UPSC Prelims 2018 – 150 Days Study Plan (Part II)

UPSC Prelims 2018 – 132 Days More To Go – How To Prepare?

In this blog, we are going to guide you for a step-by-step plan for preparing for Test 3 – Physical
Geography test 1 and Test 4 – Economics test 1. We will follow the same test series for Prelims that we
followed in the previous blog.The test series schedule and topics can be accessed in the following link –

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TOPICS FOR THE TEST

1.Geography test topics include the entire part of World Geography i.e. Geomorphology, Climatology and Climatic Regions and
Oceanography

2.Economics Test Topics goes like this – National Income, Growth & Development, Public Finance, Money & Inflation, Banking and
Money Market

3.Current Affairs from the months of March and April, 2017

4.Topics from India Year Book are facts about the states of Orissa, Rajasthan, Punjab and Sikkim; Finance and Basic Economic Data

How were the previous prelims papers – a look back, topic wise

Before we get into the specifics of how to go about the actual preparation for these topics, let’s take a
look at how the previous year Prelims question papers have treated the topics from Geography and
Economics.

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Geography

IAS, IPS, IFS and 130+ officers as our visiting faculty

Economics

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 Sources and references:

1.Geography – The best advisable source for having a thorough understanding of the various
mentioned topics from world geography would be the 11th STD NCERT. It can be accessed here –
http://www.ncert.nic.in/NCERTS/textbook/textbook. There is a topic specified called Climatology
for which Certificate Physical and Human Geography by Go Cheng Leong would be the best
reference.

2.Economics – A quick glance at the type of approach used to test your knowledge as far as this
subject goes, UPSC has always bent more towards the dynamic aspects of it. So the best place to
start preparing would be to get your basics right with a thorough reading of the NCERT books
along with vigorous and continuous following of the current events related to economics. Another
KeySurvey
important source for this subject would be the Economic for Table
which is a GOI document released
after every year’s budget session.

3.Current Affairs – Two national newspapers on an everyday basis will cut the chase for current
affairs preparation. For a more detailed analysis of everyday news and also to distinguish which is
UPSC material and which is not, do check out the link here – http://www.iasparliament.com/ .

4.India Year Book – The India Year Book is a Government of India publication which is available
online to download as well as hard copies. You can find the topics for this particular test in the
following chapters in the book. States – Chapter 30; Finance – Chapter 13; Basic Economic Data –
Chapter 6.

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How to proceed?
Refer the following table

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KEY:

CA – Current Affairs; IB – India Year Book; Geo – Geography; Eco – Economics; T1 & T2 – Test 1 & 2; Rev –
Revision; Old qs– Old Questions; AN – Afternoon; FN – Forenoon.

This is a model revision table that will help you design and restructure it according to your needs and timings. As mentioned
in the previous blog, some of you might have different ways of preparing for the UPSC examination. Go ahead, feel free to
tweak the table to suit yourself.

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THE PROCESS:

1.Reading the basic books required for Geography and Economics topics, which can be done by reading chapter wise or
syllabus wise each day. At the end of the week, Friday as per the schedule, revise all the topics read during the whole week.

2.India year Book can be an exhausting read. It has a lot of information. As far as facts about the states go, these are the areas
to take note on: Topography, Soil, Dance, Music, Culture, History, Climate, Rivers, Dams, Industries, Minerals and other
Natural resources, Demographics, current affairs related to the particular state.

3.Another essential thing to follow is to attempt and answer old questions related to the topics. Here’s how that can go:
Make use of the table given above where there is a clear split of how many questions each topic had in every year for the
last five years. Try answering the questions and then check if your answers are right. If not, check for the logic of your
answering and the right answer and rectify your thinking process.

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REVISION:

Most often, we forget the most important part of the preparation – Revision. Why do we have to revise?

1.The exam is a good 4 months away. Revision is the only key that will help us to retain the points better in our memory.

2.Can study the points that we may have overlooked in the first round of studying.

3.Helps to understand difficult topics better. Every reading will give a different perspective of the various topics helping you to
form a better version of it in our memory.

4.The key to master current affairs is revision. Keep reading the various treaties, conventions, policies and schemes seen in the
news so that you’re thoroughly acquainted with the details.

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How to revise?

•Attempting to solve old question paper is probably the best way one could revise the topics.

•While reading the subject for a second time, it helps you take notes better. These notes will come in handy during the hectic
time right before the actual examination to skim through the various topics in a jiffy.

•Get a clearer understanding of the topics by way of discussing with a fellow aspirant.

•Read different views of the same topic from various sources. This will help you form your answers for Mains examination

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