prep

) No need of paragraph....try to write as much as in points,,,,,i wtried to write almost all ans in points ( except economics questions)....my aim was to write more and more points....for ex in ques how can MP be disqualified i just wrote answer in 11 points.......

2) No sticking to word limit....i broke word limit in all questions......with about 20-25 words extra....this gve me liberty to put 2-3 more points

3) No introduction.....try to save words....sirf kaam ki baatein...in 100 words question i didnt even write conclusion....actually when examiner evaluates he has a model answer with him....that hardly contains introduction and all....my aim was to write as much points as possible.......

4) In 2 markers write in points.....always write 2-3 dimensions of topic...never write in one dimension......if possible break word limit by 5 words

5) Statistics was divided this time...half questions i did early rest i left for last moments

6) This time my aim was to increase my knowledge base.....i did about 2-3 coaching notes....didnt rely on single coaching

7) In IR always started from turning points.....for example in india-pak relations write tht after 2009 attacks the relation has taken a downturn etc......try to use lots of diplomatic words that we hear in day to day lives......eg india is even ready to walk an extra mile.....acc to manmohan ji theres enough space in this world for both india and china to grow.......

finally at the end a strong conclusion with complete analysis on relations....this should be of 50-60 words and in your own language....(i mean diplomatic lang)....always write diplomatic answer apne andar ki bhawnaein mat likh aana..........

8) In choice avoid opininon based open ended questions....they r highly tricky.....but iss saal to we were like " beggars r not choosers"


9) Pay emphasis on culture ek spectrum ki choti si culture ki book aati hai usse ratt lena

So i followed all these strategies and improved my marks....always remember that we get good marks not because we attempt more questions...but only because even if we attempt 400 but those questions should be written properly.....

For eg in question of complimentarity and competition btw highways and freight corridors....

i skipped intro
Just put heading competition and wrote 5-6 points
then placed heading complementarity and again 5-6 points
then finally a good conclusion

total-170 words

Finally coming to magazines.....i knew to be in top 70 out of 7 lakhs u have become different.....if i am following wat all others r following them i am also like rest 7 lakhs....so i tried to do different things....

i used to read frontline and used to write summary of every chapter i read....this saved a lot of time......

i didnt read any newspaper during last 2-3 moths.....actually i used to yawn reading hindu articles and always used to go to sleep midways....so i decided to leave hindu....i only read chronicle, frontline and yojana.......

I hope some of these methods may help u also in exam.....










History- NCERTs, Bipin Chandra and Spectrum Modern India

Polity- D D basu- constitution, bare act- p m bakshi, our parliament- subhash kashyap

Geog- Physical and Human geog- NCERTs and Goh Cheng leong- Physical Geography, one Atlas

Economics- Dutt Sundaram, PD-economics, Penguin dictionary, newspaper, NCERT macroeconomics

GMA- last ten years questions
Stats- NCERT
Current affairs- Hindu, TOI, yojana, frontline, kurukshetra, any current affairs magazine.
S&T- Spectrum and M&M

If you have time, you can supplement this with any good notes.

Thanks.
Shubhra.

For Psychology, Mr. Mukul Pathak is the only one. I believe almost every student of Psychology in CS preparation avails of his guidance in one form or another. I have immensely benefited from being his student and he is more than just a teacher. He has been a mentor and friend too. I am not suggesting that every student should join his classes. But this is one of the ways I can thank him for his invaluable support and guidance.

Sources:

NCERT 11th & 12th

Baron

Ciccarelli

Mr. Mukul Pathak's class notes.

1.Focus on conceptual understanding.

2.All chapters of paper 1 are extremely important and interlinked. So do not leave any unit.

3.Practice answer writing in the prescribed time limit and try to get them evaluated by someone competent.

4.Make synoptical notes for every topic for easy reference. That helps in the final revision.

5.For paper 2, you need to use some daily life examples and put them in your answer.

Also try to add some theoretical aspects of paper 1.

First choose your 1st optional

2) Now buy syllabus of GS and your optional. Go through it comprehensively.

3) Buy previous 10 years question papers of prelims and mains for your optional and GS.

Make sure that these question papers are divided question wise.

4) Now go through the questions to understand the pattern of the paper. After you have seen what the exam expects out of you,  start studying the basic books.

5) When you are studying basic books for GS and optional, do not go about making notes and cramming stuff. This first reading is meant to acquaint you with concepts. So  focus on conceptual understanding no matter  how factual the subject is.

6) Always try to understand the central aspect of any topic and not the peripheral aspects. Peripheral aspects will naturally follow.

7) Do not just start preparing for prelims exclusively. The idea is that you should first prepare holistically for prelims and mains together and towards the last 3 4 months you can focus exclusively on prelims. 

8) Always keep sight of the question paper pattern. Do some problem solving for both prelims and mains.

9)Take regular breaks. Noone can keep working non stop.  :-)

10) Keep a chart to track your progress. I did that and that helps.

hope this helps.