UPSC Prelims 2017 Useful Links

This post is for those who are preparing for UPSC Prelims 2017, hope you will find these links useful and help you in your preparation , remember revision and practice are the key for prelims.

Busting some UPSC exam myths

The challenging Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is spread over an entire year, divided into three extremely competitive stages, in which anything can go wrong at any stage leading to one’s failure.

This must sound scary to over seven lakh aspirants who will be sitting for the exam. While beginning their preparation, many students have partial knowledge about the exam, its nitty-gritties and preparation strategy. Confused by half knowledge and filled with fear, many of the students start believing in myths floating around. Here are some things aspirants should avoid.

Myth: IAS officers/aspirants should know everything about every topic/subject under the sun.

Reality: No, they do not. But since this is a generalist exam, they are supposed to be generally well read, with a balanced outlook towards issues. Moreover, the syllabus of the exam is huge, covering many subjects. So, an IAS aspirant is generally much more aware than others. What is required is a general understanding of the topic and conceptual clarity. The exam does not require one to be an expert in a topic, rather, aspirants should have general awareness and analytical skills.

Myth: I need to remember a lot of facts to clear CSE.

Reality: No, the exam does not test factual knowledge at all. It tests your understanding, conceptual clarity and analytical skills. However, some facts are considered to be the basis of building perspective, which are important to know. So, you should know a few basic facts such as size of the GDP, demographic data, and so on, but it will be easier to remember them once you understand their significance.

Myth: You need to be a topper throughout to clear the exam.

Reality: Although being a topper helps, it does not guarantee you success in this exam. What is required is general awareness, logical reasoning and good writing skills. If you can develop those, you can clear this exam even if you had a second division in Class X or XII. Yes, you might have to explain in the interview as to why you scored less, but it is not held against you if you have a valid reason.

Myth: You cannot clear the exam without the help of a coaching institute.

Reality: Wrong. In the new era, one can make use of various great resources, such as mobile apps and websites. Coaching centres do have a study plan that they enforce on you, but it cannot guarantee success and they charge an astronomical fee, which many aspirants cannot afford. It is important to first understand where you stand and how much you need to improve. Once you know your study objectives, you can decide between self-study or joining a coaching institute.

Myth: Writing skills cannot be improved, so one should read now and directly write in the exam hall.

Reality: This is one of the biggest mistakes one can make. Writing at home and writing in the exam hall are two entirely different scenarios. There is so much pressure in the exam hall that you can find it hard to think about new points. So, if you do not practice, you would not be able to finish the paper on time. Writing skills improve slowly, hence, it is more important that you practice regularly. Consistent writing practice helps in honing articulation which leads to better expression, and, ultimately, better marks.

Myth: You must attempt more than 90 questions to clear prelims.

Reality: This is not true. Another myth that has been made popular by some of the ‘hacks’ and ‘shortcuts’ floating in the market is that if you attempt more questions it is easier to get more marks. It doesn’t work like that. To attempt more number of questions correctly, one needs to have a certain level of “intuition”. And that level of intuition comes from years of reading and internalising information which helps in creating links between topics.While a well-read person may attempt a disproportionately large number of questions and still manage to get them correct, not everyone can do it. So, one should attempt only those questions one is reasonably sure of, and not because someone gave you a hack. You need to practice and figure out a strategy that works well for you.

Myth: One needs to study 16 hours a day to clear.

Reality: Let’s face it. No one can study for 16 hours per day for an extended period and not crash. Moreover, it is not the hours that matter, rather the quality. So, you have people who clear by studying for four to five hours a day alongside a job, and people who have studied for 12 hours per day continuously for months. You must find your balance.

Myth: You need to read many books on a single topic to gain absolute “mastery” over the subject.

Reality: First, “mastery” over any subject is a super ambitious target, in case of UPSC exam. Second, it is always better to understand a single book in great depth rather than reading multiple books to understand a topic. Also, even though you have read and understood something, it takes time to get internalised as you are going to study many new topics. If you don’t make notes and revise, you might not be able to retain them effectively. If you genuinely understand a topic and want to expand your knowledge and/or build more perspective, reading more books can certainly help.

Myth: One must read standard books from cover to cover and make notes on every topic in the syllabus.

Reality: Absolutely not. Apart from NCERTs and some books, nothing is required to be read cover to cover. Though reading and acquiring knowledge is almost always helpful, it is far better to adopt a topic-wise approach. Break down the syllabus in keywords and try to cover them from relevant sources and books. Also, making notes is important. But they shouldn’t become an end-in-themselves. They should aid in your understanding and help in effective revision. Making a mind map is far better, and so is scribbling on the margins, than making traditional notes.

To sum up, we know you face a daunting task. But we hope that you’ll enjoy the learning experience instead of becoming anxious and burning out. Focus on the mantra of “Read, Revise, Internalise.” It is also important not to blindly follow any advice that is doled out to you, including this one.

The writer is head, UPSC exam preparation community, Gradeup.

Via The Hindu 

AIR spotlight news analysis 2017

Hello friends this is a collection of AIR spotlight news analysis 2017 segregated month wise and day wise under each month, so that before exams it will be easy to scan and select important topics to listen.

Update : AIR news analysis spotlight 2018

We will update From Jan to Dec 2017 in this single post, Our previous posts 2014,2015 & 2016.

AIR spotlight news analysis 2017 month wise

Add folders to your google drive and download in bulk instead of each file or automatically sync each day.

  1. January 2017 AIR spotlight news analysis
  2. February 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  3. March 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  4. April 2017 AIR Spotlight news  analysis
  5. May 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  6. June 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  7. July 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  8. August 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis
  9. September 2017 AIR Spotlight news analysis 
  10. October 2017 AIR spotlight news analysis
  11. November 2017 AIR spotlight news analysis
  12. December 2017 AIR spotlight news analysis

Official Question paper scans CS Main Examination, 2016

These are officially scanned Question papers of CS Main Examination, 2016, hope you find them useful and will help in understanding the demand of the questions to learn and improve.

General studies and Essay mains Question papers

General
General Studies

Optional Papers

Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2016
Literature Subjects
Optional Subjects

Language Compulsory papers

Indian polity by laxmikant 5th edition

There is new edition of Indian polity by laxmikant (5th edition) * for those of you who are completely new to preparation laxmikanth polity is the only book you will ever need in all stages of exam for polity.

people look for pdf scans, I honestly suggest them to get the hardcopy, this is one book you need to read line by line , and it helps in prelims, mains and interview. In recent years there is no ranker who hasnt suggested any thing but laxmikanth. So if you are new to the field and serious about UPSC please do buy the latest edition.

Few new chapters have been added

1) Parliamentary Grouplaxmikanth-5th-edition
2) Judicial Review
3) Judicial Activism
4) PIL
5) Niti Aayog
6) Voting behaviour
7) Election Laws

– 4 new appendices have been added too

– Inclusion of Previous years questions of Polity from:
2014, 2015 and 2016 Prelims and 2013, 2014, 2015 Mains

  • * is affiliate link, this is not a paid post.

Vision IAS Mains 365 Polity Class

This video contains the first Vision IAS Mains 365 Polity Class , covering all major polity related topics for mains, you can access Vision IAS monthly current affairs for 2016 here.

14000+ Objective Questions

Update for those who are aspiring for UPSC 2017, Arihant have updated their 14000+ Objective Questions by Manohar Pandey for prelims general studies.

This is a good book, it is divided in to subject wise and topic wise, after reading a topic say for example , about soils or Harrapan civilization , refer to this book for questions from that area, you will know all the previous question asked by UPSC till now  from that topic.

So in next revision your mind will automatically remind you to focus on most important area in that topic. Lot of time is there for next prelims, so start early, going by new standards, you also need to read lot of current affairs and revise them too.

14000+ Objective Questions by Manohar Pandey * is an affiliate link, this is not a sponsored post, we recommend it based on merit and lack of better alternative.

UPSC Prelims 2016 Question Papers, Answer keys and Analysis Important Links

This post contains UPSC Prelims 2016 Question Papers, Answer keys and Analysis Important Links from all the good sources, the keys vary from Institute to Institute, personally I believe that Shankar IAS academy Key is best.

Update :

Official scans of the question paper uploaded by UPSC

Shankar IAS Academy Answer keys.

Sriram IAS

GS Score

Key with explanation

[Mrunal] Answer Key UPSC CSAT GS Prelim 2016: Economy MCQs solved for all SETS (A,B,C,D) with explanations