UPSC PRELIMS GENERAL STUDIES

There is a method to the madness.

Part of the reason UPSC Prelims is such a daunting task is because of the lack of clarity about the UPSC Prelims syllabus, how to prepare for it, where to prepare from and how to gauge one’s progress while doing so. Knowing this wins half the battle.

The information pertaining to the UPSC exam such as the UPSC syllabus, Previous year Questions etc can be found everywhere but a smart aspirant knows the difference between information and wisdom. 

The UPSC exam itself is a test of your insight and wisdom instead of just the amount of information in your memory.

This crucial difference between information and insights is clearly reflected in the type of questions asked in Prelims, Mains, and the Interview. To score well in the IAS exam, only information is not enough. You need insight as well. Let this idea sink in and inform your preparation strategy for the UPSC journey.

1. All Questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).
2. Questions will test your knowledge about a variety of topics listed in the syllabus.
3. UPSC Prelims GS paper consists of 100 questions and lasts for 2 Hours.
4. There will be negative marking for all wrong answers.
5. This means that every question will have 4 options out of which 1 will be correct.
6. If you don’t choose any option and leave the question blank, no marks will be deducted.
7. If your answer is wrong, 1/3 marks will be deducted.
8. You must try to score as much as possible. At least 60% marks are usually required.
9. If you do not score above the cut-off, you will be disqualified from the entire exam i: e Game over.
10. If you score above the cut-off, it will not affect your ranking or success in the IAS exam.

This may seem like a lot, and it is but before jumping into these individual subjects, you must look for hidden patterns in the syllabus. Knowing these patterns usually makes the difference between qualifying the exam and failing to do so.

UPSC syllabus for CSAT in the official UPSC notification is as follows-

The sources of information for UPSC Prelims should be as diverse as the subject domains it encompasses. And it is just as important to choose as them well.

There is no dearth of books for general studies or YouTube videos dispensing content about topics in the UPSC syllabus. The problem is not where to prepare from but where NOT to. Your problem is not less choice, but too much choice.

This is why you need more content curation instead of more content. The Source code in this website is curated and shortlisted best sources ( books, playlists, and more) for UPSC preparation selected by many toppers.

Not all sources of information are textual (books and articles). Some exist in video format (YouTube/ live classes or recorded lessons) while others may be Audio (Listening to the news/audio books/podcasts) or even imagery (Infographics).

The Source code for the UPSC exam includes not only booklists but Youtube Playlists, webpages and more.

This is important because you can consume different types of content at different times of the day and with different receptiveness.

This critical learning insight is embedded in the HexaTask Method of the Strategyzer which prescribes levels of learning based on scientific progression. As you follow the 6 tasks you are gradually going towards deeper and deeper levels of content mastery. This ensures preparation for Prelims and Mains both of high quality.

SOURCE FILTER: Limit General Studies sources to a maximum of 3 textual sources and 2 video sources per subject-domain (6SD) for the entire preparation. 

You will find the study sources for each subject domain in GS listed under the Subject pages.

Most learning is visual, and the importance of visual learning cannot be overstated. Images, memes, graphics have a much larger imprint on the mind than text. They help in making deeper connections and in ‘anchoring’ your memory to other memories and enhance your knowledge network.

Here are some of the best Youtube Channels for UPSC Prelims-

• Crash Course
• The School of Life
• Ted Ed
• Forbes
• Talks at Google
• National Geographic
• Stated Clearly
• Seeker
• Big Think
• Vpro Documentary
• DW Documentary
• Sceince Magazine

Contrary to popular belief, social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram are not necessarily a waste of time. If used correctly, they can be potent supplements to your knowledge acquisition efforts for the UPSC exam because this exam is highly dynamic and social media captures this dynamism better than any other media on Earth. The other reason is that content on social media is visual and condensed- it is designed for quick consumption.

It is true that MOST of the content on social media is useless for you. As a serious aspirant, you should either stay away from social media altogether or figure out a way to use it to your advantage. And this is certainly possible, but the trick is in the details.

Facebook can be a powerful platform to filter out the best content in the world, IF and only if, it is used for the content instead of socializing. To do this, follow pages instead of people.

Unfollow everyone in your friend list. This will make sure that your feed is not populated by irrelevant content like honeymoon pictures, celebrity news etc. You can turn your Fb feed into an educational content stream by following relevant pages.

Web Pages worth following should ideally be authoritative, non-commercial, scientific, credible and relevant for the examination.

Some websites I follow and find to be useful for UPSC examination are –

• CNN
• Discovery
• National Geographic
• Kurzgesag
• Cheddar
• BigThink
• SciShow
• The Economist
• PopSci,
• New Scientist
• The Ney York Times
• GOI websites of different ministries/departments

You will find individual www lists and playlist recommendations for each subject under each subject page.

Important: Make sure that your browsing is restricted. Do not follow more than 10 pages. Restrict your surfing time to 2-3 hours/week. Save important and good articles in your library for revision.