To Every Civil Last Minute - D19k0hz679a7ts.cloudfront

To everyaspiringCivilServant–LastMinuteTips forMains2020Dear Student,Yes! for those of you, who are to write the Mains this year, are having this common goal- “aspiring”to be an IAS, IPS, or an IFS.Preparing for this exam, and performing to be selected in this exam, are like two sides of the samecoin. So, this aspiration, needs an effective translation, within those 9 days of Mains exam. (8th to17th January 2021)Before the reading of this mail, we appreciate and acknowledge your intensive journey of the pastfew months, filled with massive learning experiences and insights.Going into the next month, each of you, writing the Mains this year, are like a lone warrior, aiming toperform, in few assigned hours (27 to be precise) to translate all your hard work, strategies, learning, and knowledge onto the exam sheets.It thus is an exam of your patience and perseverance.DELHI JAIPUR PUNE HYDERABAD AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW CHANDIGARHwww.visionias.in

8468022022www.visionias.inAfter all, most of us have patiently, given our time, to understand the nuances of this exam, honeour skills and so, be mentally prepared to give your best!The temperament to handle the week of the exam, demands discipline, tough physical and mentalendurance and energy to make sure all the papers are attempted with equal rigor and is finishedwithin the time limit and the word limit, making you feel content, of the months of preparation,reading and writing put in.But in the end, the exam process will make you realize, the practical significance of grit, fortitudeand endurance, in the literal sense of the term. So, enjoy and express the best in you.SAINOISIIt is all so relative! Relative in terms of preparation, relative to the idea of writing in the exam, relativeto the idea of marking, relative to the idea of filling pages, relative to the idea of evaluation, relativeto the idea of performance.But somewhere deep down, you will feel liberated, you will feel happy, you will feel relieved and mostimportantly, it will be for many of you, completed either way.So, with this retrospection and contemplation, one must understand that this exam demands a littlemore wisdom and knowledge- The mains exam requires a combination of analysis, opinion, and intelligence. Intelligence to articulate, knowledge to express one’s views and opinion to handle thosequestions where views outsmart facts.It tests the ability of a candidate to form an opinion about an issue, have both dimension and magnitude of the scenario and context, and provide an analysis in a basic minimum word limit frame.On CSE Mains examination suggestion(s):If this exam was to be equated to a race, Mains in specific is a marathon.One must be very balanced right from the outset to give equal weightage to all the papers alike, formost of us tends to read intensively into certain areas and end up ignoring other not-so-importantsections.For example, due to excess of coverage of Geography, Modern India, Indian Culture, Polity andIndian Economy our sections of GS I, GS II, and III is usually at its peak in preparation, owing toits common significance in prelims as well as main examination.But ensure, the segments, going into the exam hall, that is dealt well in equal measure, includesIndian Society, Internal Security, International Relations, Disaster Management, World History,Post-Independence India, and Ethics alike. Yes, it is these areas that must be selectively andeffectively dealt, through better presentation.VYour mock test may have helped you immensely to plan, visualize and attempt these areas, by now,for you will be made to think, answer, write, analyze, discuss those topics, and finally be marked. Inthe model answers/answer formats provided to you by Vision IAS, you may have read the possibleand probable information as well as the manner of writing a decent answer in limited word format, tostructure your answer in the best possible manner in the given time. That would indeed be a veryuseful exercise.Time management, will remain the most important aspect and yet a challenge in the Mains exam. Tobe able to complete 20 answers in 180 minutes (with the division of 15 marks and 10 marks questions). So, in the next one month, you must make a calibrated effort to prepare along these linesaccordingly.Few basic observations:General Studies in Mains is a sound testing of your ability to handle two sets of questions in a brief,concise yet analyzed manner.DELHI JAIPUR PUNE HYDERABAD AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW CHANDIGARHwww.visionias.in

8468022022www.visionias.inThe division of the papers, GS -1, GS-II and GS-III between 150 words(10 marks) and 250 words(15marks), is extremely crucial for – in the real-time exam condition, it ultimately boils down to howwell, effective, quick, rational, and pragmatic you are as a candidate to handle the sequence of thepaper.Secondly, the challenge is also in handling the 10-mark questions in a brief, concise, andto-the-point manner. Here, one must be careful to balance the answers, word limit, and to thepoint crisp answers;In 15-mark question, one could try to elaborate, reason, substantiate, elucidate and analyze indetailed manner for we can write 250 words.SAINOISIFor example, in GS -II, where the broad thematic division of paper is into, Indian Constitution- Governance Issues- Government Schemes and International Relations. In this case, if any of us are comfortable to begin the paper with best presentation and answers of IR, we should certainly do that;For example, say if a 15-mark question is asked on India-Iran relations:One can immediately chart a map showing our extended neighbor vis-a-vis locating Afghanistan- Central Asia and Pakistan. In this case, we may also point to the presence of Gwadarport and Chahbahar port in the same map.Another possible way of handling the question would be to make a subheading of Energy(Import dependence), Economy, Infrastructure (Chabahar Port), India-Afghanistan-Iran trilateral dimension, India-West Asia broader issue among a few broad themes.Such ideas are indicative and not the only approach.The idea to give the example is to brainstorm various possible ways to analyze how best can ananswer be written with basic, standard knowledge, information, coverage.Remember GS is not merely about an intensive reading of a plethora of information, websites, editorials, summary analysis. It is crucially also about a selective, organized application, effective presentation of key requirements in a structured manner. Yes, every keyword used is important. It must beSelective: Be very specific to the questions asked. Do not digress unnecessarily wherever notrequired. The key is to fine-tune the balance between content, word-limit, and presentation.Organized application: The best suggestion, in this case, is to align with the question and multiple sub-set of questions.For example- In GS I, there was a 15-mark question as follows:Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development inIndia. (15).VThe best approach would be in this case to sub-divide the questions internallyDefine Blue RevolutionProblemsStrategies for pisciculture development in India.ConclusionEffective Presentation: The use of underlining of keywords, diagrams, flowchart, use of examples,for instance in Jharkhand – Matsya Mitra Scheme.So, a standard way to approach the answer writing is toUnderstand the demand of the questionSpecific sub-division /side headings aligned with the intent of the questionStructural presentation with all possible multiple dimensionsAcross the sub-section, the most important requirement is to understand the idea, theme, definition,key features and some of the examples to substantiate your arguments.DELHI JAIPUR PUNE HYDERABAD AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW CHANDIGARHwww.visionias.in

8468022022www.visionias.inIndian Society is one area in Paper 1, where we can adequately incorporate current affairs, policyanalysis (National Policy of Health; Women; Children; Tribals; Divyang related schemes, Provisionsfor vulnerable section, the role of ministries of Social welfare and Justice etc).For instance, if there is a question with regard to Tribal welfare measures, the trigger should be– The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,2006 on one hand and mention of Xaxa committee (2013-14) report recommendation in eitherintroduction or conclusion. So, schemes and policies, important statistics can be used toenhance the quality of your answer in a massive way.SAINOISIIn the Geography sub-section, the most important suggestion is to make a note of keywords andensure that there is adequate conceptual clarity to explain/define the phenomenon and geographicfeatures in lucid language. Diagrams to a large extent are almost compulsory to score higher. Try towrite the answers of geography in a scientific, point-wise manner. Underline the key features.GS II and III, become one of the most dynamic papers, extremely relevant, as administration andgovernance would be an area, one would be dealing the most, post-selection in the exam; The key tobe kept in mind, is the maximum application of current affairs in the exam in the most relevantways; and, timely completion of paper with equal emphasis on structure, presentation, flow chart,and tables.In GS II, for the topic, Role of civil services in a democracy, the key is to fuse your standard knowledge of information, ARC report suggestions, current events, issues, opinion, analysis in a mannerthat the answer finally written in the exam hall is superlative in terms of the churning of all the material, key-ideas. Remember unlike part -1 of constitutional understanding, here is the test of yourability to co-relate governance aspects.For example, the sub-topic Role of civil services in a democracy can be co-related to the newsand debate around lateral entry. Similarly, if we are writing an answer on e-governance, wemust mention the Sevottam, e-choupal, mee-seva(Telangana/Andhra Pradesh), and any othersuccessful state government example, which may flash in your mind in the exam hall.So effectively this section must be dealt in the manner of linkages of Static conceptual basis, definition with its application in our day-to-day functioning, enabling you to showcase insight through itsactual implementation mechanism, policy challenges, strength etc;In the International Relations segment, as pointed earlier, the answers written have dimensions ofconvergences- cooperation Vs conflict- – contestation (between India and the bilateral nation concerned). Also, have a very optimistic opinion about the future course and write the answer in a verynuanced manner;VIn the case of GS-III, at answer writing and presentation level acquires major significance becausethere are almost 5 subset themes totally diverse and technical in nature.For example, some of such questions in CSE 2018, includes:Comment on the important changes introduced in respect of the Long-term Capital Gains Tax(LCGT) and Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) in the Union Budget for 2018-2019. (150 Words, 10Marks)Discuss the work of ‘Bose-Einstein Statistics’ done by Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose and show howit revolutionized the field of Physics. (150 Words, 10 Marks)What is a wetland? Explain the Ramsar concept of ‘wise use’ in the context of wetland conservation. Cite two examples of Ramsar sites from India. (150 Words, 10 Marks)The idea then is to either be very objective to attempt such questions only when you are sure aboutit, or else to concentrate on the remaining questions and improve the content in those answers byusing helping tools like drawing maps (if you must show the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangleon map), pie diagram (if a question on India’s renewable energy basket) is asked;DELHI JAIPUR PUNE HYDERABAD AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW CHANDIGARHwww.visionias.in