My name is Tanisha Jetly, and in the UPSC CSE 2022, I got an AIR of 400. I got my Botany Honours from Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, in 2020. My path to the UPSC started in 2019 with Botany as an optional subject.
Since I have a degree in biology, I didn’t feel the need to join any test series or coaching for optional. On my first try (in 2020), I couldn’t pass mains. On my second try in 2021, I failed only in the preliminary round. After three tries, I finally got on the list in 2022.
3 hours every day. I didn’t spend any time on biology in the four months before my prelims. Instead, I put all of my attention on the prelims. • 4.5 hours a day after the prelims.
Phases followed
My first goal was to look over the course outline and PYQs. I also looked at papers from the past 15 years to get a full picture of the range of topics to be covered.
The second goal was to take detailed notes (2–3 pages) on every topic that was talked about. I tried to learn as much of the syllabus as I could before the finals.
The third step is to look over your notes more than once. This part started after the exams. Read, learn, review, and do it again and again.
Write things down to remember them better. Make up your own questions and try to answer them.
Tanisha Jetly booklist for Botany Paper 1
MICROBIOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY, by Singh Pande Jain, is a botany textbook that has links to online tools. 2.CRYPTOGAMS: Same Singh Pande Jain book and tools on the internet 3.PHENOGRAMS: For gymnosperms, read the book by Singh Pande Jain. For angiosperms, read Plant Systematics by G Singh. For embryology, read The Embryology of Angiosperms by Bhojwani and Bhatnagar. 4.PLANT RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: Economic Botany by S.L.Kochhar and internet tools
MORPHOGENESIS: Straight from different places
Tanisha Jetly booklist for Botany Paper 2
1.CELL BIOLOGY: From different places 2.GENETICS, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, AND EVOLUTION: Some topics from Genetics by PK Gupta, some from my college notes, and some from the internet. Internet sites on the subject of evolution 3.Plant breeding, biotechnology, and biostatistics: Internet tools and graduation notes
PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY: Various websites and graduation notes 5.ECOLOGY AND PLANT GEOGRAPHY: Any basic book on the environment and the Internet
Note 1: Books don’t need to be fully covered. Only think about the things that are on the syllabus. 2.There are some websites that helped a lot with taking notes on things that weren’t in the books. *Talk about biology *Study and get a grade *Random reliable YouTube videos
My notes from high school helped me cover themes that overlapped. One can definitely use the graduation notes if the topics are properly covered.
Botany Optional Answer Writing Strategy by Tanisha Jetly
INTRODUCTION
Either give a simple explanation or start with facts and figures. For a question about lichens, you can start by giving a simple definition or by saying how many kinds there are in India.
MAIN BODY
Write what the question asks you to. Try to answer with a list of points or a flowchart. Draw figures in a neat and clean way. Whenever you can, write the scientist’s name.
CONCLUSION
Botanical replies aren’t always easy to figure out. In some cases, you can try it by paraphrasing the answer or writing two or three lines about why the topic is important. Example of a practise answer about the different kinds of lichens and how they are made inside.
