My Notes

PRELIMS BOK LIST

1. Ancient-Medieval: Lucent book & civil services chronicle 30 pages notes.

2. Art-Culture: Nitin Singhania notes and TN board book.
3. Modern India: Bipin Chandra 78 pages notes.
4. World Geography: NCERT 9-10-11-12, G C Leong & Optional notes uploaded.
5. India Geography: NCERT 9-10-11-12, Vajiram Yellow Book & Optional notes.
6. Map work: Prem Patel.
7. Environment: Shankar.
8. Economy: Sriram.
9. Polity: Laxmikant.
10. Science: Current.

For Current Hindu, Vision monthly and Insights compilations are more than enough if read
these religiously

My Mains strategy revolved around

A. Concise material (static + current).

B. Notes making from Hindu + Vision monthly + Insights secure compilation.

C. Multiple revisions of entire course content (4–5–6 revisions).

D. Guessing what UPSC could ask from a particular news and training my mind accordingly.

E. Optimizing time between Prelims and Mains.

F. And lastly, Answer writing in tests.

 Paper wise – Topic wise Sources

ESSAY: No book needed. Here one can find strategy used by Apurva Pandey to score grand 175
in essay in 2017.

MAINS GS-1 HISTORY

1. Ancient-Medieval: Lucent book & civil services chronicle 30 pages notes.

2. Modern: Bipin Chandra 78 pages notes.
3. Post Independence: Pol Science NCERT notes.
4. World History: Sparknotes website & Arjun Dev NCERT notes.
5. Current: Hindu, Vision monthly & Insights secure compilation.

MAINS GS-1 SOCIETY

1. IGNOU MATERIAL: Topic wise Doc and PDF files uploaded.

2. Current: Hindu, Vision monthly and Insights secure compilation.
3. Census: Notes uploaded.
4. No need to follow any book. IGNOU material is enough to answer all questions.
5. For society keywords dictionary

MAINS GS-1 GEOGRAPHY

1. World: NCERT 9-10-11-12, G C Leong & Optional notes uploaded.

2. India: NCERT 9-10-11-12, Vajiram Yellow Book & Optional notes.
3. Census: Notes uploaded.
4. Current: Hindu, Vision monthly & Insights secure compilation.

MAINS GS-2 POLITY AND IR

1. Current: Hindu, Vision monthly & Insights secure compilation.

2. Static: Laxmikant, Google & Rajiv Sikri.
3. Static linked with Current (ex poverty, RPA, Governance etc): Cover aspects like what-why-
how-prob-sol-govt measures.
4. Reports: ARC 3 page summary Court cases, Committee Names/Reports in news, SDG etc.
 MAINS GS-3

1. Current (Eco-Env-Security-Sci): Hindu, Vision monthly & Insights compilation.

2. Static: Sriram & Google.
3. Static linked with Current (Inc growth,PDS,MSP, Subsidy, Food Processing,
Agri,Irrigation,Cyber, Security, Computer): Cover aspects like what-why-how-prob-sol-govt
measures.
4. Disaster & Environment: Current & March 2012 Yojana.
5. Science: Follow only Hindu, Vision & Insights. NO BOOK NEEDED.
6. Security: Current & Editorials.
7. Reports: Economic survey, IPCC, SDG etc.
8. Click here to learn how to use economic survey without even reading it.
9. Mains GS-3 Posts.

MAINS GS-4

1. Ethics 74 page notes

2. Read any book but not more than 1 book.
3. Syllabus itself is the best source. Learn terms mentioned in the syllabus.
4. Google for definitions and keywords. I made my own study material using Google.
5. Click here for Ethics dictionary.
6. Ethics Section-A answer writing.
7. Case study answer format.

How To Make Notes

I managed 463 in GS in 2017 CSE. Many people make a mistake while trying to get more
marks. They try to jump directly to answer writing and skip notes making.

I have mentioned before that I used to write 10 points and 15 points for 10 & 15 markers
respectively.

From where these points will come? Of course from well made pointed notes that are revised
about 5–6 times.

Hence I gave due importance to notes:

1. Made current notes from The Hindu+ vision monthly + insights compilation.
2. Newspaper – How, What and What not.
3. Made notes on MS Word.
4. E-notes help in easy mutations-editing-additions-sorting.
5. As you revise your e-notes, edit them& make them as concise as possible.

Process:

1. Divide content paper wise and topic wise. Example make separate doc for GS-2 IR, GS-2
Policies, GS-3 Science, GS-3 Security etc.
2. For newspaper, you can use hardcopy or online edition. In my last attempt, I read The Hindu
online and directly copy-pasted important lines. It saved time.
3. Vision monthly magazine has a time lag of 15 days. So there is no option but to wait.
4. Meanwhile, revise your newspaper notes once. This will give you good idea of what news you
have in notes.
5. From vision magazine pdf add to your newspaper notes only what‘s missing.
6. Do same with insights compilation.

Mains REVISION Strategy

1. Revise notes at least 4-5 times during the course of preparation. I used to revise all my MAINS
notes 5 to 6 times.
2. Revise according to test series plan or create your own plan in line with a test series if you are
doing self study.
3. It is MANDATORY to write 1 test per week.
4. Make sure that you give each and every test after proper revision only.
5. As optional revision is also needed (3-4 times), concise notes shall be kept ready in advance.
Then only revision of whole optional is possible in 1 rest day provided before optional exam.
6. Keep reviewing your timetable.
7. For last 15 days before MAINS, newspapers can be skipped and entire course shall be revised.
8. Revise relatively easy subject first.
9. Keep GS-1 last and revise society notes for essay paper.
10. Ethics shall be prepared so well that you don‘t need to study it at all in last 15 days.

Guess Questions In Advance

1. Prioritize issues with multiple revisions.

2. Once notes of particular issue like GST, Privacy, Energy security, Cyber etc cross 2–3 pages, it
becomes important.
3. At times there are questions from one-off news.
4. Keep important dates/events in check. Example, WIA 100 years of formation led to women
rights question in 2017. 100 years of Champaran can lead to a question in CSM 2018.
5. Check syllabus. Questions in 2017 GS-3 were asked from syllabus topics like terrorism,
insurgency, cyber, food processing etc. These topics become less important for CSM 2018.

Optimize 120 days between Prelims and Mains

About 4 months is what one gets between Prelims and Mains. With experience of 4 Mains, I can
say with full confidence that these 120 days end quite quickly!

IMPORTANT FACTORS TO KEEP IN MIND: Rest, Timetable, Newspaper backlogs, Notes

making, Balancing Current & Static GS, Balancing optional & GS, Multiple revisions, Answer
writing practice / Tests and Regularly updating oneself with latest trend

DETAILS:

1. First thing that comes is a couple of days REST. Key here is to not prolong this rest beyond 3-4
days. Even here, one should be planning for next stage.
2. Formulate TIMETABLE. If you are joining a test series, which is much recommended, then
follow its timetable. Otherwise, make your own. Without a timetable, the preparation becomes
directionless.
3. Normally, these tests begin after 10-15 days of Prelims. So plan ASAP.
4. Do not panic because of NEWSPAPER BACKLOG. One can read even 6-7 newspapers in a day
and clear 1 month‘s backlog in 4-5 days. Thereafter read newspaper on daily basis and MAKE
NOTES either daily or weekly. Do not let backlog develop again.
5. Newspaper / Current make for GS-2 and GS-3. Let the content grow! Writing GS-2 & 3 tests in
first month with not enough current build up makes no sense. This is BALANCING CURRENT
& STATIC GS.
6. Hence, in 1st month or so, prepare static GS including Essay, GS-1 and GS-4. Prepare Optional
along with static GS. Write tests for Essay, GS-1 and GS-4.
7. Meanwhile, enough content will build up for GS-2 and GS-3. Prepare these and optional. Write
tests. THIS BALANCES OPTIONAL, CURRENT AND STATIC GS.
8. Generally, following a test series religiously would help you in revising a content 2-3 times if
you prepare for and write all the tests.
9. But 2-3 revisions are not enough. One needs 4-5-6 revisions. Accordingly, one has to make space
for MULTIPLE REVISIONS in timetable. 5-6 revisions help in easily recalling 10-15 points in
exam.
10. Also, ANSWER WRITING PRACTICE is needed apart from tests. Here focus must be on
answer structure rather than clock!
11. Lastly, a mistake many (especially ‗veterans‘) commit is not UPDATING ONESELF with trends
in ‗market‘. New optional notes or a trending new book can come handy!
 Answer Writing Strategy

My scores in GS: 2013: 340, 2014: 387, 2015: 426, 2016: — and 2017: 463

Assuming that you have worked on basics of answer writing which include:

1. Basic answer structure (intro, points, conclusion).

2. Writing 5 points per answer.

Improving and building on these basics involve:

1. Expand the answer structure to (introduction, news background, points, paper specific
keywords, diagrams and conclusion).
2. Write at least 10 points.
3. Utilize every inch of space provided in answer sheet.

How this helps?

 Revisiting study material and making notes will help you cover every single term mentioned in
the syllabus. You will build your own luck.
 Multiple revisions will help you in quickly recalling 10–15 points. This increases your speed.
 News background adds depth to answer.
 Number of points increase dimensions and ‗moral pressure‘ on examiner to award you more
marks.
 Paper specific keywords show command over subject.
 Diagrams add the x-factor and edge over others.

Trust me, if you write 10–15 points in every answer and attempt every question then you will get
420+ in GS.
Very Important Part In The Preparation
Writing. Writing. Writing

Most Important Part In The Preparation

Revision. Revision. Re-Revision

To get the interview call all you need to do is: Read, Re-read the same source,
Write and Revise.
Mains Paper-II (GS-1)

Indian Culture

 NCERT
 NIOS

 NCERT Class VI – History – Our Past

 NCERT Class VII – Our Past -I
 NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III
 NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History I
 NCERT Class-XII – Chapters 2 and 3 from Themes in Indian History – II
 NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History III

 CCRT Website

Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the
present- significant events, personalities, issues
 NCERT
 CURRENT AFFAIRS
The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors
/contributions from different parts of the country

 Spectrum’s modern history book. But for Mains preparation, Bipan

Chandra

Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

  India Since Independence – Bipan Chandra

History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial
revolution, world wars,redrawal of national
boundaries,colonization,decolonization, political philosophies
like communism, capitalism,socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
 Arjun Dev – History of the World
 Old NCERT World History Class-X

Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India, Effects of Globalization on

Indian society

 NCERT – Indian Society Class 12 (Complete book without watermarks)

 Social Problems in India – Ram Ahuja
 Indian Society – Ram Ahuja (R0)

Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated

issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their
remedies
 CURRENT AFFAIRS ORIENTED

world‘s physical geography.

 Certificate Physical and Human Geography 1st Edition
 CURRENT AFFAIRS
 NCERT Class-XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography

Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and
the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary,
secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including
India)]
 NCERT Class XII – Human Geography
 NCERT Class-XII – India-People and Economy
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic
activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical
geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and
fauna and the effects of such changes

 GC LEONG.

Mains Paper-III (GS-2)

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

 NCERT Class XI – India Constitution At Work
 NCERT Class XII – Political Science II
 NCERT Class X – Democratic Politics

Indian Constitution– historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

significant provisions and basic structure.

 D.D. Basu‘s ―Introduction To The Constitution Of India‖ First 5 chapters

Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges
pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local
levels and challenges therein.

 Laxmikant’s Indian Polity. Buy the new updated 4th edition. (Chapters
12, 13 14 and 30)
Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and
institutions.
 Laxmikat..

Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries

 RELATE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS

Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

 Subhash Kashyp‘s Our Parliament.

Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the

Judiciary; Ministries and Departments of the Government; Pressure Groups and
formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
 Laxmikant is enough for this topic.

Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act

 Recent supreme court ruling disqualifying MPs and MLAs with criminal
background, and current topics like this should be studied carefully.

Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities

of various Constitutional Bodies.
. Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
 Read Laxmikant for this part. Part VII,VIII and IX of this book
completely covers these topics.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation
 refer Economic Survey for government policies and PIB site regularly

Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs,
various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other
stakeholders
 READ REPORTS OF PLANNING COMMISSION (ARTICLES)

Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies
constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
 Focus on the schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Women and
Child welfare, Ministry of Social Justice, Ministry of Rural Development
and Ministry of Tribal affairs
 List of All state and central scheme – Govt. of India Website (here you can
filter queries by the ministry- it is not easy though, govt site you know..)

Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating

to Health, Education, Human Resources.
. Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
We read lot about this these days: Food security bill, PDS reform, Poverty
reduction schemes, Poverty-line controversy, Malnutrition figures, report
on malnutrition(remember HungMa report?) etc.

Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-

applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters,
transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures
  This introductory article on 2nd ARC site and 2nd ARC report on
―Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward‖ will be very useful
to cover this topic.
 E-governance – Concept and Significance (IGNOU)

Role of civil services in a democracy

 Again, 2nd ARC report (10th report) – Refurbishing of Personnel
Administration has whole chapter (ch-4) on this topic.

India and its neighborhood- relations.

 Two sources for this topic:

 India and its neighbours – MEA Website

 India – Afghanistan
 India – Pakistan
 India – Nepal
 India – Bhutan
 India – Bangladesh
 India – Sri lanka
 India – Maldives
 India – China
 India – Myanmar
 For critical analysis – This Book by Rajiv Sikri – Challenge and Strategy –
Rethinking India‘s Foreign Policy is must for reading this part of the
syllabus.

Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India’s interests
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s
interests, Indian diaspora
 This is a dynamic part – effects of globalization, WTO policies, domestic
policies of developed countries and their effect on other countries (lot of
examples from USA, UK can be given – visa row, war on terrorism,
immigration policies, economic policies etc)
 Newspaper is the best source I guess

Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Until now we saw what books to read. Now the question is how to remember most
of the things we read and how to translate them into better answers.

 A common mistake most of the aspirants commit is reading so many books for
a single topic.This mistake costs both your time and ability to remember things
clearly and concisely.
 Stick to a single source and read it again and again. Remember The Same
Source. Avoid the temptation of doing ‗Research‘ on a topic.
 Always Remember – UPSC tests Basic Understanding. Not mastery over a
topic.
 Make short notes on each topic. It is while making notes that readers tend to do
RESEARCH and scout various sources. Stick to one book even if you are not
100% satisfied with it.
 Remember that old saying? – Jack of all trades, master of NONE. If you try to
do Research, most probably your name won‘t appear in the Final List. I
guarantee it.
 For Paper-II (i.e GS-1) being thorough with Current Events plays a crucial role
in enabling you to acquire analytical skills.
Very Important Part In The Preparation
 Writing. Writing. Writing.
 But what? – One must practice answer writing to Previous year questions, or
take a Mock Test. Whatever, before you enter examination hall, you must have
spent lot of time on answer writing.
Most Important Part In The Preparation
 Revision. Revision. Re-Revision.
 You do this and you appear for the Personality Test.
 If you don‘t Revise what you read all these months – you slightly miss the
Personality Test, or You narrowly miss appearing in the Final List.
Well, to sum up. To get the interview call all you need to do is: Read, Re-read the
same source, Write and Revise.
Preparation for this paper can be finished in 20 days provided you are focused and
determined.
Of course. Eat well, Sleep well and Keep a good health. If you get a running nose
on the day of the exam, 2 hours out of 3 hours goes in draining it and drying it.

Mains Paper IV (GS-3)

GS-3 broadly covers –
 Technology,
 Economic Development,
 Bio diversity,
 Environment,
 Security and
Disaster Management

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources,

growth, development and employment.

 NCERT Class X – Understaning Economic Development

 NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
 NCERT Class XII – Macroeconomics (chapters 2,5 and 6 are very
important)
 ET in The Classroom (This is important in getting acquainted with basics of
dynamic part of Economics – It is an excellent source. I have archived
previous articles Here.)
 Indian Economy for Civil Services Examinations – Ramesh Singh

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

Government Budgeting
 GOVERNMENT BUDGETING
 NCERT Class XII – Macroeconomics (Chapter 5)
 The Budgetary Process
 2013-14 Budget Highlights

Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of
irrigation and irrigation systems; storage, transport and marketing of agricultural
produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
 NCERT – Resources and Development

Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues
of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-
rearing
 Public Distribution System – IGNOU Notes – 1
 Public Distribution System and Food Security – IGNOU Notes – 2

Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location,
upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management
 PIB article on this industry

Land reforms in India

 Land reforms – 1
 Land Reforms – 2

Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their

effects on industrial growth
 Indian Economy for Civil Services Examinations – Ramesh
Singh (Chapters 6 and 10, 4th edition – the above link is for latest 5th
edition

Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc

 Economic Survey – Chapter 11 – Energy, Infrastructure and
Communications

Investment models

Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in

everyday life.
Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and
developing new technology.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-
technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

 NCERT Class VI to X Science Texts

Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact

assessment

Disaster and disaster management

 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal
security.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media
and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber
security; money-laundering and its prevention
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized
crime with terrorism

Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Book list for civils

NCERT BOOKS LIST

 UPSC Preparation Books from NCERT History Books:

 History: NCERT Class VI – Our Past

 History: NCERT Class VII – Our Past -I
 History: NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III
 History: NCERT Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – I
 History: NCERT Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – II
 History: NCERT Class X – Themes In World History
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – I
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes in Indian History – II
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – III

 NCERT Books about Indian Society for UPSC exam:

 Indian Society: NCERT Class VI – Social Science: Social & Political Life I
 Indian Society: NCERT Class VII – Social Science: Social & Political Life II
 Indian Society: NCERT Class VIII – Social Science: Social & Political Life III
 Indian Society: NCERT Class XI – Sociology: Understanding Society
 Indian Society: NCERT Class XII – Indian Society
 Indian Society: NCERT Class XII – Social Change and Development in India
 IAS aspirants can also refer class 12 book for Sociology.
 NCERT Indian Art and Culture books for UPSC:
 Art & Culture : NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art
 Art & Culture : NCERT Class XI – Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 & 10)
 UPSC Preparation Books fromNCERT Geography Books for IAS:
 Geography: NCERT Class VI – The Earth Our Habitat
 Geography: NCERT Class VII – Our Environment
 Geography: NCERT Class VIII – Resource and Development
 Geography: NCERT Class IX – Contemporary India – I
 Geography: NCERT Class X – Contemporary India – II
 Geography: NCERT Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography
 Geography: NCERT Class XI – India – Physical Environment
 Geography: NCERT Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography
 Geography: NCERT Class XII – India – People and Economy
NCERT UPSC Preparation Books for General Studies Paper II:
 Polity NCERT Books for UPSC
 Polity: NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I
 Polity: NCERT Class X – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
 Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
 Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Political Theory
 Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science I: Contemporary World Politics
 Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence

UPSC Books from NCERT for General Studies Paper III:

 NCERT Books on Economy for UPSC
 Economy: NCERT Class IX – Economics
 Economy: NCERT Class X – Understanding Economic Development
 Economy: NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
 Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics
 Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics
 Science & Technology IAS Preparation Books from NCERT
 Science: NCERT Class VI
 Science: NCERT Class VII
 Science: NCERT Class VIII
 Science: NCERT Class IX
 Science: NCERT Class X
 Science: NCERT Class XI – Chemistry: Unit 14 & Biology: Units 4 & 5
 Science: NCERT Class XII – Chemistry: Unit 16 & Biology: Units 8, 9 & 10
 UPSC Books from NCERT on Environment & Ecology
 Science: Class XII – Biology: last four Chapters (13 to 16)
 ETHICS Section-A Answer writing

Section-A generally includes 12-13 questions of 10-marks each amounting to 120-130

marks. These are to be answered in 150 words and 2 pages are provided to do the same.
A 10-marker question shall be answered within 7 minutes.
Questions are mostly analytical or at times theoretical. Either way, questions are from
syllabus.

Answer Structure is most important part here:

Answers in Ethics can be written both in paragraphs or points based on the demand/type of
question. Ideally, answer shall include following:

1. Introduction: here definition for keywords/terms mentioned in the question shall be given in 2-
3 lines.
2. Answer body: it can be in points or paragraph. What matters is that various dimensions get
covered so that the answer is multi-dimensional. Answer written in points-bullets handles
dimensions much more easily compared to one in paragraphs where risk of digressing from
question is high.
3. Theory: theories, thinkers and terms mentioned in the syllabus shall be written in answers. This
helps in keeping answers ‗ethical‘. Theory should ideally make maximum 20% of any answer.
Overdoing theories/keywords makes answers mechanical.
4. Examples: generally it is mentioned in question to quote example(s). In such questions write 2
examples. While in questions where example has not been explicitly asked, one should still write
at least 1 example.
5. Diagrams: these are important to gain edge over other candidates. Diagrams provide the x-factor
that the examiner is looking for. They also break monotony and take care of presentation.
6. Conclusion: it is as important as introduction or answer body itself. Do not leave conclusion in
hurry to jump to the next question(s). Just summarize the answer in 1-2-3 lines.
Ethics Case Study

Here I have attached few solved case studies from Vision tests.
 P.S. There is never a set answer for a case study. Idea should be to learn from the format:

1. Actors
2. Dilemmas
3. Answer Body
4. Points
5. Keywords
6. Theory
7. Diagram
8. Conclusion

GS 4 STRATEGY

explains how to prepare for Ethics paper, question paper trends and answer writing strategies. I
had mentioned about usage of quality examples as about 75% of any answer shall be
application/example based and not theory based.

This post explains what examples one can use:

1. In the very 1st question of paper I used to indirectly tell the examiner that I am already
selected in services or given Interview. This is to show work experience. One has to be subtle
here. Write ―when I attended upsc medical test last year‖ or ―one incident happened during
training at national police academy‖ or ―on day of upsc interview last year such and such thing
happened‖.

2. Do not write examples from school, family, college life. These are very kiddish. Ethics is a
paper where you have 100% opportunity to ‗sell‘ yourself to gain marks. Hence, write
‘professional life’ examples. It does not matter if you do not have MNC experience. LIE! The
examiner is not going to cross check.

3. Write examples from current and government schemes. Example: write about campaigns by
Vidya Balan on sanitation in questions like emotional appeals, persuasion, social influence etc.

4. Examples from your area of interest are the best and unique. I write many examples from
Cricket. In 2014 Mains in the question related to inspirational personality I wrote about MS
Dhoni and not Gandhi or Vivekananda or Kalam. This ensures that answer is unique and
examiner gets somethings different to read. Think from examiner‘s view point. You have
checked 10 copies out of which 8 wrote about Gandhi and 2 wrote something unique. You will
give more marks to which answer?
 5. Sports in general can be used very effectively as sports teaches 10000000 things about life. I
made list of examples from events in cricket, olympics etc. You can make same from
FIFA! Here is the list that I made:

 West Indies bowler Cummins 1st 280 balls 0 wickets and next 77 balls 9 wickets. Use this in
perseverance, never say die, ambition etc.
 In Olympics, Diro ran with 1 boot in 3000m steeplechase. Still qualified final and finished 5th.
 Schooling beat Phelps. Schooling treats Phelps as his guru. Also read about Schooling goggles
case last olympics.
 44 yr old cycle race 3 time gold.
 Dipa karmakar.
 Atanu das defeat despite 1 of best show.. Atanu fought valiantly, but ultimately went down 4-6
(28-30, 30-28, 27-27, 27-28, 28-28) against South Korea‘s Seungyun Lee.
 40 yrs old ran 100m. Kim Collins is a track and field sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis. In
2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 m.
 Yusra mardini.
 Kerri strug 1996 olympics. USA team vault gold with broken ankle.
 Miller dove at the last second and crossed the finish line just ahead of Felix in the 400m final,
winning the race by a hair.
 Never say die. Sakshi malik bronze. She turned the match in last few seconds.
 Manish rawat racewalking 13th.
 Najat belkacem shepherd Girl In Morocco To The Education Minister In France.
 Petra majdic winter olympics.
 Mo farah fell but still won 10km gold. It is not whether you got knocked down but its whether
you got up.
 Fabienne St Louis – Triathlète competed in Triathlon. She is fighting cancer and found the
strength to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics. Her courage inspires us all.
 In 2000, at the Sydney olympics, when Gopichand lost, he told Aparna Popat ―I do not know if I
shall be able to compete in the next Olympics but I would like to coach someone and bring home
an Olympic medal through them.‖
 In 1999, Deepa Malik was diagnosed with a spinal tumour that left her paralyzed. In 2016,
Deepa Malik became the first Indian woman to win Paralympics medal.

 A medal like no other! These Paralympic winners are listening to their medals. For the
first time ever, the Paralympic Games have placed a device inside the medals that use tiny steel
balls to make a sound when they are shaken, allowing visually impaired athletes to identify
which type they are. The bronze medals have 16 steel balls and make the lowest sound. The
silver ones have 20 balls and the golds have 28, producing the loudest noise. All of the medals
also have the words ―Rio 2016 Paralympic Games‖ written on them in Braille.
 Mariyappan thangavelu high jump gold. Donated part of prize money to school.

6. Make examples from previous year paper. I used concepts asked in Mains 2016 in Mains
2017. Example: 7 sins, Weber, Rawls etc.
 7. Major life instances can be used as examples. Example, I count 6 years preparation, 5
attempts, 4 interviews, 3 selections, injury at training, leaving private sector etc as my major life
instances and use them as examples.

Innovate as much as you can and make such examples. Learn answer writing mentioned in A2Z
strategy link. Ethics is all about how you write.

ATB!

GS 4 A2Z STRATEGY

■ 2017 Paper Analysis

2017 GS-4 paper was analytical and on expected lines unlike factual 2016 paper. Section
A included 13 10-markers to be answered in 150 words.

 SECTION-A had some questions repeated from previous years including conflict of interest,
definitions of spirit of service and courage of conviction and question on integrity.
 New applied ethics themes included politics vs ethics, corporate social responsibility, ambitions
vs principles quote, equitable growth and order-subordination vs organization efficiency.
 Themes directly from syllabus included parents teacher role, emotional intelligence, international
relations ethics and 2 questions on human values.

SECTION-B: 6 case studies of 20 marks each to be answered in 250 words.

Case studies were largely straight forward including:

 Case Study 1: listing merits-demerits.

 Case Study 2: situational solution.
 Case Study 3: solutions and their merits-demerits.
 Case Study 4: dilemmas and solutions.
 Case Study 5: GS based questions in ‗real estate case study‘.
 Case Study 6: RTI.

Hence, paper was largely analytical and related to Applied Ethics.

 ■ Learnings

 Read previous year papers.

 Train your mind to answer applied ethics questions like CSR.
 Syllabus is important.

■ How to prepare for Ethics paper

 Know the syllabus. Syllabus of Ethics is your most important book and keywords list in itself!
Learn the syllabus so that you can use the keywords mentioned in syllabus in your answers.
 Read 1 and only 1 book. Read it twice before marking important lines. Mark lines and make
short notes.
 Notes help in keeping keywords together in concise form. This is A MUST as Ethics answer
writing is wordplay of keywords. Ethics Keywords/Dictionary.
 See all 5 papers (2013–17). Make note of unique keywords asked like 7 sins, Weber, Rawls
social justice theory etc. Use these keywords in your answers.
 Reading is not as important as answer writing is for Ethics. Know the best answer writing
structure and technique for both section-A and case studies.
 Develop examples from current, social issues, professional life, your areas of interest etc.
Examples form core of answer writing for Ethics. Examples for Ethics.
 Draw diagrams in Ethics to be innovative and unique. This will give you edge over others. How
to draw diagrams in GS-4?

■ Ethics Section-A Answer Writing

 ETHICS Section-A generally includes 12-13 questions of 10-marks each amounting to 120-130
marks.
 These are to be answered in 150 words and 2 pages are provided to do the same. A 10-marker
question shall be answered within 7 minutes.
 Questions are mostly analytical or at times theoretical. Either way, questions are from syllabus.
 Answer Structure is most important part here as explained at link: ETHICS Section-A Answer
writing.

■ Section-A Applied Ethics Answer Writing

 Politics vs Ethics, CSR, ambitions vs principles quote, equitable growth and order-subordination
vs organization efficiency.
 ‗Environment‗ can be asked in Essay, GS-1 Geography, GS-2 Policies, GS-3 Environment or
GS-4/Ethics. Answers in respective papers should reflect the theme of paper!
 Hence answers for such questions in GS-4 shall have Ethics Keywords/Dictionary.
 Click here for further details.

■ Ethics Section-B Answer Writing

P.S. There is never a set answer for a case study. Idea should be to learn from the format:

 Actors
 Dilemmas
 Answer Body
 Points
 Keywords
 Theory
 Diagram
 Conclusion

Newspaper – How, What & What Not to read.

This post is with respect to The Hindu newspaper.

For beginners:

 If you have 0 habit of newspaper reading, then it might take you 3+ hours to read it.
 There is just no need to panic as gradually you would know what to leave and what to read,
reducing the reading time.
 Don‘t rush notes making just yet. First get reading habit for 10-15 days. Then you will know
what is important and what‘s not.

What to read:

 Front page.
 Last page (selective).
 Business (selective).
 World (very selective).
 News / Nation pages are very important.
 Editorials are important.

What not to read:

 Purely political news (front page, news / nation).

 Very factual science news (last page).
 Of course, sports news of 0 administrative importance.
 Purely company based news like quarter results, mergers etc (business).
 World news not affecting India even distantly.
 Editorials not related to a current affair CAN BE avoided.

Don‘t worry!! You will understand with time what not to read, especially among editorials!

STRATEGY POST PRELIMS

About 4 months is what one gets between Prelims and Mains. With experience of 4 Mains, I can
say with full confidence that these 120 days end quite quickly!

IMPORTANT FACTORS TO KEEP IN MIND:

 Rest
 Timetable
 Newspaper backlogs
 Notes making
 Balancing Current & Static GS
 Balancing optional & GS
 Multiple revisions
 Answer writing practice / Tests
 Regularly updating oneself with latest trend
 DETAILS:

First thing that comes is a couple of days REST. Key here is to not prolong this rest beyond 3-4
days. Even here, one should be planning for next stage.

Formulate TIMETABLE. If you are joining a test series, which is much recommended, then
follow its timetable. Otherwise, make your own. Without a timetable, the preparation becomes
directionless.

Normally, these tests begin after 10-15 days of Prelims. So plan ASAP.

Do not panic because of NEWSPAPER BACKLOG. One can read even 6-7 newspapers in a day
and clear 1 month‘s backlog in 4-5 days. Thereafter read newspaper on daily basis and MAKE
NOTES either daily or weekly. Do not let backlog develop again.

Newspaper / Current make for GS-2 and GS-3. Let the content grow! Writing GS-2 & 3 tests in
first month with not enough current build up makes no sense. This is BALANCING CURRENT
& STATIC GS.

Hence, in 1st month or so, prepare static GS including Essay, GS-1 and GS-4. Prepare Optional
along with static GS. Write tests for Essay, GS-1 and GS-4.

Meanwhile, enough content will build up for GS-2 and GS-3. Prepare these and optional. Write
tests. THIS BALANCES OPTIONAL, CURRENT AND STATIC GS.

Generally, following a test series religiously would help you in revising a content 2-3 times if
you prepare for and write all the tests.

But 2-3 revisions are not enough. One needs 4-5-6 revisions. Accordingly, one has to make space
for MULTIPLE REVISIONS in timetable. 5-6 revisions help in easily recalling 10-15 points in
exam.

Also, ANSWER WRITING PRACTICE is needed apart from tests. Here focus must be on
answer structure rather than clock!

Lastly, a mistake many (especially ‗veterans‘) commit is not UPDATING ONESELF with trends
in ‗market‘. New optional notes or a trending new book can come handy!
 Current affairs
 The Hindu
 The Indian Express
 Press Information Bureau (keep checking the Features section for imp articles and our
weekly PIB Gist)
 PRS (only for recent Bills and articles related to them)
 IDSA: Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis (keep checking every 2-3 days for in-depth
IR articles)
 Yojana and Kurukshetra (no need to read all articles – read selectively)
 LokSabha and RajyaSabha Debates

HISTORY
Modern India
th
 NCERT – Class 8 (New) – ‗Our Pasts – III‘
th
 NCERT-Class 12 ‗Modern India‘ (OLD)
th
 Tamil Nadu Edition- Class 12 
OR
 Spectrum Modern India – Rajiv Ahir
Reference Book: India‘s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra

Medieval India
th
 NCERT – Class 7 (New) –‗Our Pasts –II‘
th
 NCERT – Class 11 ‗Medieval India‘ (OLD)- Satish Chandra
th
 Tamil Nadu Edition-Class 11 
Ancient India
th
 NCERT– Class 11 ‗Ancient India‘ (OLD)- R.S. Sharma
th
 NCERT– Class 12 ‗Themes in Indian History- Part I‘ (NEW)- Chapters 1 to 6
th
 Tamil Nadu Edition – Class 11 
GEOGRAPHY
th
 NCERT Social Science, Class 6 (New) ‗The Earth Our Habitat‘
th
 NCERT Social Science, Class 7 (New) ‗Our Environment‘
th
 NCERT Social Science, Class 8 (New) ‗ Resource and Development‘
th
 NCERT Social Science, Class 9 (New) ‗Contemporary India‘
 NCERT Social Science, Class 10th (New) ‗Contemporary India-Part II‘
th
 NCERT – Class 11 (New)
o Fundamentals of Physical Geography
o India physical environment
th
 NCERT – Class 12 (New)
o Fundamentals of Human Geography
o India – People and Economy
 Atlas: Orient BlackSwan School Atlas (or) Oxford School Atlas
Reference Book: Certificate Physical and Indian Geography – Goh Cheng Leong; OLD NCERT
Geography – Class 11th and 12th (if you can find them )
4. POLITY
th th
 NCERT – 6 to 8 (for basic understanding)
th th
 NCERT- Class 9 to 12 (for understanding more on democracy and federalism)
 Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
Reference Book: Introduction to Indian Constitution – D.D.Basu

5. ECONOMICS
th
 Macroeconomics- Class 12 , NCERT
th
 NCERT 11 – Indian Economic Development
th th
 NCERT- Class 9 and 10 (for basics)
 Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh-Selective (Chapters on)
 Introduction (GDP, GNP, growth etc.)

 Evolution of the Indian economy

 Banking

 Inflation & Business Cycle

 Agriculture
 India and the Global Economy (include chapters relating to it)

 Human development
 Technology and environment

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 The Hindu-Monday Edition (not technical news, only application based science & Tech)
th th
 NCERT- Class 6 to 10 
th
 NCERT – Biology – 11 (Unit IV & V only – read basic concepts not technical details)
th
 NCERT Biology – 12 (Chapters 4, 5 and rest from 7 to 16 – all important – read line by line
except technical details)
th
 NCERT – Biology – 12 (OLD) – Chapter 9 onwards
th th
 NCERT – Physics – 11 (Chap 1,5 & 8) and 12 (Chap 15 only)
th th
 NCERT – Chemistry – 11 (Chap 1 & 14 only) and 12 (Chap 14 & 16 only)
 Science reporter- Selectively
ENVIRONMENT
th th
 ICSE Board- Environmental studies- Class 10 and 11 
th th
 NCERT- Geography Books (in 6 to 12 there are lot of chapters on Environment)
 Science NCERT books mentioned above
 Shankar IAS Notes
 Current affairs
 downtoearth.org.in
Reference material : Shankar IAS notes on Environment
FINAL BOOK LIST FOR CIVILS

GS-1

1. ART &CULTURE – NITHIN SINGHANIA

2. MODERN INDIA – SPECTRUM BY RAJIV AHIR
3. WORLD HISTORY – NORMAN LEWIS OR ARJUN DEV
4. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF WORLD – GC LEONG
5. INDIAN GEOGRAPHY –MAJID HUSSAIN
6. INDIA SINCE INDEPENDENCE – BIPAN CHNADRA
7. ANCIENT HISTORY – RS SHARMA
8. MEDIVAL –SATISH CHANDRA
9. SOCIAL PROBLEMS – RA AHUJA
10. WORLD MAP
11. INDIAN MAP

GS-2

12. INDIAN POLITY- LAXMIKANTH

13. CONSTITUTION AT WORK – D D BASU
14. INTERNATIONA RELATIONS –PAVNEET SING

GS-3

15. INDIAN ECONOMY – SRI RAM IAS

16. INDAIN ECONOMY – RAMESH SING

17. ENVIRONMENT – SHANKAR IAS

18. INTERNAL SECURITY – ASHOK KUMAR IPS

19. DISASTER MANAGEMENT – SAVENDRA SING

GS-4

20. ETHICS,INTEGRITY & APTITUDE – LEXICON

21. ETHICS -G.SUBBARAO

22. PREVIOUS YEAR PRELIMS PAPERS GS-1(PAPER 1) & CSAT (PAPER 2)

23. YOJANA MONTHLY MAGAZINE & KURUKSHETRA MONTHLY MAGAZINE

24. INDIA AND WORLD MAPS

25. TOPPERS BOOK LETS

26. DICTIONARY & WOPRD POWER MADE EASY

27. COMPULSORY PAPER TELUGU AND ENGLISH

28. THE HINDU, INSIGHTS ON INDIA, VISION IAS MONTHLY

29. VAJI RAM & RAVI MATERIALS

30. RAUS IAS ,BYJUS DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS