difficult, ignore them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY&list=PL30C13C91CFFEFEA6
2. Mrunal.org series on Ethics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IuEfKdc_Qs&list=PLzXBwIMHHI7JCIHzsQPj4YMsrlSyZ8J4s)

H. Environment and biodiversity:

1. Roman Saini’s series of 18 videos is very helpful: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3iWfd-KKnE&list=PLwYR7WJw1-QXLb-6AjhGjngQSO1vGYQrY)
2. Keep seeing documentaries on Western Ghats, Sundarban, Himalaya, North-east

This was an attempt to make your UPSC preparation more enjoyable and interesting. Always remember “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans”, so Enjoy this process of Study and never be too serious or too casual and follow the middle path and be sincere. Those doing job or studying and are planning for UPSC 1-2 years down the line can benefit most from these things as they will be preparing themselves for UPSC indirectly before starting the formal preparation.

The list I have given is just illustrative and you can always add better things to your own list. Make the best use of internet, as it will make you competent to face the dynamic nature of UPSC these days. Always remember even if you don’t become an IAS after preparing for UPSC, you will at least become an enlighten citizen of this World and will lead a better life anywhere you go.

Also,Mentioning some Good extra-curricular books worth reading which will help you immensely later while preparing for UPSC

1. Imagining India- Nandan Nilekani
2. Getting India Back on Track- Bibek Debroy
3. Pax Indica- Shashi Tharoor
4. India Unbound- Gursharan Das
5. Difficulty of being Good- Gursharan Das
6. Uncertain Glory: India and its contradictions- Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen

 

Keep reading my blog at http://www.ravindrakhatale.wordpress.com for further articles and also go through previous four blog posts there. They will answer most of your initial doubts and will make UPSC easy for you. Also share the same on your Facebook page so that it reaches to those who are about to start their preparation and are in need of guidance.

 

 

 

How to write a captivating and number fetching Essay..!!

Essay is an area in UPSC which can make or break your IAS dream. Because It is an area where you see people getting marks on both sides of the spectrum. There are people getting 50-70 out of 250 and there are others who get 130-140 and march ahead in their UPSC journey. I have got reasonably good score in essay (132), so this is an attempt to make essay writing the most enjoyable and marks fetching experience for you. I will request you to share it on your Facebook page so that it reaches to the needy aspirants.

What is an essay?

1. An essay is called “NIBANDH” in Marathi and Hindi and it means no “Bandh” or limitations in literal sense. So Essay is an area where you have let go all restrictions and allow your thoughts to flow freely.
2. It is the reflection of your personality, your thought process and your attitude about life in general and about an issue in particular.
3. Your essay reflects how you process the database of your knowledge and use it in making cogent (Convincing) arguments.
4. So no arguments is right or wrong in essay. What matters is how you support that argument with logical reasoning.

Now, How to prepare for Essay?:

1. You don’t require any separate preparation for Essay. Your GS preparation,newspaper reading will give you enough raw material for writing a good essay.
2. The habit of reading extra-curricular books helps immensely.
3. Have the habit of collecting good one-liners from Newspapers,books.For example about open defecation and women “Darkness is friend of their modesty,but enemy of their safety“. Two contrasting issues, “Age of enlightenment was also an age of slavery”. Make list of 20-30 such one liners and use them appropriately and wisely in your essays and answers.
4. Write 3-4 essays and get it evaluated from your friends, teachers. If your friends can read your essay in one go, then its a good essay. 

Some simple things to focus upon:

1. Use very simple English and simple sentences of 8-10 words maximum to avoid grammatical mistakes.
2. Avoid using technical terms, jargons. A good essay is one which a 10th standard student can read without getting bored or confused.
3. Make use of emotions such as Disgust,Hate,anger to make your essay captivating. ( I will elaborate this point in detail, while talking about my essay)
4. It is not required to always start or end your essay with a famous statement or saying. It may look artificial. Instead use simple but effective lines in your own words.
5. The whole essay should be woven in a thread. Every paragraph should be related to the previous paragraph and hinting towards the next paragraph. It has to be a gradual,smoothly flowing essay
6. Personal experiences,observations make your essay lively and fresh.
7. Documentaries like “Satyameva Jayate” provides you with a lot of material for essays and real life examples.
8. Avoid taking extreme views in your essays. As always the middle path of Buddha is helpful here.

Writing an essay in Exam Hall:

1. Spend first 5-10 minutes in choosing the right topic. Go through all topics and see where you are having more relevant data and convincing arguments.
2. Once you have chosen the topic, make a rough framework in 10-15 minutes. Framework should include Opening line or statement, Closing line. Then write all the points related to that topic in a sequence,later one point shall be converted into one paragraph.
3. Essay should be structured. Like when writing on Capitalism and inclusive growth first I wrote about positives of capitalism in first 3-4 paragraphs, then I demonstrated in spite of these changes Income inequality is there. Then discussed the reasons for income inequality. Then discussed how capitalism along with inclusive growth can be achieved in different sectors.
4. Keep an eye on watch as you have to write two essays. So give only 90 minutes to one essay, as you have to write the other essay after that.

My Essays in UPSC-15:

Just describing what I wrote in short, I hope it will help you in your essay writing. I am just highlighting the points that I used, to explain you the flow and structure of my essays

1. “Education makes man a better Devil:

   I started with the simple statement that “Education is a double edged sword. It can make a you a devil or a good person depending on how you make use of it…….. Then I wrote three paragraphs elaborating how education makes you a devil. In first paragraph I gave example of Hitler and stated that He was a learned man, quite expert in warfare but He also killed 6 million Jews by different devil methods such as gas chamber,etc (Here I brought in the emotion of disgust against Hitler ). In the second para, I talked about Britishers who ruled India for 150 years. Mentioned that they were learned men compared to illiterate Indian Masses.but they treated Indians as second class Humans. looted the poor people and took away the Indian wealth to England (Here I used the emotion of anger against British Rulers). In the third para, I gave a current example of doctors and mentioned that Doctors take a pledge that saving human life is their prime duty, But when same doctors kill the innocent girls in the womb of mother itself just because they are girl child. How can we call such people educated or learned? (used the emotions of Anger and hate for such doctor). This was one side of the coin, where I addressed the negative side of education by giving few more examples of learned people doing corruption, sophisticated crime, Introducing deadly weapons of mass destruction,etc.

2. But at the same time I turned to the positive role of education an d how it makes people wise men: I started with the famous example of Gandhiji and mentioned that he was also an educated person, a lawyer by profession, but He used his tricks and ideas and gave Indians the weapon of Satyagraha, which ultimately gave Indians their freedom. In next paragraph I again talked about a doctor Prakash Baba Amte and highlighted How he went to a tribal belt of Hemalkasa of Vidarbha and worked for poor Adivasis there, treated them free of cost, started school for them,etc ( This will allow the reader to compare the above devil doctors with this kind and humane doctor)
3. Then in the next few paragraphs I elaborated What is education according to Swami Vivekanada, Gandhiji, Ambedkar with statements like. “Education is not only about passing exams and getting degrees but its about making an illiterate man a more humane and wise man”
4. Then I talked about value education and it importance. Then 2-3 paragraphs on how to inculcate values through education, through society, through family.
5. I ended the essay with this simple way of inculcating values in children through books.I gave an example of this simple paragraph in 1st-2nd std classes to teach english. “Mother is in the kitchen,Munni is helping Mother, Munna is playing outside and Father has just come from the office”. Now this simple paragraph depicts some biases such as Mother’s role is to cook, Munni is supposed to help mother in kitchen whereas Munna is playing outside, father is supposed to do job. But I said Lets reverse this passage and give some positive message to impressionable minds about a girls role. “Father is in the kitchen, Munna is helping father in cooking, Munni is playing outside with her friends and Mother has just come from the office”. with this paragraph I gave an example of how different values can be inculcated in children.
6. I ended Essay with the line that “Any tool is as good as the user who is using it”. So its right time to inculcate right values in our children through education, so that they do not become devil with education bur become better citizen of this world community.

My second essay was “Can capitalism bring inclusive growth”: 

1. I started this essay with my own story: “I still remember the days when I was in 7th standard. At that time BSNL operators used to come to our village to give telephone connection. we used to roam behind them and urge them to do our connection first. It was so because having a telephone was a luxury back then. But at the same time when phone used to get dead, there was no response from BSNL for weeks-months. This was because BSNL was the only telecom operator back then. Fast forward to 2015, almost everyone is having a mobile, there are 10-15 different telecom companies, call rates have come down to almost zero.” Along with this I elaborated same with Car(Only Padmini with waiting period of 1-2 years against 20 different car models today), Scooter (Only Chetak with waiting period of 1 year against 10 different bike companies today). I also highlighted the growth brought in by capitalism by giving examples of Indian IT industry, jobs created by it.This way I elaborated the positives of capitalism.
2. But again I elaborated the other side of our growth story with statement “In Mumbai we have sky crappers and opposite to them we are having the biggest slum in Asia, Dharavi” . Then I gave some data by Boston Consultancy group survey” Richest 1% of Indians own 49% of personal wealth in India” and followed it with examples of India’s richest and poorest states
3. Then I discussed the reasons for this lopsided growth story of India. I gave one paragraph to one reason. For example Our manufacturing never flourished like China, so enough jobs were not created in India. Capitalism is not able to address issues like health, education and hence we need government intervention there. Capitalism needs simplified laws,ease of doing business which is still to come in  India.
4. After Discussing these reasons I discussed whether reverting back to Socialism of Nehru era is solution and discussed why its not a feasible option.
5. Then I wrote some paragraphs on how capitalism can be blended with governmental interventions to bring inclusive growth in India. For Example allow capitalism to flourish in consumers goods, so that we will have more job creation , more taxes. These taxes can be used to take care of vulnerable groups and developmental activities.
6. Then I dedicated 1-2 two paragraphs to each vulnerable group and elaborated how capitalism, open market economy can be used for their development: I Focused on Tribal population, Women and IT industry, Backward states like Bihar, West Bengal and bringing Industries there, Farmers and FDI in Retail,Export to other countries.
7. I ended the essay with simple conclusion, “Though capitalism brings efficiency, competition but it is no guarantee to inclusive growth. But at the same time reverting back to state economy is not a solution at all. What we need to do is to make capitalism more humane by blending it with State interventions to make India a truly inclusive and prosperous society.

 

Hope this article helps you in your UPSC journey. Follow the Mantra of “Simple but Effective” everywhere in UPSC. Instead of using flowery,poetic language focus more on logical arguments, appropriate data and grammatically correct essay. keep following my blog “Ravindrakhatale.wordpress.com” for further articles on other topics and also go through previous three articles, they will answer most of your doubts about UPSC preparation.

 

 

 

 

 

Standard Book list,Websites and documentaries for UPSC preparation

This is a book-list for UPSC preparation. These are the only books that you will be reading for next one year in your UPSC preparation. These will cover everything of your syllabus for prelims and mains. You should start reading these standard books once you have done preparatory study through NCERTs. Please go through my earlier blogs on” how to start preparation”,” Story of How I became IAS in first Attempt” those blog will be immensely helpful to you in starting your preparation. (BLOG Address: RAVINDRAKHATALE.WORDPRESS.COM. You will find other important details there)

After initial concepts are done,just follow these books along with newspaper,youtube and internet for your preparation.

History:

Books

1. Modern India- Bipin Chandra, Spectrum Book
2. Arts and culture- Ancient India by R.S. Sharma, Fine arts NCERT
3. World History- Arjun Dev NCERT, Vision IAS printed notes

Class Notes:

1. Baliyan Class written notes for Modern India, World History and Arts and culture
2. Vision IAS printed notes for World History

GEOGRAPHY:

1. NCERTs from class 6th-12th (Make to the point notes for future revision)
2. G.C.Leong Book
3. Mrunal.org Geography PPTs

POLITY:

1. 11th NCERT (Indian Constitution at work)
2. M.Laxmikant

Class Notes: M.Puri Class notes are very good.

ECONOMY:

1. 11th NCERT, 12th NCERT (only Macroeconomy)
2. Ramesh Singh Book
3. Economic survey and budget for that year.

Class Notes:

1. Not needed as such, but if you find Ramesh Singh book difficult, read Shriram IAS class notes.
2. Must follow youtube series for Economy Basics: EconplusDal. The link is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DmyOHPHg0k&list=PLWeicFreBUYDlaLppnRTZpwgBASflf4lU)

ENVIRONMENT:

1. Shankar IAS Book
2. Roman Saini’s youtube series on environment and ecology. This is the link  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3iWfd-KKnE&list=PLwYR7WJw1-QXLb-6AjhGjngQSO1vGYQrY)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. 6th-10th NCERTs
2. Vision IAS compilation of Current affairs on Science and technology is very helpful

ETHICS,INTEGRITY and APTITUDE:

1. Vision IAS printed notes
2. Mrunal.org videos and Text format for undersatanding
3. Previous years topper’s papers from VisionIAS website for Case study and answer writing format.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS and SECURITY

1. Chokalingam Class written notes
2. Security from Vision IAS notes.

MAGAZINES: Don’t read any magazine like Pratiyogita Darpan or CST. They are waste of time. Read only below two monthly. They are more than sufficient.

1. VisionIAS monthly newsletter for Current Affairs (Must read for every month)
2. Yojana: Read only one or two selected articles every month.

SOME DOCUMENTARIES WORTH SEEING for clarity:

1. Commanding Heights, the battle of world economy. Here is the link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCYU_HviAh0&list=PLJ11aiJdsq8cNtIMQoqNkgh2OzxvnupMe)
2. Reasons behind 2008 recession. Link is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzc8ZO5XYyo)
3. Inside Job. Link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ub25WjEK0)
4. Justice series by Michael Sandel, for Ethics. See first few videos  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdfcR-8hEY&list=PL30C13C91CFFEFEA6)
5. Pradhanmantri Series: Link is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_3i0Hf8KMI&list=ELYR5txmTpa_c)
6. Satyameva Jayate Episodes:
7. Big Picture Debates from Rajyasabha TV

NEWSPAPERS:

1. The Hindu is more than sufficient
2. If you have additional time read Explained page from Indian Express and some editorials.

 

Additional Reading during Mains preparation: (VERY IMPORTANT)

1. Read VisionIAS Value addition material for mains topics which are not covered in these books. The topics like Disaster management,NGOs, Pressure Groups, Security
2. Current events analysis on VisionIAS website.

Websites to be followed:

1. Mrunal.org
2. Insightsonindia.com
3. visionias.in
4. IASbaba.com
5. Unacdemy.in

These were the only things I used during my preparation. And I could crack UPSC in first attempt with very good score in General Studies paper, I hope this blog helps you to fine-tune your UPSC preparation.

MY UPSC SCORECARD: Rank-283

1. GS 1- 96
2. GS 2- 94
3. GS 3- 99
4. GS 4- 104
5. Essay- 132
6. Philosophy- 203
7. Written Total- 728
8. Interview- 171
9. Total- 899

How to Start the UPSC Journey..!! A must read for those starting the preparation..!!

The most important phase in UPSC preparation is “How and from Where to start preparation?” There are so many question in mind. But as it is said ” Well begun is Half done”, Starting your journey on right track is of utmost importance and this blog is an attempt to make your start in the right way, which will make your foundation quite solid and thus you can enjoy the next one year of preparation. 

Please go through my earlier blog “An Accidental IAS” for other stuffs like standard books and preparation strategy

1. NCERTs must be the starting point but to make it more meaningful read “Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani” first, as It will introduce you to the concepts such as Economic reforms, Demographic dividend (Economy), Direct Benefit Transfer ( Administration), Transparency,etc. Those having ample time Can also read “Getting India back on Track by Bibek Debroy”. 

After reading it,you will start understanding the concepts of NCERTs with better clarity and purpose.Read these books as fun even without looking at UPSC syllabus.

2. Cultivate the Habit of Reading The Hindu or Indian Express, and initially focus more on understanding the Editorials:Go though the video of Roman Saini on youtube or unacdemy.in on “how to read the Hindu in 90 Minutes.” 

3. Why You should first read the NCERTs of Polity and Economy? : As Newspaper editorial and other current affairs are mostly related to economy and polity (There are hardly any current affairs on History and Geography). So start with 6-12th Polity NCERTs, They will start with very basic concepts of What are rights,Duties?, etc. You will go from very basic things to conceptual things as you go from 6-12th. Read 6-10th NCERTs online as you dont have to read them again. Buy only 11th-12th NCERTs of Polity as you will be reading them again and again during your preparation.

4.For Economy Read NCERTs from 9th-12th (Most important are 11th and 12th Macro-economy only, so buy only these two as you will read them in future again and again). In Macro-economy ignore things such as formulas, graphs and focus more on conceptual understanding of terms such as Monetary policy, fiscal policy, CAD,Fiscal Deficit,etc. Once done with NCERTs, you must follow a youtube series “Econdalplus” for better clarity on economic terms. He has explained all the basic concepts and there inter-relation in very lucid videos of 5-10 mins each. Make notes of those 20 videos for future revision. Here is the youtube link. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DmyOHPHg0k&list=PLWeicFreBUYDlaLppnRTZpwgBASflf4lU).

5. Develop the habit of notes-making for future revision. Believe me you won’t get time to open books in the last 15 days before prelims and mains. Your micro-notes will come to your rescue then.

6. Now read the remaining NCERTs of geography from 6-12th. Buy All of them as you will have to read them again and again throughout your preparation. Make very good notes of Geography NCERTs. Make wise use of youtube videos for tricks to remember the places on maps, as there will be 6-8 questions directly or indirectly on maps. 

7. Now read selected NCERTs of history. Most Important are Bipin Chandra -Modern India, R.S. Sharma-Ancient India, Arjun Dev- World History. For History see documentaries on important events like World wars, Hitler, Mao Zedong, Stalin, Russian-American-French revolutions, etc to make history interesting. Rather than trying to remember history, make it like a thread for clarity (e.g. Partition of Bengal- Swadeshi Movement-Surat Split of Moderates and Extremists-The revolutionary phase-Arrival Of Gandhi in India- Home Rule League-Champran,Kheda,Ahmedabad Satyagrahas of Gandhi- Non Cooperation and Khilafat- Chaurichaura Incidence-etc)

8. Never join coaching classes if you are starting from Scratch. You should join classes only after you have read all or at least 75% of NCERTs. Cause prior knowldege of the NCERTs will  make your understanding of classes very easy and you can build on the solid foundation.

9. If Joining classes in Delhi don’t go for comprehensive classes at Vajiram or Shriram. Go for module-wise classes so that you can finish your General Study coaching within 5-6 months. In Comprehensive classes they will make Khichdi of everything (1 history lecture today and next after 6-7 days, in between economy,polity n everything. In such cases you lose the continuity of your preparation.) Module-wise classes will provide you the much required momentum and time for revision (As Vajiram and Ravi dont give you Off on Sundays whereas in  Module-wise classes you can revise and relax on Saturday-Sundays)

These Modules are good- All classes are from Rajinder Nagar, Delhi

1. A. History- S Baliyan,

2. Polity- M.Puri,

3. Economy- Ramesh Singh or Khan Study Group (KSG),

4. Geography- Neetu Singh,

5. Geography Mapping- Amit Garg

9. Last but not the least keep following these website. Stick to few good websites rather than wasting your time and energy on too many things.

a. http://www.mrunal.org (Economy and polity, Toppers interview)

b. http://www.InsightsonIndia.com (Current affairs and answer writing practice)

c. http://www.Visionias.com (Topper’s answer sheets, good videos,etc)

d. Unacdemy.in (Roman Saini’s videos)

e.Youtube and wikipedia and Google Uncle for all your doubts.

Few Words of Wisdom:

1. Revision is the Master-key of UPSC success. (Daily revision of what has been taught in Classes is a must. Engineering approach of leaving everything to the 11th hour won’t work here)

2. Consistency and continuity are of utmost importance (So avoid too much socializing. Believe me, Whats-App groups for preparation are nothing but waste of time)

3. Saturdays and Sundays are golden days for revision. Don’t waste them on crap movies and useless outings. Break in once in a while is okay, but too many breaks is a sure recipe for disaster.

Additional things worth watching and reading to Deepen your understanding: Even more important to those who have not started their preparation but are having spare time. These things will not only give you some relaxation, but also will help you in answer writing, Essay writing and in overall preparation.

Documentaries:

1. Satyameva Jayate episodes
2. PradhanMantri Series
3. Justice series of Michael Sandel for Ethics and Integrity

Books:

1. Imagining India
2. Getting India Back on Track
3. Uncertain Glory-India and its contradictions by Amartya Sen
4. Difficulty of being good by Gursharan Das
5. Nava Vijaypath (Marathi)- By Avinash Dharmadhikari

Whatever I have mentioned is what I have learnt through my own journey. As I could clear UPSC in first attempt that with a proper preparation time of only 9 months before prelims (Dec’14 to Aug’15), I hope it will also help the others who are starting their preparation now. Starting one year before the prelims is the right time to start. So start your journey soon and enjoy the process like Nishkam Karmayogi and success will  be yours.

All The Best..!!

Story of how I became an IAS in first attempt..!!

An Accidental IAS 16… Some insights on my UPSC journey..!!

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