Swati Sharma - PSIR RESOURCES & STRATEGY

PSIR RESOURCES & STRATEGY-

I have done BA Political Science Honours from Jamshedpur. Hence, reason for selecting PSIR was due to my vivid interest in the subject, availability of resources and test series.

RESOURCES-

1. I had purchased Shubhra Ranjan Postal Correspondence Notes in 2021. This was the basic source that I followed throughout my preparation, majorly for sections such as comparative politics, IR theory, Part B of Paper 1.

2. In order to enhance my understanding, I referred to O P Gauba Political Theory, Subrata Mukherjee for WPT, Global Politics by Andrew Heywood, IGNOU notes for national movement.

3. Newspapers and websites- ORF, IDSA.

4. Topper copies- Ishita Kishore ma'am, Utkarsh Dwivedi sir.

TEST SERIES-

I had enrolled in Enlight IAS daily answer writing program from Oct 2022 for PSIR where I used to write one question/day for evaluation [mostly wrote PYQs]. This had been a huge help in connecting to every topic and structuring of answers.

I joined Shubhra Ranjan ma'am Crash course 2023 after clearing Prelims.

I could write only 4 sectional tests, no FLTs.

Pros-

1. Helped complete my optional syllabus.

2. The model answers were very useful to gather and deliver content.

3. The current affairs classes were of immense help.

Do not judge any test series by its evaluation & feedback process, as UPSC criteria of checking will always differ from any coaching test series. I would advise to write tests and refer to topper copies to get a better idea. Dont get stuck in phobia of "not getting enough marks in tests".

STRATEGY-

I attempted paper sequentially, mostly in paragraph format.

Q1 of Part A- likewise the rest Qns- Q5 of Part B in the end for both papers.

I used to attempt 2 ques from Part A and 1 ques from Part B, apart from compulsory ones.

I believe in idea of "first impression", hence such a strategy.

Time management should be taken seriously. During my mains, I rushed in completing my 10 markers, but completed my whole paper on time in Paper 1. So, I maintained to adhere to time limit in Paper 2.

STRUCTURING OF ANSWER-

Introduction- not more than 3-4 lines based on demand of question or connection with theory.

for eg- ques on WTO- wrote about liberal institutionalism, British imprints- constitution as bag of borrowings, Foucaults' power theory- definition of power.

Body- detailing about demand only. A small 2-3 lines of critical analysis.

eg- satyagraha - wrote about B R Ambedkar critic on Gandhi.

Conclusion- 3-4 lines- in form of way forward mostly.

Copied it from newspaper editorials, books, for some sections.

CURRENT AFFAIRS-

Newspapers were my go to resource for this part. I always tried to connect them with static part mentioned in syllabus. I read a lot of articles for Paper 2 part B by googling the terms.

I had made separate notes on Evernote for sections such as bilateral relations, Governor, institutional bodies, nuclear policy, etc.

It is advisable to remain balanced while noting the authors and their works.

SOME OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE WORKED-

1. I used to mention full name of scholars with their work (wherever possible, in 15/20 marker-

for eg- rather than just mentioning Morgenthau, I wrote Hans Morgenthau.

2. Underlining the key terms and scholars.

3. Starting the next paragraph next to the ending of previous paragraph (refer to test copies to understand this better).

4. Short and directed introductions, more focus on body to address demand, always with a small analysis but with a credible source or theory mentioned.

5. More focus on theorising my answers than just writing the theory & scholars. (You can check Ishita Kishore ma'am copies for this).

6. Wrote the answers & compared them with topper copies (mocks).

7. Linking the keywords with overall body than just mentioning it without any reference in answer.

Below are some of the answers that I wrote before prelims {Enlight IAS DAW}. Some of them can be below average😅.