Aditya Hriday Upadhyay (CSE-23 AIR-416) Comprehensive Strategy

Aditya Hriday Upadhyay's Journey to Success in UPSC CSE 2023

Aditya Hriday Upadhyay, a resident of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has emerged as a successful candidate in the UPSC CSE 2023. With a rank of 416, Aditya has achieved this feat in his second attempt, showcasing his determination and resilience.

Background and Journey

Aditya's academic journey began with a B.Tech. degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Roorkee, which he completed in July 2021. Immediately after graduation, he set his sights on the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Examination, targeting the 2022 cycle.

In his first attempt, Aditya cleared the Preliminary Examination but fell short in the Mains. Despite scoring 345 in the General Studies (GS) section and 240 in his Optional, he missed the Mains cutoff by a mere 30 marks. Undeterred, Aditya regrouped and prepared for the 2023 attempt.

Clearing Prelims and Mains

In his second attempt, Aditya once again cleared the Preliminary Examination. This time, he was better prepared for the Mains, where he saw a significant improvement in his GS score, from 345 to 390. However, his Optional score saw a more modest increase of 23 marks, as he struggled with Paper-I. Nonetheless, a strong performance in the Personality Test (PT) helped Aditya secure a position in the final merit list.

Aditya acknowledges that he still has room for improvement, particularly in his answer writing for GS and accuracy in the Optional subject, to achieve his desired service.

Time-Management and Resources

Aditya believes that a flexible time-table, tailored to one's strengths, is crucial for maximizing productivity. His most productive study hours were from 2 PM to 7 PM (post-lunch) and 9 PM to 1 AM (post-dinner). Incorporating exercise and prayers into his routine helped him stay energized and motivated throughout his preparation.

Prelims Preparation

For his Prelims preparation, Aditya relied on a combination of carefully selected resources:

• Ancient and Medieval History: IPS Poonam Dalal Dahiya's book, which combines the works of R.S. Sharma and Satish Chandra in a lucid manner.
• Polity: Laxmikant's Indian Polity along with the Bare Act of the Constitution.
• Geography: NCERT textbooks for classes 11-12 and G.C. Leong's book, supplemented by Rajtanil Mam's YouTube lectures.
• Economy: Mrunal Handouts and current affairs from Vision PT 365.
• Environment: Shankar IAS book and PT 365.
• Art and Culture: Nitin Singhania's book.
• Science and Technology: NCERT textbooks for classes 6-10, along with detailed study of current affairs from PT 365.
• Modern History: Spectrum's book.

Mains Preparation

For the Mains examination, Aditya followed a comprehensive approach, utilizing various resources for each GS paper:

GS-I:

• Modern History, Ancient & Medieval, and Art & Culture sources remained the same as Prelims.
• World History: Vision VAM, with additional coverage of decolonization from Arjun Dev's book.
• Society: Vision VAM, with value addition from newspapers and current affairs magazines.
• Geography: NCERT textbooks for classes 11-12, G.C. Leong, and the Forum IAS Red Book for the resources and industries portion.

GS-II:

• Polity: Laxmikant, issues covered from Vision VAM, the Representation of the People Act 1951, and Mains 365 for current affairs, with value addition from newspapers.
• Governance: Vision VAM, newspapers, and Mains 365.
• Social Justice: Vision VAM, newspapers, and Mains 365.
• International Relations: Mains 365 and the External Affairs Ministry's annual document for key terms and value addition.

GS-III:

• Indian Economy: Previous Year Questions (PYQs), static portion from Prelims, and current affairs.
• Agriculture, Infrastructure, and Energy: Vision VAM.
• Environment: Shankar IAS and current affairs from Mains 365.
• Internal Security: Ashok Kumar Sir's book and newspaper value addition.
• Science & Technology: Basics from the ForumIAS Red Book, current affairs from Mains 365, and ministry websites for the latest developments.

GS-IV:

• Ethical concepts and understanding from the DIY Ethics Blog by ForumIAS.
• Additional gaps filled from the Lexicon Book and Vision VAM, with examples from newspapers.
• Emphasis on 10-mark questions, which led to an increase in his score from 90 to 120 in the second attempt.

Maths Strategy

Aditya primarily relied on IMS Maths Notes for most topics, except for the following:

• Statics and Dynamics: Krishna Series Book for Statics and Success Clap Material for Dynamics.
• Fluid Dynamics: MD Raisinghania's book.
• Algorithm and Flowcharts: Success Clap Material.
• Real Analysis: Malik and Arora's book.

Aditya emphasizes the importance of not neglecting Modern Algebra, as it helped him increase his Paper-II score from 115 in the first attempt to 134 in the second. He also benefited from the Mathematics Advance Course by Avinash Singh Sir from Next IAS, which he believes played a significant role in his improvement.

Note-Making and PYQs

Aditya considers note-making to be a crucial aspect of his preparation. He has created digital notes of all the keywords from the Mains syllabus, even making notes from Spectrum and some chapters of Laxmikant for better revision. He also emphasizes the importance of making notes of formulas and important questions in Mathematics.

Regarding the role of Previous Year Questions (PYQs), Aditya believes they are the "heartbeat" of UPSC preparation. For Prelims, PYQs guide the depth of conceptual clarity required and teach how to identify wrong options. In Mains, PYQs are often twisted to form future examination questions, making them an essential tool for answer writing practice.

Answer Writing and Essay Strategy

In his first attempt, Aditya neglected answer writing, which resulted in a poor performance in the Mains. In his second attempt, he joined the Mains Guidance Program (MGP) of ForumIAS and also relied on Mudit Jain Sir's Main Guidance Group for guidance on improving his approach to questions and breaking them into subparts.

Aditya found that test series evaluations often fail to pinpoint exact faults, but they are valuable for dry runs and reverse learning. He believes that learning from topper copies is a boon, as it helps in improving precision and diversity in answers.

In the Essay section, Aditya scored 134 and 112 in his first and second attempts, respectively. He structured his essays using innovative subheadings and aimed to include philosophical and scriptural references (such as the Bhagavad Gita) to enrich his essays. While reading topper copies is helpful, Aditya emphasizes the importance of maintaining originality in the essay.

Aditya's journey to success in the UPSC CSE 2023 is a testament to his dedication, strategic planning, and adaptability. By effectively utilizing a range of resources, implementing a well-structured time-management approach, and continuously improving his answer writing and essay skills, Aditya has secured a commendable rank in this highly competitive examination.