4.5.6 National, International and Economy: For these three, the best resource is “The Hindu”. You do not have to read it but to study it. Understand the difference between read and study. While reading you just do not care about the things but while studying you try to retain them.
Here I will tell you how to read The Hindu. First read the very 1st page. Then go to the last page. The starting from last page move towards the 1st one. The order will be last page, sports page, economy section, science and tech. section, International, National and at last editorials page. Do not read after editorials as page no. 2 to 5-6, just contain local news of some states. Now, please do one thing: do have a pen/pencil in your hand and underline every specific information you feel, will be helpful. Then cut all the important news with a knife. Have 5-6 files with titles like national, international, sports, awards, bilateral etc. Then put them accordingly. Initially it will take much time. Only newspaper studying will and should take 4 to 5 hours per day. Cutting and putting them in files will take another 1 hour. But slowly you will realize which news are important and which are not. Then this combined exercise will take only 1 hour. At the time of exam, you will see that this effort of yours will put you much ahead of others in GS score.
Besides The Hindu, one monthly magazine is must. You can use any of 3-4 magazines that are available like civil services chronicle, competition wizard, civil services times etc. The magazines are to be studied only to remain updated with respect to current affairs.
Another important thing is analysis. After reading news, do analyze them at your own and try to make your view on that topic. This really helps when you are writing the mains. For analysis, the editorial and op-ed page is must. Just drink it.
In economy, some technical terms are there which one has to understand to fully understand the news. So, do purchase one good dictionary of economic terms. Also, the special issue of Pratiyogita Darpan (Known as PD) is very helpful.
Another important question is whether to make notes or not. The answer is Yes. For GS notes making is really helpful. I made notes just 10 days before the mains only for national and international issues. My Bilateral issues ( India and the world) were very good. At last time, I did nothing but revised my own notes and in paper, wrote only and exactly what I have written for myself. I have included all the valuable information in that e.g. just 5-6 days before the mains our defence minister visited Russia and India-Russia defence agreement was renewed for another 10 years (which was to expire after 2010). In that accord many new deals including some airplanes, warships, marines etc were decided. I noted every bit of information including their names, cost, delivery date etc. and mugged up the facts and thankfully reproduced exactly in the exam. So, notes making really helps but please remain updated in your notes.
Another thing is to mug up all the international treaties for all the issues like disarmament, global warming, economic meltdown, IPCC, Ramsar convention, G5, G8, G20, NAM , SAARC etc. Here again, do remember their history, year of treaty, purpose and most important current updates.
7. Misc. (Statistics, Sci. and Tech.): For statistics, there are two resources. One is a book which is for M.Sc. students (whose author is Mr. Gupta, sorry exact name, I am unable to recall and title is statistics). This book clears the fundamentals in a very nice manner. The other one is Spectrum statistics book, which contains previous 10 year papers also. Do read Mr. Gupta’s book if you have time in plenty. If in hurry, spectrum book is more than sufficient. But please note, statistics requires lot-lot-lot of practice. You have to take all the arms to solve the problems like calculator, protractor, scale, pencils and graph paper. Practice as if you are sitting in the actual exam and try to reduce time and increase accuracy.
Also note that in exam, never follow the strategy of: Stats question first and others last. Doing stats first will kill your precious 1 hour. Moreover, stats weightage is decreasing (already from 40 to 30).Instead do the stats questions at the end. Give half an hour for this. And make sure that you have so much practice to complete it in half an hour.
For Sci. and Tech.: There are 2 lines of preparation. One is to prepare all the traditional topics like Nanotech, Biotech, Indian space missions, DRDO military weapons etc. You can prepare these topics from any conventional book or monthly magazine. Special issues of monthly magazines are really helpful.
2nd is to prepare the latest in Sci and Tech. Now it is a very-very vast field. Here, again The Hindu is most reliable resource. Never miss the Thursday special Sci. and Tech. issue of the hindu.
This is what I can recall about GS preparation. I will add some more points, if necessary. In GS, the approach is not that which resources are to be followed but which have to be left because it is such a vast field. Try to reduce the resources but not to that extent that in exam you start realizing that your preparation was not up to mark. What I have mentioned here is just the optimum. Neither they are too much nor too small in number. This much is must.
Thanks
May Waheguru G make U an IAS officer
