GS 2 Preparation Strategy by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Hello everyone I got 130 in GS2 this year . I will like to share my approach to attempt gs2 paper.
follow the format very clearly – Intro , body and conclusion .
Attempt all the questions if possible .
Address the demand of the question ( hit the bull eye ) .
Break the question in small parts and address every thing which has been asked
Write examples as much as possible . Examples word limit must not exceed one line. Examples can be collected daily from newspapers . If u look clearly newspaper is full of examples .
Subcategories the points ( so that answer look holistic ) .for instance in IR one can subcategories answer into geo strategic , geo political , geo cultural , geo economic .
Do not make diagrams unnecessarily .
Governance related questions are very high scoring . One can quote case studies and best practices in them . Also one can prepare keywords and good conclusions which are general and can be written in any answer .
Be very strong in facts and data . Substantiate every point with data . But point must not cross 3-4 lines .
In IR related questions Diagram should be made in every question . But diagram should not consume a lot of space .
In few questions one can quote amartya sen , abhijeet banerjee , john Rawls , B.R ambedkar , Christophe jefferlot , granville Austin etc.
I used to attempt the first 5 questions in beginning and then last 10 questions and then remaing 6 to 10th question. The reason for that is first 5 questions set impression so more tym can be given to them . The reason for attempting 11th to 20th question after that is that each of them consist of 15marks and and if one attempt them well there are high chances of scoring well in them. Also the fifteen mark questions are lengthy and it is very difficult in last few minutes to read and comprehend them well . In remaining 6 to 10th questions i used to have only 4-5 min for each question but they are small questions and i used to write 1 1/2 half page in them.
I will try share my copies, if possible ,and remaining strategy on this telegram channel
CSAT Preparation Strategy by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Many of the aspirants are asking how to approach CSAT .
I am from humanities background so my CSAT is not that good but i used certain strategies to clear CSAT cutoff 3 times . The strategy includes
1. Read the question very very carefully . It is so easy to say but most difficult to implement .
2.do not waste seconds in those questions in which u know u will not able to get answers eg. Probability related questions in my case .
3. Comprehension should be read with calm mind . Use elimination technique here also(Extreme statement wali strategy CSAT mai v lagu hogi — should be , can not , and never are generally wrong statements. May be , could be — high chances of correct ) . Common sense is best guide in comprehension questions
4. Select some of the topics in which u are strong ( eg in my case train related questions , sitting arrangement , reasoning etc ) search for the questions related to these topics .
5. Sometimes one can find the answer by looking at the options or by using the value written in options .
6.try to solve more than 50 questions .
7.genrally by reading the last line of the questions one can know whether the question is from his / her prepared topic or not . By doing this one can save tym .saving time is key in CSAT
Coaching Institute Joined by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Many coaching institutions may publish my name and photo so i want to clarify you all about my affiliation to coaching institutes.
I have not joined any coaching institute for prelims and mains preparation .
I took vision ias mains test series in 2017-2018 ( when i was in third year of my graduation ).- don’t refer to those tests for answer writing skills as i have written them 4 years back .
During my first mains(2019) i took Forum IAS mains test series .
I took Lukman Ias ethics test series in my 3rd mains . But i uploaded only one test of that .
I watched prelims booster videos of onlyias during my first prelims .
I watched Mrunal sir ‘s videos on unacademy for economics .
I utilised notes of many toppers of past years for prelims and mains ( shreyansh kumat sir , mandar patki sir , anudeep sir , satyam gandhi , etc ) .
I also worked in Byjus for 1 and half months as mentor in February-march 2022 ( before joining Indian postal service which i got in my second attempt )
I attended mock interviews in many coaching institutes during my first and second interview .
Wishes to students by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Best of luck for those who are appearing in prelims 2022 . Always remember When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds. your mind When transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
Some tips for last day –
1)Do not read anything new now
2) you can look at last year question paper . 3) eat healthy .stay hydrated .
4) Many would advise you to sleep well but if you can’t don’t worry about it . If you would not able to sleep just before the night of prelims it is totally normal. But lay down on your bed and give rest to your body and mind atleast for 7-8 hours ( jisme agr 3-4 ghante bhi neend aayi to that would be ok ) . I am saying this because it happened with me too . I didn’t able to sleep before one night of prelims . But i didn’t mind that much ,just don’t think that you have not taken proper sleep . In the morning just before the prelims have 1-2 cup of coffee/tea/ redbull , this would make you feel fresh . Also try to take cold water bath for little longer time you may feel more fresh . Those who don’t have sleeping issue may ignore this advise .
Pen used by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper in Mains Exam
Pen used by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper in Mains Exam I used TRIMEX pen in my first mains , GLYCER in my 2nd mains and Pentel ( 0.7 ) in my third mains Pentel (0.7) increased my answer speed tremendously ( thanks to Divyanshu Nigam ♥️♥️)… Janhit mai jaari 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Pen costs Rs..30 but you can order refills set …which are cheaper This one may not work for you ..but you can try ( those whose speed is slow ) .. thoda Motta chalta hai
2) body ( demand of the question , write mainly in points . Points need to substantiated by facts , examples , reports ) .
3) way forward ( write it only when you have met the demand of the question but still you have the time and space required for a particular question )
3) conclusion .( It gives us scope to show our creativity . Write keywords , sdgs , other GYAN , committees report , best practices , positive examples , scholars quotes , constitution articles etc)
In questions where you do not know the answer . 1) attempt such questions at last ( Dimag goli ki raftaar sai bhagta hai last few minutes mai ) .
2) there must not be more than 3 such questions ,otherwise aapne dhang sai tayari ni ki hai .
3) break the question , focus on each keywords in the question . If you know the meaning of any keyword in the question write about it
4) make paragraph , make diagrams etc to fill the space .
5) even if you don’t know anything but writing the answer follow proper structure ( intro , body and conclusion )
Booklist by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Booklist by Vishal Dhakad UPSC TopperBooklist by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
How to clear UPSC Exam by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
What we have to do be an ULTRA PRO player .-
1)Cursory glance at all the documents of NITI ayog in the last 2-3 years ( it will give many fodder points and good diagrams )
2) Upar Upar sai yojna pichle 12 mahine ki dekhna hai …Atleast 1st page to dekh hi Lena
3) pichle 2-3 saal k economic surveys k har chapter ka bas 1 st page padna hai. It will enrich essay writing and GS also .
4) jo v test likhna hai uske model answers sai fodder point uthao .
5 ) pt 365 agr padi hai to usme sai hi mains ka maal nikaal lo ..mujhe to Pt365 mains k liye v kaafi sahi lagti hai …
6) vision ias ki eak all govt schemes wali PT aati hai Uske index mai saari schemes ka naam likha hota hai ..vo saari schemes k bas naam ratne hai taaki answers mai govt. Schemes daal de
Disclaimer – these tips are only for those who have already covered basics and standard materials .
Questions asked by UPSC Aspirant to Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Answers of Some of basic questions which are asked by aspirants .
Is it necessary to join coaching if have some basic knowledge?
I didn’t join any coaching and I don’t think it is necessary if you able to prepare from content available on net
Whats your time line for this exam ,means how much time you alloted for one subject and one year time line both.. I started prepration in 2017 . I revised every basic material more than 10 time in this time .
Preliminary exam book list which I can follow religiously – Follow standard books and NCERTS which i already mentioned . Plus newspaper and one monthly magzine .
6.which newspaper should I follow and magzine..for current affairs ?
I followed the Hindu and vision monthly magzine , mains365 and PT365 . Also in my 1st attempt i watched onlyias Prelim booster videos .
7.when and how to start answer writing.
start answer writing once you covered the NCERTs and standard books atleast one time . Initially start writing answers of questions mentioned in exercise of NCERTs and after that shift on GS questions . Look at toppers copies to know how to answer questions .
🙏🙏🙏
Q) you made notes from Newspaper for PSIR or…relied on Shubhra Ma’am Crash Course & Material ?
I made my own note from Newspapers and monthly magzine .. Though I read shubhra Mam’s basic notes during preparation . Maine jo link upar share ki hai toppers ke PSIR notes ki ..maine unse apne notes bnaye the ..
Q) how many hours you study in your upsc journey ?
Most cleche question hai ye humesha ka toppers sai 😂😂..
I studied as much as I can . Between prelims and mains i even tried to study for 14-15 hours ( though effective hours were 10-11 )
Q) How to utilise the time between prelims and mains ..? How to allocate time for revision, tests and completing pending work ..?
My personal way was to complete optional + ethics in first 40 -50days after prelims . Also meanwhile start answer writing from now .write GS1 and optional related answers . GS1 almost completed in prelims so you can writes it’s answers as of now ..
I used to write atleast 1 hour everyday . But as my speed was low in 1st attempt .So in my 2nd attempt i use to write 3 hours everyday or on every alternative day .
I generally revise the things in the evening .
Sessions in coaching institutes on UPSC prepration by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
In coming days i may take few sessions in coaching institutes on UPSC prepration . My ambitions are not to promote those coachings but i accepted to take sessions so that I can answer the doubts and dilemmas of aspirants . Also these coachings provide a platform ( offline /online/youtube ) to connect with large chunk of aspirants which may not be possible for me on my own personal efforts .
See it is you people responsibility also to make informed choices .
Some people may clear this exam without coachings and some may clear with coachings . Ultimately you need to introspect what kind of person you are .
Follow ur conscience first .. never follow toppers blindly ..
Interview dress in UPSC CSE – Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
In my 1st interview i went in suit boot and tie and got 146 . In my second interview i went without suit to look different and also too show that i am fit ( i thought ki sayd kuch acha impression jaaye ) but got 151 😂😂.. in my third attempt i went in suit boot and tie with little beard and got 188 .
My conclusion is go in formal and groom urself well . Other than that focus on your communication skills , confidence , DAF , body language and analytical skills . Ultimately it is not clothes but character which matters
How to collect prelims and mains related stuff from newspaper by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
How to collect prelims and mains related stuff from newspaper . See the data ” ransomware incidents rose by 151% ” is good data for cybersecurity related question in mains . And prelims related info. in this article is the Global cybersecurity outlook is published by WEF .
Answer Writing strategy by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
So prelims result is out today .those who found there roll no. give ur 500% this time . Even if you are starting from scratch in this mains you have the chance to clear the mains . In my first attempt i was getting good marks in prelims paper 1 but i was on boundary in CSAT . I thought I would not able to clear prelims so I didn’t study .But when result came i cleared the prelims but only 68 days left to prepare for mains .In those 68 days i used all my efforts to succeed . Fortunately I cleared mains that year .But because I didnt able to focus much on answer writing i didn’t get good marks in mains. So i would advise you to focus on answer writing as well because no matter how much you study examiner will judge you by your answer copy .
Motivational post by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Those who didn’t make it this time please don’t take any decision as of now . Talk with your friends and family . If you want to cry , cry loudly .vomit your emotions. Life is not fair it is for sure . I don’t want to give Gyan ( lecture ) here . You people know the things very well . You all are mature so handle this phase with maturity .I know you have put manythings on stake for this exam .
Whenever I saw some failures in my life i always think of Rama and Pandavas .We worship them , they are our heroes . But have u ever thought why we worship them .Rama was a king but he suffered life long . First he was denied his kingdom , he was sent to 14 years of exile , he lived in jungles ,his beloved wife was kidnapped, and when he killed Ravana and came back to aayodhya it was thought that now everything would be on track but the destiny never wanted him to be happy . He has to be departed from his wife . He started sleeping on the floor .He didn’t able to enjoy the pleasure of his children’s childhood moments . And when again everything seems to be on track his wife left him forever with mother earth .
See this is life . We worship him today because we get inspiration that hard day’s will come , things may not work according to ur wishes but you have to stick to your principles .You have to continue to do what you have to do .
One day somewhere in the heaven we will laugh on our these silly disappointment . We are not eternal so don’t take things on heart .
I always tries to keep in mind what S.N Goeneka ji –( one of the famous Vipasana teacher) used to say ” Jo bhi hai acha Bura sukh dukh sab chala jaayega , nothing is permanent “”
Be happy be happy be happy ..
In these sad moments tries to be happy atleast for those whose happiness is you and only you
Answer Writing copy of Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
Hello everyone vision ias has uploaded some of mains copies in my name but actually I gave my vision ias mains test series last year to someone else so those test papers are actually not written by me .
Essay preparation strategy by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper
18 Essay Related advice from My side
1) brainstorming for 15 to 30 minutes on some important essay related topics ( atleast 30 topics ) .
2) Brainstorming here means think about what should be the ideal introduction and conclusion which you can write on a particular topic and also what major areas you would touch in body of an essay .
3) If you feel bore in writing full essays just write Introduction and conclusions on atleast 20 essays . Choose some broader topics with diverse themes so that you can touch most of the areas from which essay can be asked .
4) Philosophical essays generally boils down on ethics and morality for example “life is long journey bw Human and being Humane ” . In order to write a good philosophical essays you must have good understanding and good examples of ethics and morality.
5) Mythologies such as Mahabharata and Ramayana are good source of examples for philosophical essay . Also some stories from Bible ad Quran can be incorporated to enrich your philosophical essay.
6) Choosing the right topic is game changer . Give some time to yourself . Read all 4 topics atleast twice and choose one topic on which you think you have enough content and also the topic which you feel is close to your heart .
7) From where to collect anecdotes and stories —yojana ,newspaper , Mahabharat , YouTube videos, etc
8)How to select topics for essay –last 25 years essay topics
9) From where to collect Facts and data for essay – If your gs2 and gs3 preparation is well and good . You need not collect extra facts and data .
10) from where to collect quotes – Goodread website is good source of collecting quotes from well-known books and well known authors .
11) write in good handwriting as you would have enough time .
12) You can raise questions in introduction .Many toppers use this strategy .They raise various questions in introduction of essay and they try to answers those questions in subsequent sections of the essay .
13) Use words like moreover , however , nonetheless , perhaps , still, although ,though , etc In order to connect two paragraphs
14) Use the strategy of social, cultural , economic , political , legal, ethical, env., International , administrative etc to make your essay holistic .
15 ) From where we can get examples and stories to write good essay – Mahabharat Mann ki baat of PM History – many examples from ancient , mediaeval ,modern and world history . Buddha – examples from life of Buddha . Philosphers like – Plato , Aristotle , Machiavelli etc . International relationahip – examples of different countries . Society . Holy epics . Books that you have read Cricket Armed Forces Civil servants Sportsman Politicians Great leaders Scientists Conquerors Vulnerables Economy — leaders , scams ,corporate tycoons Humanitarians Spiritual leaders . Gandhiji Freedom fighters . Indian philosophies – like advaita vedanta Swami vivekananda Kabir Socio religious reforms in india and contributors
16 ) you can read last 3-4 years economic surveys( only 1st page of of every chapter ) to get good keywords , quotes , anecdotes and to enrich the vocabulary.
17 ) Just don’t overload your essay with facts , examples and quotes . Try to maintain the flow and always stick to the demand of the topic .
18 ) my last advise is to be happy while writing the essay and try to feel the essay with heart . Believe me it will create magic .
How to enhance will power during UPSC Civil Services Exam by Vishal Dhakad UPSC Topper?
In exam like civil service motivation can not let you too fight for long . If you watch one motivational video you may get instant JOSH and may start rigorous study for 1 or 2 hour but after that the effect of that video fades away . What you really needs is to have a strong will power so that even in adverse conditions and in worse time of yours you can continue to pursue your higher goals . If you think your will power is weak and you easily succumb to instant gratification you can try one exercise. Suppose you want to watch a movie as it is of your favourite actor / actress and you cant wait for it . Try to give yourself a target ,for instant ,that i will watch this movie only when i will complete the 5 chapters of particular book( give practically achievable targets ) . By doing this you have avoided the instant gratification for your higher goal and also you have moved one steps towards controlling your mind and body . According to my own experience by the time you complete your target the urge for that gratification ( watching the movie or eating Pizza etc ) would gone away . The influence of instant gratification things remain for only some time and if you able to avoid them for time being you can save yourself from future guilts .
In short my advice is to connect your instant gratification with some target and make a promise that you will enjoy that gratification only after completion of target .
According to a very famous “Stanford marshmallow experiment” those who can delay gratification achieve tremendous success in their life.
