The Civil Service Examination(CSE) demands a multitude of skills from the candidates among which reading has a special place. To answer the different application based questions in the General Studies papers, we require a good analytical mindset which is nourished by in-depth reading. The role of a tutor is very minimal in the CSE preparation and a good amount of knowledge need to be assimilated by the aspirant himself/herself. This article is intended to give you some orientation in this regard.
As mentioned in my previous posts, the "whats" refer to the syllabus of the examination. Hence we need to improve the knowledge regarding the various topics mentioned in the syllabus. This is very significant with respect the the GS-II & GS-III papers of the Mains Examination. They deal with the very dynamic subjects like Indian polity, International relations, economics related subjects like inclusive growth, sustainable development etc. GS - III particularly stands out for its diversity of topics spanning from economic development, energy issues, environment and disaster management, Science & Technology and security issues of India. I call them dynamic on account of their connection to the current events. A quick read of the 2013 and 2014 GS Question papers would reveal the same. Hence a good command over the current events is inevitable for the exam preparations.
Now a major confusion that confronts the aspirants is where to read these things from. With lots and lots of current journals and coaching centres giving their own version of current affairs, it is very important that we do not end up at the wrong place. I would like to write some very important sources that is supplementary to the knowledge you gain from the class rooms.
1. News papers and journals.
The following electronic/print media can be relied upon.
The various sources mentioned above need to be approached in different ways for effective learning.
In the above paragraphs we went through a number of sources, many of which can be exhaustive leading to loss of time and attention. Hence a good amount of rationality need to be applied in selecting the right things and weeding out the unnecessary ones. A quick look at the Mains GS Papers in the recent years would reveal that UPSC has not asked any direct questions, instead certain aspects related to important issues were touched upon. Hence concurrent to the newspaper reading, it is also important to learn the related facts and terms from the internet or other sources. The aspirants should make their own notes rather than mugging up from the various current affairs capsules. This is very vital for subjects like Science & Technology and Environment that do not have a definite source. Though this may seem to be tedious initially, it will be of great help during the final rounds of preparation since you can readily understand your own notes than any other material.
The preparation for the CSE is a period of gradual transformation. The knowledge cannot be gained in a month or two, but need to be built brick by brick. Hence you need to hold your fort till the end of the game. Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, has expressed the same in the following beautiful words...
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising everytime we fall..."
What to read?
As mentioned in my previous posts, the "whats" refer to the syllabus of the examination. Hence we need to improve the knowledge regarding the various topics mentioned in the syllabus. This is very significant with respect the the GS-II & GS-III papers of the Mains Examination. They deal with the very dynamic subjects like Indian polity, International relations, economics related subjects like inclusive growth, sustainable development etc. GS - III particularly stands out for its diversity of topics spanning from economic development, energy issues, environment and disaster management, Science & Technology and security issues of India. I call them dynamic on account of their connection to the current events. A quick read of the 2013 and 2014 GS Question papers would reveal the same. Hence a good command over the current events is inevitable for the exam preparations.
Where to read?
Now a major confusion that confronts the aspirants is where to read these things from. With lots and lots of current journals and coaching centres giving their own version of current affairs, it is very important that we do not end up at the wrong place. I would like to write some very important sources that is supplementary to the knowledge you gain from the class rooms.
1. News papers and journals.
- While newspapers give day-to-day information, journals give a good analysis of the burning issues.
- News-papers like The Hindu, The Indian Express are worth reading while Frontline, a fortnightly gives a good analysis of the socio-economic issues of India.
- India Year Book - This gives a detailed report of the various Government programmes happened in the last year.
- Economic Survey - This gives an in-depth analysis about the economic situation of India, and various suggestions for the future planning.
- Yojana and Kurukshetra - While Yojana gives an analysis of various issues and the related Government interventions, Kurukshethra dwells deep about the rural development aspect, an area very important with respect to the CSE.
The following electronic/print media can be relied upon.
- PRS Legislative Research (www.prsindia.org) : gives a detailed analysis of the various public policies, programmes and Acts
- Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis - IDSA (idsa.in) : for International Relations and Security of India.
- Important official surveys published by the Government - Census 2011, Family Health Survey, Sample Registration Survey, Socio Economic Caste Census etc.
How to read?
The various sources mentioned above need to be approached in different ways for effective learning.
- While reading news-papers, special attention should be given to areas like national news, international news and the editorials. Editorials function as opinion generators and hence their consistent reading is recommended. In the case of journals like Frontline, it is better to be selective, otherwise it might rob you off your valuable time.
- Year Book can be used to study the socio-economic issues like rural/urban development, social justice, women and child development, health and family welfare, education etc. since these things remain more or less the same in the current year too. Matters like finance and banking, foreign trade, industry, energy are highly dynamic in nature and the Year Book is not of much help for those. Instead, the Economic Survey can come really handy here.
- PRS, an organisation working towards administrative/legal reforms in the country is considered as one of the best sources for policy/legal matters. IDSA comprises of think-tanks in the foreign affairs and defence sector is known for its thorough analysis of International issues and Security aspects.
- The official statistics published by the Government are considered the most authentic and they can be readily used in writings for articulating our ideas (an application of Data Interpretation).
In the above paragraphs we went through a number of sources, many of which can be exhaustive leading to loss of time and attention. Hence a good amount of rationality need to be applied in selecting the right things and weeding out the unnecessary ones. A quick look at the Mains GS Papers in the recent years would reveal that UPSC has not asked any direct questions, instead certain aspects related to important issues were touched upon. Hence concurrent to the newspaper reading, it is also important to learn the related facts and terms from the internet or other sources. The aspirants should make their own notes rather than mugging up from the various current affairs capsules. This is very vital for subjects like Science & Technology and Environment that do not have a definite source. Though this may seem to be tedious initially, it will be of great help during the final rounds of preparation since you can readily understand your own notes than any other material.
The preparation for the CSE is a period of gradual transformation. The knowledge cannot be gained in a month or two, but need to be built brick by brick. Hence you need to hold your fort till the end of the game. Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, has expressed the same in the following beautiful words...
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising everytime we fall..."
