Mridul Shivhare (AIR-247, CSE-21) Prelims+Mains+PSIR Strategy

Mridul Shivhare's Journey to UPSC CSE 2021 Success

At the young age of 22, Mridul Shivhare achieved an impressive feat by securing All India Rank 247 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2021, clearing the exam in his very first attempt. Hailing from Datia district of Madhya Pradesh, Mridul is a graduate of the prestigious Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyala in Indore.

Mridul's Advice to UPSC Aspirants

Through this detailed account, Mridul shares his valuable strategy and insights with the aspiring civil servants, offering them "golden advice" to help them navigate the challenging journey of the UPSC exam.

Understand the Syllabus Thoroughly

Mridul emphasizes the importance of thoroughly reading and understanding the UPSC syllabus, ensuring that every point and topic mentioned is well-covered during the preparation process.

Revise Previous Year Questions

Mridul advises aspirants to thoroughly study and revise the previous year question papers, starting from 2001 for the Prelims and 2013 for the Mains. This exercise helps aspirants gain a deeper understanding of the exam pattern and the types of questions asked.

Maintain Faith and Trust

Mridul stresses the importance of having unwavering faith and complete trust in oneself, the study material, and the guidance of mentors. This positive mindset can be a powerful driver in achieving success.

Adopt a Balanced Approach

Mridul suggests that aspirants should read less, think more, revise more, and write more. He cautions against making the civil services exam the sole focus of one's life, advising aspirants to maintain a broader perspective and see the exam as a part of their life journey.

Prioritize Physical and Mental Health

Mridul, who faced health challenges during his preparation, emphasizes the critical importance of maintaining good physical and mental health throughout the process. He believes that this aspect is often overlooked but plays a crucial role in achieving success.

Mridul's Preparation Strategy

Mridul provides a detailed account of his preparation strategy for the three stages of the UPSC exam: Prelims, Mains, and Interview.

Prelims Preparation

For the Prelims, Mridul focused on carefully analyzing the previous year question papers to identify the distribution of questions across different subjects. He then devised a targeted approach to prepare for each subject, relying on specific sources and strategies:

Polity, Economy, and Modern History

Mridul identified these subjects as the "guaranteed sources" for a significant number of questions, with approximately 40-45 questions coming from these areas. He relied on specific resources like Laxmikant for Polity, Mrunal Sir's notes and Win CSP series for Economy, and Spectrum and Bipan Chandra for Modern History, ensuring a high level of accuracy in these subjects.

Environment

Mridul recognized that the UPSC has a specific focus on certain topics in the Environment section, such as environmental acts, regulatory bodies, international conventions, global reports and indices, and location-based questions. He prepared comprehensive notes covering these areas and complemented them with resources like Vision IAS PT 365, Rau's Prelims Compass, and Insights PT Exclusive.

Medieval History, Ancient History, and Art & Culture

For these subjects, Mridul adopted a focused approach, reading specific books and topics that are often emphasized in the UPSC exam. He made concise notes on these subjects, drawing from sources like Satish Chandra, Tamil Nadu history, and New NCERT for Medieval History, R.S. Sharma's NCERT book for Ancient History, and a thin PDF covering the relevant topics in Art & Culture.

Geography

Mridul concentrated on specific aspects of Geography, such as Physical Geography (topics like cyclones, El Niño, and La Niña), Locational Geography (details of rivers, lakes, and other geographical features), and World Geography (global climatic zones, famous locations, and current affairs related to geography).

Current Affairs

Mridul primarily relied on resources like Vision PT 365, Rau's Compass, Insights PT Exclusive, and Mrunal Sir's Win CSP series to stay updated on current affairs, with a focus on Economy and Environment.

Mains Preparation

Mridul considers the Mains examination as the most reliable and consistent stage of the UPSC process. He meticulously prepared detailed and comprehensive notes covering all the topics in the Mains syllabus, drawing from various authentic sources.

These notes not only provide in-depth information but also offer valuable additions, such as practical points, case studies, relevant keywords, reports, committee recommendations, Supreme Court judgments, and the interlinking of ideas and philosophies with the syllabus.

Mridul believes that these well-researched notes were instrumental in helping him secure a high score of 807 in the Mains exam, even after leaving questions worth around 150 marks due to health issues.

PSIR Optional Preparation

For the PSIR (Political Science and International Relations) optional, Mridul relied on the foundation classes by Shubhra Ranjan Ma'am to build his basic understanding of the subject. He then supplemented this with his own comprehensive notes, incorporating content from various sources, including the Oxford IGP book by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Fadia & Fadia, and relevant articles and books from the last 7-8 years.

Mridul's notes on PSIR Paper 1 Part A, Paper 2A, and Paper 2B, which included value-additions like linking theories with current relevance in international relations, enabled him to secure a commendable score of 267 in the PSIR optional.

Mridul's generosity and willingness to share his knowledge and resources with the aspiring civil servants are truly commendable. He has made his comprehensive notes available on his Telegram channel, "Mridul Shivhare AIR 247," and encourages aspirants to reach out to him for further guidance and support.