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ExaminationFrameworkandStudyStrategy
ItismypleasuretosharewhateverlittleIhaveandopinethatthepurposeisservedifithelpsthe
aspirantstowhateverextentpossible.Beforestartingthepreparation,itisveryimportanttohavea
completeunderstandingabouttheexamprocess,itsstructureandthevariousaspectsrelatedtothe
preparation.
Prelimsstage:
Thefollowingpointsshouldbekeptinmindwhiledoingpreparation:
Thefocusshouldbeongainingbasicclarityineachtopic,whichwillcomeonlythroughlot
oflogicalquestioning.Thisismostimportantforclearingtheprelimsstage.
Foranytopic,trytodoahorizontalandverticalreadingofalltherelatedtopicswhichwill
definitelyhelptocoveranytopicholistically.
Athoroughanalysisofthepreviousyearsquestionpapersandtherecenttrendssothatoneisin
tunewithUPSCrecenttrends.
Discussingelaboratelywithteachers,successfulcandidatesandseniorssothatoneisontrack
duringpreparations.
GeneralStudies
Newspapers,Magazines,Journals,Internet(MostImportant),andbooksofgeneralreading.NCERT
schoolbooksofhistory,geography,polity,economics,sociologyandallhumanitiesandarts
(excludinglanguages,mathematicsandscience)fromclass7thto12th.ScienceNCERTschoolbooks
ofonlyclass9thand10th.
HistoryNCERTtextbooks,historyofmodernIndiaBipinChandraandSpectrumpublications
andanyotherbooksonIndianhistoryofgeneralinterest.
GeographyNCERTtextbooksofclass11thand12th,physicalgeographybyGoChengLeongand
anATLAS.Referringmapsisveryimportant.
PolityIndianConstitutionbyLaxmikanthorD.D.Basu,NCERTschooltexts.
ScienceandTechnologyTheHinduS&Tpage(weekly),ScienceReporterbyC.S.I.R.,What,How&
WhybyC.S.I.R.,Internet,NCERT8thto12thsciencetextbooks.
EconomicsNCERT10th,11th&12thtexts,EconomicSurvey,IndianBudget,SriramClassnotes,
Mrunal.org,PratiyogitaDarpanspecialeditiononIndianeconomyandanybusinessdaily.
GeneralKnowledgeIndiayearbook,Manoramayearbook(Nottoconcentrateonunnecessary
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details)
CurrentAffairsTheHindu,Abusinessdaily,InsightsonIndia,Mrunal.org,Gktodaywebsite,
Frontline,Yojana,Anycompetitivemagazine,WebsitesIndia.gov.in,Indiadevelopment
gateway,Pib.nic.in,UNOwebsite,Ministrywebsites,RBI,SEBI,etcwebsites,IndianEmbassywebsites
andwhateverothersitesyoucansourceauthenticandconciseinformationfrom.
MakeuseofGoogleDocuments,GoogleReader,Newsandsuchotherinternettoolstoprepare
notesonlineandforgreater,betterandeasyaccessibility.Makingnotesonlinehelpsincuttingdown
timeandmustbedoneonaregularbasiswithoutfail.
MainsStage:
Duringpreparation,oneneedstofocusonwritingagoodanswer?Sowhatisagoodanswer,isa
milliondollarquestion?Mainsexamquestionsrevealmanythingsaboutwordlimit,keywordslike
analyse,criticallycommentetc,analyticaldemandofquestionetc.
HereiswhereInsightsonIndia,madeagamechangerformypreparation.Iwroteanswersondaily
basisfromInsightsSecureDailyAnswerwritingChallengewherequestionsfromimportantarticles
fromThehindu,BusinessStandardandotherimportantpapersareposted.Thishelpedtomouldand
chiselmyanswerstosuitthedemandsofmainsexam.
Istronglyrecommendthefutureaspirantstotakeanswerwritingondailybasisveryseriouslyand
practicetoimprovetheirwritingskills,structure,speedandtimemanagementsothatonecanget
maximummarksinGSpapers.
Fewmorepointsonmainspreparationare
Moretimeshouldbespentonthinkingaboutthetopicandmakinginnovations,ratherthanon
readingtoomanystudymaterialsavailableinmarket.
Thepreviouspapersshouldbethoroughlyanalyzedtounderstandthetrendsand
theexpectationsoftheexaminer.
Thepreparationshouldbefocusedandallthehardworkshouldbechannelizedintheright
direction.
CommonmistakestobeavoidedwhilewritinginGSmainspapers
First,trytoaddressthequestionintheintroductionratherthangivingirrelevantanswers
Second,Abalancedapproachinanswersareusuallymissing,eitheritwillbeverycriticalor
totallyoutofcontext.
Third,mostofthetimes,aspirantswasunabletofullyunderstandtherequirementifthequestion
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Fourth,mostofthetimes,onlyfewofrequiredaspects/dimensionswerecoveredinanswers
Fifth,writeinpointssothatyoucanmoremarksratherthanwritingsamepointinbig
paragraph.
FewtipsforbetterGSMainsanswers
Thecompetitionishighlyrelative,ouranswersinthemainsexaminationshouldnotonlybecorrect
butalsodifferentwithatouchofcreativityandrelevanttothequestionthatisasked.Basicswith
claritywillcomewhenthereislotofquestioningwhilestudying.Thetopichastobestudiedina
logicalmanner.
Thecreativityandinnovationisnotsomethingthatyouwillgetinthetextbooks.Theyhavetobe
developedonyourown.Itrequireslotofthinkingandobservation.Byinnovationinanswerswhat
ismeantis
Catchyintroductionwhichaddressesthequestionheadon
Diagramssothatonecanbreakamonotonousanswers
Graphstobetterrepresentdata.
Flowcharts
MapsdrawIndiaorworldmapsingeography/historypapers
Contemporarytouchandapplicabilityusecurrentaffairstostrengthenyourargument
Catchyconclusiongivingsolutions
CompletingtheGSpapers
ItoowrotealmostallmyanswersinpointsbutstillIgaveaproperintroduction,properheadingsand
subheadingsandthenaconclusion.
Ihavefolloweda789strategyforeachpaperofGeneralstudies.
3hourspaper

finish__questions

1sthour

78

2ndhour

3rdhour

Total

25Qx10m=250m

Aswritingspeedinslowinitially,onecancomplete78questionsin1sthourandcompensatethatin
lasthour.Thusonecanfinishthepaper.
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Essaywriting
WhatdoesUPSCexpectsinyourfromtheessay?Whyaretheyaskingutowriteessay,whilethey
alreadyhaveGSpapersandsubjectstoknowhowknowledgeableyouareandhowwellyouknowto
communicate?
Theansweristhat,UPSCwantstoknowyourgeneraltraits.Whenyouareaskedtowrite10sentences
aboutatopic,howuwritediscloseslotsofthingsaboutyou!So,UPSCwanttoknowwhoyouare,
thanknowinghowmuchyouknow!Yourtraitslike,positiveattitude,imagination,innovation,etc
comeoutontheessay!Themajordifferencebetweenessayandotherspapersis:Whiletheother
papersarebasedonknowledgeandlogic,essayisbasedonimagination!Thatswhyessayquestion
neverseekfactualanswers.
Oncethequestionpaperisreceived,chooseeither1or2topicswhichyoufeelyouhavemorepoints.
Onthelastpageoftheanswerbookletmakenoteoftopicsandpointsunderfollowingheadings
1. Introtrytowriteaquote,story,poemetcsothatitcatchestheeyeofexaminer
2. Differentissuesunderthistopicsuchashistory,presentstatusandstatistics,impactsocial,
economical,biological,ethnological,political,psychological,cultural,religious,historical,
geographical,etc
3. Prosncons
4. Relatethetopictopresentdaysocialconditionsprevailing.
5. Closingremarksnconclusion
Thisshouldtakeabout30minutesforbothtopics.
Then,
1. Choosetopicwheremorepointsnbettergripofsubjectisheld.
2. Starttheessaywithgoodbeginningquote/anecdote/song/statistics/somewittyphrasemadeup
3.Anecdotesinasmanypartsaspossible.
4.Subheadscanbegiven.
5.Languageandgrammarareimportant.
6.Pointsmusthaveaflow.Theymustnotappeardisconnected.
7. Underlinesomekeywords/stats/quotes/namesofppl,etcandemphasizeonneatnessof
handwritingandnoscratchinginthemainbooklet.
SociologyoptionalPapers
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Approachtosociologyoptionalpapersisquitedifferent.AsIhadbackgroundfromsocialsciencesin
TISS,Ialsofacedlotofproblemsfrommovingfromengineeringbackgroundtosocialsciences.Tryto
studythethinkerspartinbothpapersveryperfectlyandgetaclarityonallthesociologicalconcepts.
Whilewritingsociologyanswers,trytokeepinmind3things,Thinkersandtheirideas,coherent
arrangementandexpression,andusingcontemporarytopicsinanswers.Thinkersshouldbeusedin
allanswers.Arrangementofanswersmeansthecontentswithadefinitestructuretobeframed.
Thestructuremustbeexposedindirectlythroughtheflowofwritingwithinterlinkingofsubtopics
andparagraphsexplainingthescopemeaning,descriptionanddiscussion.
Oneneedstogivethepowerfulandlogicalconclusionwhichistheconsequenceofeverything
discussedearlier.Itmustbebalancedandfreefromprejudice.
MyInterviewExperience
IndianForestServiceInterview,2014
Board:AlkaSihorimadam
Score:210/300
Chairman
1. SomequestioninHindionwaterscheme(whichIcouldntgrasp)?
2. Yourhobbyislakecleaning?
3. Howdocleanlakes?
4. Whatwasyourroleincleaninglakes?
5. InBangalore,thereareUlsoorlake,Yediyurlake,whyaretheypolluted?Canyoucleanthem?
6. WhatisEutrophication,allotrofication?
7. Canyoueutrophiclakeisconvertedtooligotrophiclake?
8. Whatisthedifferencebetweenlakeandwetland?
Member2
9. Whatisthechemistryofeutrophication?Canyoutellthechemicalreactions?
10. Whatiswaterhyacinth?Wherediditcomefrom?Howcanyoueliminateit?
11. Howinforestarea,alakecanbecleaned?
12. TellhowmanynationalparksarethereinIndia?
13. Nameany10nationalparksinIndia?
14. Nameanationalparkwherelakeisthere?
15. NamethehighestaltitudelakeinIndia?
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Member3
16. Areyouawateractivist?
17. NamefewwateractivistsinIndia?Ans:MrRajendraSingh
18. Whatawarddidhewin?
19. Wheredoeshework?Whatarehisachievements?
20. Tellmemoreaboutlakeecosystemandwaterhyacinth?
21. Canitbeeliminated
22. Yourotherhobbyishandmadecrafts?Doustillpracticeit?Whatudo?
23. Howcanyoupromotehandmadecraftsinindia?
24. WhatareoldagehomesincreasinginIndia?
Member4
25. Icanunderstandthesetechnicalanswersofyours,canyouexplainlakeecosysteminlayman
terms?(Iexplained,butagainheaskedsamequestion,ChairmanintervenedasaskedMember4
tomovetonextquestion)
26. NamethewildlifespeciesinsouthIndianforests?
27. Haveyouseenwilddog?
28. CanyoumentionfewcriticallyendangeredspeciesinSouthIndia?
29. Whereelsehaveyouworked?Canyoutellaboutyourpreviousjob?
ChairmanintervenedandaskedaboutmyworkinArghyam,anNGOandaboutprojectsin
Chhattisgarhtribalareas)
BacktoChairman
30. YouhavedoneComputerScienceengineeringlongtime.Ishallaskfewquestionsonit
31. WhatisTCP/IP?
32. DifferencebetweenTCPandOSIlayer?
33. NamesevenlayersofOSImodel
34. Whatisembeddedsystem?
35. Canuexplainmethemechanismofelevator?
Myinterviewlastedfor30to35minutes.TheboardwaschairedbyaAlkaShirohimadam.Iwas
askedaboutmyhobbywhicharelakecleaning,handmadepapercraftsandvisitingoldagehomes.
Chairmandeliberatelyaskedmeonlakesandwaterissueswhichwasmystrongarea.Certain
questionsweretricky,however,Imanagedtokeepmycoolandnotgiveirrelevantanswers.ThetrickI
thinkisnottogetcaughtandbeprovenselfcontradictory,buttomaintainthesametenorandvigor
throughout,withoutanydiffidence.Overallgotagoodscore.
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BUTIDIDNTCLEARIfoSexamandImissedby10marks.IwasverydisappointedandhopeIcould
clearCSEexam.
CSEInterview,2014
Board:HCGupta+fourmembers(allgents)
Date:19May2015,4.30PM
Duration:30minutes
Optional:Sociology
Score:175
Chairman:ReadoutmyeducationalandemploymentdetailsfromDAF
1. WhichNGOdidyouwork?
2. Whatsectorsdoesitwork?(drinkingwaterandsanitation)
3. Whichprojectsonsanitationdidyouwork.Pleaseexplain
4. WhoisthefounderofSulabhInternational?
5. WhatisSulabhmodeloftoilets
6. Isthereanyotheralternativesanitationmodels?
7. TellmeabouttherecentKarnatakaHighCourtverdict?(Jayalalithacase)Whatisherfull
name?
8. WhydidTamilNaduHCtransferthecasetoKarnataka?
M1:
1. WhyisLokpalneeded?
2. WhatisLokayukta?WhoiscurrentLokayuktainKarnataka?
3. HowdoyoucurbcorruptioninIndia?
4. Amongalltherightsbasedapproachwhichschemeyouthinkisbest?(MNREGA)
5. IsMNREGAsuccessful?Tellitloopholes?
6. Howdoyoucreatebettercommunityassets?
M2:
1. Whatisintellectualproperty?
2. WhatisGeographicalIndications?
3. WhyisIndianGIslesssuccessfulthanEUGIlikewineetc
4. TellmeaboutUSAGI.Howaretheyperforming?
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5. WhynegativebalanceoftradeisbadforIndia?Wecanverywellimportgoods?
6. Whyourexportsnotcompetitive?(Longquestion,hegaveexampleofautomobileindustry
beingcompetitive)
7. Case:YourareDistrictCollector,thereisacalamity(floods)allcropsaredestroyedandthereare
noofficialrecordsaboutcroppingpatterinouroffice?Youhavetostartfromscratch.Whatare
thestepsyouwilltake?(longquestion)
8. Howwillyoufinancethecroplosses?TellaboutNationalCalamityfund?Nationalcontingency
fund?Differences?Whogivesfunds?
M3:
1. WhyUrbanlocalbodiesnotabletoselffinanceurbanprojects?
2. WhatarethesourcesoffundsforULBs?
3. WhatispercentageofpropertytaxcollectioninULBs?
4. Howcanyouovercometheshortfallsintaxcollection?
5. WhatisSolidwastetaxandwatercess?
M4:
1. WhyareoldagehomesgrowinginIndia(Myhobbyisvisitingoldagehomes)
2. Whatwillyoudoifchildrenabandontheirparentsandsendtooldagehomes?Whatistheage
ofyourparents?
3. Whatarethelawsrelatedtoit?
4. Whichwarmovieshaveyouseen?Didyouwatchany16th17thwarmovies(ThisisNOTmy
hobby)
Chairman:Yourinterviewisover.
Itwaskindofastressinterview.Chairmanafteraskingquestionswenttotoiletanditwasavery
strangefeeling.Somemembersweresleepingandnotlookingatmeatall.Somememberswould
objecttowhateverIsayanddenyit.ButIhadtosubstantiatemystance.Theywouldcutmeshortin
betweenandjumptoanotherquestionwithoutlisteningtowhatIamsaying.Tomydisadvantagenot
muchwasaskedfrommyDAFandmyworkexperience.
TogotoDelhiortakecoachingclasses?
Itookaharddecisiontostartpreparingforcivilservicesatverylateageof28years.Ihadtoinvest
mytime,energy,money,effortinmypreparationalongwithindependentconsultingjobasIstillface
financialdifficulties(IamstillworkingevenaftergettingRank180.Ilaughatmyfate).Manywhoare
frompoorruralbackgroundneednotventureouttoNewDelhiorattendanycoachinginstitutions.
OnecanstudyontheirownandIfIcoulddoit,theneveryoneelseatyoungerageandwhoarebetter
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offfinanciallycanalsodefinitelydoit.
MyBloghttps://atulkulkarni123.wordpress.com/

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