An IPS Officer’s Strategy to Crack UPSC CSE

An IPS Officer’s Strategy to Crack UPSC CSE

Here’s an inspiring story of Rishav Kumar Jha who got AIR 162 in Civil Services 2015 and got IPS, borne on Jharkhand cadre. He is an Oliveboard user and shares his strategy to success. Oliveboard is an online exam preparation platform for government and banking jobs.

“Firstly, I will mention the resources I used during the preparation for prelims:

TOPIC	RESOURCES
1.      Aptitude for Paper 2(CSAT)	This paper has been made qualifying since 2015. So one needs to score just 66 out of 200. For those even mildly comfortable with Maths and English, this paper shouldn’t be a problem at all. For others, CSAT manual by McGraw Hill can be sufficient. However, I would advice everyone to get some practice through a few mock tests.
2.      Current Affairs	GK Today current affairs, The Hindu, Vision monthly booklets, PIB, Official ministry websites
3.      History	a)      Ancient- GS manual by McGraw hill
	b)      Medieval- GS manual by McGraw hill
	c)      Modern- GS manual by McGraw hill, India’s struggle for independence by Bipin Chandra
	d)     Art and culture- Nitin Singhaniya notes, CCRT
4.      Geography	NCERT books for 11th and 12th (total 4) and Goh Cheng Leong (for concept clarity)
5.      Economic and social development	Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh, Mrunal for basics, RBI website, The Hindu
6.      Indian Polity and governance	M. Laxmikanth (it may be taken as the bible for polity from the prelims perspective; you don’t need to study anything else for this segment.)
7.      Environment and ecology	Shankar IAS book
8.      General Science	GS manual by McGraw hill, Official websites of ministries for topics like defence, space, nuclear energy etc.

Although I had quite a brief stint with the so-called UPSC days, I learnt a lot during that phase and I would like to give some tips to the future aspirants based on those learning:

·         You must always remember that Civil Service is all about being “Jack of all trades, master of one” (one refers to your optional subject here). You have to always keep a balance between the depth and the range. For example, when you prepare for the current affairs part and you find a piece of news about PSLV launch of ISRO, try and make a short 10-point notes about the PSLV and ISRO so that any probable question with 4 options can be easily handled.

·         Another point is regarding what to keep in mind and what not to. Don’t go after facts, barring the crucial ones, e.g. number of successful PSLV launches till date. Focus mainly on concepts and get a fair idea about the historical background of any piece of news. If the newspaper or any other source doesn’t provide you with adequate information, go to Google immediately and clarify your concepts.

·         Always maintain notes. Human mind is extremely volatile and if you just go on reading, you won’t even remember 5% by the time you take your paper. I would make detailed notes of current affairs, both online (in word files) and offline (in notebooks) depending on the source. If I would read something online, I would just copy and paste it in a word file after necessary deletions and additions. Make current affairs notes month-wise so that revisions can be chronologically correct which will help you in getting a holistic and clear concept.

·         Don’t make notes out of books like Laxmikanth which need to be read cover-to-cover as it is a huge wastage of time and energy. Compile notes out of weight-losing sources like newspapers, because if you don’t, you will end with around 350 newspapers before the exam and trust me, you won’t like the sight of it.

·         Plan, plan and plan. If 15 minutes of your day is not going into planning, you are not planning enough. Plan for the next 15 days, for the next three months and for the doomsday. Then execute your plans as honestly as you can. If you have to defer your plans for 2-3 consecutive times, know that you are out of the race and you need to pack your bags and leave. To get a feel of how tough the competition is, go to any tea-stall in Mukherjee Nagar or Rajinder Nagar during evenings and look at all the dreamy eyes. More people prepare for Civil Services each year than the combined population of Kiribati and Maldives.

·         While taking the exam, if you are completely unsure about all the four options, leave the question. But if you can confidently eliminate even one or two options, take the attempt because the probability of getting positive marks from all such questions combined is quite high. Don’t be overtly safe or foolhardy. Given the last few years’ cut-off, it would be prudent to attempt 85-95 questions in General Studies.

This is what I followed, and this is what I think suited me best. There may be things you don’t agree with- feel free to discard them. Chart your own path to success. Keep reminding yourself why you have left a luxurious job or career and are slogging it out day in and day out. Be motivated. Study hard. Have faith in yourself and the almighty. See you in the services-ciao!”

Hope this inspires and help you in your exam preparation journey. Now, ace your UPSC CSE preparation with Oliveboard Mocks.