STRATEGY SHARED BY SOUMYA RANJAN DASH:

• Brief Journey about Preparation:
• Initially focussed on the foundations and important topics.
• Cleared prelims and mains in the first attempt itself.
• Took revision class between prelims and mains.
• Many mock tests to be practiced and test series too.
• Personal marks as scored in various stages of prelims and mains are highlighted.
• Prelims Approach (02:02 PM)
• Prepare the content+ and the conceptual clarity should be focussed upon.
• Few things should be crammed, like-Ramsar sites.
• Utility of PYQ and Syllabus gives an idea about the exam pattern.
• Practising regularly is key to doing well.
• Practise approach- Vision test series and another test series too.
• Test should help us to build our confidence level.
• Revising the test is important too.
• MCQ option selection approach highlighted on the whiteboard.
• Avoid repeating mistakes as done in a test while attempting the next test.
• Analysis of the test attempted is important, especially the questions that went wrong.
• Conceptual clarity and depth of knowledge of topics needed.
• Note making- read and underline the content, revision is important.
• Sources- core sources should be focussed first from where the number of questions is often asked.
• Base knowledge is the same for prelims and mains.
• Mains Approach (02:29 PM)
• Followed VisionIAS Monthly Magazine.
• 10 Mark questions- 6 to 7 minutes.
• 15 Mark questions- 10 to 11 minutes.
• Standard answer framework (introduction- body- conclusion).
• Wrong interpolation and interpretation of questions should be avoided.
• Approaches:
• Approach 1-  good answer+ taking more time.
• Approach 2- loose answer+ limited time.
• Started from taking 4 hours and gradually moved to 2 hours 50 minutes.
• Try to improve the self-score in answers subsequently.
• Current Affairs (03:08 PM)
• Source- The Hindu, VisionIAS Monthly Magazine, and news analysis.
• The Hindu important pages- Text and context, Editorial, opinion and archive, first page, news, world, and local news.
• Add a few important points from a newspaper in notes and revise them.
• Essay (03:18 PM)
• Essay is three step process- Interpretation- brainstorming and writing.
• Interpretation of philosophical essays will make it a general study topic.
• Interpretation of literal meaning and underlying meaning.
• Introduction (1-1.5 pages), body (8.5 pages), conclusion(1 page).
• The handwriting should be legible.
• Transition from one paragraph to another should be in flow.
• Optional subject (03:37 PM)
• Electrical engineering.
• Choose as per your educational background if studied well in college.
• Interest matters while choosing an optional subject.
• Interview (03:41 PM)
• Revise the already studied content.
• Mock interview for how to face board and few questions get repeated.
• Prepare DAF properly.
• Verbal and Nonverbal communication should be well presented.
• Interview preparation started from day one since one starts preparing for the exam.

STRATEGY SHARED BY SHIVAM YADAV:

• Sources:
• Polity- Laxmikant, class 11th polity book.
• History- Ancient and Medival, Tamil Nadu board.
• Art and culture- Nitin Sangwan.
• Modern history- spectrum.
• Geography- class 11th and 12th NCERT, Mrunal.
• Environment- Shankar IAS selectively.
• Economy- had a background from it so didn't refer to any book.
• Current affairs- linked to the syllabus.
• Prelims- followed The Hindu + daily VisionIAS current.
• Monthly Magazine.
• Yearly- PT 365 (IAS PSC factory).
• Focus mainly on static.
• Few topics discussed- AI, India-US defense, and Railways.
• Test series  (04:15 PM)
• VisionIAS test series- sectional test for revision.
• Test series mainly for time management.
• Revision is very important.
• Try to revise the limited content multiple times.
• Calmness is very important while attempting the paper.
• CSAT- give equal weightage for all the sections like reading comprehension, reasoning, and maths.
• Revision is very important and revision continuously is important.
• Keep the content less and revise them.
• Previous Year's Question is very important.
• Mains  (04:50 PM)
• Essay - followed the argument and reasoning-based approach for the essay.
• Written and practiced PYQ essays.
• Used anecdotes to start the essay.
• In mains referring to the syllabus is very important.
• Referring to PYQ helps to frame the structure of the main answer.
• Society- VisonIAS value-added material.
• The pages one should try to fill with the relevant content.
• Luck is a very important factor in UPSC.
• Example substantiate the statement and should be mentioned.
• Use simple language.
• Importance of current affairs as value addition is more in GS paper 2.
• Use different symbols, signs, highlighters, and underline while revising the notes/standard box.
• Try to interlink the content of one paper to other papers too.
• Science and technology portion can be covered in newspaper
• Application and examples for the topics like nanotechnology and biotechnology.
• Basic approach to the GS paper with a discussion of PYQ was explained.
• Solve PYQ for ethics paper.
• Mention the bigger picture at the start of the case studies.
• Optional (06:16 PM)
• Source- Shubra maam notes.
• Focused more on different schools of thought and examples.
• Focused more on less content and multiple revisions.

The toppers talk was completed.