Getting Optionals Right

I am sure 'getting optionals right' is an advice, that each one of us has heard many times over and rightly so. After all, optionals account for 60% of the total Mains Marks. My optionals were law and public administration. My reasons for choosing these optionals were:

LAW:
(i) Familiarity with the subject (had studied law for 5 years in college)
(ii) General interest in the subject

The drawbacks of law as an optional are: huge syllabus, random mugging of provisions and cases required, difficult to get good guidance.


PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION:

(i) Concise Syllabus
(ii) Can be self studied.
(ii) Paper-II includes part of polity and topics of national and social
issues. Thus, there is some overlap with the GS and the Essay paper

The only drawback I can think of is, lack of materials for paper-II. One has to spend hell lot of time collecting relevant information from diverse sources. Paper-I is slightly technical and can be boring at times.

DO's and DON'Ts

DO's
(i) It makes sense to choose the optional that one has graduated in.

(ii) Interest in the subject matter will make life easier. Therefore,
please choose an optional based on your area of interest.
Interest does not mean that one has to be in love with the
subject. One should be comfortable with an
optional and willing to work hard on it.

(iii) For those, who are opting for subjects that they have not studied
before in college,please look for the availability of
GOOD GUIDANCE and study material.


DON'Ts

(i) There is nothing called a SCORING OPTIONAL.
Either all are scoring or none is. It is as simple as that.

(ii) While there are several popular optionals like PUB AD, GEO,
PSYCHO, SOCIO etc,they need not necessarily be your optionals too.
Please avoid the herd mentality and choose an optional based on
your own considerations.


Therefore, please do not be in a hurry to choose your optionals. A wrong optional is perfectly capable of shattering your dream

General Studies (Main) - SOS!

Post By: Tanvi (with inputs from Ashutosh and Cyril)

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean

This quote aptly summarises the approach one should have while studying for the GS (Main) since it is dynamic in nature.This changing pattern is a reflection of the times to come so, the best bet now would be to have conceptual clarity on traditional areas but with an additional thrust and inter linkages with current affairs based knowledge.

We (namely Ashutosh , Cyril and Tanvi) have tried to present certain guidelines in the form of a brief analysis of 2009 GS Mains alongwith recommended books/notes, and the approach to be followed in each section of the syllabus.

Paper-I


1. History of Modern India and Indian Culture:

For Long Answers

( in 2009 GS , 15 x 2 = 30 marks,choice of 2 out of 3, word limit=150 words each)

Recommended Books:

I read only Spectrum’ Modern India. However, I would suggest Bipin Chandra's India's Struggle for Independance as a must read.

A senior recommended a book on Modern Indian History by Sumit Sarkar too, according to him 2009 GS paper picked up quotes from this book.

How to start:

If you are a complete beginner start with NCERT on Modern India by Bipin Chandra.Others who have read History as a subject in graduation can start with Bipin Chandra's book, 'India's Struggle for Independance'.Do read it well , it will give you conceptual clarity, you could then use Spectrum as some sort of notes to be revised just before the exam.

Approach:

Your aim here is a general understanding of Modern Indian History. For this, you need to have clarity on the way the freedom movement evolved,the issues involved,the perspective of national leaders,etc.Then even if the pattern changes you will be able to handle the questions with ease.

For very short answers :

(In GS 2009, 2 x 10 = 20 marks )

Recommended books:

Do take a look at old question papers 'cos sometimes 2 markers from History are asked more than once.You could read a book by Rajiv Khular which has solutions of two markers asked in the previous question papers.For 2 markers a publication by Civil Services Times is referred to by some candidates (its HUGE so make use of it only if you have time)

Approach:

Your focus should be on NAMES of freedom fighters,social movements,legal/social systems,etc which you can filter out from the recommended reads for long answers.

Your focus here is on brevity but without compromising on the important facts.

Changing Pattern :

Many of us were stumped to find two questions on dance and music (10 x 2= 20 marks) in the GS main 2009.We unfortunately focussed on Modern India to the complete exclusion of Indian Culture.

So, do pick up a decent book on Indian Culture(there is one by Spectrum) and familiarize yourself with the art/music/dance/architecture etc…..aspects of the Indian Culture.

2. Geography of India:
(15 x 4 =60 marks + 3 +3 marker relating to food production and national waterways + 2 marker relating to Desert National park can be said to fall under this heading)

Recommended Books:

The two NCERT books of class XI and XII dealing with Physical and Economic geography of India should be referred.You can also read VajiRam’s printed material on the subject.

Approach vis a vis the changing pattern:

Geography should be interlinked with current affairs knowledge weaned from the newspaper and relevant magazines(the names are mentioned later in the article) . This orientation is well illustrated in the question - significance of coastal regions in the development of India.

3. Constitution of India and Indian Polity:

(In 2009 GS Mains, there were no direct questions on Polity especially when you compare it the way it was traditionally handled.Still the questions on changing determinants of voting behaviour,corruption and esp the one on freedom to express one's opinion all 15 markers could be said to broadly fall under this heading. Further there are 2 markers usually related to terminology like Pocket veto which are asked)

Recommended Books:

Complete beginners can start with Political Science class XI NCERT book " Indian Constitution at Work" .You could then refer to Subash.C.Kashyap's books titled "Our constitution" and "Our Parliament or you could get hold of VajiRam’s printed materials on the subject and also Mr. Raveendran’s class notes. They are lucid and very informative. There is a book on Indian Polity by Wizard ,any issue in recent news can be looked up here since its updated every year.And always keep the Bare Act of the Indian Constitution by your side when you are reading these books/notes.

Approach vis a vis the changing pattern:

You should read the newspaper (preferably The Hindu ) well to keep yourself abreast with the latest issues concerning politico-administrative system of the country. You may also have a look at the excellent blog: www.lawandotherthings.blogspot.com

4. Current National Issues and Topics of Social Relevance:

(This is THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION which witnessed the maximum allocation of marks and has to be read interlinked with Geography,Polity,Social Issues,Economy,etc)

There are seven broad areas that the UPSC has listed under this head. They do give some clue as to the kind of questions that one might expect but it is indeed an uphill task (bordering on impossibility) to prepare comprehensively for several topics under each of these areas. For example, in the main-2009, there were questions on the Domestic Violence Act, Yashpal Committee Recommendations etc. which in my considered opinion does not fall under any of the seven broad areas listed by the UPSC. You could prepare against such eventualities only by preparing as comprehensively as humanly possible.

Recommended Readings:

You can read Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes, and also Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main for this part of the GS. You could also think of maintaining a separate note book divided into seven parts for each specified area. Read the newspaper and magazines regularly to gather relevant information under each area and file them in your notebook.Revise it before the exam and if you can ,do try and discuss the newspaper/magazine cutouts/notes with another serious CSE aspirant(remember to keep the discussions focussed since its only when you clear the exam can you change the face of the India!)

Following Resources to be referred in the manner given below should help you out :

The Hindu ( a thorough reading with jotting down of important points and taking out relevant cut outs esp of editorials is recommended)

Frontline (very very selective reading , your focus here should be trying to understand fragmented news in a holistic manner)

Any competitive magazine like Pratiyogita Darpan or Civil Services Chronicle(they encapsulate the news for ready reference.Despite their comprehensive coverage they should NOT be considered as a substitute for newspaper reading, also the opinions espoused in their articles should not be blindly aped.Rather,their articles should be used more as a source of factual information to be applied when required)

Yojana and Kurukshetra should be read selectively to understand the various debates surrounding an upcoming legislation like the women's reservation bill or a critical analysis of implementation of an act/schemes like the MNREGA.

Indian Economic Survey should be read only to understand the general growth trajectory of the Indian Economy with special focus on the boxes.

India Year Book, an extttrrrrremely boring book unfortunately has to be referred to know about the various Govermental schemes :P

Paper-II


1. India and the World:

(This is a very important topic and should be read interlinked with India's economic interaction with the world,together these two topics cover almost 50% of the question paper)

Recommended Readings:

You can rely on Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes. Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main is useful too. For information on Indian Diaspora, one can look at the India Year Book.However to get a background understanding you can also refer to certain issues of Word Focus, especially the Annual Issue which comes out in Nov-Dec, which is on India’s Foreign Policy.

Further here regular reading of newspaper and magazines would be of great help.

Approach:

You should know about any new/landmark bilateral treaty/diplomatic initiative/points of dissent between India and say countries like USA,Russia etc and between India and its neighbouring countries like Bangladesh,China,etc.

2. India’s Economic Interaction with the World:
Recommended Sources :

You could refer Vajiram’s, ALS class notes and The Economic Survey. Also, you could pick up bits of information from Pratiyogta Darpan’s special issue on Economics. For the role and functions of IMF, World Bank, W.T.O, W.I.P.O etc you can get information from the net.Further the Ministry of Commerce website http://commerce.nic.in/ is a useful source for information regarding India’s position on various issues in the WTO, etc. along with India’s Foreign Trade Policy.

Approach:

Here you should know the latest happenings globally say, the recent meltdown, its impact on India and India's response to it.Further the debates/controversies/demands of developing countries in IMF/WTO, World Bank , etc should be read alongwith an analysis of India's Position on the same.

3. Developments in the Field of Science & Technology, IT and Space:

(In 2009 GS there was a deluge of questions from this section which took most candidates by surprise....it covered almost 100 marks which is 33% of paper 2 !)

Recommended Readings:

You could read from Vajiram’s class notes and also from the Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main. However, they were not of much use this time since the questions were very contemporary and pertained to the happenings of last one and half year.

So a thorough reading of newspaper especially the Science and Technology supplement from The Hindu (freely available on the net) alongwith online inputs wherever required is recommended to score well in this section.

There is a Spectrum guide on Science and Technology which can also be referred.

Approach:

Most importantly, non-science background candidates should not get intimidated by this section.Though certain amount of specialized reading is required no one expects you to write like a scientist.Just try to understand the recent technological developments for eg, cloud computing etc along with an analysis of dynamic fields of enquiry like Nanotechnology etc.Further areas of reasearch which are in the form of sub-topics mentioned in the syllabus (robotics, biotechnology, etc.) should be done thoroughly.You should try to understand the concept, the present applications, the future possibilities and limitations/disadvantages surrounding each.

Also try to link current affairs knowledge covered via newspaper to this section for example, the question on Green Fluorescence Protein was asked because it was related to the 2008 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Hence, one can also make notes from newspapers and the internet about the latest developments in this field. The sub-topics mentioned in the syllabus can be useful headings while making notes. A little hard-work in this area may actually fetch a lot of marks and may be the difference between clearing the exam, as Science and Technology is one area which requires specialised reading and where one cannot make up an answer.

4. International Affairs and Institutions:
Recommended Readings :

You could rely on Vajiram’s and ALS’s class notes. Competition Wizard’s special issue for the main is useful too.

Approach:

Try to link this section as well to recent issues/controversies/debates covered in the news and extrapolated with online information.

5. Statistical Analysis, Graphs and Diagrams:

(Around 30 marks were asked from this section in 2009. Though it may seem like a tough proposition to people who suffer from mathematics-phobia ,its in reality not difficult at all and to top it, it is extremely scoring!On the other hand, Engineers and Science students get overconfident .... please practise since the questions might be easy but because of time crunch you cant make up formulae on the spot.)

Recommended Readings:

You could solve the old question papers by taking the help of either Vaji Ravi's class notes or by solving questions from the Spectrum’s book on the Statistics.

For Mental Ability try to get Mr.Ashok Kumar Singh's(Meridian Coaching,Mukherjee Nagar) solutions of old questions or you could try R.S.Agarwal's book

Approach:

Practise old question papers.

Answering the GS (Main) Paper

By Ashutosh

1. Finishing on time:

One is very likely to overshoot the time limit in the GS paper. One way to ensure completion of the paper with in time limit is to practice answer writing in exam like situation. I just could not get myself to write test series for the GS. However, I tried my best to follow my Senior Aparna’s advice of time-marks division in the exam. Divide 300 marks by 180 mins and figure out the time you would need for 10/20/30 marker and stick to the time limit. I did so and more or less I was able to finish my paper without overshooting the word limit.

2. Plan it out in Your Mind:

For the main -2009, I had visualized the order in which I would answer the GS paper. However, it is a different matter that the UPSC threw cold waters on all my grand visualization by completely altering the pattern of the question paper. For example, I had decided that I would start with the polity questions and then move on to History, Current Affairs etc. I wanted to start with the part of the syllabus that I was most comfortable with and finish it with the part that I was least comfortable with. But you must be prepared with an alternate plan as well in the event your original plan goes haywire like it went for me the last year.

3. Writing in Points:

There are people who have written their entire GS paper in points (for e.g. Roopa Mishra, IAS Topper-2003) while other have stuck to the paragraph format (For e.g. Shubhra Saxena, IAS Topper-2008). I wrote both in points and paragraph depending on the kind of questions, availability of time and amount of information available with me. It does not make sense to write in points when you have very little to write for an answer. I wrote in points for Economics, India and the World, Geography, Science and Technology and some of the questions from current affairs. For history and polity, I stuck to the paragraph format.

4. Value Addition to the Answers:

I think this holds true for every paper including the Essay. You have to walk the extra mile to draw the examiner’s attention towards your answers. Most of us read the same materials for the examination (which is usually the notes given by the coaching institutes or competitive magazines) and end up writing similar answers. Draw maps/diagrams whenever needed; quote from the government/int’l agencies reports and recommendations; make cross country comparisons etc. etc….( Wish I followed what I am preaching now; the score would have looked much better…:) )

Getting Started: Mistakes You May Avoid

Ashutosh

One needs at least 10-12 months to prepare well for this exam. The first few months of the preparation are the most difficult one. This is more so, when there is no one around to guide and show the way. One is likely to get lost in the vast syllabus and umpteen books prescribed for the exam. I was thoroughly lost, when I started with my preparation. Committed several mistakes in the course of preparation; learnt from them and ensured that they were not repeated next time around.

Tanvi

I totally agree with Ashutosh,a year's preparation is a must especially for students who take up optionals which are completely alien to them.I picked up Sociology and Public Administration despite my graduation in Engineering and believe me it took me soooo loooong to learn what had to be read in what manner and how to express the same in lucid language :).....I kept floundering in the dark till by consistent trial and error I learnt the same...The mistakes committed by you in these initial few months would push you back by a few months to even a year(ask me,I wasted an attempt 'cos of this!)....to avoid a tragedy of such magnitude :).

Try to avoid the mistakes that we committed in the course of our preparation. To help you do so, we have tried answering some of the questions that many of us grapple with in the first few months.

1.Is collecting study material a good idea?

Ashutosh

Do not be in a hurry to collect all possible books available in the market on a particular subject. Reading few standard books well, is likely to fetch more marks than reading several books. Try and speak to some of the successful candidates (or read their interview) and based on your interaction with them, you can make a detailed list of the books to be studied. You must further narrow down this list to include only such books that have been recommended by a majority of the successful candidates. My enthusiasm led me to buy several books, some of which I did not even look at in the course of preparation.

Tanvi

Its true,collecting too many books in the initial stage will be intimidating and might make cracking cse seem like an insurmountable task.A basic booklist should be prepared before you start based on guidance given by seniors who have qualified.Though, I do suggest reading a few books thoroughly in the initial stage and then to expand your reading to cover a few relevant chapters(in accordance to the syllabus)from other books or reference material .

2.What to sudy and how to go about it?

Ashutosh

Start your preparation with the standard text books, especially, when you are a studying a subject for the first time. Get your concepts clear, and then you can gradually move on to the next level. For instance, for main-2008, I began my pub ad preparation by reading Mohit Bhattacharya’s “New Horizons of Public Administration”. While, it is an excellent book, it might be more useful for the beginners to start with Laxmikant on Pub ad, which is an easy read and explains concepts much more simplistically. I learnt from my mistake, and for the main 2009, relied heavily on Laxmikant. It rekindled my interest in the subject and reading Mohit Bhattacharya now made more sense than before.

Tanvi

Well,there are three kinds of civil services aspirants, the kind who read onlychaalu notes, the kind who read as if there is a phd to be done at every topic of every subject and the kind who stick to standard textbooks only...my advice is that you would have to be each one of these at different points of time :)

Start as Ashutosh says from a basic textbook esp if the subject is completely new to you...for eg,in Sociology and most of General Studies portion,the basic textbooks would be NCERT class XI,XII....then you would proceed to a standard textbook for eg Bipan Chandra for Modern Indian History....then you would look at the syllabus and the kind of questions asked...and its only then that you would refer to these notes in the market,study material but be careful do pick and choose,do not buy randomly...I did buy books like a maniac so,now I have this huge collection of stuff most of which I touch only to remove the cobwebs ;)

3.Is making notes important?If it is,how should you do it?

Ashutosh:

I was in the habit of making notes. However, I did not do it very smartly. My suggestion would be: Do not make any notes in the course of your first reading. Use first reading to familiarize yourself with the topic. In your second reading, you can start making notes. Your notes should be concise and preferably in points, so that you can do few quick revisions before the exam. There is absolutely no point in reproducing everything you have read, in the form of notes. Leave ample space at the end of each topic, so that you can add on more information that you might collect from various sources.

Tanvi:

Note Making is important especially if you are from a science/engg background and have completely switched over to humanities 'cos its important to inculcate a writing capability specific to the demands of your optional.But like Ashutosh says , dont make it in your first reading,preferably it should be done in your third reading(yes, you would have to read the same stuff at least three times!)....some of the topics can be in the form of exhaustive notes like Thinkers and Theories because only when you know them well can you apply them to the analytical questions so popular with the upsc nowadays....for others see the syllabus ,see the questions asked and then make pointers...for some other topics that were say completely given in a book I would xerox it and put it my notes...this made my notes organised and in one place,so I didnt have to sift through the 100 books that I had during revision time!I also used to make it in A4 size punched white sheets with margins on both sides (just like a upsc mains answer sheet) and put everything in an organised manner in a spiral folder...this would ensure that you know how much you are writing and also let you add more stuff easily....Let me give you the format for more clarity...

FIRST PAGE

Paper 1,Topic 1

List of sub topics -books/material referred,(I put big question marks next to topics I had no idea about :) )...Its important in case you want to refer back to the book esp when you cant understand your own pointers after giving prelims ;D!

SECOND PAGE

Topic

Sub topic 1:

List of questions asked from past years question papers with the year/(s) when they were asked and whether they were asked in the form of short notes and/or long answers alongwith arrows interlinking subtopics in case a question relates to more than one issue.

(This will help you understand the trend and hence , its here that you will truly understand what NOT to study !)

Sub Topic 2:

The same thing........

THIRD PAGE:

If it related to the few topics that you are going to cover exhaustively...write down a framework of how you aim to do so for eg who's name would come under what theory,who criticised what and what future trends if any

If its amongst the topics(dont worry,majority of the topics fall under this!) that you aim to cover through pointers do that say with an intro,body and conclusion all in bullet form

This note making process is only with respect to an optional like Sociology or Law(in the case of Ashutosh),with a subject like Public Administration a wide reading with pointers should suffice.

In the case of General studies please donot attempt the mistake of trying to make notes...you cant possibly tame an ocean right!Make 3 things as your starting point: 1.NCERT books,2.a standard textbook for each portion,3.Vaji Ravi Ram or some other dependable coaching notes of GS as your base,then make pointers from or cut out relevant articles from The Hindu alongwith with print outs of appropriate online resources,like Wikipedia ;)

3.So much to do ....how do you manage?

By sticking to Schedule:

Ashutosh

Make a balanced schedule and try to stick to it. Allocate time for each subject. We tend to focus more on topics that we are already familiar with. Doing so might be alright from the prelim perspective, but avoid doing that for the main preparation. Both the optional and the GS carry equal weightage in the main examination. Therefore, it is important to do well in every paper rather than just one paper. I did not enjoy reading pub ad much, especially paper-I, but I had to force myself to study it. Similarly, as much as I hated Science and technology, I had no option but to study it. My aim was to do reasonably well in every paper rather than scoring excellent marks in just one of the optional.

Tanvi

A schedule of study is a must esp after the prelims...your aim should be to identify the short(weekly),medium(monthly),long(till 15-20 days before the exam) term goals for GS and the two optionals and try to stick to it...have a daily target(realistic!) with a little flexibilty thrown in for eg if you dont feel like studying History for General Studies take up one optional instead....and please don't judge your progress by the number of hours you put in on a day to day basis...everyone has their own way of studying with varying outputs for the same number of hours put in....remember no one here is a study-robot,everyone takes breaks just make sure the break is not as long as your study hour :)

Also,I agree with Ashutosh, you have to do average to above average in every subject including GS so,please don't ignore any subject esp if you dont want to appear again for the prelims ;)

By studying smartly:

Ashutosh

Clearing the exam with a good rank was my only goal throughout. Pursuit of knowledge was only incidental to my primary goal. Please remember, you are not studying for a doctorate but for a competitive exam. You will have to be very clear about what to study and how much to study? In depth study of the entire syllabus is extremely difficult and time consuming. Therefore, it is important to delineate the important areas and pay great attention to them in the course of preparation. However, this is not to suggest that you should not cover the entire syllabus. I am only suggesting that your efforts should be directly proportionate to the importance of the topic.

Tanvi

Ashutosh is right, you should be able to identify what's important and what's not...the next question would be how to do that?

There are no short cuts here,it will take you some time...you would have to read the basic material,have a conceptual understanding,then you could look at the old question papers(before doing the spadework if you look at a new optional's question papers you would definitely end up feeling like a loser!) ...it's only after this, can you reorient yourself to whats more relevant and important.You also need to understand that you can only delineate important topics in your optionals,GS on the other hand needs wide reading where you should have a "general" overview of everything under the sun with a special focus on current news items.

4.Is joining a Coaching Institute absolutely necessary?:

Ashutosh

Join an institute only after you are convinced that you will get the best possible guidance there. I did not join any institute for law and pub ad, since, I did not see any value being added to my preparation. You must talk to as many people as possible before zeroing on to any institute. There is absolutely no point in wasting your time and money on third class institutes.

Tanvi

I have unfortunately wasted alot of my parent's money on coaching which were well,disasterous for me....so , now I see my name splashed across ads for coachings some of which in effect pulled me down,and then there are some others that were encouraging in the sense that, I felt I knew more than the teacher himself!....its sad the way I was mislead as a newcomer by pictures and ranks of qualified candidates...now others would be too :( .....so if you are really underconfident that you won't be able to manage your optionals and GS(I was!) and you need the kind of discipline and study group that a coaching can give you...do meet the teacher under whom you intend to study,see his communication skills as well,also ask other students who already have studied under that teacher,check out the pros and cons before joining a coaching...remember a poorly exercised choice would not only result in wastage of your parent's hard earned money but also waste something which is priceless,your time.

The only full fledged coaching which really helped me was Vaji Ravi and Ram's Mains coaching for GS which I took for my first mains....also,I do believe that a good Test Series can prove to be a blessing,I think it worked for me.A "good" test series would be:

one which is regularly held so that your preparation takes place in a time bound manner,

which is of upsc ie not too high(too demoralising) nor too low a standard(can make you overconfident),

which evaluates you in such a comprehensive manner that you can identify and improve upon your weakpoints ....

I know that I am repeating myself but do ask around before you join any coaching institute...its placing your career at risk,good guidance can push you forward and a bad coaching can well,place you at a sub-zero level where first,you would have to unlearn then, relearn the same thing , all on your own...How I wish that I was as smart as Ashutosh was :) (point to be noted: smartness here credited only wrt decisions regarding coaching ;D!)