Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to various Civil Services of the Government of India.

Union Public Service Commission

Manoj Bhargav

Nandala Saikiran

Economic& Human_Geography.pdf

GS1- Economic & Human Geography notes.

somehow missed uploading it earlier..

gs1- economic & human geography notes. gs1- economic & human geography notes.

somehow missed uploading it earlier..  nandala saikiran notes upsc

GS1- Economic & Human Geography notes.

Essay_4 (1).pdf

Essay_3 (1).pdf

Essay_2.pdf

Essay_01.pdf

Essay strategy:

Scores: 
2022: 106
2023: 115

Essay for me is the weak link, I have never written an essay in my life before this Upsc. So it's challenging to get into the groove and write a 10-12 page long essay. But, the upsc essays are different from the academic ones which can be tackled with having a good general understanding of the topics and being able to generate ideas.

UPSC gave instructions as follows: 
“Candidates are expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.”

1. Keep closer to the subject: its about interpretation of the essay, we shouldn't deviate much from the core topic.
2. Arrange ideas in an orderly fashion:  it's about the brainstorming part, generate as many macro-dimensions as possible and arrange them in an organic way in the brainstorming part itself.
3. Concise, effective and exact expression: it is about the presentation part of the essay, be as concise as possible, try to incorporate that flare in your writing to stand out ( this part is the weakest in my essay writing)


When to start essay writing:
Preferably after GS preparation done to a large extent and try to write before Prelims exam itself, so that you will be ready and confident between prelims and Mains.

How to start:
Try some previous year essay topics and try to brainstorm on the above lines. Take some toppers copies and observe how they are writing, what are the ideas they are generating, how organic essays are, how to write intro, body and conclusions.

Practice enough essays:
I wrote 4 essays for 2023 Mains but I brainstormed around 8-10 more topics to enrich my interpretation and ideas generating part. 

Time management:
In the exam hall,
1. I used to allot around 10-15 mins to choose the essays.
2. 20-25 mins for brainstorming.
3. 1hr for writing part.
It's very important to choose the correct topic, if interpretation goes wrong then the entire essay deviates from its subject matter. So spend enough time on this.
Next, the brainstorming part is where you generate ideas and arrange them in an organic way .

essay strategy  and notes : saikaran nandala air 27 essay strategy:

scores: 
2022: 106
2023: 115

essay for me is the weak link, i have never written an essay in my life before this upsc. so it's challenging to get into the groove and write a 10-12 page long essay. but, the upsc essays are different from the academic ones which can be tackled with having a good general understanding of the topics and being able to generate ideas.

upsc gave instructions as follows: 
“candidates are expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely. credit will be given for effective and exact expression.”

1. keep closer to the subject: its about interpretation of the essay, we shouldn't deviate much from the core topic.
2. arrange ideas in an orderly fashion:  it's about the brainstorming part, generate as many macro-dimensions as possible and arrange them in an organic way in the brainstorming part itself.
3. concise, effective and exact expression: it is about the presentation part of the essay, be as concise as possible, try to incorporate that flare in your writing to stand out ( this part is the weakest in my essay writing)


when to start essay writing:
preferably after gs preparation done to a large extent and try to write before prelims exam itself, so that you will be ready and confident between prelims and mains.

how to start:
try some previous year essay topics and try to brainstorm on the above lines. take some toppers copies and observe how they are writing, what are the ideas they are generating, how organic essays are, how to write intro, body and conclusions.

practice enough essays:
i wrote 4 essays for 2023 mains but i brainstormed around 8-10 more topics to enrich my interpretation and ideas generating part. 

time management:
in the exam hall,
1. i used to allot around 10-15 mins to choose the essays.
2. 20-25 mins for brainstorming.
3. 1hr for writing part.
it's very important to choose the correct topic, if interpretation goes wrong then the entire essay deviates from its subject matter. so spend enough time on this.
next, the brainstorming part is where you generate ideas and arrange them in an organic way .  nandala saikiran strategy upsc

Essay strategy  and notes : Saikaran Nandala AIR 27

Social Justice.Syllabus & PYQP..pdf

Governance_Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

S&T Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Environment& DM Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Internal Security Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Agriculture Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Economy Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Polity_Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Indian Society Syllabyus decode & PYQ.pdf

Art & Culture Syllabus decode & PYQ.pdf

Geography Syllabyus decode & PYQ.pdf

As you see, this can make your prep organized & also much of the content can be learned from PYQ itself. in my entire preparation, It is more about understanding the syllabus in depth & creating blocks, frameworks, structures in your mind based on Syllabus & PYQ. 
This will be the starting point to make notes, Then notes will become just filling the gaps in to those blocks.
I took this syllabus decode majorly from drishti ias website link.

The more time you spent on analysing the syllabus and its sub-parts, the more organized your preparation will be, it adds effective direction to your preparation, you will read the content in a streamlined way, able to recall well, helps to understand the frameworks, no need to memorize anything and you will be in the flow...
Please note that above things may not be completely exhaustive and I may miss many sub-topics, dimensions.
use it in the view that much can be added and improve on it

upsc cse syllabus decoding - saikaran nandala air 27 as you see, this can make your prep organized & also much of the content can be learned from pyq itself. in my entire preparation, it is more about understanding the syllabus in depth & creating blocks, frameworks, structures in your mind based on syllabus & pyq. 
this will be the starting point to make notes, then notes will become just filling the gaps in to those blocks.
i took this syllabus decode majorly from drishti ias website link.

the more time you spent on analysing the syllabus and its sub-parts, the more organized your preparation will be, it adds effective direction to your preparation, you will read the content in a streamlined way, able to recall well, helps to understand the frameworks, no need to memorize anything and you will be in the flow...
please note that above things may not be completely exhaustive and i may miss many sub-topics, dimensions.
use it in the view that much can be added and improve on it  nandala saikiran notes upsc

UPSC CSE Syllabus Decoding - Saikaran Nandala AIR 27

Physical _Geography.pdf

Indian_Society.pdf

Modern_History (2).pdf

1_Art& Culture.pdf

GS1 Strategy:

My Marks:
2022:92
2023: 99

Resources:
1. Geography: PMF IAS, NCERT videos by Amit Sengupta, Toopers notes( Mehak Jain Ma'am, Surbhi Goyal Ma'am)
2. History, Art & Culture : Vision VAM
3. Indian Society:  Sociology paper-2 understanding, Vision VAM

Approach:

Geography: 
Almost 100 marks weightage in paper-1, so major thing to focus. I did integrated preparation for prelims & Mains. Started with watching Amit sengupta videos for basic understanding, then started reading PMF IAS ( bulky but good ROI I feel given the weightage). one should be through with the syllabus of Geography. 
Economic Geography is the most neglected part I feel, this has to be focussed in equal proportion. I used PMF IAS, PYQ & current affairs for this and made notes for broader topics.

History, Art & Culture:  questions often trending to be more analytical than information oriented. So, no need to worry to remember so many minute details. One should analyse history as events, dimensions & timelines. Much can be learned from demand of PYQ. I have made notes of important points & events. The more analytical your answers are the more they are rewarded.

Society: Since my optional is sociology, I didn't read much for it separately, but I made notes for syllabus topics just to revise and to write answers in general understanding way rather than sociological viewpoints.

Tips to score high:

1. Use of Maps & diagrams: you need to include maps in your answers, scope is there not only in Geography but also many questions from history. Personally, I'm not good with maps part but practiced a lot to include them. But I couldn't draw much. 
2. Analytical: make history, Art & culture answers more analytical and write many dimensions. This will help to fetch more marks; we can give how historical events evolved to impact current times in conclusions. It gives edge.
3. use of examples & Current references in Society questions
4. Focus on Economic Geography part.
5. Again, Value addition is must interms of examples, data etc..

gs1 strategy: saikaran nandala gs1 strategy:

my marks:
2022:92
2023: 99

resources:
1. geography: pmf ias, ncert videos by amit sengupta, toopers notes( mehak jain ma'am, surbhi goyal ma'am)
2. history, art & culture : vision vam
3. indian society:  sociology paper-2 understanding, vision vam

approach:

geography: 
almost 100 marks weightage in paper-1, so major thing to focus. i did integrated preparation for prelims & mains. started with watching amit sengupta videos for basic understanding, then started reading pmf ias ( bulky but good roi i feel given the weightage). one should be through with the syllabus of geography. 
economic geography is the most neglected part i feel, this has to be focussed in equal proportion. i used pmf ias, pyq & current affairs for this and made notes for broader topics.

history, art & culture:  questions often trending to be more analytical than information oriented. so, no need to worry to remember so many minute details. one should analyse history as events, dimensions & timelines. much can be learned from demand of pyq. i have made notes of important points & events. the more analytical your answers are the more they are rewarded.

society: since my optional is sociology, i didn't read much for it separately, but i made notes for syllabus topics just to revise and to write answers in general understanding way rather than sociological viewpoints.

tips to score high:

1. use of maps & diagrams: you need to include maps in your answers, scope is there not only in geography but also many questions from history. personally, i'm not good with maps part but practiced a lot to include them. but i couldn't draw much. 
2. analytical: make history, art & culture answers more analytical and write many dimensions. this will help to fetch more marks; we can give how historical events evolved to impact current times in conclusions. it gives edge.
3. use of examples & current references in society questions
4. focus on economic geography part.
5. again, value addition is must interms of examples, data etc..  nandala saikiran strategy upsc

GS1 Strategy: Saikaran Nandala

GS2_FLT2_28thAug (2).pdf

GS2_Social Justice-merged.pdf

GS2_Value addition.pdf

GS2_Governance-merged.pdf

GS2_IR.pdf

GS2_Polity_part1.pdf

GS2_Polity_part2.pdf

GS-2 Strategy:

GS-2 of late has become very scoring. Also, there is a recent trend that questions instead of being current affairs orineted has becoming more & more of conceptual oriented which requires strong fundamentals and core knowledge (especially polity part). So, it is better to have depth in understanding.

My scores:
2022: 102
2023: 125

Resources:
1.Polity: Laxmikanth ( basic book, won't be enough for Mains), Vision VAM, onlyIAS Prahaar( used after 2022 Mains for value addition), Mains365
2. Governance, Social Justice & IR : Vision VAM, onlyIAS prahaar(after 2022 attempt), Mains365

My Approach:

1. Polity:  I followed integrated approach for Prelims & Mains initially. Read Laxmikanth & complemented with analytical views given in Vision VAM. After reading couple of times, started looking at PYQ(both prelims & mains). Then tried to make concise topic-wise notes, couldn't do much for 2022 attempt. Then, I worked on completing my notes immediately after 2002 Mains. The notes I'm attaching here are not made in single-sitting, they are done over multiple iterations till 2023 Mains over 2 years. I used onlyIAS Prahaar notes to find for any dimensions & value-add.

2. Governance,Social Justice & IR:  majorly read Vision VAM and analysed PYQ. also, refer to the current affairs. this would be enough I guess.
GS2_Polity Notes:
These are very comprehensive notes covering all the syllabus topics which I made over the course of 2-2.5 years
Value addition for GS2- compiled one week before Mains. 
use it as reference on how to note all Value addition & revise it multiple times before final exam.

gs-2 strategy and polity notes : saikaran nandala gs-2 strategy:

gs-2 of late has become very scoring. also, there is a recent trend that questions instead of being current affairs orineted has becoming more & more of conceptual oriented which requires strong fundamentals and core knowledge (especially polity part). so, it is better to have depth in understanding.

my scores:
2022: 102
2023: 125

resources:
1.polity: laxmikanth ( basic book, won't be enough for mains), vision vam, onlyias prahaar( used after 2022 mains for value addition), mains365
2. governance, social justice & ir : vision vam, onlyias prahaar(after 2022 attempt), mains365

my approach:

1. polity:  i followed integrated approach for prelims & mains initially. read laxmikanth & complemented with analytical views given in vision vam. after reading couple of times, started looking at pyq(both prelims & mains). then tried to make concise topic-wise notes, couldn't do much for 2022 attempt. then, i worked on completing my notes immediately after 2002 mains. the notes i'm attaching here are not made in single-sitting, they are done over multiple iterations till 2023 mains over 2 years. i used onlyias prahaar notes to find for any dimensions & value-add.

2. governance,social justice & ir:  majorly read vision vam and analysed pyq. also, refer to the current affairs. this would be enough i guess.
gs2_polity notes:
these are very comprehensive notes covering all the syllabus topics which i made over the course of 2-2.5 years
value addition for gs2- compiled one week before mains. 
use it as reference on how to note all value addition & revise it multiple times before final exam.  nandala saikiran notes upsc

GS-2 Strategy and Polity Notes : Saikaran Nandala

Approach to Case Studies_GS4.pdf

approach to case studies -gs 4 approach to case studies -gs 4   nandala saikiran notes upsc

Approach to Case Studies -GS 4

GS3_valueadd_finalrev.pdf

Forum_GS3_1_5thAug (1) (2) (1).pdf

Disaster Management..pdf

Economy (2).pdf

Agriculture (4).pdf

Environment (1).pdf

Internal_Security_1.pdf

GS-3 Strategy 

GS-3 is favourite subject of mine. It's the most diverse and vast subject. Of late, there is so much of trim down of scores. Scoring in the 90's considered very good and above 100's are becoming exceptions. But this marking system trend can chat anytime.

My scores:
2022: 89
2023: 93

Resources:
1. Indian Economy: Vision VAM, Prelims knowledge , Mains 365
2. Agriculture: Vision VAM, Mains 365
3. Internal security: Vision VAM, Mains 365
4. Env & DM: vision VAM, Mains 365
5. S& T: Mains 365
6. For 2023 attempt, I have referred Only IAS Prahaar also for value addition content.
7. Prelims knowledge can help in Economy and S&T too.



My approach:
1. Economy:  There are 4-5 sub-topics in economy. I have made small, concise notes for each topic from Vision VAM. Added the value addition from current affairs wrt each topic.  Questions can be either static ( like in 2021) or either dynamic and analytical as in last 2 Mains. So, need to be ready for any kind of questions. Add more data, examples, analytical depth to stand out from others.

2. Agriculture: questions are mostly static oriented. So, I have used both Vision VAM and PYq content for making my notes. Questions often get repeated from the same topics with different orientation. So content remains same, just need to be presented ana analysed differently.  Easy compared to economy part to score marks.

3. Internal security: same as agriculture, questions get repeated often and limited syllabus. Vision VAM & PYQ content are useful. Focus on Mains 365 also for latest developments ( like money laundering etc). 

4. Environment & DM: vision VAM, have frameworks for DM related questions and question can be analysed through that framework. The weightage for env& DM increasing recently. Focus on this trend.

5. Science & Tech: most unconventional and you can't expect which area a question can come from. Be thorough with syllabus topics mentioned in upsc and focus on current affairs. Prelims knowledge helps most here, so revise your prelims content.


Tips to score high:

Often people are scoring in 70's even after completing the paper. Few of things I did for my 2 Mains which can help you:

1. Quoting data is non- negotiable: do it as much you can, economics, agriculture,internal security has more scope to quote data and don't miss a chance.

2. Examples: for Internal security, DM, Environment, agriculture, economics topics.

3. Maps: for Internal security, DM and wherever there is scope.

4. More analytical depth: analyse your points rather than just writing them. Develop the skill of argumentative writing. This gives completion.

5. Answer through frameworks and structures: Each topic has some core frameworks. Answer through them to not to miss on any dimensions and add that diversity in your answers.

6. GS-3 is not just economy:   only 4 questions come from the core economy part. others are equally important,  like 4 from agriculture, 4 from internal security, 4 from S&T, 4 from Env & DM. So devote equal time for them. More often, questions from agriculture, internal security, DM remain static and get repeated, so return on investment is very high in these compared to others.
My GS-3 Notes,
Take this as reference on how to make concise notes so it's easier for revision. 
These may not be comprehensive notes, but these coupled with some current affaids and prelims knowledge helped me to score good marks..
next :GS3 mock test I have written, note that I wrote this on 5th aug (40 days before Mains), so my final answers would have some what improved over these. 
further - 
GS-3 value addition note:

Sample on how to write all value addition points for a particular subject at one place to revise it multiple times so that it can be actively recalled during examination.
The more you revise the more you remember!!

I didn't write any other mock for GS-3 after this to show my final style of answering for GS-3, but I used to brainstorm a lot which fine tuned my answers.

gs-3 strategy , score , resources , approach and notes and tips to score high: gs-3 strategy 

gs-3 is favourite subject of mine. it's the most diverse and vast subject. of late, there is so much of trim down of scores. scoring in the 90's considered very good and above 100's are becoming exceptions. but this marking system trend can chat anytime.

my scores:
2022: 89
2023: 93

resources:
1. indian economy: vision vam, prelims knowledge , mains 365
2. agriculture: vision vam, mains 365
3. internal security: vision vam, mains 365
4. env & dm: vision vam, mains 365
5. s& t: mains 365
6. for 2023 attempt, i have referred only ias prahaar also for value addition content.
7. prelims knowledge can help in economy and s&t too.



my approach:
1. economy:  there are 4-5 sub-topics in economy. i have made small, concise notes for each topic from vision vam. added the value addition from current affairs wrt each topic.  questions can be either static ( like in 2021) or either dynamic and analytical as in last 2 mains. so, need to be ready for any kind of questions. add more data, examples, analytical depth to stand out from others.

2. agriculture: questions are mostly static oriented. so, i have used both vision vam and pyq content for making my notes. questions often get repeated from the same topics with different orientation. so content remains same, just need to be presented ana analysed differently.  easy compared to economy part to score marks.

3. internal security: same as agriculture, questions get repeated often and limited syllabus. vision vam & pyq content are useful. focus on mains 365 also for latest developments ( like money laundering etc). 

4. environment & dm: vision vam, have frameworks for dm related questions and question can be analysed through that framework. the weightage for env& dm increasing recently. focus on this trend.

5. science & tech: most unconventional and you can't expect which area a question can come from. be thorough with syllabus topics mentioned in upsc and focus on current affairs. prelims knowledge helps most here, so revise your prelims content.


tips to score high:

often people are scoring in 70's even after completing the paper. few of things i did for my 2 mains which can help you:

1. quoting data is non- negotiable: do it as much you can, economics, agriculture,internal security has more scope to quote data and don't miss a chance.

2. examples: for internal security, dm, environment, agriculture, economics topics.

3. maps: for internal security, dm and wherever there is scope.

4. more analytical depth: analyse your points rather than just writing them. develop the skill of argumentative writing. this gives completion.

5. answer through frameworks and structures: each topic has some core frameworks. answer through them to not to miss on any dimensions and add that diversity in your answers.

6. gs-3 is not just economy:   only 4 questions come from the core economy part. others are equally important,  like 4 from agriculture, 4 from internal security, 4 from s&t, 4 from env & dm. so devote equal time for them. more often, questions from agriculture, internal security, dm remain static and get repeated, so return on investment is very high in these compared to others.
my gs-3 notes,
take this as reference on how to make concise notes so it's easier for revision. 
these may not be comprehensive notes, but these coupled with some current affaids and prelims knowledge helped me to score good marks..
next :gs3 mock test i have written, note that i wrote this on 5th aug (40 days before mains), so my final answers would have some what improved over these. 
further - 
gs-3 value addition note:

sample on how to write all value addition points for a particular subject at one place to revise it multiple times so that it can be actively recalled during examination.
the more you revise the more you remember!!

i didn't write any other mock for gs-3 after this to show my final style of answering for gs-3, but i used to brainstorm a lot which fine tuned my answers.  nandala saikiran notes upsc

GS-3 Strategy , Score , Resources , Approach and Notes and Tips to score high:

ILP-2022-Decoding-Prelims-Syllabus (1).pdf

Prelims Strategy:

My scores:
2022 Prelims: cleared by 0.4 marks above the cut-off
2023 Prelims: ~23 marks above the cut-off 
CSAT: scored above 100 in both 


Resource list:

1. Polity: Laxmikanth, Sunya IAS Prelims notes
2. Economics: NCERT, ECO 550 MCQ by Vivek Singh
3. Geography: Amit Sengupta NCERT explained videos in YouTube, PMF IAS
4. Geography Mapping: Sunya IAs notes
5. Modern History: Vision VAM, Sunya Prelims notes
6. Ancient, Medieval and Art & Culture: Sunya Prelims notes, Vision Quick revision modules
7. Environment: Vision VAM, Sunya IAs prelims notes
8. International Relations: Daily news papers( I used to read World section with more attention)& current affairs. 
9. Current affairs: Vision PT365, Byjus free current affairs videos on YouTube before Prelims


My approach:

I have started with Mains prep ( it's more of an integrated approach for both prelims and Mains in the starting from Feb 2021 to Feb 2022) and switched to full-fledged Prelims mode in March 2022

3 months during Prelims 2022:

1. Initial 2 months , I enrolled for sectional tests of VISION. I used to read and revise a particular subject then used to write sectional tests. Then before moving to next subject, I used to revise the subject again based on sectional tests strengths and weakness . < wrote around 10-12 sectional tests from Vision>
2.last 1 month: active and fast revision of all subjects, nothing new I read. gave around 7-8 FLT( from various institutes like vision, forum, Shankar, sunya)

For Prelims 2023:
1. I just had 25 days time between My 2022 attempt interview and Prelims 2023. So, in those 25 days I just used Sunya IAs prelims short notes for all the subjects, wrote around 3 FLT mocks.
2. I guess the current affairs read over past one year and for interview, deep conceptual understanding evolved around Mains prep in core subjects, the conviction and confidence developed in my thought process helped me to do well in Prelims 2023. 


My takeaways on Prelims:

Analysis and working upon mistakes are equally important as consuming knowledge if not more:  

1. it's very important to analyse your mistakes and improve upon them, if I write prelims tests in 2 hrs, I used to spend 2-3 hrs in analysing it.
2. I used to classify the mistakes I have done in mocks as follows: 
       A. Due to lack of knowledge completely 
       B. Knows about it but due to lack of clarity and      conceptual understanding 
       C. Silly mistakes even after knowing it fully.
3. Then after sectional tests is done, I used to do active revision in the topics where I'm doing mistakes in A, B,C format. This helped me plug in knowledge gaps, helped me to get more clarity in subjects and built that conviction.
4. Initially I used to get scores of 60-70, then by working on the above aspects, that helped me to improve my scores in mocks around 90-110 range progressively.

Year-long process 

1. From May 2022, I used to solve daily 5 MCQ from Vision IAS telegram channel questions.Similarly, I used to listen to Byjus daily quiz in YouTube. I used to do both of them in during office free time like coffee breaks.
2. So, over the course of 10 months. I developed this habit of solving questions, analyse how my thought process goes while solving questions and created a problem solving mindset.

Analysis of PYQ:

1. This is must to do, one will get fair idea of how questions are framed, how to solve them.
2. I used to read the information about the options mentioned too.

Pattern recognition 

1. I see Prelims more in terms of pattern recognition. Since , we hardly know 30 questions that our answer is correct for sure. For remaining we have to come up with an answer during that 1 minute using all the knowledge we have.
2. It's important to build that skill to increase the probability of your answer getting right. Many things like option eliminations ( this role is slowly declining but still relevant), connecting the dots, thinking differently might help. For example, questions on history and art& culture: sometimes can be solved easily if we look through timelines.
Grab the low hanging fruits:

1. It's very important to not miss on questions from Polity, Economy and few direct conceptual questions from Geography, Science & Tech.
2. Make sure you are thorough with these concepts, because the probability of you getting answers right in these subjects are high.

Focus on unconventional topics:

1. Every year, the weightage for International relations, Science & tech ( related to recent happenings) are increasing. I feel not many coaching institutes materials cover these.
2. These can be grasped only by reading newspapers and developing that mindset over the course of journey. Then it gets easier to understand the patterns.
3. Read World news section, S&T section in news papers throughly, this actually helps a lot.

Attempting no. Of questions:

1. This aspect depends on the individuals ( some have better success rate, some have low success rate they have to attempt more) and also it depends on the toughness of the paper 
2. I have attempted 80Q in Prelims 2022( actually I should have attempted a bit more) and 92Q in Prelims 2023. 

Calmness in the exam hall:

1. It's very important to be cool and calm in those 2hrs. Our year long of hardwork need to be put into practice in those 2hrs. So, don't panic, don't over analyse, just take one question at a time and think about only that question in that time. 
2. Many questions can be solved and probability can be increased by just having a clear, calm mindset.
This PDF covers broad dimensions of all the topics to be covered.
I found this document useful just to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Please note this might not be exhaustive list.

saikiran nandala -prelims strategy: prelims strategy:

my scores:
2022 prelims: cleared by 0.4 marks above the cut-off
2023 prelims: ~23 marks above the cut-off 
csat: scored above 100 in both 


resource list:

1. polity: laxmikanth, sunya ias prelims notes
2. economics: ncert, eco 550 mcq by vivek singh
3. geography: amit sengupta ncert explained videos in youtube, pmf ias
4. geography mapping: sunya ias notes
5. modern history: vision vam, sunya prelims notes
6. ancient, medieval and art & culture: sunya prelims notes, vision quick revision modules
7. environment: vision vam, sunya ias prelims notes
8. international relations: daily news papers( i used to read world section with more attention)& current affairs. 
9. current affairs: vision pt365, byjus free current affairs videos on youtube before prelims


my approach:

i have started with mains prep ( it's more of an integrated approach for both prelims and mains in the starting from feb 2021 to feb 2022) and switched to full-fledged prelims mode in march 2022

3 months during prelims 2022:

1. initial 2 months , i enrolled for sectional tests of vision. i used to read and revise a particular subject then used to write sectional tests. then before moving to next subject, i used to revise the subject again based on sectional tests strengths and weakness . < wrote around 10-12 sectional tests from vision>
2.last 1 month: active and fast revision of all subjects, nothing new i read. gave around 7-8 flt( from various institutes like vision, forum, shankar, sunya)

for prelims 2023:
1. i just had 25 days time between my 2022 attempt interview and prelims 2023. so, in those 25 days i just used sunya ias prelims short notes for all the subjects, wrote around 3 flt mocks.
2. i guess the current affairs read over past one year and for interview, deep conceptual understanding evolved around mains prep in core subjects, the conviction and confidence developed in my thought process helped me to do well in prelims 2023. 


my takeaways on prelims:

analysis and working upon mistakes are equally important as consuming knowledge if not more:  

1. it's very important to analyse your mistakes and improve upon them, if i write prelims tests in 2 hrs, i used to spend 2-3 hrs in analysing it.
2. i used to classify the mistakes i have done in mocks as follows: 
       a. due to lack of knowledge completely 
       b. knows about it but due to lack of clarity and      conceptual understanding 
       c. silly mistakes even after knowing it fully.
3. then after sectional tests is done, i used to do active revision in the topics where i'm doing mistakes in a, b,c format. this helped me plug in knowledge gaps, helped me to get more clarity in subjects and built that conviction.
4. initially i used to get scores of 60-70, then by working on the above aspects, that helped me to improve my scores in mocks around 90-110 range progressively.

year-long process 

1. from may 2022, i used to solve daily 5 mcq from vision ias telegram channel questions.similarly, i used to listen to byjus daily quiz in youtube. i used to do both of them in during office free time like coffee breaks.
2. so, over the course of 10 months. i developed this habit of solving questions, analyse how my thought process goes while solving questions and created a problem solving mindset.

analysis of pyq:

1. this is must to do, one will get fair idea of how questions are framed, how to solve them.
2. i used to read the information about the options mentioned too.

pattern recognition 

1. i see prelims more in terms of pattern recognition. since , we hardly know 30 questions that our answer is correct for sure. for remaining we have to come up with an answer during that 1 minute using all the knowledge we have.
2. it's important to build that skill to increase the probability of your answer getting right. many things like option eliminations ( this role is slowly declining but still relevant), connecting the dots, thinking differently might help. for example, questions on history and art& culture: sometimes can be solved easily if we look through timelines.
grab the low hanging fruits:

1. it's very important to not miss on questions from polity, economy and few direct conceptual questions from geography, science & tech.
2. make sure you are thorough with these concepts, because the probability of you getting answers right in these subjects are high.

focus on unconventional topics:

1. every year, the weightage for international relations, science & tech ( related to recent happenings) are increasing. i feel not many coaching institutes materials cover these.
2. these can be grasped only by reading newspapers and developing that mindset over the course of journey. then it gets easier to understand the patterns.
3. read world news section, s&t section in news papers throughly, this actually helps a lot.

attempting no. of questions:

1. this aspect depends on the individuals ( some have better success rate, some have low success rate they have to attempt more) and also it depends on the toughness of the paper 
2. i have attempted 80q in prelims 2022( actually i should have attempted a bit more) and 92q in prelims 2023. 

calmness in the exam hall:

1. it's very important to be cool and calm in those 2hrs. our year long of hardwork need to be put into practice in those 2hrs. so, don't panic, don't over analyse, just take one question at a time and think about only that question in that time. 
2. many questions can be solved and probability can be increased by just having a clear, calm mindset.
this pdf covers broad dimensions of all the topics to be covered.
i found this document useful just to make sure i'm not missing anything.
please note this might not be exhaustive list.  nandala saikiran topic-discussion upsc

Saikiran Nandala -Prelims Strategy:

GS4_FLT.pdf

GS4_Theory_test.pdf

framework for case studies .pdf

Ethics_Theory.pdf

Ethics (GS-4) Strategy:

This is the most rewarding of all the GS and relatively needs less effort compared to other GS papers. It is very joy to write these paper as well.

My Sources:
1. Vision Value addition material 
2. Forum Red book
3. Toppers value addition notes
4. Model answers from test series and test discussions 
5. Sunya IAS PYQ book. 

Preparation journey:

1. Jan 2022( before 2022 prelims): Started with preparation using Vision VAM and complementing it with Forum. Got familiar with the subject in 2-3 readings and referred to PYQ on how UPSC frames questions and what to be done to address the demand.  Also, referred to some videos on YouTube for approch on case studies ( mainly Vision IAS). < I didn't make any notes during this time>

2. Post Prelims - for Mains 2022: enrolled for Lukmaan ethics test series ( contains around 6-7 FLT). Read the Vision VAm again and made short notes for few topics. Wrote 4 full length tests of lukmaan and religiously watched the test discussions videos by Ansari Sir. This helped me to analyse my performance and to see how I'm addressing the demand, adding examples. I used to compare my answers with toppers answers for that particular tests, this indeed was very helpful!

3. Mains 2022 analysis: I didn't attempt one 10 marker  and actually I'm not that satisfied with my performance . I got around 108. Contrary to my opinion, I didn't do that bad.

4. Post Mains 2022( Nov 2022): invested around 10 days of time to look at toppers value addition materials, their answers and made my value addition notes and completed my short notes as well 

5. For Mains 2023:  since I did everything beforehand for this attempt, I didn't invest much time to study. Rather I brainstormed PYq from 2015-2022 and referred sunya IAS PYQ book and updated my value addition material. Enrolled for tests in forum and daily answer writing by Digicate IAs helped.

6. Mains 2023 analysis: I completed the paper 3 minutes before this time and scored 122 in Mains 2023.


My key takeaways to increase scores:

1. Balance case studies and theoretical questions: Many people tend to focus much on case studies at the cost of theoretical questions. I used to devote not more than 95 mins for case studies (16 mins for each case study; 6 case studies) and 85 mins for theoretical questions ( 6.5 mins for each question; 13 q)

2. Providing more examples works:  give as much substantiation as possible. 

3. The more practical your answers are the more better it is.

4. Ethical vocabulary:  gives that extra edge, try to incorporate 

5. Frameworks: Have frameworks for case studies, questions on ethics in public administration theoretical questions.

6. Quality over quantity: Add more depth in your points rather than just providing surface level analysis. 

7. Time management: complete paper at all cost, that's half battle done!
2. Notes made for ethics value addition over the course of my journey.
A lot of effort was put in to do this, hope it helps you all!!
3. GS4_FLT

I wrote only one FLT and one more for theory section for 2023.

saikaran nandala -ethics (gs-4) strategy: ethics (gs-4) strategy:

this is the most rewarding of all the gs and relatively needs less effort compared to other gs papers. it is very joy to write these paper as well.

my sources:
1. vision value addition material 
2. forum red book
3. toppers value addition notes
4. model answers from test series and test discussions 
5. sunya ias pyq book. 

preparation journey:

1. jan 2022( before 2022 prelims): started with preparation using vision vam and complementing it with forum. got familiar with the subject in 2-3 readings and referred to pyq on how upsc frames questions and what to be done to address the demand.  also, referred to some videos on youtube for approch on case studies ( mainly vision ias). < i didn't make any notes during this time>

2. post prelims - for mains 2022: enrolled for lukmaan ethics test series ( contains around 6-7 flt). read the vision vam again and made short notes for few topics. wrote 4 full length tests of lukmaan and religiously watched the test discussions videos by ansari sir. this helped me to analyse my performance and to see how i'm addressing the demand, adding examples. i used to compare my answers with toppers answers for that particular tests, this indeed was very helpful!

3. mains 2022 analysis: i didn't attempt one 10 marker  and actually i'm not that satisfied with my performance . i got around 108. contrary to my opinion, i didn't do that bad.

4. post mains 2022( nov 2022): invested around 10 days of time to look at toppers value addition materials, their answers and made my value addition notes and completed my short notes as well 

5. for mains 2023:  since i did everything beforehand for this attempt, i didn't invest much time to study. rather i brainstormed pyq from 2015-2022 and referred sunya ias pyq book and updated my value addition material. enrolled for tests in forum and daily answer writing by digicate ias helped.

6. mains 2023 analysis: i completed the paper 3 minutes before this time and scored 122 in mains 2023.


my key takeaways to increase scores:

1. balance case studies and theoretical questions: many people tend to focus much on case studies at the cost of theoretical questions. i used to devote not more than 95 mins for case studies (16 mins for each case study; 6 case studies) and 85 mins for theoretical questions ( 6.5 mins for each question; 13 q)

2. providing more examples works:  give as much substantiation as possible. 

3. the more practical your answers are the more better it is.

4. ethical vocabulary:  gives that extra edge, try to incorporate 

5. frameworks: have frameworks for case studies, questions on ethics in public administration theoretical questions.

6. quality over quantity: add more depth in your points rather than just providing surface level analysis. 

7. time management: complete paper at all cost, that's half battle done!
2. notes made for ethics value addition over the course of my journey.
a lot of effort was put in to do this, hope it helps you all!!
3. gs4_flt

i wrote only one flt and one more for theory section for 2023.  nandala saikiran topic-discussion upsc

Saikaran Nandala -Ethics (GS-4) Strategy:

Socio_FLT_P1.pdf

Socio_FLT_P2.pdf

Sociology Mock tests before Mains 2023
also checkout Checklist to make answer more sociological thereby more rewarding!
Try to incorporate these in your answer writing progressively!!

More importantly while analysing PYQ, brainstorm using the pointers mentioned. Then this can be incorporated in final paper as well effortlessly. 

I wrote only one full length test for each paper for 2023 attempt. But I have analysed 2016-2022 PYQ thoroughly to include these parameters

sociology optional mock tests sociology mock tests before mains 2023
also checkout checklist to make answer more sociological thereby more rewarding!
try to incorporate these in your answer writing progressively!!

more importantly while analysing pyq, brainstorm using the pointers mentioned. then this can be incorporated in final paper as well effortlessly. 

i wrote only one full length test for each paper for 2023 attempt. but i have analysed 2016-2022 pyq thoroughly to include these parameters  nandala saikiran notes upsc

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