Success in the First go.. Video in English

Succeeding in the First go... Video in Tamil

GS PREPARATION

Dear all,

The GS Preparation has many sections incorporated:

HISTORY- More attention to be given to Modern India, after Plassey and Buxar. Indian National Movement is very important. Spectrum Modern India is what I suggest freshers and Non-History-Optional-Students. Medieval India- learn the dynasty members (tughlaq, khalji,slave, lodi,etc.) learn in detail about razia sultana. Cover in depth Jainism and Buddhism for Ancient India. Remember Indus civilization locations in the map and whether they lie in India or Pakistan. Vedic age and Post-vedic age are exact opposites in many aspects like women freedom, caste system, etc. hence use logic to attend such questions.

WIZARD History Special for GS Issue is a concise ready reckoner. Do not miss that out.

GEOGRAPHY- Spend time with Atlas to get an idea about the location of countries in news (current affairs, presidential elections, terror attacks, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sports championships, prominent citizens recently passed away, ethnic/social/inflationary crisis countries). Try to have an idea about the countries nearby, its approximate location, islands, strait, bay, gulfs, seas and oceans nearby. Concentrate on territorial dispute areas- sir creek, kuril islands, aksai chin, etc.

NCERT books are for Indian geography and geomorphology. Have no doubts about regions of plateaus and plains, deserts and forests in India. Keenly note areas of dense forests, heavy rainfall, high population and pop.density, urbanisation areas, climatic zones and areas in biodiversity threat. National parks, their locations, famous species in it all these are favorite areas for question-paper-setters.

ALWAYS HAVE THE IDEA OF ASSOCIATING CURRENT AFFAIRS TO HISTORY,GEOG,POLITY & ECONOMY.

CHECK IF ANYTHING PROMINENT HAD HAPPENED 5,10,20,25,40,50,75,80,90,100, ETC. YEARS AGO. FOR EXAMPLE 2010 COMPLETES 60 YEARS OF INDIAN REPUBLIC. 2011 CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF BIRTH OF BANGLADESH., AND SO ON

POLITY - I fully referred Indian Polity in Laxmikanth's Indian Polity and solved MCQs from Pratiyogita Darpan's Special Edition on Indian Polity. The latter had a complete coverage of all areas from which questions could be asked. Be thorough with the step-by-step manner in which power transfer was done to Indians from British hands- decentralisation, constituent assembly formation, the various GoI acts before that. Relate Historical events in UK that lead to 1947 independence of India.

Prepare notes on each part of the constitution, keep them handy. Be thorough about the various sub-clauses of fundamental rights, functions of president, governor, Lok and Rajya Sabha; Be clear in the various types of bills, funds, and budgetary terms. Give importance to lok ayuktas and ombudsmen type of establishments, panchayati raj, election commission.

ECONOMY - Refer my other blog on economy. However, keep in mind that current facts like 625384826.23 rupees was allocated to so-and-so scheme is unnecessary. Have comparative ideas about which sector got more importance than which other sector & whether it is different from last year's outlay. Share market related terms, RBI and World bank related issues are important. Questions from Finance commission, NDC and planning commissions are inevitable.

GMA - Refer my other blog on GMA and statistics. Do not neglect this section. This fetches you sure-on-the-spot-marks.


ALL THE BEST

Statistics and GMA for Civil services

How many of you have competitive-exam ARITHMOPHOBIA (fear of numbers)?

-Are you that person who chose pure science group only to avoid maths?

-Do you feel like bashing the person who invented calculus?

-Do you shudder like you have committed a sin on seeing sin, cos and tan?

-Do you shiver at the sight of General Mental Ability problems?

-Do you hate the alphabet 'x' just because it comes in algebra?

-And are you finally that person who hates civil service exam for its GMA section?

Yes. Then this blog is definitely dedicated to you, my friend. Why are you afraid of numbers? Or of logical puzzles? If you say you hate solving puzzles or detest even the thought of problem-solving, then how can the country believe in your ability and award you with one of the most coveted services in India? You have to take the initiative to fall in love with numbers and to live with numbers.


Life is in itself a complex puzzle. We live a life that unfolds mysteriously before our eyes.

# Can you predict the character of a stranger you meet on the road? He is an 'x'. An unknown. Algebra!

# How large is your living room? Area!

# How huge is your water tank? Capacity!

# How fast can you drive on a traffic free road? Time and distance!

# You eat a family pack ice-cream in one hour. You share it with a friend and it is gone in forty minutes. Time and work!

# More friends mean less time to finish the family-pack. Inverse proportion!

# How will you share it equally? Fractions!

# Your marks in exams. Profit in business. Percentages!

# You love someone. What are the chances that he/she loves you back? Probability!

# Find your place on an atlas and express it latitude-longitude-wise. Graphs!

# All mothers are affectionate to their babies. This needs no proof, yet true. Axiom!

# How long can you live on earth? Approximation theory!

# On an average, what is your monthly electricity bill? List it out for the past one year. Statistics!

So can you hate life now, since it incorporates so many mathematical concepts? No. You can't. Mathematics was not thrown from the sky. It is no alien flying saucer. It is not gifted only to a few. It belongs to everyone. And is present in everyone's life. That we do not comprehend this fact creates problems.

Only a person who solves problem knows the joy of it. Take a question from your GMA section. Do not look at its answer. Solve it and then go to answers page. The moment you see that your answer and the given answer are the same, you will feel that joy. For some it may last a bit longer, but there cannot be anyone who does not enjoy that little success. Keep thinking and I'll get back to you with tips on easy-puzzle-solving...

UPSC - Success with Tamil Literature

Tamil Literature:

· I have read a lot of Tamil novels and poems. Language has always been a relaxing subject. It does not put stress on the reader. Added to it, in a literary subject, we have the freedom to express our ideas. We can take sides on interpretive questions and substantiate it with facts. Though my Tamil handwriting is not too good, I do not usually get spelling mistakes. This gave me the confidence to select Tamil literature.

· I got advice on suggested reading from Dr. Iraianbu’s book and from Manidhaneyam faculty Dr. Sankara Saravanan. I started preparing for second optional, one week after Prelim exam got over. Books from Manidhaneyam library were very helpful.

· Classroom sessions of Manidhaneyam started mid June and were the sole source of my preparation. Tests were conducted regularly within prescribed syllabus. The classes and tests were extensive, in such a way that I never felt the pressure of writing the first Mains.

· I wrote down important, interesting and easy-to-remember lines of poetry and quotations separately and revise it often. I collected notes from library books, various scholar’s views on a topic (kurunthokai, purananuru, silambu, thirukkural).

· Usually the second paper will be an application of concepts in first paper. While preparing, do not restrict it to that paper alone. Find portions that are relevant to be used as quotes in the other paper (extensive reading on folk literature for first paper will help in muthupattan kadhai and malaiyaruvi ; deep reading of kurunthokai and purananuru, kudumba vilakku will help in citing examples for literary techniques like kuriyeedu, padimam and the like ; we can quote thiruvalluvar’s couplets for a question on almost any topic –kurunthokai, puram, silambu, kumbakarunan).

· Be open minded when you read any topic. Find where it overlaps with other topics and how it differs from a similar topic. Make notes from revision and keep them handy. Develop interest in the subject. Read Tamil for the sake of gaining knowledge and appreciating its literary excellence; do not associate it with the idea of marks or career.