The importance of previous years papers cannot be underestimated.I have seen a general inertia-people hesitate to do them thinking whats the use they are unlikely to repeat in any case!Flawed thinking friends.you cant plan without knowing,you cant know without seeing and solving!
by their nature MCQ has four options.I got 70 right in Political science by merely going through the last years papers and following up on all four options completely.
Repeated perusal of previous years papers makes you reasonably clear as far as relative importance of various sub topics is concerned.That will help plan when you sit down to planning.
Take as many mock tests as you can,I dont necessarily mean those conducted by coaching classes,there are other options too.JTS institute conducted an all India free mock test last year online,and there are more such tests freely available online.In this case if you do prefer a coaching class like Vajiram there should be no harm done (if you dont let poor results affect your confidence)
solving repeated MCQs makes you more comfortable with the pattern of questions,gives a better idea of how much you can guess safely in the mains exam.So this gives you both familiarity and a sense of confidence in the exam.
now,for the tricky part
1.for those with lots of time,there is a fat book by TMH on general studies for civil services,an alternative is available if you buy Pearson publication.This one book covers everything,and mastering this will see you safely through,but its not easy to master.
2.NCERT books are a safe bet if you can spare the time and read them from middle to high school.
3.TMH also comes out with section wise books-in history,geography and so on.If buying multiple books is all right,then these too are detailed and informative and well integrated with GS mains.
an alternative is similar books by spectrum or even wizard publications.
i must caution you,all books are good,provided you study.There is no magic pill and no magic book.UPSC will not use a single source to derive questions and if one is sufficiently well read any book they derive questions from,you will still answer.
lastly and most importantly-
Mental ability should be stressed on.Changes in pattern will be reflected increasingly in GS paper too.Mental ability,logic and reasoning are smallish in number of questions,but if you dont prepare for them and they are asked for more,bid your chances of passing bye bye.
personally,i will devote more time to Polity,Constitution, and the like,where the overlap with CSAT is more likely.
all the best!
hi Swamy .,
ReplyDeleteI got all my queries cleared by your blog for now ., Thank you very much for that."what to do for GS preliminary: 2 and 3 " sections were very much detailed about how to prepare and what to keep in mind while doing so.,I appreciated your efforts for whose who seek help!. Thank you for your valuable time spending on this. I will be using these points in my preparation and plan accordingly for prelims.
Regards
daya
the pleasure was mine buddy..Happy studying
ReplyDeletePriyanka its nice to see someone with my optional!Political science is a great optional and a wise choice.
ReplyDeleteFor political science,OP Gauba is a bible,you will need to read it thrice or so.
IGNOU notes for BA and MA are very important to.Some questions like power and ideology are best answered with them.International organizations also are covered.
DD Basu or Laxmikant for polity and constitution.
And for international relations-
use the news,magazines and most importantly the internet.
Western philosophers are beautifully covered in online university libraries.Search and you shall fine.
lastly,since i am attempting the same optional you may ask me if you wish,ill fill in the gaps as i have abundance of material.
All the best~
My other optional is history.
ReplyDeleteHaving a background in Political science gives you an edge over most aspirants who see the subject first time in civil services.Simply put the fact that you have been graded on subjective answers for the subject gives you a decisive edge over the rest-use it well.
i completed a reading of my optional before prelimns in may.there after i could not do very much till results came(something i regret).when i did get serious i landed in a soup(if you are interested read the two posts :
breaking-of-dream
mirage-of-normalcy ).
so as a result my attempt for this year is good as ruined,but i will still try.
im busy completing what i can,lets see what happens.
And you can ask me whatever you wish,ill try my best to help.
priyanka said..
ReplyDeleteyour level of confidence and undying spirit does not allow me to have any sympathies with you despite of all bad that fate brought to u...in fact i feel inspired from you...carry on my friend...i wish you success !
my father always says...hardwork never goes wasted...no matter what...so work hard and give your best to it!
thank you priyanka for your warm wishes...SPirit and hope are two things one resorts to when all else fails..i dont sympathize with myself either...i had a lot of time before prelimns to prepare..now its my fault that mains are overhead and preparations lagging.I only am interested in seeing how i cope with the pressure...lets see what happens!
ReplyDeletea cornered animal fights the hardest after all!
all the best to you too!