Remain focussed and devote all your energy to this one exam to be successful.
To my mind, the simple meaning of strategy is careful planning to achieve something in the given circumstances within a certain timeframe. After jotting this down, I searched online to check what they say about strategy. After going through it, strategy can be best defined as “the art and science of planning and marshalling the resources for their most efficient and effective use to achieve a desired goal in the given set of circumstances and within a certain timeframe.”
For the candidates who want to become civil servants, the goal is to join the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Revenue Service or Indian Forest Service.
First of all go through the last six months' newspapers extensively (preferably The Hindu) because a lot of things have happened during this period. Read very carefully each and every editorial and try to form your rational opinion on those topics. Don't stop reading newspapers until you qualify the exam.
Start reading ALL NCERT books from Class VI to Class X. Read them in three passes. First, reading them like a novel. Second, read them very carefully and third, read them while making notes. Ultimately, your notes will prove to be the best book you possess. I'll come to notes making later in this answer. Selective reading is required from Class XI and Class XII. Read all the chapters from History, Political Science, Geography and Economics. Some chapters from Chemistry, Physics and Biology are required to be read. Read them in the same way I described earlier. Keep revising your notes regularly. Taking them out only a day before exam after making them won't be much helpful.
If you put this much of effort sincerely in these six months, you won't face any problem in qualifying prelims. I don't think you have time to read any reference book or even you need to as far as general studies is concerned. It is just a hype created by masses. Now let's come to the writing strategy.
While making notes, keep 10% rule in mind which states that if the source material has 100 words, your notes should NOT exceed 10 words i.e., 10% of the source material. Keep your writing as concise and clear as possible.
Now the most important part of your preparation comes. Start practicing answer writing. The best way to start doing so is, pick up your NCERT book, open any chapter which you've read and attempt the questions given at the back of the chapter. Believe me, the questions are really good. After attempting them, start solving previous years' questions. Before that, know what the keywords mean. How examine is different from critically examine or how analyse is different from examine.
Finally, solve some mock papers. Enroll into any test series by a good coaching institute (if possible). Get your answers to be reviewed by someone in your reach who specializes in that topic, take their feedback very seriously and work upon it. Start writing your opinion to the best of your ability which covers the asked topic comprehensively because ultimately, it is your opinion which carries the maximum marks in exam.
No matter how much you read, but if you don't write, you won't be able to qualify mains. So write write and write. Keep writing until your hands give up!
I would like to conclude the answer with the timeless words by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep...
Have faith in yourself. All the Best!
First of all go through the last six months' newspapers extensively (preferably The Hindu) because a lot of things have happened during this period. Read very carefully each and every editorial and try to form your rational opinion on those topics. Don't stop reading newspapers until you qualify the exam.
Start reading ALL NCERT books from Class VI to Class X. Read them in three passes. First, reading them like a novel. Second, read them very carefully and third, read them while making notes. Ultimately, your notes will prove to be the best book you possess. I'll come to notes making later in this answer. Selective reading is required from Class XI and Class XII. Read all the chapters from History, Political Science, Geography and Economics. Some chapters from Chemistry, Physics and Biology are required to be read. Read them in the same way I described earlier. Keep revising your notes regularly. Taking them out only a day before exam after making them won't be much helpful.
If you put this much of effort sincerely in these six months, you won't face any problem in qualifying prelims. I don't think you have time to read any reference book or even you need to as far as general studies is concerned. It is just a hype created by masses. Now let's come to the writing strategy.
While making notes, keep 10% rule in mind which states that if the source material has 100 words, your notes should NOT exceed 10 words i.e., 10% of the source material. Keep your writing as concise and clear as possible.
Now the most important part of your preparation comes. Start practicing answer writing. The best way to start doing so is, pick up your NCERT book, open any chapter which you've read and attempt the questions given at the back of the chapter. Believe me, the questions are really good. After attempting them, start solving previous years' questions. Before that, know what the keywords mean. How examine is different from critically examine or how analyse is different from examine.
Finally, solve some mock papers. Enroll into any test series by a good coaching institute (if possible). Get your answers to be reviewed by someone in your reach who specializes in that topic, take their feedback very seriously and work upon it. Start writing your opinion to the best of your ability which covers the asked topic comprehensively because ultimately, it is your opinion which carries the maximum marks in exam.
No matter how much you read, but if you don't write, you won't be able to qualify mains. So write write and write. Keep writing until your hands give up!
I would like to conclude the answer with the timeless words by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep...
Have faith in yourself. All the Best!
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