Strategy:Mains

This page is maintained by the toppers of Civil Services Examination.

General tips for GS

• Focus on all part of the syllabus equally. Do not neglect small subjects and topic, you never know how many questions can be from subject.
• Attempt all the questions in the exam. Completion of paper is the first and foremost priority in the exam. If you leave even one question, you will loose 4-5 marks which can make a big difference.
• Always use introduction and conclusion in answers.
• Use examples to augment your points. You do not need to write full examples, 2-3 words conveying an incident, scheme, policy, etc. is enough. This is important as this will show your understanding of the topic.
• Use diagrams where ever possible.
• Use all the space given in the answer sheet. Empty white space in answer sheet may give a negative impression to the examiner. (Tip: You can increase the size of your handwriting if you are finding it difficult to add more content.)
• Always try to include in answer the efforts of the government, relevant policies, Acts, schemes related to the topic.
• Add suggestions (if possible) even if not asked.

Strategy for Ethics - GSIV

• Ethics has two sections in paper. Section A contains theoretical questions majorly and Section B is case studies.
• For Section A, a material from any teacher which covers the basic terminologies and concepts of Ethics will work. Reading this material a few times while also attempting questions would allow us to apply those concepts in both theoretical and case study questions.
  • In addition to theory, this paper requires lots of examples. One can read newspapers and magazines and collect these examples. It would be really original in paper.
  • Book Practical Approach to Ethics by D K Balaji is an awesome read. It has lots of examples for all the concepts. One can just pick and choose for each topic.
  • Examples need to be brief, precise and clear.
  • Make flashcards to keep revising easily
• For Section B, it requires a lot of practice. This section basically tests application of concepts read for Section A.
  • One major mistake that some of us do while attempting case studies is to go too idealistic. One needs to find practical solution to the problem.