Aparajita Singh Sinsinwar (AIR 82 CSE 2018) shared her detailed strategy for CSE

Aparajita Singh Sinsinwar

My strategy for all 3 Stages. I don’t say it’s a perfect strategy and it will 10000% work for everyone, but even if it serves one person in achieving his/her dream then my purpose is served).

Few basic points

• I don’t read line to line.
• I can’t cram much. ( my short term memory is really very short and long term memory is lost for a long term, so I try to revise fast and be specific during revisions)
• I can’t sit in stretch for days ( i need breaks, episodes from tv series like two and a half men, friends have saved my mental peace)
• Disclaimer: I don’t advice you to watch TV series, we all have our escapes this was mine
• I covered broad areas and avoided doing PhD in any one topic
• I am a fan of flowcharts and diagrams and tried my best to use them
• I practised World Map, South Asia map, India map, Central Asia Map etc for a rough idea

Preparation Strategy

Prepared Mains and Prelims together

The Prelims was focussed from April 1.

The Interview was focussed only after mains.

PRELIMS

History -

•I read NCERTs properly and highlighted potential MCQs from them (NCERT 11th/12th)

•Insight Prelims Booster (Balyan sir book available in the market too) — cannot cram whole. So the maximum number of tables were crammed. (made Mnemonics for almost everything so if you want I can upload the same) you can all have your own sources.

•Had a chart of all historical events (available in the market) ( if you want I will attach the pic)

Geography:

11th & 12th NCERTs and some topics from Mrunal ( all the videos were scrolled at 2x speed)(For Mains: Selected topics from G.C. Leong- if you want I will upload the list)

Polity

Laxmikant by heart ( as many times you can read)

I had a chart of the Indian Constitution. ( if you want I can attach it)

Economics — Mrunal Sir videos on YouTube

Environment:

Selected topics from Shankar IAS, selected videos from Mrunal and factual info from Wikipedia.

Science and tech -

Any coaching institute notes for basic science.

Current affairs -

•PT365 by heart (Line to line & Word to Word)

•Daily current MCQs by insights on India( they are compiled monthly into booklets of 80–90 pages per month) and are available in any shop

•PIB- Cabinet Meetings (add extra factual information in your own pt)

•I had read PT365 of the previous year during my first attempt. ( so I tore the index pages from the previous year. Wrote one line regarding each page on the index as to why it was in news and then stapled them to present year pt 365)

•OnlyIAS Prelims Booster Discussion daily ( 15 min daily YouTube videos, watch at 2x speed)

I always took screenshots from online lecture videos of any relevant information and created a folder for the same in my mobile. Every night I scrutinised those screenshots and important ones to be revised on last day were marked as favourites and rest which were added to PT/ Mains and the ones not required were deleted. Similar was the story with quotes for essays.

•Budget Summary and NITI Ayog Three-year Action Agenda from the Vajiram Yellow Book ( pdf is available online)

•Could not do India Yearbook. As per the cost-benefit analysis, time would have been used more.

•The Economic Survey is not relevant for this year as it is not there.

•Government Ministries Summary Report of one year. (GS Score most probably) Read it. It’s around 90 pages. I don’t remember I think GS Score gives it, pdf is available online. Don’t cram but if you read you will feel confident.

•Shankar IAS (IAS Parliament) launches reports and indices booklets every year and also of International Organisations. They both are hardly 50 pages each and can be done in half a day. Cram especially which organisation releases which report. UPSC usually doesn’t ask the rank but it definitely asks the organisation releasing the report. It’s a long list and can’t be prepared in one day. Cram 20 each day and learn with your friend. Sab ka Mnemonics ban jati hai A to Z. If you want, I can make a video on my mnemonics as soon as possible.

Organisation ka members headquarters, India signatory hai ya nahi. Last meeting and founding year

MCQs

1. Do Previous Year Papers very sincerely. Make a diary and note down all the options of questions and you will find repetition at many places to in the type of questions and also questions. Cover all the noted down topics.

2. MCQs — any two test series questions at home ( don’t have time then I think 15–15 from each are enough) I did insights and vision. ( available in the market.)

Strategy in Prelims

The score was not that great (105.34) but anyways my strategy was that I knew my error rate while attempting previous years. So I knew I have to attempt as much as possible. I did not attempt only those questions where I had no idea of any of the options or risk as very wrong.

I attempted near about 85 questions.

In the first attempt, I attempted hardly 70 questions and ended up missing the line. So I think you must try to attempt at least in the 80s as no matter how tough the exam gets. Chances of cutoff falling very low in UPSC are very low. Please see the change in previous years especially past 2 years. 3 years back it was totally current affair dominated. Past two years, the paper has become a bit complex.

Mains:

After wasting a month crying about the positive-negative of result and getting the result as positive I realised I am in a mess. Alternate days for optional and gs and weekend half day for essay etc. Was tried. My study buddies were Shashi Ranjan for prelims, Sahil Singh for mains and rest of the time ahead and Dr Rachna Singh (my senior and bro-like bro for rest of life) for optional:) we seriously stuck to studies and when I say seriously I mean no gossips. And of course. Special thanks to Ishani Lohchab my childhood bestie for last minute Gyan floods on topics of optional especially pharmacology. 🙂 🙂 🙂

For GS 1–4 I have read mains 365 of vision

Other Specifics

1. General Studies 1: History from Balyan sir notes, Social issues certain PDFs are available on the Mrunal website. ( I can post the link for the same). I made handwritten notes compiling from best sources on net as well as Mrunal and collected fodder ( by checking against topics in syllabus list). Geography was largely done from the same sources. I practised many diagrams in a blank A4 sized register with the pen itself. For eg, if the question is on earthquake these three diagrams are to be made. If it’s on cyclone then these.. ( if you want I can upload certain pdf of my rough notes online)

2. General Studies 2: Polity notes of M. Puri and Siddiqui Sir (Available again anywhere) were done thoroughly. International relations, Country-specific markings were done on the world map ( it became messy but I liked it because all the masala and relevant points of India and neighbourhood could be revised from one political map of India itself ) that if the question comes regarding India Maldives these ten points must be highlighted. Revised Economic Survey Summary. ( it’s one of the best) It helped in all 4 papers in its own way.

3. General Studies 3: Other than older sources, I saw the syllabus and saw many topics which were not covered thoroughly anywhere. Collected their fodder from Mrunal PDFs, Govt websites and Wikipedia. Please do check syllabus here as for each word mentioned you must have quality content of at least three pages.

4. General Studies 4: Prepared ethics in a week time. Read it the first time there and then.

Mrunal pdfs for basic knowledge about terms. Case studies are also good. Got a photocopy of Lukmaan IAS Ethics notes and read them.

2nd ARCs Every chapter has a quotation. And Chapter 4 is great as it has some great material on probity in governance. So quotes in introductory mention were jotted down and also certain diagrams examples were briefly copied. It was a cursory reading so whatever I could get I copied. For famous personalities. I noted which ones are to be studied and wrote down two pages each about them in rough handwriting from Wikipedia and Mrunal again and how I can use them. Certain theories were applied in many case studies for a clear picture. We can discuss these in any length you guys want.

5. Essay: Had very high expectations so did my test series mentors but anyways at times UPSC is unpredictable and whatever comes we should accept it with a big smile. I scored 115 in it.

I love reading stories, books, I love observing things around me and then I use them as an example or story

Choose essay topics wisely. I chose poverty (Most Common) and customary morality (I guess here my essay might have become a bit of controversial. But these are guesses and what matters is the score. (won’t mention much because of my score(115). For more details you guys can see my written answers in Forum IAS test series)

Optional

Medical Science (I left 60 marks paper blank due to Mismanaged time)

Strategy in Mains

It was a race against time for me. I had never completed a single paper in my Forum IAS Test series and always completed in 3.30 hours or so.

I wrote the fastest. Completed all the papers though could not underline but I guess UPSC rewards for content so could score fairly in GS. Two coloured pens could obviously not be used because of the time issue. Used Pilot Pen. Used pencils and colours in one or two diagrams like Magma Plume, Ashgabat agreement, map etc

I did not leave a single question blank. Whether I knew it or not, I wrote it. I knew only factual five Points about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ( that too prelims specific) yet I wrote 1 page on it. Similar was with Bose-Einstein condensate. Ethics get very lengthy and writing became what we all doctors are famous for. They were scribbles and bad handwriting. I approached case studies first.

In between exam:

Please don’t waste time crying about how your previous paper went. I missed 60 marks in Paper 1 of Optional so I was all crying in the time in between and next paper itself. The irony is in both exams I scored 138. So we really cannot judge the attempt in mains. Just because some shit happened in some paper please don’t let your next paper be ruined. Learn from my mistake rather than committing blunder yourself.

In evenings between exams, things used to become stressful, but it’s for everyone. Please don’t spend time discussing the paper at home with friends. Here also I wasted time. Sleep at max by 1.30 no matter how much your brain wants to read more.

Do reach centre on time, the schools don’t allow late entry and it unnecessarily shoots adrenaline and increases stress.

Check your pens, documents to carry etc beforehand. Carry your water bottles if it’s allowed.

If sunlight is irritating you in any sense don’t feel awkward and ask them to cover the window. It happened with me on day one, couldn’t be arranged so I carried chunni the next day.

Most of all, be so confident about yourself that you can and will attempt any question that comes in your way. 100% syllabus is not possible and you just can’t do it. Many a time people will say their exam was so nice paper was easy how could you attempt so bad and all. Please avoid such people and rather block them during your exam days. Trust the blessings, your struggle and God’s purpose for you. You will succeed, just accept the fact that every step you are taking will lead you to the horizon of your dreams and it will become reality.

Interview

This time I knew that in Paper 1 of optional I have messed up so even if I don’t get a good score. I will aim for 200+ in the interview and work on my personality so that I manage to get any service in the final list. (was expecting at the last)

1. Mirror practice

2. Discuss and debate things with people

3. English speaking is not a greater issue but hesitation in speaking Is.

4. Don’t take extreme stands or one-sided stands on topics like the secular fabric of the country, reservation or any other controversial issue, try to balance the positive negatives and always give a positive hopeful outlook at the end of your opinion. Don’t be fatalist that nothing can be done on this issue. Always give hope. No country is perfect and every step in the right direction is a great achievement and all we need is to speed up the pace. We the youth are future of rising India and complaining about problems without giving hope and solutions is a futile exercise.

Take an extreme stand on certain issues like Terrorism, Drug abuse, Women empowerment, Dowry, Patriarchy, Honour Killing, Female Feticide, Caste divide, poverty, witch hunting, social and health issues, etc.

You always don’t have to be calm middle path person but you should know where to sway and when to sway from the golden mean and that’s in a handful of circumstances only.

Prepare your detailed application form like a holy book. Word by word in full details. Please don’t over elaborate, do take guidance while filling it. I wrote a lot so had to prepare a lot in depth.

We can discuss the interview strategy in a separate post. I read three newspapers a day at this stage.

My discussion buddies here were Sahil Singh (we discussed each controversial topics after in-depth studies and reached conclusions and how to present them etc. ) and the one who corrected minute details of how I go wrong in mock or how my pace should have been even more tiny stuff was Abhishek Phougat.

Some Extra Stuff I did

Whenever I used to read a boring or too much technical topic anywhere and I knew I would not revise it last day Or the fodder material in it is very important. I would record the content in my own voice in my mobile and save the audio recording with the topic name.. I would listen to that audio when I would get tired and my mind would behave unreceptive to the reading and understanding thing.

I had green flash cards for Geography NCERT and peach for History. On the last day of prelims. Used them like a deck of cards to shuffle and revise.

I know it’s all roughly written. But I will keep on editing it and make it presentable and add various minute details I have missed.

All the very best future civil servants. I know we all will make India proud one day and we will witness India at the top of the world through our talent, strength and dedication towards the country. Thank you all talented fellas for going through all this.

#Reposted from her Quora Page

Aparajita Singh Sinsinwar- Quora (Link to her Quora Page)

Join us on Telegram Channel @grabcse and Group @grabcseofficial