this post is just to encourage every other aspirant of UPSC.
My date of birth is 21st nov 1987. I started my preparation after 2009 sept. I had then completed my BE from pune university in comp science. I had 3 job offers during my campus but i had already declined those offers as i was determined to prepare for upsc. Landing from pune to delhi, i did my first mistake. I joined 1 coaching which was more of a bluff. Unaware of the fact that there were good centers of guidance elsewhere i relied heavily on what they taught. however i did self study as well. result was that i could not clear 2010 prelims . geography was my optional then.
Although a bit low , i decided that i will move back to my home town patna. i came 2 realise that there were so many things that 1 needs 2 do to get through that i was not doing. for instance i was not properly reading newspapers, i had left economics full, my geography was still incomplete,etc.
This is my second attempt in which i got 111 rank. i had taken prelims from Bareilly where i had stayed in 2011 as my father was posted there.since jan 2012 , i m in delhi as my father has been posted to noida.
my optionals were geography and public administration. since 2010 sept (on 18 aug 2010 pre result came which was followed by huge clamour both inside n outside) i started organising my self in better manner. i used to come to delhi in between to gather materials seek some guidance.
for gs i studied : history(bipin chandra +arun grover)
polity(lakshmikant + basu(my notes)+ p m bakshi)
geography(my optional so no extra efforts, it included environment n ecology as well)
economics( 15 day full internet study from sites like investopedia.com). after doing economics i felt like kaushik basu . then i made my notes from it and also got srirams volume 1 and 2 xerox of economics. i studied and made notes of economic survey in full.
didn't study science n tech , art and culture, statistics etc.
current affairs ( 1 and half years regular hindu self made notes + civil services times magazine )
right issues from UNHRC site
india relation from mea.nic.in(chokalingam xerox on world relation is also good)
FOR CSAT: u wont believe i had not made a single english comprehension , practised only 100hrs of maths in total...my maths was always good.
see for optionals there is enough material available. there are certain basic books that one must study , but we should not study every book we come to see on optionals. I had made exhaustive notes in both PA and geography from various books topic wise.. example using books like made simple rupa + khullar + savidra singh +hussain +leong and morgan etc and fadia n fadia + mohit bhattacharya + some ignou notes ,etc.
i had this habit of making notes that helped me in quick revisions. but i must say something.. it is not necessary that u follow all these books and do same things. WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that ur syllabus must be complete atleast 85% from various sources as u like.
in todays changing patters i know that all above just helped me in making my foundations strong BUT what ultimately helped me is this...
THIS IS MY SECRET: i had made exhaustive notes of 2nd administrative reforms commission ( no not summary but whole 15 reports full ).THIS IS THE BEST SOURCE OF MY KNOWLEGE...along with this my notes from indiagovernance.in (case studies), my exhaustive hindu papers note , economic survey notes , meaindia.nic.in notes etc helped me in articulating answers in right manner.
i know marks are not out yet. but i tell u that i wudn't have got great marks in interview, but what helped me was these reports and notes( and not conventional books and teachers notes) particularly ARC helped me. see ARC is so great that its content could be used anywhere and almost every where. i have used it in gs and geography as well.
finally, i had not attended any test series any where for mains or pre. Never wrote a single essay but had cofidence that ARC and other extensive notes will help.I did human intelligence and technical intelligence (arc's 8th report is on terrorism only, so i used it in my essay along wid various other things). I had enrolled in some tutions but never completed more than 25% classes. they all s**k. Anyways, please give 18 months sincerely in organised way (8 months prior 2 prelims n upto inteview).
BEST OF LUCK GUYS . AND DO PRAY FOR GOOD RESULTS IT HELPS 2.
WHAT IS NEEDED IS A PUSH MENTAL INDEED TO CHANGE FROM 'I CANNOT' TO 'WHY NOT' .
My date of birth is 21st nov 1987. I started my preparation after 2009 sept. I had then completed my BE from pune university in comp science. I had 3 job offers during my campus but i had already declined those offers as i was determined to prepare for upsc. Landing from pune to delhi, i did my first mistake. I joined 1 coaching which was more of a bluff. Unaware of the fact that there were good centers of guidance elsewhere i relied heavily on what they taught. however i did self study as well. result was that i could not clear 2010 prelims . geography was my optional then.
Although a bit low , i decided that i will move back to my home town patna. i came 2 realise that there were so many things that 1 needs 2 do to get through that i was not doing. for instance i was not properly reading newspapers, i had left economics full, my geography was still incomplete,etc.
This is my second attempt in which i got 111 rank. i had taken prelims from Bareilly where i had stayed in 2011 as my father was posted there.since jan 2012 , i m in delhi as my father has been posted to noida.
my optionals were geography and public administration. since 2010 sept (on 18 aug 2010 pre result came which was followed by huge clamour both inside n outside) i started organising my self in better manner. i used to come to delhi in between to gather materials seek some guidance.
for gs i studied : history(bipin chandra +arun grover)
polity(lakshmikant + basu(my notes)+ p m bakshi)
geography(my optional so no extra efforts, it included environment n ecology as well)
economics( 15 day full internet study from sites like investopedia.com). after doing economics i felt like kaushik basu . then i made my notes from it and also got srirams volume 1 and 2 xerox of economics. i studied and made notes of economic survey in full.
didn't study science n tech , art and culture, statistics etc.
current affairs ( 1 and half years regular hindu self made notes + civil services times magazine )
right issues from UNHRC site
india relation from mea.nic.in(chokalingam xerox on world relation is also good)
FOR CSAT: u wont believe i had not made a single english comprehension , practised only 100hrs of maths in total...my maths was always good.
see for optionals there is enough material available. there are certain basic books that one must study , but we should not study every book we come to see on optionals. I had made exhaustive notes in both PA and geography from various books topic wise.. example using books like made simple rupa + khullar + savidra singh +hussain +leong and morgan etc and fadia n fadia + mohit bhattacharya + some ignou notes ,etc.
i had this habit of making notes that helped me in quick revisions. but i must say something.. it is not necessary that u follow all these books and do same things. WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that ur syllabus must be complete atleast 85% from various sources as u like.
in todays changing patters i know that all above just helped me in making my foundations strong BUT what ultimately helped me is this...
THIS IS MY SECRET: i had made exhaustive notes of 2nd administrative reforms commission ( no not summary but whole 15 reports full ).THIS IS THE BEST SOURCE OF MY KNOWLEGE...along with this my notes from indiagovernance.in (case studies), my exhaustive hindu papers note , economic survey notes , meaindia.nic.in notes etc helped me in articulating answers in right manner.
i know marks are not out yet. but i tell u that i wudn't have got great marks in interview, but what helped me was these reports and notes( and not conventional books and teachers notes) particularly ARC helped me. see ARC is so great that its content could be used anywhere and almost every where. i have used it in gs and geography as well.
finally, i had not attended any test series any where for mains or pre. Never wrote a single essay but had cofidence that ARC and other extensive notes will help.I did human intelligence and technical intelligence (arc's 8th report is on terrorism only, so i used it in my essay along wid various other things). I had enrolled in some tutions but never completed more than 25% classes. they all s**k. Anyways, please give 18 months sincerely in organised way (8 months prior 2 prelims n upto inteview).
BEST OF LUCK GUYS . AND DO PRAY FOR GOOD RESULTS IT HELPS 2.
WHAT IS NEEDED IS A PUSH MENTAL INDEED TO CHANGE FROM 'I CANNOT' TO 'WHY NOT' .
