Read NCERT Books
Start reading NCERT books. These are basic textbooks which will give you the gist of the subject and then you can go deeper and deeper into that subject. For example, in History, you should start reading India’s Ancient Past, then Medieval India by Satish Chandra and then India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra. Then you can refer textbooks which go deeper in the subject.
Read Newspapers
Cultivate a habit of reading newspaper, try to finish it off in 1 hour. Start reading newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express. They are very good and read them religiously. Once you get comfortable reading newspapers start making notes out of important events.
Make 8 divisions, namely, International Relations(Middle East and Asia), International Relations(Americas and remaining world), Government Policies and schemes, Personalities and Awards and Sports, International Organisations, Social Issues, Economic Policies, Defence and classify all news in these categories.
Read especially editorial sections and expert opinion articles, by reading these you can score well in the exams especially the questions which are related to current affairs.These will help as a ready- reckoner while you are revising for the general studies syllabus.
Solve Previous Years Question Papers Find 29 years Prelims Questions
here It has been truly said that you require smart hard work to crack Civil Services Exam without coaching. This is where the importance of your thorough insight of the question papers creeps in. You must go through the question papers of past 10 years as it will help you identify the pattern and frequently asked topics. Also, it will make your preparation process easier and boost your confidence level. Practising with
model question papers will help you pick up speed.
Right Selection of books
To move in the right direction, you have to select a standard book for each topic or subject rather than referring to multiple books for each topic. Collect standard study materials and make your own study plan. This not only saves your time, but will help you get the right guidance.
Prefer you Own Notes
To make it easy for your own on the eve of examination, making notes of the topics is undoubtedly a wise move. This solves two purposes – one, it gives you an insight of the topics as you go through the syllabus and two, it saves goo amount of time during exam as you’ll not have to refer again and again to the same thing.
Use Internet
Make use of the Internet. Don’t restrict your reading to only books. They provide you with knowledge which can’t be gained by reading books. Watch documentaries like BBC’s Days that shook the World which will increase your knowledge base. Whenever any current issue comes up, look up all the details on the internet, including the history of the issue in question. Keep in mind that they tend to be a bit biased though. Visit the websites of government ministries whenever a new bill is introduced. It will help you see the government point of view on the bill.
Read Magazines
Read following magazines: Frontline, Economic and Political Weekly, Yojana, Kurukshetra.
Optional Paper
Decide your optional fast and then look online for the recommended reading list for that optional.
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