Never Quit your Dreams - Motivational Video by Ankit Shukla

A real life motivational story that teaches you to follow your dreams till the end. Never doubt your capabilities. If you fail, don't worry... try one more time...your best time will definitely come

                                    Never Quit your Dreams - Motivation by Ankit Shukla

Tips on How to crack the ESE Interview

The present article gives insights on interview stage of Engineering Services Examination.

First of all, this stage is of 200 marks, so it has the power to either improve your present ranking or if you are not well above the written cut off, it gives you the opportunity to get atleast a name in the final merit list. Interview is generally a 20 minutes process.

The interview panel consists of 4 members. The chairman is a member of UPSC. Other three may be any Railway or Telecom Service officer or some professor. The most important character among the 4 is the chairman. If you are able to impress him (which happens in the first 5 minutes) you are certain to get high marks. It is 100 % luck in terms of which board interviews you there. It happens sometimes one interview board gives comparatively higher marks than the other.

Interview is the easiest part of ESE but it is more of a mind game rather than a technical questionnaire. You can take the interviewers on a ride if you want and make them only ask those questions which you want to answer. Be clear with your service preferences order. You should know everything about your hobbies, sports and other activities you have mentioned in your DAF. So choose them so that very few questions can be framed on them. That’s how you save your limited energy. Prepare 2-3 favorite subjects like Digital electronics, satellite communications etc. Be very specific about your favourite areas. Don’t include lengthy subjects under this list.

The first question comes from the chairman. It is the only question where you have no control. From there it all depends on you where you take them. When a question is asked, don’t answer abruptly, take 3-4 seconds to think even when it is an easy question. Be cool, calm and confident and it should reflect in the way you answer. You are an actor in those 20 minutes so act like a polite officer. Don’t try to outsmart them or argue with them, it will only reduce your marks. You might not know some answers, politely say I am not able to recall or I don’t know.

Below are the questions that were asked in my own interview.

Chairman – Chattar Singh

Do you know about Telegram ?

What were the historical modes of Communications in India?

What is signal? Give real life examples.

How can you generate a signal ?

Member 1

What is your favourite subject?

I said Digital Electronics. He asked very simple questions (I am not writing here). I answered almost all of them.

One new term he asked. What is Digital Signalling ? What it is its benefit ? 

Member 2

What is green technology ?

What is solar panel ?

What is solar cell ? How it works ?

Define Broadband?

What is net neutrality?

Data speed of 3G, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth ?

Member 3

What are various types of signals (Power, Energy Signal etc.)?

What is auto-correlation and cross correlation function. Physical significance ?

What is transponder?

How Mars Orbiter communicates with ISRO?

That’s all I had in my mind. As far as interview is concerned they can ask anything that comes in their mind. But mind has its limitations. Just remember one thing that your answer to a question gives rise to another question. So choose your answer and deliberately include some special terms which you want to be asked. Even if you don’t study a damn thing for the interview you can still score good enough marks. You just have to write your own script before you enter the Interview room. If you get friendly Board it will be smoother. But why take chances. Be prepared for the worst. Study whatever you think can be asked. Take some mock interviews. Study current affairs. Do anything but never lose your calm.

What we need to learn from India's 1 run thrilling T20 victory over Bangladesh

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.

It all started with a toss whose outcome is in God’s hands. India lost the toss and was forced to bat first. In life, you will have several moments where you have no chance to take big decisions like deciding your name, your parents, your family status etc. Here you have to accept your fate as it is and look forward to improve . But it doesn't mean you leave everything to destiny itself. You will have many future occasions to take decisions. Once you make a decision, its done, its irreversible, so think about all the possibilities before making a decision and then no second thoughts, focus on the upcoming events and you must prove your decision right. India may win or lose but now it had to bat first.

Indian team made a good start with the bat but the runrate was slow. They were struggling to hit boundaries but they kept making ones and twos amid a tight fielding by Bangladesh. We all go through a similar phase. Our start is often very exciting, our opponent seems weak but gradually our focus on work is misplaced, we commit some silly mistakes and we struggle to identify what went wrong. Though we might not be able to keep working at the same pace always but we should never stop pushing forward. We must keep doing something because something is better than nothing. This something will prove to be a milestone in the long run.

No big hitting from Indian side. No big score from a single player. But every batsman contributed something to the scoreboard. This shows the real team spirit. You yourself alone are too small compared to the idea of whole team. When each team member’s effort is combined, it becomes humongous. Our small efforts are often invisible but they create wonders when accumulated.

An average score of 146 was not something India had expected when it came to bat first. Life is full of unexpected problems and situations but it is still not the outcome. Your behavior is in your control but not the outcome. How India would react to this sudden crisis ?

Well, the Indian bowling began. But what is this… a Boundary misfield and then a simple catch drop. Ohh no…. silly mistakes done by Indian players. Feeling like hitting Bumrah for the catch drop. Isn’t it ? On the other hand, Bangladesh batsmen kept the runrate well above the required rate. It seemed Bangladesh will knockout India easily out of this game. It all came through a few catch drops , some good bowling under pressure by Indian bowlers, the game had come to an end with 11 run required out of last 6 balls. First three balls gave 9 runs to Bangladesh and then only 2 runs were required of 3 balls with two good batsmen on the crease.

Many Indians would have shut off the TV, those who watched the last three balls must be really very optimistic. But more than anyone else, the most optimistic was the Indian team. They never lost the hope. Probably Dhoni would never have thought of losing this game so easily. They were determined to win but how would they win was not known to them. They were almost fighting in the darkness. But they were somehow able to anticipate the outcome not out of sheer luck or chance but rather due to a culmination of right decisions that they took keeping in mind the possibilities. 

They could have lost the game or won but they were true to themselves till the last ball. Magically they took 3 wickets on the last 3 balls of the game. It was unbelievable. It was miraculous. They might have thought of the words by Swami Vivekanand “Those who work at a thing with their whole heart receive help from God”. It was really good to see how they kept alive the fire within themselves. The world is changed by examples, not by opinions. India has definitely changed the thinking of billions.

A game of cricket was won in the last three balls of the game. Why not apply this learning in your life and see the changes that will follow. Its never too late to start a work. The best time to do something is now. Get up and start doing the work you need to do the most. You will never lose the game of life, if you think you lost it….then think again…its not the end....many overs are still left…you can also take 3 wickets on the last three balls.

I would have said to Bumrah - "When we face weakness—ours or someone else's—it doesn't help to blame someone or something, pretend it's not important, or simply decide to change."

How to Keep Alive the Fire Inside You as the Exam Approaches

“You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be”       ~ Lou Holtz

Students often write to me about the problems which they constantly face during their exam preparations. Particularly exams like IAS/IES require long term preparations and it is difficult to keep our motivation high all the time especially if we face a few failures. As the exam date approaches, we often creep into low self-confidence. As a result, the urge to study for exam starts diminishing and is plagued by negative thinking. When our mind loses the grasp of our goal, we start searching for alternatives. From here starts, the beginning of our end.

This is a common problem faced by all exam aspirants. But we must not forget that there is no joy in life without problems. We cannot really feel happiness unless we have felt sadness. There is no value of light if there is no darkness. Nature has given us a power that we often undermine. That is the power to decide. We are free to decide what to do with these problems. Either we can solve it and walk over it with confidence or we can just keep worrying.

Understanding the problem is the first step towards the solution. Today, India is a free country only because our forefathers were able to understand the real problem behind British Rule in India, that was Colonialism and Imperialism. In the same way we must understand that these negative thoughts that lurk around in our mind are nothing but an outcome of our own fearful thinking. The high confidence at the start of preparation turns into low confidence as the exam approaches. Isn’t it ? The last two months before the exam seem so less that our human mind involuntarily assumes that we haven’t prepared much for the exam. That is bullshit !

No doubt, IES preparation is like walking over an Agneepath. But this path is of finite distance ( say 100 kms ). Nobody has the clear roadmap to reach the destination. Everyone takes his own route to reach the destination. Some lose the direction and keep roaming uselessly while some follow the right directions and reach their goal. My aim is to act as a bridge to help you reach your goal.

It all depends on what choices and sacrifices you make during the journey that determines your successful landing over the destination. It happened with me as well. When the last two months were left before IES exam, I had a doubt over my ability whether I would be able to revise the huge syllabus or not in such a short time. But since I was doing my preparation alone in some obscure locality of Allahabad, there was no one around me to tell that I can’t do it. Infact, I often talked to myself inside the closed doors of my 10x15 rented room. I questioned my ability every now and then. Amidst all the failures that I faced in exams like GATE, SAIL, AAI, BARC etc. one thing that kept my hope alive was a belief that my circumstances whatever they may be, however tough they may be, are not going to affect my final performance in ESE. I will not let my circumstances take away an inch of my focus away from my goal. I never changed my attitude towards ESE despite repeated failures, I only changed my study pattern according to my needs. I gave other exams like SAIL, AAI, BARC etc but always revised the same ESE syllabus that I had studied all over the past 3 months.

I never ever compromised with ESE preparation. For 6 months, I never went out of Allahabad and strictly followed my other commitments to myself. Today I enjoy telling people all the sacrifices that I made during my preparation. In those days, ESE was like a dream for me as may be for most of you. This dream gradually seems more distant as the exam approaches, so my advice to all of you is never ever worry because worrying will change nothing. If you can solve the problem what is the need to worry, and if you can’t solve the problem, is there any need to worry ? 

Don’t think about what rank you will get in exam, instead focus on how you will give your best performance in exam. Get ready to give your maximum in whatever time you are left with. You never know how close you are to your best performance. You might break all the previous records, you just don’t know. You must keep in mind that there is no ‘Teesmaarkhan’ in this battle. This exam is as much in your control as in control of others. So why do you fear ? The world is won by those who are fearless. If your colleagues are fearful of the exam let them fear, you are completely different from everyone. Take full responsibility of yourself. Don’t let others play with your time. Mark my words, “ What you do in your next one hour will decide what you will do in your exam. Never underestimate the power of next one hour ”.

Everyone has the same number of hours in a day. Try to use the time as  judiciously as possible. A lot can be done in the last two months before exam. The whole game can be changed in the last two months. I don’t need giving an example here as I have myself done it. So stop thinking of what is gone, eye over those things that you still have. You are alive, healthy and left with more than 2 months in your hand. The whole climax is left. Picture abhi kaafi baaki hai mere dost.

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”            ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some Common Doubts during ESE preparations ( Part 1 )

Questions asked on Facebook

Anil Chandra

My weak point is non tech ....how can I learn ...n...remember it...suggest me..... ?

Answer- 

If you want to clear ESE 2016, then no need to invest time on making your non-tech strong. First go through the strategy that I have shared in the articles on General Ability Paper  Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3  . As far as learning and remembering is concerned you can do two things-

1) Whenever you study be in the present moment. Forget anything else happening in your life. Most students say we forget very easily but the problem is that while learning their concentration is very poor. If you can’t recall something just after reading it, how can you recall it after few days ? Whatever you study just try to recall it in your mind, then and there.

2) Regular revision. Read few notes, but revise it many times.

Ies Ranker 

Sir I m doing Whatever u say n definitely I will win. Just want to ask u how many question we should attempt in exam just for safe side because sometimes I m doing wrong also, that’s y need ur suggestion. Manas panda sir ese 5th rank told some 90 to 100, thats y I ask u ?

Answer- 

This question is asked by many people so I want to clear some misconceptions regarding Objective Papers. Do not presume the no. of questions you will attempt, before the exam, because it can do more harm than good. You are going to give an exam where you don’t know what level of questions will come. Do you know anything about those questions  behorehand ? Definitely No…. So your effort should be to prepare as rigorously as possible and attempt as many questions as possible. Why do you limit yourself ?

One more thing, let suppose you plan to attempt 90-100 questions out of 120 but unfortunately you know only 70 questions, will you make 20-30 wild guesses ? This can be disastrous for you. Or suppose if by the grace of god, you are able to solve 110 questions easily, then will you stop at 90-100 ? So friend just increase your speed and problem solving capability and go with a thought that you will try to attempt all 120 if possible …this should be your attitude while entering the exam hall.

Questions asked on My blog

Avinash singh

Currently I have done all subject objectively...two day before I started conventional practice....sir i want to know...Madeeasy Conventional practice classes is useful or not????

Answer-  

No..... don't waste time in those classes. Do the practice at home in a way as told in the articles

Abhinov Agrawal

Hello Sir, Is made easy online test series for ESE helpful for it?

Answer- 

Yes but to some extent only…..  It provides you an exam like situation so you can join the test series but your focus should be more on covering syllabus as much as possible as told in the articles. Yeah made easy online tests are good, I myself joined it but gave only 4-5 tests. Try to give tests of those subjects in which you are most comfortable so that you can improve whatever is left in that subject. For conventional also, give the tests of those few subjects, from which you are sure to attempt in exam. Don’t waste time in giving all the tests.

Tanuj Yadav

Sir,for practicing conventional from the SCP( Solved conventional papers) , what we should do?? Should we write the answer on white sheet or just read the question and think its answer ?

Answer-  

I used to write and practice on loose sheets... you can take rough copy also... but do it within the time limits.... When you think less time is left you can directly read the solutions because no question under SCP should be left.

Strategy for Conventional + Objective in Paper 2 of ESE( Only for ECE candidates)

Today I am going to tell you what to study and what not to study for Objective + Conventional part of Paper 2 of ESE. The books which I have mentioned are the best sources tested by me as per the requirement of UPSC. Don’t waste your time in any other book.

Note: You need ESE 10 years solved conventional papers and objective papers for every subject. Other things required are written separately under each subject.

Terminology Used-  MadeEasy Class Notes = MECN,  MadeEasy Printed Notes = MEPN ,  

                                  Solved Conventional Papers = SCP ,  Solved Objective Papers = SOP

For Objective portion of paper 2, follow the same strategy as in paper 1. Solve objective questions regularly everyday from SOP as per your suitability. Atleast 2 hours everyday you should devote to objective question solving practice from SOP. Always sit with a watch, take 45 mins to solve 60 objective questions. Follow this pattern throughout next three months. In the last days you will be able to solve atleast 50 questions in 45 mins. But in exam, you will do even better because here you practice questions of the same type in 45 mins while in exam questions will be mixed from many subjects so it will be less boring in exam. I tell you to take 45 mins during practice because you need time to darken holes in objectives exam.

Detailed strategy for conventional preparation which also covers objective portion is given below.

PAPER 2 deals with following 6 subjects-

1. Analog Electronic Circuits –

a.       Start MEPN. Read it once, it will not take much time.

b.  For those chapters which are not given properly in MEPN ( like small signal analysis, power amplifiers, Oscillators ) read  MECN, it is a very thick notes. Don’t worry, read only few topics as per your need but whatever you read from this MECN, give it full focus and read atleast one solved example under each topic.

c.       Read 555 IC from J B Gupta

d.      Start SCP thoroughly. There will many questions of the same type. Finish it as soon as possible.

e.      If you have any doubt anywhere. You can refer J B Gupta.

2. Digital Electronic Circuits-

a.       Only read MECN. It is sufficient for ESE.

b.      Those topics which are still not understood, you can read from MEPN.

c.       Start SCP. This subject needs to done very properly because it is a scoring subject. You should solve SCP as if the exam is next week and you are seeing the solutions for the last time.

3. Control Systems-

a.       Take MEPN. Read it thoroughly.

b.      Read State Space Analysis from MECN. Must see solved examples.

c.   Read Mathematical modelling of physical systems from the book by Anand Kumar. Read 3-4 examples from it.

d.      Any other topic which is not clear can be referred from Anand Kumar ( If you don’t have it, buy this. I myself bought this book in February ).

e.      Start SCP. This is also a scoring subject. Do it properly.

4. Communication Systems

a.       For this subject read full MECN ( Communications + Optical Fibre and Radar ) properly with solved examples. But during final revision, skip the examples to revise fast.

b.      Read MEPN for only those topics which are not given in MECN.

c.    Start SCP. Focus only on questions which are frequently repeated as there will be lot of new questions. Don’t try to learn the solutions of those difficult questions.

5. Microwave Engineering-

a.       Read Sadiku chapter 12 and 13 with few solved examples ( which you already did in Paper 1 )

b.      Use Liao for Klystrons , Reflex klystrons, TWTs and Magnetron. Read one example under each.

c.       For the rest syllabus read MECN.

d.      Solve SCP.

6. Computer Engineering-

a.       Refer MECN. Don’t read all the solved examples.

b.      Read Memory organization from MEPN.

c.       For other doubts refer Ramesh Gaonkar.

d.      Do SCP properly but don’t focus much on programming if you are not comfortable with it. It is better to depend on other subjects for conventional papers than this subject.

When you study anything from now on, just pre-assume that you are seeing the notes for the last time. This will force you psychologically to give full attention to whatever you are reading. Everyday take a sound sleep and proper food ( because these two things are much more important than studying . I will tell the reason some other day ).

Do everyday activity like bathing and exercise etc. with full relaxed mind , never be in a hurry. This exam is about patience and bearing the pain of sitting and studying. You have to do this anyhow so why not take it as a challenge. Just think about our Army officers who are sacrificing their lives in cold weather conditions at the borders. Compared to their pain… studying is fun. Isn’t it so ? They are struggling to survive and you have only one work that is to study.

My dear friends, if you think that you have less time left for ESE preparation then you are sailing in wrong waters. Those who study all throughout the year but not in last three months will definitely fail in any exam. But if you study atleast the last three months before exam, you can do wonders.

It is not the most intelligent who gets selected in ESE but it is the most confident who knows his weakness and strengths and studies accordingly with a belief that he can crack the exam.

Destiny is not in your hands but what to do in the next three months are definitely in your hands. If you study hard from now on….no one can deny you the fruits of your labour…not even destiny. 

-Ankit Shukla ( ESE-2015 AIR 38 ) 

Strategy for Conventional + Objective in Paper 1 of ESE( Only for ECE candidates)

This is the most important article I have written till now on ESE preparation because this covers everything objective + conventional portion (800 marks). Objective paper is very easy compared to other engg. Exams like GATE and that’s why the scoring is high. But I have seen my fellow aspirants who scored extremely high in objective papers but could not get a rank in ESE due to their poor performance in conventional papers. This is the only Engineering recruitment exam which gives such a high weightage of 400 marks to subjective papers out of total 1200 marks. Many GATE toppers have failed in this exam because of their poor strategy regarding conventional papers. They take it lightly and repent after they see their subjective marks.

So today I will guide you about what to study and how to study in ECE for scoring maximum marks in ESE (within three months). If you are able to follow this strategy diligently, I am sure you can score 250 marks out of 400 in conventional and as high as 280 out of 400 in objectives. Your approach in conventional should be attempting only what you know. Don’t try to attempt everything. Attempt those questions first which you can solve most comfortably. In objective you should try to score as much as possible, don’t think about marks in objective. You just do one thing, increase your objective solving speed by practicing. If you score high in Objectives the burden on Conventional performance will be less. These marks will help you get a rank under 25 in ESE. So give your utmost attention to my each and every word as this article might prove to be a turning point in your ESE preparation.

Note: You need ESE 10 years solved book ( ECE only ) of conventional papers and objective papers and it will be used for every subject. Other things required are written separately under each subject.

Terminology used-  MadeEasy Class Notes = MECN,  MadeEasy Printed Notes = MEPN ,

                       Solved Conventional Papers = SCP , Solved Objective Papers = SOP

When I mention MECN under any subject heading, it means MECN of that subject. Same with other short forms used.

I will start with PAPER 1.

 The process which is written below covers conventional + objective preparation as well. But I have not mentioned when to solve SOP under each subject separately. Regarding SOP I have written at the end of article. PAPER 1 deals with following 6 subjects.

1) Materials and Components: The easiest of all the subjects. Study this subject first, as you can finish it very quickly. No book is required. You need only MECN and MEPN. The correct way to study is mentioned below-

              a)      Take MECN, study it properly. See MEPN with a cursory look (give focus on only those parts which are not given in MECP ). Finish it off in 3 days.

               b)      On the 4^th day , start SCP. When you read a question don’t just read the solved part immediately. First cover the answer part with some paper. Read and think about the question. Try to figure out from which part of MECN it is asked. An image of the answer will be formed in your mind. This will help you during exam. If are not able to figure out don’t worry, just read the solved answer and go back to that portion in MECN and recognize it for future use. The questions which seem different or new to you, mark it with a star. Only 1 day is required for SCP in this subject.

               c)       Now study other subjects. Come back to this subject after 10-15 days and revise MECN and SCP thoroughly.

             d)      In the last days before the exam, you should be able to revise MECN and SCP in one day. Note that during final revision you just have to read the star marked questions in SCP.

2) Physical Electronics, Electron Devices and ICs :

                    a)      Read MEPN thoroughly. In MECN , read only power electronics part. This will take 2 days.

                    b)      Start SCP. Follow the same procedure as mentioned in above subject. This will take 2 days.

                    c)       If there is any problem with any SCP question. You can read that part in MECN or in any book (either Millman or Boylestad)

3) Signals and Systems:

                      a)      Read MEPN. Take 2 days.

                      b)      Start SCP. Take 2 days.

                  c)     There will be lot of new questions in SCP. If there is any problem, refer the book Oppenheim ( refer solved examples)

4) Network theory:

                   a)      Read MEPN thoroughly. Also see a few solved questions from Chakraborty (best book for networks, I had the small one). For Network graphs and Network synthesis, Chakraborty is a must. Take 2 days.

                    b)      Start SCP. Do it with focus as questions are mostly repeated. Take 2 days.

5) Electromagnetic Theory:

                     a)      Read Sadiku from chapter 9 to 13. See a few solved questions in this book. Take 2 days.

                     b)      Start SCP. Do it with focus as questions are mostly repeated. Take 2 days.

6) Electronic Measurements and instrumentation:

                a)      Read MECN thoroughly.  In case of any doubt refer the book by Sawhney. Don’t see examples in this book. Take 2 days

                b)      Start SCP. Do it with focus as questions are mostly repeated. Take 2 days.

Your average time per subject including revision should be = 10 days ( 4 days study + 3 days revision + 2 days revision + 1 day final revision in the last 10 days ). Don’t be rigid to this time period. Be flexible as per your suitability. Some subjects will take more than 10 days. Others in which you are quite comfortable will take less than 10 days.

Now you may think that this overall process of PAPER 1 will take 60 days but you have roughly 100 days left. So one thing I must tell you… you are not starting ESE preparation from scratch. You must already have read many of the things which I have referred to you. So you can speed up your study process depending upon your past learnings. But revision time should not be compromised. You can’t leave revision as it is very important. Infact without revision all your learning will go in vain. So keep revising regularly (atleast 3 times before exam) as per your suitability.

For objectives preparation, solve problems in SOP regularly everyday starting from today. Practice objective questions from SOP atleast 2 hours per day. Increase you problem solving speed by taking 45 mins to solve 60 objective questions and then see how many are correct. Initially you will not be able to solve 60 questions in 45 mins. But after a few days you will see improvement and this is the only trick.

I know you may not be able to complete some portion but don’t worry I myself hadn’t done signal and systems properly and I left the question in conventional paper as there was other choice available. So you can compromise with SCP of any one subject which you find difficult and lengthy ( though I don’t recommend this but it can be done as per my experience ). But don’t leave anything under SOP as you have to score as much as possible in objectives.

That’s all about today’s article. Next article will be on PAPER 2 strategy.

At last I would say the only mantra for success in ESE is practice, practice and practice. Stay healthy so that you don’t miss a single day of practice. When you will sit and study for long hours, you will definitely get pain, but it will certainly not kill you my friend and this pain will be far less than the pangs of failure in ESE. I have given you all the ingredients for success now it is upto you to take the winning lead in the battlefield. My time ends ….your time starts…. 

         -Ankit Shukla ( ESE-2015 AIR 38 )

Introductory article on Conventional papers of ESE

I am working on a foolproof strategy for conventional papers as a large number of students asked me to write an article on it. But before giving you the strategy for conventional papers, I want to make a few things clear to all ESE aspirants.

A hype has been created about the difficulty of conventional papers which has little truth in it. The students who don’t get selected due to their low marks in ESE start thinking that subjective questions are very tough. This thinking gradually gets converted to a strong belief. Coaching institutes also reinforce this belief. Today I will break this belief into pieces, so that from today onwards you can study without being afraid of conventional papers.

Scoring in subjective papers is not at all difficult if you have done the required amount of problem solving practice. The students score less in subjectives not because the questions are difficult but because they did not practice enough before the exams. Even the ESE AIR 1 would not have been selected if he hadn’t practiced well. Its all about making some right decisions in your preparation time which will make your work easy during exams. The idea is very simple and clear. If you don’t want to face tough questions in exam, you will have to face them before exams, not a single time but many times, so that they become easy for you during exam time.

You will be glad to know the fact that your subjective performance depends mostly on the practice you do in the last four months before exam. If most of your concepts are clear, then you can easily score 250 out of 400 marks, provided you do consistent practice in the last 4 months before exam. I can say this with full confidence after a series of discussions with my friend Dhananjay Singh (ESE-2015 AIR 12) who scored 270 by just attempting 305 and also my own experience. I scored 235 by just attempting 275.

So now get ready to study subjective part with a fresh energy and altogether different and focused approach. The strategy for conventional papers will be uploaded soon since I am leaving no stone unturned in making that one foolproof. Believe me, till February I hadn’t practiced much, but I practiced a lot since mid February. You will get to know about each and every thing that you need to do in the next article.

That’s all about today’s article.

Before ending I will give an example on how to approach conventional preparation in your mind because a battle is won first in the mind and then on the field. The practice regarding subjectives is like a large pile of food that you have to eat. In addition this food neither smells good nor is delicious. But you have to finish it in the next three months any how. So you do one thing, add salt and some spices to the food as per your requirement. Start pretending that you like it and eat it regularly with full dedication. Just think that you will be able to finish it well before three months. There is no other option left now. Its better to try and fail than to not try at all.                             

  – Ankit Shukla (ESE-2015 AIR 38)

How to prepare GS portion of General Ability Paper of ESE (Part III)

Success is not final, failure is not fatal.... it is the courage to continue that counts.

Till now I have covered the strategy for 100 marks of GA Paper based on English. Today’s article is very special as it covers another 100 marks of GA Paper based on GS portion. Students were asking for it from the beginning and today I share with you the best strategy to cover GS part of the syllabus within three months without investing much time. I did an extensive research on previous year questions and decoded the current trend that is followed by UPSC. You will also get to know what to read and from where to read. This is based on my original experience of previous year when I was myself preparing for the ESE paper. Take it seriously because I have taken a lot of precious time in making this strategy for you all.

In ESE-15, the pattern was as shown below-

                                                       No. of questions asked

      1)     Current Affairs                                         19

            2)      Geography and Wildlife                          14

            3)      General Knowledge                                 11

           4)      History                                                       6

           5)      Biology                                                      6 

           6)      Polity                                                         4

According to the current trend, UPSC is focussing very much on Current affairs. Almost one third of the questions are asked from current affairs only. But if you think you can prepare the whole current affairs from any one source then you are mistaken. If you try to cover current affairs from newspapers, you will end up wasting a lot of time which can drastically affect your technical part preparation. The best source for current affairs is www.gktoday.in . On this website, current affairs is presented in a concise and crisp manner. Read the current affairs from November 2015 to April 2016. It is sufficient for your ESE preparation.

Geography and Wildlife are very important under GS preparation. But it is so vast that if you go to cover every part of this section, it will be a time wastage. So you need to act a little smart here and focus on the frequently asked  part of the syllabus. According to my analysis, I found below mentioned topics as important-

a)      National Highways (remember at least NH1 to NH10), there location on Indian Map and the largest and shortest NH.

b)      Read about the geographical features (like mountains, rivers, hills and plateaus etc) which are in recent news. For example, the below question is of geography but related to current affairs.

 

c)      Top three crops & mineral( Iron,coal,mica,bauxite,crude oil etc) producing states in India.

      d)      National Parks, Sanctuaries, Biosphere reserves in India.

     

      e)      State borders which are in recent news.

A lot of questions are asked from General knowledge also. This part of syllabus is somewhere linked to your school time knowledge. Some of the questions are so easy that you don’t need any preparation. For example-

I think most of you know the answer, the correct answer is option d.

So for some questions you don’t need to prepare. Many questions are repeated from previous year papers so you just need to see previous 7 years questions from solved ESE Paper prepared by any coaching institute.

Now what to do about other questions under GK ? You can read General Studies book for IES by MadeEasy.

History is my favourite area under GS. Most of the questions are asked from Indian National Movement. So don’t waste time in reading ancient and medieval history as only 1-2 questions are asked from this. Infact, from past 4-5 years there is hardly any question outside Indian National Movement. In ESE-2015, all 6 questions were from Modern India. So  just read Modern India and Indian Struggle for Independence from General Studies for IES by MadeEasy. Also see previous 7 years solved questions under history from previous years solved book prepared by any coaching institute.

Questions are consistently asked under Biology, which are very predictable in nature. The main focus areas under Biology syllabus are given below-

a)      Classification of animals and organisms( bacteria, fungi,virus,protozoa etc)

b)      Disease in human beings

c)      Food, nutrition and digestion

d)      Cell system

A few questions are asked on Polity also. For this just read Indian Polity from the GS book for IES by MadeEasy.

Some general tips for GS preparation-

1)      See previous 7 years questions and answers from any solved ESE book by any coaching institute.

      2)      Always focus on syllabus which is in recent news. For example, below are shown questions from Science, Polity and Goegraphy which were in recent news.

 Science question related to Global Warming which is in recent news

Polity question about Attorney General who is always in recent news 

Geography question on Myanmar where hidden Indian insurgents were in news

3)      Also see 5 years previous years questions from UPSC exams such as CDS, NDA etc.

      4)      Don’t invest a whole day in GS preparation instead read it in between technical study breaks.

This is all about today’s discussion on GS portion of GA paper. Till now I have covered strategy for 200 marks of GA Paper. Next article will be on Technical syllabus of ESE.

    Always remember, no great warrior ever knew about his victory before the battle was actually fought. It was their deep faith within themselves that motivated them all along their path. Just ask yourself why you are doing this work. Keep faith in yourself. This is a test of your patience and perseverance. You can do it and you will do it.

-          Ankit Shukla