Afnana Abdu Samad UPSC Marksheet, Notes, Strategy

Afnana Abdu Samad UPSC Marksheet

Afnana Abdu UPSC Booklist

A brief history of modern India (Spectrum)	Get Book
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania	Get Book
Certificate Physical & Human Geography by GC Leong	Get Book
Atlas	Get Book
Indian Polity by Laxmikanth	Get Book
Indian Economy	Get Book
Shankar IAS Environment	Get Book
Internal Security and Disaster Management by Ashok	Get Book

Sociology Optional Preparation Strategy by Afnana Abdu Samad

⭕️Sociology Strategy ⭕️❗️Part 1❗️

For prelims cleared and mains appearing students

Since there is only 2 months for mains, optional subject has to be balanced with GS preparation.

So the best strategy that works is the usual UPSC mantra- “Minimum Sources Maximum Revision”

But it is not easy as it sounds.

Sources I referred:
1.Essential Sociology- Nitin Sangwan
2.Sleepy classes Notes

Many will think that this is so easy. But is that all? No there is more….

1. Made a base note from the above 2 resources
2. Attended mock test using them
3. Supplement base note with additional content from answer key.
4. Try to link some current relevant CA with the base note.
   (How to link current affairs with sociology topics I will demonstrate in subsequent posts.)

Institute I attended for mock tests:
1.Sleepyclasses- before prelims
2.Lead IAS, Kerala- before prelims
3.Sociomentors- after prelims

Peer review:

1. Deciphering Sociology- telegram
2. Previous yr question- with friend and mentor

The above approach may look very simple but it’s the execution that makes all the difference. Many have enquired on how to get good marks in sociology. It is all about the little things. Don’t focus on too much content.

In subsequent posts I will also share strategy on answer writing techniques for sociology.

UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy by Afnana Abdu Samad

What to do if your score in prelims(GS or CSAT) is not up to the cut offs mentioned by the coaching institutes?

Even if you do not write mains this year or will be able to clear prelims, either case you need to prepare for mains.
Every single day wasted in contemplation or worrying about the result you are losing precious time.

If you are not able to concentrate in your studies in this time period(I faced the same issue) , what you can do is to spend your time in activities that require less effort to pay attention:

1. Covering lectures of topics not covered in prelims- world history,IR,Internal security,DM etc
2. Cover your optional subject
3. Cover ethics and essay

These are some suggestions from my side.You can find other ways to make this time period before results to be productive.

Sociology Optional answer writing preparation strategy by Afnana Abdu Samad

Many aspirants have messaged that they are struggling in sociology optional answer writing. You can post some sample answers which you have written in the comments. I will try to give my inputs.

But always remember that answer writing only improves with practice. So even if you are struggling now, get the inputs on your answer from wherever possible and try to improve on that from the next answer .

Best coaching institutes for sociology. Optional by Afnana Abdu Samad

Many have put messages on the best coaching institutes for sociology

In my opinion, every coaching institute has its own strengths and weakenesses. As aspiring civil servants, one must look at both the positive and negatives and then make an informed decision regarding the same.

I have already mentioned which sources i referred to in the earlier post.Now i will detail on the institutes.

My experience with coaching institutes for sociology:

1. Sleepyclasses- Shekhar sir- I watched his YouTube videos to build my base content. His notes are a consolidation from multiple sources and so one need not read beyond that. He has a unique way of explaining sociology which generates an interest towards the subject.
2. LEAD IAS- Shibin sir- very good personal attention with constant psychological support. Helps one get the understanding of how to focus sociology study with the objective of maximising marks.During mains he also explained the academic orientation of many sociological thinkers which helped in understanding the concepts better.
3. Sociomentors- Sibil Manha sir- His approach on dimensions and examples from current affairs really enriched my answers. I had joined mains test series here and i found many of the questions were application based which really helped me in the actual UPSC mains exam.

Some common questions regarding sociology as an optional for UPSC

1. Is sociology a scoring subject?
2. Since the syllabus is less isn’t it easier to learn?
3. Hasn’t sociology scored lesser compared to other humanities subjects this year?
4. There are lot of aspirants pursuing sociology as optional. Won’t that make it highly competitive?

My answer to all of the above is same. Any optional subject is scoring based on how much involved you are in it. In mains if you have to score well then only optional can help you do it.

This year i scored 288 which is high compared to normal standards. However when i was preparing i did not expect the score to go so high. I feel what worked for me is the continuous effort in improving myself in the journey.

Who should take sociology as an optional? Answer- Those who find the subject interesting. Those who are able to relate to sociological concepts when they read the newspapers. Also you don’t feel bored when you read the subject.

There is no hard line that a particular optional is better than others. The average of one optional increases when the quality of student and teachers pursuing the subject also increases.

It is true that in UPSC the syllabus of sociology is less. However the Mantra that worked for me is minimum sources and maximum revision combined with deliberate answer writing practice.

So if you enjoy sociology as a subject and are ready to practice lot of answer writing then I believe sociology is the best optional for you.

UPSC Mains Preparation Strategy by Afnana Abdu Samad

After clearing UPSC CSE, one gets a lot of confidence of which most of it is self validation. The kind of social acceptance and appreciation one receives after the result is overwhelming.

However, when I look back at my preparation days , I dont think there was a single moment where i could say with certainty that what i am preparing now will actually translate into a good result.

So in this journey what is most important is to trust the process. Dont ever self doubt and deviate from your preparation. Control the controllable is the key to crack the exam.

Those who are giving mains this year might have a lot of self doubts in your minds. This can be due to lack of content,lack of time management, lack of quality answers etc.

However when I look back on my preparation, i too lacked in all these areas. What made me clear was not that i was perfect in all aspects ,but because i had the willpower to give my best irrespective of what the output will be.

Aspirants writing mains this year might find this helpful.

This week is the culmination of the efforts you have put in the last 3 months. Mindset of the aspirants at this stage of the exam is very important.

Many might be feeling that they have not covered enough content. There may also be those who feel that their answer writing is not upto the mark. This might also arise from relative assessment with other aspirants writing mains this year.

But i would like to tell you that i too was in the same situation in the last week of mains preparation. It was my first mains and both, my content and my writing skills were in the nascent stage. Still i was able to clear the exam in that attempt itself.

The reason i would attribute it to would be the mindset outside the exam hall. Many aspirants would have given hope or would be in the mindset of giving this mains as a trial attempt.

You have already cleared prelims and are in the top of the cream already. Of those who cleared prelims only less than 50 % will be writing seriously.

So dont look at things which you haven’t done. What efforts you have put already is sufficient enough for you to clear the exam. But a strong mindset is really important.

Dont give up before the exam. “Control the controllables” is one of my favourite quotes told my captain cool- MS Dhoni.
If you worry about things that are not in your control then you will not be able to give your best in things that you can control.

In mains there will always be certain bouncer questions which you haven’t studied or dont have any idea about. However you must have faith that if it is something that you dont know then probably others too also dont know much about it. Ultimately all those who write mains are at similar content level. What matters is how you present the limited content in the best possible way.

So throw away all your inhibitions and give your best tomorrow. All the best!!

Last 1 day UPSC Mains preparation strategy by Afnana Abdu Samad

Tomorrow is the last day of your efforts for the last 3 months of mains preparation.

Remember that no optional has a higher edge. The question paper maybe tough, it may be easy. However the result results depends on how you write it within that 3 hours.

So dont doubt yourself. Have full faith in yourself and your preparation. All that matters in mains is your confidence and patience in writing for 3 hours.

All the best. May you come out with flying colours.