My Experience with UPSC + "Strategy": Part I

So, I have been ranked 507 at an all-India level in the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination of the year 2020. I was 23 when I filled the form and this was my second attempt. I registered under the EWS category.

There are 506 individuals ahead of me and over 200 behind me. There are countless others who were not selected. I have met many of them and even talked to a few. One thing that I have always noted is the very feeble difference among them. Every one of them deserves to be in the service, and many of them really are, I believe, unofficially in the service of the nation. Yet, a lot many are not selected. Others have not been judged the way I would have judged them!

With all due respect, luck has played a huge role in my selection. (My selection is yet not final. Due to some problem of certification, my candidature remains provisional at this point of time. If not resolved, I will not be recommended by the Commission.)

Now, talking about the things that were in my control, I have been approached by a few aspirants for my “strategy”. (Honestly, when the toppers have shared theirs everywhere, I really do not understand why anyone would want my strategy. Please do enlighten me about this in the comment section.) By “strategy”, I understand you would like to know everything about my preparation. Some might have more interest in the realm outside preparation also (because preparation isn’t everything, really). I have tried to collect your questions in this long post, added my own, and tried to answer them as handsomely as I can.

Content Warning: There is no single key to unlocking the UPSC code. I myself did not read the strategy of more than two persons I can remember of, and did not adhere to even what I read. Everything was customised to my wish list and comforts. The final result in front of you, and it has not been very good. There are still some problems within me, and my strategy – so, it is advisable that you read the content below with application of mind instead of embracing everything at its face value. Learn, above everything, from my failures. Also, this post is a result of my own desire to write and is not entirely aimed at the audience.

When did you start your preparation?

It was in the last year of my graduation. Back then, I was struggling with the question of the future. What to do after completing my Bachelor of Science degree? I had pretty much made up my mood to pursue a Master’s degree and even purchased the books. I had had no experience in politics and found all the newspapers boring. I did know that I liked reading but was not a reader yet.

I remember having seen the “Indian Polity” by M. Laxmikant for the first time in my life. I pondered upon its contents for a small while, saw what was printed, tried to make sense of some of the words. These were the times when I did not know the difference between law and the constitution. Furthermore, seeing the grand size of the book, I immediately knew that I would not be able to do this. I rejected the plan and went back to biology. There was no sorrow in biology itself. There were things and there were no contradictions. You did not write one thing and practice the other. Science was good.

At some point then, I decided to take up the study of Laxmikant. The way I am, it must have been as a pastime. The book awakened the political person inside me. There must not have been any delay in reading the newspaper. I used to download The Hindu from some website at that point. Then, I got a print subscription.

What things did I read? (BOOK LIST)

I have made a lot of mistakes in the years of my preparation. It had begun not with a definite aim at cracking the examination. I was a young boy of twenty at that point. I was from a small college in a small town, and I loved both those things, including for their smallness. I had never achieved anything substantial in my life. Of course, my mother saw me as a great student or something, but I knew that what I had been doing was not enough. In reality, I had never, ever, impressed myself. That struggle continues till the day.

The exam was the giant goliath. When I began my preparation, it was mostly a mirage. I knew that the thing was there but within me, I never really saw it as something I would be able to achieve. “This is not for ordinary people,” I told myself on multiple occasions. Thus, the preparation was started in the form of a pastime, and to deflect the glare of my parents, especially my father, who was growing more restless with the thought of my future every day.

This is what I read:

Polity	1. “Indian Polity” by M. Laxmikant – enough for cracking Prelims and developing an understanding enough for reading the newspaper. Many of the questions in Mains GS can also be answered directly from the book. 2. “Introduction to the Constitution of India” by D.D. Basu – I read the book but it is mostly the same thing as Laxmikant with a lot of additional words. You might find a lot of examples to quote in Mains. On the whole, I do not thing this is an essential read, at all. 3. I read the notes, PT365 and Mains 365 of Vision IAS. They were indispensable. I still think that had I been able to revise the same twice, I would have scored much, much better in GSII.
History	Difficult to say in this case. My optional subject was History and I really did not need to prepare additionally for this. For my optional, I read the following: Ancient History: 1. “History of Ancient and Early Medieval India” by Upinder Singh – indispensable – contains literally everything about what they can ask 2. “The Wonder That Was India – Part I” by A.L. Basham – an interesting and fascinating read, gave me insights that I used in the paper – but not an essential read according to me. 3. I also read R.S. Sharma’s old NCERT textbook. That is where it all actually started. I really do not think it is enough for either Optional or GS paper, considering the quality of questions being asked nowadays. It is enough not even for the Prelims. I had no knowledge about Upinder Singh at that point, but R.S. Sharma was a quick read and it helped me to develop a good interesting of the Indian history on which I could build up later. For those who are afraid of the books’ large size (and do not have the History optional), I think it will be better to attempt test series and make notes out of those questions rather than wasting time reading bulky textbooks. Some questions in Prelims or Mains might anyway be asked out of Upinder Singh or Bandyopadhyay. Cost to benefit is poor. Medieval History: 1. J.L. Mehta’s three textbooks are invaluable for History Optional. 2. For the history of South India, particularly on the debates over the nature of Vijayanagara, one might want to read just a few pages of Nilkantha Sastri’s book. 3. IGNOU notes have come handy in many cases. Only selective reading. Modern History: collect knowledge from everywhere 1. Bipan Chandra: I read the old NCERT book and, just like R.S. Sharma’s NCERT, this was valuable in setting a base for me to build upon. 2. “From Plassey to Partition” by Shekar Bandyopadhyay: Awesome and incredible, irresistible and indispensable. If you don’t have the Optional, do read it after cracking the exam. 3. “The Discovery of India” by Jawaharlal Nehru: No words. Simply amazing. I have not read the entire thing (because of its size) but if you have time, or want to engage in lazy reading in the middle of your preparation (I advise against it for more than two days at a time), this will be a great read. It has many, many observations of Nehru’s own, which I could not find anywhere else. You might find many observations to be at fault, or illogical, or pseudo-scientific, but you might still be able to quote them in the Essay paper or in any relatable History question. World History: I do not think that one needs to cover more than a basic idea if they do not have the History optional. I read Vision IAS notes for a basic idea of the Revolutions and Colonisation in my first attempt. That was pretty good. For the History optional candidates, I will try to write a separate post as to how World History can be tackled. PS: For all the aspirants, there is a site called selfstudyhistory.com, where there are some articles available for free. You may find a lot of information there. For History optional candidates, I purchased their map material, and it has been my only source. Had I been able to read the entire thing and remember it well, I would have easily crossed 300 in History optional.
Geography	1. NCERTs of 11th and 12th 2. G.C. Leong – I read only the first part, in conjunction with the NCERTs. 3. World Map – through the newspaper and this Android app called “World Map”. 4. ICSE Class X Geography books have great content on distribution of resources in India. 5. Test Series revision is very important.
Economics	1. NCERTs 11th and 12th : I did not read Microeconomics. 2. Rajesh Singh: It has a lot of information which might come handy at any moment, but it does not have complete information. For complete information, one will have to exploit the internet and read the newspaper. 3. PT365 and Main 365 of Vision IAS was extremely crucial. I could not go through the entire thing because of laziness but would really want to go through it at least 4 times the next time. IMPORTANT: I have got only 73 in GS-3 in both the attempts. Maybe I need to widen my reading of economics.
Current Affairs	1. Read “The Hindu” wholeheartedly, made own notes and revised them. I could not revise lot many notes or would have gotten much better marks. I cannot say whether note-making will work for everyone. There are a lot many toppers who did not maintain notes and preferred the coaching compilations. The thing for me was that my interest in public service and developing an understanding of the real world was ignited only by the newspaper. I made exhaustive notes and I do not think that it would have been possible without daily reading of the newspaper. More on this later. 2. Coaching compilations: I have always found the monthly compilations of the coachings very tedious and difficult to read. Not that they are complicated or something, but because of boredom associated with monotonous reading. More on this later.

Did I make notes? Where did I start?

I made personal notes for most of the subjects. The aim was periodic revision as well as a quick going-through before the exams. All the notes were in point-wise format with minimum filler words. Only enough words were used to bring out the meaning.
My early notes were in physical format. I was still in the college era at that time, had barely started with the NCERTs. I went through the old History NCERTs first. This was just the first reading and it was aimed at developing a thought structure in my brain. Once I had a basic understanding, I began reading the main texts. I skimmed through them in the first, fast reading. In the second reading, I made precise notes, again physical in format. I have never read Upinder Singh and Bandyopadhyay again after making those notes.

The problem with physical notes is that they are difficult to be carried around and it is extremely difficult to update them. Thus, current affairs notes were all digital, made on OneNote. I made Modern History notes digitally as well, and I am sharing the links to them here.

Current Affairs notes (Yojanas, Bodies, etc.): https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjI5FzU3OIk2XMuq34A?e=EXqt4R

Foreign Relations notes (not really of much use, as they have not been updated for almost a year): https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjMtLcYhW4AY8fhroYQ?e=5dVoTg

Modern History (Optional but also usable by non-Optional people) notes: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjMshVCOV7De3ykoPNw?e=v9SH0C

World History (Optional – not comprehensive) notes: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjMtETDZtdQRhgNS9DQ?e=mia3Fg

GS-II notes (some topics only, not comprehensive): https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjM4AwbVm-9kj8GrL0w?e=ldO83x

GS-III notes (some topic only, not comprehensive): https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjMpb2pph2Kp9CWe2CA?e=ER0s5C

Geography (only a few topics, regular notes are physical): https://1drv.ms/u/s!Avc98UkkxeNTjK5peeCfX-_sPwsMSA?e=tnM5Ho

As mentioned, I made physical notes also. These were limited to XII Macroeconomics (extremely beneficial to make notes from this book), Geography and Ancient History. I will not be able to share these notes in the near future. It is anyway better to go through the books yourself and make your own pretty notes.

PS: I am absolutely against usage of different colours for making notes etc. Just fucking underline! Note-making should not suck out most of your daily hours.

How much time did I give to studies?

Pretty much all my time. I wrote a lot and I read a lot. I loved doing all this. I was enjoying the process. I believe that this was also a problem as I would often get carried away with the material rather than the knowledge. DO NOT DO THIS. Limit your sources. LIMIT YOUR SOURCES. FOCUS ON REVISION.

How did I do it through a job?

I had started studying when my father was still alive. A basic round of the syllabus had been completed even when he was walking around. I would wake up early at 3, play a selection of Mozart’s music, and continue studying till I would take a break in the afternoon and sleep.

My father had a stroke in August, 2019. I was nineteen at that time. Two days after his stroke, I was twenty. I had a faint idea that life had changed but, in hindsight, I think that it was also the last time I thought about that. By the end of the month, I had started teaching at a school. It was middle-school Maths for a month, then I moved to Biology. Yes, it might seem incredible but a person does everything to survive. My father left very little behind. There was no pension and the savings were also limited. I had always hated (read ran away) from Maths but I started as a Maths teacher. Thankfully, I got lucky and a vacancy for a Biology teacher arose, and I was quick to fill in the position.

I toiled for nine hours at the school, returned home and taught five hours at my home – all for less than twenty thousands a month. These were tense times. Money was always much, much short. Still, I managed some time for studying at the school. I would take my laptop into classes and study while the students wrote tests. I would spend my time in the laboratory, studying, instead of gossiping in the staff room.

A year later, I joined Vibrant Academy as a Biology faculty for the high school students. Those were the best sixteen months of my life. Everything was cool. There was no huge work pressure. The first half of the job was free and only the second half was working. This was contrasted to the extreme life of a school teacher. I studies in empty classrooms through all this time. I prepared myself for the upcoming prelims, my first attempt, and later, my first Mains, at this point of time.

Then, Vibrant Academy closed down their Jabalpur branch. I refused to move to Kota. A month later, the coronavirus struck and I was left jobless for a year. I was still working part-time with my colleagues, providing online education to a few kids. Everyone was stuck. Those were desperate times but they also gave me opportunity enough to prepare for another attempt.

The bottom-line is that when you are working, you must find every opportunity to study. You need to revise more. You need to have a very strict schedule so that you are not wasting time sleeping beyond the bodily requirements or spending more than minimum time on the other regular stuff. I had all my current affair notes on my phone and read them in the toilet, in the car, in the staff room, in the class room. I have never had any insolent colleagues. Everywhere, my colleagues have been the most helpful to me. That is the broad outline. My job provided me enough and time to stay alive and train myself for the future. You must also create enough opportunities for yourself within your job, if the job is really needed – and utilise those opportunities.

PS: One aspect might also be the psychological one. I never saw myself as a teacher. Whenever someone would ask me my profession, I would say that I am a student. That was only and only due to my mental makeup, that I considered my teaching only as a means to the ultimate aim – that of cracking the exam. If you are too comfortable with your job, you might not really get enough incentive to fight through your job for the exam. The exam needs to be your everything. (I think the same goes with everything that you want in your life – strive for it with every breath, even if it is about making a library in a small town.)

Once again, there is no greatness in all this. I was a mess then and I am a mess today. I am jealous of the sorted-out people, if there really are any.

Any Prelims-specific suggestions?

Study hard. I find the Prelims as the most difficult of all the phases. Maintain notes. REVISE YOUR NOTES. Solve mock papers. REVISE THE ANSWERS AND MAKE NOTES FROM THE NEW THINGS.

I did not study anything for CSAT. I had some experience from the two years when I taught school kids a lot of Maths. Reading newspaper editorials has helped a lot in solving the comprehensions (It helps mostly with the English aspect – the answers to the comprehensions are tedious and often inexplicable). I will advise reading newspaper editorials and solving as many comprehensions as possible. If you have a doubtful experience with Maths, go through some important and easier topics a month before the exam.

I will talk about Mains and other aspects in the next post. You can post your questions in the comment sections.
PS: Sorry for the grammatical mistakes, if any. I have not gone through the post again. The most boring and embarrassing task in the world is to listen to yourself.