Arpita Thube, AIR-214 CSE-22 Journey & GS Strategy

Introduction

Arpita Thube's journey to success in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a testament to her dedication, perseverance, and strategic approach. This post delves into the detailed strategy that propelled her to achieve remarkable success, not once, but twice – first with an Indian Police Service (IPS) rank and now, with an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) rank in the CSE-2022 exam.

Arpita's UPSC Journey

Arpita Thube, hailing from Thane, Maharashtra, is an Electrical Engineering graduate from Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Mumbai. Her UPSC journey began during her fourth year of engineering, driven by a strong desire to serve the country. However, her first attempt at the CSE did not even clear the preliminary stage, despite a year-long preparation.

Undeterred, Arpita decided to give the exam a second full-fledged attempt, moving to Delhi for coaching in General Studies (GS) and her optional subject, Political Science and International Relations (PSIR). Fate had other plans, as the COVID-19 pandemic struck, forcing her to return to Thane and continue her preparation through self-study.

Arpita's perseverance paid off, as she cleared the CSE in her second attempt with an All India Rank (AIR) of 383, securing the prestigious IPS service. However, since IAS was her first preference, she appeared for the prelims once again, but was unable to clear them. Determined to achieve her goal, Arpita took a leave from the IPS and dedicated herself to the CSE-2022 attempt, ultimately securing AIR 214.

Detailed Strategy

Arpita's success in the CSE can be attributed to her well-rounded and comprehensive preparation strategy, which she has generously shared with aspiring civil servants.

Resources for GS Preparation

GS1

• For Ancient and Medieval History, Arpita relied on NCERT textbooks.
• For Art and Culture, she used Nitin Singhania's resources.
• For World History, she referred to the Vision summary book.
• For Modern History, she used Spectrum publications.
• For Post-Independence History, she utilized the Pradhan Mantri series and NCERT textbooks.
• For Geography, she combined NCERT textbooks and Rishikesh Reddy's notes.
• For the remaining syllabus topics, such as Globalization and Secularism, she made extensive notes through online research.

GS2

• For Polity, Arpita relied on Laxmikant, Mains 365, Supreme Court judgments, and various committee recommendations.
• For Governance, she referred to the Atish Mathur website.
• For International Relations, she used the Mains 365 resources.

GS3

• For Economics, she utilized SriramIAS and Mains 365 materials.
• For Economic Survey and Budget, she referred to Vision summary books.
• For Agriculture, Environment, Internal Security, and Science and Technology, she relied on Mains 365 and Vision Value Added resources.

GS4

• For Ethics, Arpita used the OrientIAS summary book and Atish Mathur's case studies.

Common Strategies for All GS Papers

Arpita's approach to the GS papers was marked by several key elements:

• She extensively referred to toppers' answer copies to improve her answer writing, particularly for ethics case studies.
• She compiled comprehensive data sets for each GS paper, enhancing her ability to support her arguments with relevant facts and figures.
• She created a vast collection of diagrams and maps to effectively visualize and communicate her understanding of various topics.
• Arpita maintained detailed notes on Evernote, ensuring she covered the entire syllabus.
• She developed templates for introductions and conclusions to streamline her approach to broad syllabus topics, such as Globalization.

Tips for Improving Answer Writing

Arpita's focus on answer writing was a crucial aspect of her preparation. She emphasized the following:

• Structuring answers effectively, with a proper introduction, conclusion, and addressing the demands of the question.
• Incorporating contextual information or definitions in the introduction to provide relevant context.
• Utilizing the keywords from the question as subheadings to organize the answer.
• Effectively incorporating diagrams and maps, not just in Geography but across various GS papers.
• Extensively using Supreme Court judgments, committee recommendations, and constitutional articles in GS2 answers.
• Ensuring all questions are attempted, and striving to fill all the allotted pages.

Coaching and Resources

Arpita's preparation involved a combination of classroom coaching and self-study. She attended Vajiram's classes for GS, Shubhra Ranjan's classes for PSIR, and utilized resources from various platforms, including Mains 365, Vision, and Shunya IAS for current affairs.

Additionally, she participated in multiple test series, especially open tests, to hone her prelims preparation. For mains writing, Arpita enrolled in the year-long MGP program at Forum and the Vision Mains Answer Writing program.

Arpita's journey to success in the CSE is an inspiration to aspiring civil servants, demonstrating the power of perseverance, strategic planning, and effective execution. Her detailed insights into her preparation process provide valuable guidance for those aiming to replicate her success in their own UPSC journeys.