Ishan Sinha, AIR-234 CSE-22 Prelims Strategy in view of 2023 Paper

An Inspiring Journey to the Top: Ishan Sinha's Prelims Strategy for UPSC CSE 2024 and Beyond

In the ever-competitive world of the UPSC Civil Services Examination, Ishan Sinha's journey stands out as a testament to perseverance and strategic planning. Hailing from the Batch of 2023, Ishan secured an impressive All India Rank of 234 in the UPSC CSE 2022, making this his third successful attempt at the prestigious exam.

Ishan's story is one of resilience and unwavering determination. Despite facing the challenges of multiple attempts, he has managed to clear the Prelims stage consecutively in all three of his endeavors. This achievement alone speaks volumes about his dedication and his ability to adapt and refine his preparation strategies over time.

A Word on Prelims 2023

Ishan is quick to acknowledge that the UPSC Prelims paper can be unpredictable and challenging. He emphasizes that regardless of the difficulty level of the paper, there will always be a significant number of aspirants who make it to the Mains stage. With the high possibility that the 2024 Prelims paper may be on similar lines or even more challenging than the 2023 version, Ishan advises aspirants to be prepared for the ever-evolving nature of the exam.

Prelims Strategy in View of 2023 Exam

Ishan's Prelims strategy is a comprehensive and subject-specific approach, designed to maximize the chances of success in the competitive exam.

Polity

Ishan recommends focusing on Laxmikant's "Indian Polity" as the primary resource for Polity, emphasizing that there is no need to make extensive notes from the book. He suggests that the current affairs component is not as crucial in this subject, although keeping up with newspaper reading and following important events is still advisable.

Ancient and Medieval History

For this section, Ishan advises aspirants to stick to their existing sources, be it the old NCERTs by RS Sharma and Satish Chandra or the Tamil Nadu textbooks. He cautions against trying to cover both, as it may lead to information overload. Ishan also recommends reading the new NCERTs, as they cover certain important aspects, such as the timelines of Buddhism and Jainism.

Modern History

Ishan strongly recommends Spectrum's publication as the primary resource for Modern History, stating that nothing else is necessary. He clarifies that this approach applies even for those preparing History as an optional subject, as preparing for Prelims is a separate endeavor from the Mains preparation.

Economy

Ishan followed Mrunal Sir's notes for the Economy section, emphasizing the importance of current affairs in this subject. He suggests that the updates and handouts provided by Mrunal Sir were sufficient for his preparation. Ishan also recommends covering the Budget and Economic Survey, for which he utilized the summaries provided by Vision IAS.

Environment

For the Environment section, Ishan relied on the Shankar IAS booklet, making detailed notes that were approximately 30-40% the length of the original text. He complemented this with reading newspapers to stay updated on the current affairs in this domain.

Science and Technology (SnT)

Ishan's approach for SnT was to read the biology portion from the Lucent GK book. He did not feel the need to extensively cover current affairs in this subject, though he acknowledges that this may not be the optimal strategy in the current exam pattern.

Current Affairs

Ishan admits that his approach to current affairs was not the most comprehensive, as he primarily relied on reading newspapers without making detailed notes or referring to yearly magazines. However, he acknowledges that this approach may not be suitable for the current exam pattern, where the relative importance of current affairs has increased across various subjects.

Mapping

Ishan emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation in Mapping, a section that can often serve as a savior when other areas falter. He made separate maps for topics such as Biodiversity Hotspots, National Parks, Tiger Reserves, the physiography of India, major rivers, and Ramsar sites, and plans to share these resources with the aspirants soon.

Mocks and Practice

Ishan advocates for the importance of practicing both sectional and full-length tests (FLTs), with a focus on analyzing the performance after each mock. He shares his personal experience of finding the Forum IAS mocks to be more beneficial than the widely popular ones in the market, as the latter tend to penalize intelligent guessing.

Ishan's mantra for success is simple yet powerful: "PYQs, PYQs, PYQs." He stresses the need to not just solve the Previous Year Questions, but to also analyze the options, understand UPSC's patterns, and collect information about the unfamiliar options.

CSAT Preparation

Ishan underlines the significance of practicing the CSAT section, emphasizing the importance of topics like Permutation, Combination, and Probability, which are no longer considered "outdated." He suggests watching YouTube videos that explain these concepts from a CSAT perspective and practicing the PYQs thoroughly.

Maintaining Composure and Trusting Preparation

Ishan acknowledges that the Prelims stage can be mentally taxing, with the pressure and mind games it creates. However, he advises aspirants to trust in their preparation, remain calm in the exam hall, and have faith in their abilities to clear the Prelims hurdle.

Ishan's journey and the strategies he has shared serve as a valuable blueprint for UPSC CSE 2024 aspirants and beyond. By following his subject-specific insights, leveraging the power of PYQs, and maintaining a calm and focused approach, aspirants can enhance their chances of success in the Prelims stage and move one step closer to their dream of joining the prestigious civil services.