Sunday 25 March 2012

55 நாள்களில் IAS முதனிலைத் தேர்வுக்கு தயாராவது எப்படி ?

இறைவன் அருளால் தேர்வுக்கு விண்ணப்பம் செய்தாகி விட்டது. எதிர் வரும் மே மாதம் 20  ஆம் தேதி முதனிலைத் தேர்வினை எதிர் நோக்கி, தேர்வுக்கான பயிற்சிகளில் மும்முரமாக இருக்கும் வேலையில், இன்னும் நம்மிடையே இருக்க கூடிய  55   நாள்களை எவ்வாறு பயனுள்ளதாக ஆக்கிக் கொள்வது என்பதை பின் வரும் கட்டுரை தெளிவாக்குகிறது.

எந்தெந்த பகுதிகளில் தனிக் கவனம் செலுத்தி படிக்க வேண்டும் என்பதையும் இக்கட்டுரை விளக்குகிறது. 




HOW TO CLEAR PRELIMS IN 55 DAYS? :-

The Preliminary Exam (PT) is a rejection process. You must be VERY STRONG in your optional & STRONG in Current Affairs to clear this exam. To be thorough in your optional read 6-10 standard text books word by word & write down in point format the facts which you think are difficult to remember. I had Public Administration as my 1st optional & the book list has been given in my blog.


For General Studies read The Hindu thoroughly. Jot down the factual points in a separate note on Current Affairs & General Knowledge. If you think that you can’t do that at this stage then go for ANY ONE SOURCE for Current Affairs … either Wizard Current Affairs Special for Prelims OR Vajiram & Ravi Booklets for Prelims. Read any one but read it thoroughly & revise it 10 days before the PT test.


For Modern India
read Spectrum "A Brief History of Modern India". It is factual & well-suited for PT exam. For Ancient & Medieval India take Short-Cut. As only 2-3 questions come in PT read the Indian History Specials that come in Wizard Monthly.20-25 pages of mugging of "who wrote which book",The Delhi Sultanate,Chronologically arrange Rulers etc of Ancient & Medieval India will do. Don’t read NCERT books for them as Cost-Benefit Ratio will be less.


For Polity read "EITHER" Vajiram & Ravi class note dictated by Mr Ravindran Sir or D D Basu. The later takes time. So Vajiram Note will do. At least read it 2 times.


For General Knowledge, General Science & General Mental Ability you can go through the TMH General Studies Guide. Don’t read other sections in this guide as it will duplicate things. The above mentioned sections have been covered well in this guide & you will have to labour less for it. If you have more time you can read Vajiram Class Note on GMA & try to mug up some formulas in Permutation & Combination & Probability.They will come handy in GMA as UPSC is asking 15-20 GMA questions in PT.


The important point to be kept in mind is that: - FOR EACH SECTION OF GENERAL STUDIES READ “A SINGLE AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE” rather than reading 3-4 sources and confusing yourself in the process.


For Indian Economy the Economic Survey (especially Chapter 1, 10 & the chapter on Finance & all BOX ITEMS) & Indian Economic Development (NCERT 11th standard) should be read. Be attentive to all economic news & facts that appear in Hindu Business page & Business Review.10 days of reading of The Economic Times from Feb 25 to March 10 (Budget Time & Eco Survey Analysis time) will make things easier for you. If you don’t get the meaning of any economic terminology please refer Collins Economic Dictionary. It is very simple & lucid.


For Geography
read NCERT 11th & 12th standard text books (important ones being India Physical Geography & India Land & People).Apart from this read casually some chapters from Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong & be well conversant with ATLAS & Maps. Frequently see maps & Atlas (Oxford or Macmillan) while reading The Hindu & try to locate the important landmarks (like lakes,mountains,rivers,Tropic of Cancer passing through which countries, the borders of countries touching which other countries & oceans, Capitals,National Parks of India & other countries etc).


DEVOTE 4-5 HOURS EVERYDAY FOR GENERAL STUDIES & 6-7 HOURS FOR OPTIONAL.60-70% EMPHASIS SHOULD BE LAID ON OPTIONAL & REST 30-40% ON GENERAL STUDIES.BUT IF YOU ARE “VERY WEAK” IN GENERAL STUDIES THEN MAKE IT 50 % EMPHASIS ON GS & 50 % EMPHASIS ON OPTIONAL.


In India Year book focus on the following chapters :- 

Finance, Diary of Events,Agriculture,Industry,Commerce,Basic Economic Data, India & The World, Land & People, Our Polity & Glossary of General Knowledge given in the end etc. Also browse through the IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS given in India Year Book.

In Manorama Year Book focus on The India & World Panorama ( where day to day happenings have been given date-wise & month-wise),International Organizations, Awards, Books & Authors, Quiz etc. Suppose if you get a fact from it just ask your mind if this fact is going to come in Prelims, What is its probability? & if YOU think that it MAY come try to remember the fact by writing it down in your Current Affairs Note.

For this read LAST 5 YEARS UPSC GS PT QUESTIONS well so that you can READ THE EXAMINER'S MIND i.e. WHAT HE IS GOING TO ASK THIS YEAR IN CURRENT AFFAIRS & GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ...

Regularly & Attentively listen to Mid-Day News & 9 O Clock News in All India Radio. Coincide them with your lunch & Dinner timings so that you can save time & your Current Affairs & General Knowledge can be built up gradually.

Sometimes UPSC asks factual questions from Hindu Editorials. So if time permits read some editorials on Social Sector Schemes like NREGA,Bharat Nirman,NRHM,JnNURM etc. This is being done to test who are reading the Editorials & who are leaving them & just focusing on factual parts of The Hindu Newspaper. If you are THROUGH with THE HINDU 50 % of General Studies is done.

Suppose you get A NEW FACT on General Knowledge or Current Affairs from your friend or say Times of India just make it a point to write it down in your Current Affairs note after you return to your room. This enhances Memory & makes you confident during the exam. The more confident you are the better your chance to clear PT as NEGATIVE MARKING is there.

MOST IMPORTANTLY HAVE FAITH ON YOURSELF,NEVER DOUBT YOUR ABILITY & POTENTIAL,DO HARD WORK & HAVE FAITH ON GOD.UNLESS YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF YOUR SELF-DOUBT WILL INCREASE.SO BE CONFIDENT FROM DAY ONE & KEEP MOTIVATION LEVEL & CURIOSITY LEVEL HIGH.

ALL THE BEST FOR THE COMING PRELIMINARY EXAM ON 20TH MAY, 2012.

Sunday 18 March 2012

பொது அறிவு (GENERAL KNOWLEDGE) No.2

 

1. Which of the followings is/are associated with the formation of the Indian States?
1. Fazal Ali 2. SK Ghar 3. JBP Committee 4. KM Panikkar

(a) 1 & 2
(b) 1, 2, & 3
(c) all of the above
(d) none of these

2. With which one of the following movements is the slogan “Do or die” associated?
(a) Swadeshi Movement
(b) Non-Cooperation Movement
(c) Civil Disobedience Movement
(d) Quit India Movement

3. Which gas contributes the highest in the Green House gases?
(1) CO2 (2) Methane (3) SO2 (4) Chlorofluorocarbon
(a) 1 & 2
(b) only 1
(c) only 2
(d) all of the above

4. The deepest oceanic trench Mariana is located in -
(a) Atlantic Ocean
(b) Arctic Ocean
(c) Pacific Ocean
(d) Indian Ocean

5. Which of the following lists of countries give the highest Fish producers list in the descending order?
(a) India, Japan, Peru, Brazil
(b) China, Peru, India, Japan
(c) Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Australia
(d) South Africa, China, Japan, Thailand

6. Who are the four Rajput clans described in Prithviraja-Raso of Chanda Bardai, who are said to have emerged from fire-pit of Mount Abu ?
(a) Pratiharas, Chahamanas, Gahadavalas, Kalachuris
(b) Paramaras, Chandelas, Chahamanas, Chalukyas
(c) Chahamanas, Kalachuris, Chandelas, Pratiharas
(d) Pratiharas, Chahamanas, Chalukyas, Parmaras

7. Which of the Union Territories of India takes/take part in the Presidential Election of the Indian President?
(a) only Delhi
(b) Delhi & Puduchery
(c) all the UTs
(d) none of the UTs

8. Which of the following Committees has been constituted by the Indian Government to speed up the flow of FDI in India?
(a) N.K.Singh Committee
(b) B.K.Gupta Committee
(c) P.K.Sen Committee
(d) C.K.Gupta Committee

9. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
(1) Ratnavali —Rajasekhara
(2) Nagananda —Harsha
(3) Mudrarakshasa—Visakhadatta
(4) Mrichchhakatika —Sudraka
(a) 1
(b) 1 & 2
(c) 2, 3 & 4
(d) only 4

10. Which day is set to be observed as the Voting Day of India?
(a) December 25
(b) January 25
(c) February 25
(d) June 25

11. Which one of the following began with the Dandi March?
(a) Home Rule Movement
(b) Non-Cooperation Movement
(c) Civil Disobedience Movement
(d) Quit India Movement

12. Match the following:
   List I                              List II
A.    Wikipedia        1. Jack DeRochy
B.    Facebook        2. Jimmy Wales
C.    Twitter            3. Mark Zukerberg
D.    Wikileaks        4. Julian Assange

    A    B    C    D
(a)     2    4    3    1
(b)     2    3    1    4
(c)     2    1    3    4
(d)     1    2    3    4

13. Which of the following is/are matched correctly?
(1) D Uday Kumar – Rupee Symbol
(2) Amartya Sen – The Idea of Justice
(3) Prince William – Duke of Cambridge
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) none

14. How many of the 25 Hot spots of Biodiversity recognized worldwide are situated in India?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 0

15. Which was the first State to be created on linguistic basis?
(a) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Assam
(b) Bombay
(c) Gujarat

16. Which of the following gets affected by Polio?
(a) Blood
(b) Liver
(c) Spinal Cord and Bone marrow
(d) all of the above

17. Who of the following has been chosen for ‘Man of the Booker 2010’?
(a) Mario Vagosi
(b) Havard Jacobson
(c) Grant Matin
(d) David Kalley

18. Which of the Indian Universities is the only university of India to be named in the Top 10 University’s list for 2010 by the UN?
(a) JNU
(b) Delhi University
(c) Calcutta University
(d) Annamalai University

19. Which operation was started by the British Government to arrest the leaders of Quit India Movement ?
(a) Operation Reander Paste
(b) Operation Zero Hour
(c) Operation Thunderbolt
(d) Operation Blue Star

20. Which Indian received the Outstanding Achievement Award 2010 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales?
(a) HDFC chairman, Deepak Parekh
(b) ICICI Limited, Mr.A.Ramaswami Mudaliar
(c) Axis bank Chairman, P. J. Nayak
(d) Union bank Chairman M.V. Nair

Answers:

1. (b) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (b) 6. (d) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10. (b) 11. (c) 12. (a) 13. (c) 14. (b) 15. (a) 16. (c) 17. (b) 18. (c) 19. (c) 20. (a)

Thursday 15 March 2012

முதனிலைத் தேர்வில் Aptitude Test க்கு சிறப்பாக தயாராகுவது எப்படி?

The civil services got a major upliftment with the introduction of CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test). Earlier the government of India had witnessed some irregularities with the pattern of preliminary examination as not all topics were given due attention and the overall paper was a sort of unfair treatment for applicants. This is the exact reason why UPSC and the Indian government came up with the CSAT.

The UPSC CSAT stands for the Civil Services Aptitude Test and will test the aptitude of the applicant unlike its previous counterpart which tests memory of a contender. It has changes in its General Studies paper. You will be surprised to know that nearly five million applicants submit an application for the preliminary civil services examination. Thus the competition is fierce, cut throat and not to mention aggressive which is why it is imperative for you to lay your hands on CSAT Study Material and make certain that you are prepared to embark on this journey.




Here are some tips to help you excel in your endeavor. Go through NCERT Books from class vi to x and always remain up to date by reading newspaper daily. Going through regular magazines which proffer significant insights into GK, current affairs, etc. will also be an added advantage. Make sure you are medically fit and that your personality is a superior one. It is also imperative to work on your communication skills and make certain that you are fully prepared for interview if you passed the written exams.

Prepare at least a year or more in advance as the preparation will surely consume some time keeping in eye the vast curriculum. Not only you have to excel in the prelim and the main written examination, but also have to perform excellently in the interview round as all the marks are combined and your result depends on the performance in each one of them. Also make sure that you put into practice CSAT Practice Tests.

How to prepare for UPSC CSAT 2012?

Since the CSAT score does not carry forward to the Main exams, preparation should be in such a way that it should help pass the CSAT as well as the general studies papers of the main exams. Here is the recommended booklist/study material ofr CSAT 2012
 
Text books:

Class 9 NCERT Economics text book

Class 9 NCERT Geography (Contemporary India -I) text book

Class 9 NCERT History (India and Contemporary World - 1) text book

Class 9 NCERT Science text book

Class 9 NCERT Polity (Democratic Politics - I) text book




Class 10 NCERT Economics (Understanding Economic Development) text book

Class 10 NCERT Geography (Contemporary India -II) text book

Class 10 NCERT History (India and Contemporary World - II) text book

Class 10 NCERT Science text book

Class 10 NCERT Polity (Democratic Politics - II) text book

Class 11 NCERT History (Themes in World History) text book

Class 11 NCERT Geography (Fundamentals of Physical Geography) text book

Class 11 NCERT Geography (India: Physical Environment) text book

Class 11 NCERT Geography (Practical Work in Geography - I) text book

Class 11 NCERT Economics (Indian Economic Development) text book

Class 12 NCERT Polity (Indian Constitution at Work) text book

Class 12 NCERT History (Indian History - I) text book

Class 12 NCERT History (Indian History - II) text book

Class 12 NCERT Geography (Fundamentals of Human Geography) text book

Class 12 NCERT Geography (India: People and Economy) text book

Class 12 NCERT Geography (Practical Work in Geography - II) text book

Class 12 NCERT Economics (Introductory Microeconomics) text book

Class 12 NCERT Economics (Introductory Macroeconomics) text book

Class 12 NCERT Polity (Politics in India Since Independence) text book

Class 12 NCERT Polity (Contemporary World Politics) text book

Newspapers/magazines/Journals

NewYork Times (daily)

Wall Street Journal (daily)

Times of India (daily)

The Hindu (daily)

Time (weekly)

Economist (weekly)

The Week (weekly)

Current Affairs (weekly emagazine)

Economic and Political Weekly (weekly) (for free issues go to: www.epw.in)

India Today (fortnightly)

Yojana (monthly) (for free issues go to: www.yojana.gov.in)


References:

India Year Book 2012

The Economic Survey of India

A Wonder That Was India by A.L. Basham

India's Struggle for Freedom by Bipin Chandra

A History of India by Romila Thapar

An Introduction to Constitution of India by D.D. Basu

Monday 5 March 2012

IAS தேர்வுக்கு விண்ணப்பிக்க இன்று (05.03.2012 ) கடைசி நாள் !

IAS முதனிலை தேர்வுக்கு  ( PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION - 2012 ) விண்ணப்பிக்க, இன்று கடைசி நாள்(05.03.2012) என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது ஆர்வமுள்ளவர்கள் இன்று விண்ணப்பிக்காத பட்சத்தில், இறைவன் நாடினால் அடுத்த வருடம் தான் விண்ணப்பிக்க முடியும். ஆகவே உடனே விண்ணப்பிக்க தயாராகுங்கள்..


அதிகாரப்பூர்வ இனைய தள முகவரி
இது குறித்த விரிவான தகவல்களை பற்றி தெரிந்து கொள்ள மற்றும் விண்ணப்பிக்க பின் வரும்  மத்திய பணியாளர் தேர்வாணையத்தின் இனைய தள முகவரியை சொடுக்கி விண்ணப்பிக்கலாம்.

தேர்வுக்கு விண்ணப்பிக்க





நம் கீழக்கரையை சார்ந்த IAS தேர்வுக்கு முயற்சிக்கும் தேர்வாளர்கள் அனைவரும், உடனடியாக, இப்போதே  ஆன்லைனில்  விண்ணப்பிக்குமாறு கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறோம். மேலும் இந்த செய்தியை வாசிக்கும் அன்பாளர்கள் அனைவரும், தேர்வுக்கு முயற்சிக்கும் பலருக்கும் சென்றடைய ஏதுவாக, நம் நண்பர்கள் அனைவருக்கும் இந்த பக்கத்தை பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளுமாறும் கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறோம்.