What Should be in your UPSC NOTES?-

NOTE-MAKING-

I believe this is one of the difficult aspects to tackle next to answer writing.

WHY NOTES?

Whether it is GS or Optional or even Essay, notes are integral to your preparation for they help in revising the topics multiple times and boosts your preparation when you have some amount of notes for each topic mentioned in the UPSC CSE syllabus.

Also, the short notes are relevant for last minute revisions during actual mains.

WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR NOTES?-

Content should comprise of static and current. You can make some readymade introductions for topics such as - internal security, disaster management, geography, history.

They should cover the themes asked regularly [this you can add using PYQ].

1/ Relevant introductions

2/ Data, facts, diagrams- GS 1 and GS 3

3/ Articles, SC judgments, examples of everyday policy, laws- GS 2 and GS 4

4/ Theorists, scholars, keywords - Optional

WHEN TO MAKE NOTES?

When you start reading a topic, you refer to your coaching notes or some relevant books. You should read the source at least TWICE before making any form of notes. In the first reading, you can highlight the things that you want to include or might forget later, especially any keyword, data, institute, etc.

When you give your second read, try to recall whatever you read initially. At this point, you can make notes of the most important things that should be in your notes.

Short notes for mains should be made around Nov-Dec or between Prelims-Mains [whatever suits you]. It is advisable that you make short notes for the static parts of the syllabus. You can add the current affairs / enrichment after clearing Prelims.

WHICH SOURCES TO BE COVERED ?

1/ If you are taking coaching, do not run after any other source. If you are not satisfied with any particular section, you can refer to any one source. But please be selective while doing this. Do NOT RUN AFTER MULTIPLE SOURCES. Always ensure MULTIPLE REVISIONS.

2/ Books- that I have mentioned on the channel in the booklist section. Or any other books that you are following.

3/ Topper copies- These have been a game changer in my preparation. After completing your static notes and using enrichment using newspaper. Topper copies can be used to take out good introductions, diagrams, flowcharts, conclusions to aid your notes.

For people with PSIR or any optional- just follow one source, be it SRIAS or any other coaching material.

Try to answer questions using PYQ or test series, if you are not able to answer them, introspect whether it is an issue of retention of content or you are lacking sufficient content. If you think you need some more UNDERSTANDING, then only refer to any other source.

The syllabus is vast itself to cover each topic, so do not run after multiple sources, trust your sources and try to answer them. If you go on covering syllabus by reading books for each topic, it will be very difficult to complete your notes on time.

NEWSPAPER? -

You do not have make short notes from newspaper, as they will be very time consuming.

From newspaper, when you are reading any article / news, try to take out data, facts, best practices, SC judgements, diagrams, etc for GS notes. You will be able to do this effectively when you have basic notes for most of the topics in the syllabus.

For optional, if there is any topic that is covered in newspaper, take out basic pointers in simple 1-2 lines that you should add where you have made your static notes.

Any form of notes that you are taking from newspapers should always be added next to your static notes, hence I advise you to make your notes in A4 sheet or use digital form (Evernote, One note)