My Strategy for CSE 2021

KISMAT, JUGAAD, AADAT, ORGANISATION AUR DRAMEBAAZI

Saksham Goel
June 2022
https://t.me/SakshamGoelOfficial
 Structure of the talk
KYAA KYAA BOLUNGA

1. Background
2. Taking the talk with a pinch of salt
3. Preparation
4. Principles of strategizing
5. Answer writing
6. Beyond UPSC
7. Q and A session
 Background
Yeh Hai kaun

• BA Programme from St. Stephen’s College

• 2021- 1st attempt

LUDAKTE PHUDAKTE
HO HI GAYA
 Taking the talk with a pinch of salt
Saavdhaan

It is only a strategy–
1. Need to customize
2. Balanced flexibility

Therefore, principles of strategizing– will cover after my strategy

 Contd.

My Advantages
Khud ki tareef

1. Speed of writing
2. College- exposure
3. Avid reader- could liberally quote
4. No need to study for CSAT, Essay, Ethics/ Integrity, Society
5. Luck (Prelims, Essay)
6. Unfair privileged background
 Contd.

My limitations
Bahut tarrefein ho gayi

1. MCQ type questions

2. Adept to para style answering
3. Optional- 200 words ka mazaak
4. Aug and Dec 2020 gone
 Beyond UPSC
1. Why UPSC: Motivation
2. Sources:
Books, documentaries, talks, courses, talk with people, libraries

“Don’t let school get in way of your education”

- Mark Twain
 Sample of a few books
1. National Book Trust– the NCERT for non-fiction readers
2. An Economist in the Real World: The Art of policy making in India- Kaushik Basu
3. The India Way: S. Jaishankar
4. The Idea of India- Sunil Khilnani
5. In the service of free India- BD Pande
6. My years with Indira Gandhi- PC Alexander
7. Poor economics- Banerjee and Duflo
8. Justice- Michael Sandel
9. India reckoning- Bimal Jalan
10. Of Counsel- Arvind Subramanian
11. Incredible India 2.0- Amitabh Kant
12. India and Asian Geopol- Shivshankar Menon
Contd.
• Reputation Economics- Joshua Klein
• Zero Marginal Cost Society- Jeremy Rifkin
• Tyranny of Merit- Michael Sandel
• An Era of Darkness- Tharoor
• Idea of justice- Amartya Sen
• The Path Ahead- A. Kant
• Indira Gandhi- Inder Malhotra
• Emergency Re-told- Kuldip Nayar
• Jugalbandi- Vinay Sitapati
• The Accidental Prime Minister- Sanjaya Baru
• Between the Lines- Kuldip Nayar
• Contemporary India- Vanaik and Bhargava
• World Order- Henry Kissinger
 Pre-preparation
Yeh toh college se hi prepare kar raha hoga
Later- Beyond UPSC section
Always: newspaper (Indian Express, sometimes NYT)
College
Year 1: only college;
optional notes; understood syllabus; saw a few topper talks, etc.

Year 2: a coaching worst experience did not attend much;

read basic books

Year 3: College Covid lockdown

June 2020 proper preparation begins
SOURCES
 Current Affairs and General
1. Current Affairs Magazine
2. IE Expld
3. The Hindu (Sc/ Tech page only)- largely useless
4. Prelims Crash Course (1.5 months)
5. Mains Crash Course (about 1 month)
6. Current Affairs course
7. Only Opinion pages– app reading; Everything online
8. ORF
9. Beyond UPSC
10. LOTS OF MOCK TESTS!!!
No RSTV, All India Radio, etc.
Monthly magazine
MONTHLY MAGAZINE

June 2020- March

2021
IE Expld
Organisation of notes
UPSC Dynamic
1. News– wasted/ redundant
2. Opinion Column Ed- very structured then compiled
3. CA Course pdfs
4. CA Magazines
5. Crash course
6. IE Expld
Environment
a. Shankar IAS
b. Species table
c. Current Affairs
Geography
1. NCERT Class 11, 12
2. Very very selective GC Leong
3. Current Affairs
4. Mapping course notes

Internal Security
1. Kumar and Anekant (Tata McGrawHil)
2. Current Affairs
Science Technology
1. Current Affairs only
2. For fun– Youtube (e.g. Kurzgesagt, etc.)
3. Beyond UPSC- AI-Q, etc. (paper, documentaries)
4. (if someone wants)- Class 9, 10 ICSE– did not have time to do

Governance (for fun)

Incredible India 2.0 (Amitabh Kant)– first 7 chapters
International Relations
1. Current Affairs- Op-Ed, ORF, general Youtube
2. Graduation subject
3. Politics and Geopolitics (ed. Harsh V. Pant)
Economics
1. Current Affairs
2. Vivek Singh
3. Read Vol I of Econ Survey– not important for this exam
4. Graduation subject
Polity
1. Lakshmikanth
2. Graduation subject
3. Text of the constn
4. Current Affairs
 HISTORY
AISE KAISE HO SAKTA HAI!!!
Ethics and Integrity
Essay

Will be dealt in greater detail in the answer

writing section
 Principles of Strategising
Thoda Jugaad, Thoda Risk

1. (if) Notes– digestible, “compilable”, no basic bakwaas, structured

and organised one folder/ v. few pdf
2. Basis of “strategising” weightage, interest, what is done
3. Multiple readings
4. Multiple views
5. One way prep according to test series
6. “Average plus” model
7. Be lazy
APPROACH TO ANSWERING
 Prelims-I
1. 30-30-30-10 framework
2. Give many mocks
3. Limitations of mock papers
4. How many marks are enough in mocks– a faux formula of 85%ile or 100
5. How to overcome them- past year, common sense
6. Use: helps in “smelling” answers, how much to attempt, no silly mistakes,
7. Loads of cheating in mocks
8. Making notes of mocks
9. Mocks v . Real: Behosh Khaamosh Madhosh;
10. No history only mocks
11. Recent: UPSC circumventing elimination method
The D-Day anxiety Go into zen mode- force yourself to enjoy
Mains Answer Writing
Essay
1. Luck- Philosophical essays
2. Jan 2022 stuff
3. Mix of fun and serious, of unique and common, of expected and
unexpected
4. Continuum approach
5. Use all my ”Beyond UPSC” stuff
6. Choosing topic- “chimera”
GS
1. Always intro, conclude
2. Did not hesitate from quoting
3. Maps, diagrams, flow charts, Mandarin,
4. Mains Kunji: Data bank, List of reports, etc
5. But change of heart preferred headings and points
6. No nuance- no space
7. Format of answering– mocks useful, see topper answer copies-
many formats
8. Ethics/ Integrity– Beyond UPSC (Books, etc.)
9. 2 colour pen
10. Sequence of answering and Time management in exam
11. presentation- space between lines
12. Page- a full maidan
Some examples
• Assess main admin issues and socio-cultural problems in the integration process of
Indian Princely States (10)
• Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world ad explain their
impact on local weather condns
• Constnal morality is rooted In the constn itself and is founded on its essential facets.
Explain the doctrine with help of relevant judicial decisions
• “Earn while you learn scheme” needs to be strengthened to make vocational edu and
skill training meaningful
• The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura
for the invention of Blue LEDs in 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday
life of human beings?
• Example of parts) Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages
and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the
menace of terrorism.
• Attitude is an important component that goes as an input in the development of human
beings. How to build a suitable attitude needed for a public servant?
Personality Test
 Thank You
https://t.me/SakshamGoelOfficial