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Notes Making Strategy for UPSC Preparation

Speaker: Shruti Sharma, AIR-1, UPSC CSE 2021

Shruti Sharma, AIR-1 in UPSC CSE 2021, demonstrated dedication and excellence in achieving the highest rank nationally.

Newspaper Selection:

• Read "The Hindu" primarily during most of the preparation.
• Also read "The Indian Express" going before the interview.

Note-Taking Approach:

• Do not make rigorous notes from the newspaper.
• Read the newspaper religiously but only made notes of relevant topics.
• Make notes of topics that could help in the paper, focusing on parts related to the syllabus.

Use of Examples:

• Use the newspaper examples extensively, especially for internal security and ethics answers.
• Make notes of specific examples like drone attacks for internal security and cyber security incidents.

Value Edition Perspective:

• Make notes from the value edition perspective, not copying entire articles.
• Make notes of issues (national/world affairs) rather than specific articles.
• Add some important points from articles to existing notes on specific topics.

Prelims Perspective:

• Do not make separate notes for prelims.
• Rely on reading newspapers and recalling information from mains notes.
• Following this approach, you can effectively capture the key insights and create notes that are easy to review later on at the revision time.

How to Make Notes of Current Affairs

Speaker: Garima Lohia (Rank 2)

Garima Lohia, UPSC Rank 2, advocates prioritizing static subjects, limiting current affairs, and trusting in consistent study materials.

Avoid Overemphasis on Current Affairs:

• Mistake: Spending excessive time (six hours/day) on current affairs.
• Learning: Prioritize building a strong foundation in static subjects (quality, economics, environment, science).

Static Subjects First:

• Strategy: Allocate more time to strengthening static subjects.
• Importance: Even with a challenging current affairs paper, strong static knowledge ensures success.

Limited Time for Current Affairs (Daily):

• Approach: Give two hours for current affairs, daily.
• Advice: Do not overindulge in collecting current affairs materials; focus on quality over quantity.

Avoid Material Overload:

• Warning: Refrain from accumulating excessive study materials.
• Advice: Trust in reliable sources, avoid collecting numerous materials for revision.

Trust in Chosen Material:

• Guidance: Stick to one trusted source for study materials.
• Tip: Don't switch study materials based on luck or the absence of direct questions; consistency is key.

Belief in Source and Strategy:

• Importance: Trust the chosen coaching materials and basic sources.
• Action: You need to study selected notes and materials and make sure that you avoid the unnecessary changes.

Final Advice:

• Focus: Maintain focus and avoid distractions from multiple study materials because that will be time consuming practice.
• Trust: Rely on personal study resources and coaching materials rather than constantly seeking new sources.