PSIR Strategy by Tushar Gupta, IPS (AIR- 113, CSE 2017)
Hi everyoneIn this blog, I am sharing the PSIR strategy of Tushar Gupta.
PSIR strategy in his words:
I had attended Shubra Ranjan Mam’s classes as my attempts at reading the optional on my own were a complete failure. It started in Dec 2016 and went on for around 5 months. She has a very lucid and a beautiful way of teaching such that even a person from Engineering background is able to comprehend enough to write good answers.
I used to read for an hour what mam would teach in class the previous day before going in the morning to attend her next class.
My actual preparation started after Prelims ended. So effectively my optional preparation had been for around 4 months.
Regarding books i would say that if i had more time, i might have looked at some books like OP Gauba among others. But learning Mam’s notes was enough to get through the exam.
Make short notes for final revisions as just revising the class notes would take too much time, which near the exam period you won’t have. My short notes were what i had made in Evernote.
Evernote PSIR Notes
If you take a good look at the notes which i have made for PSIR, you will see that every scholar has a pictorial reference and what s/he said has been tabulated. While writing answers, the images are what came to mind and the corresponding lines i could easily recall.
Since we have so many scholars to learn for PSIR, i was finding it utterly confusing to learn their names. So i had come up with the Pictographical mapping idea. All my notes have been made within those 4 months of preparation and they dont take a lot of time but are very rewarding in terms of efficiency of revision. I remember the day before the Optional test in Mains paper, I had sat for a non-stop 19 hour session with my evernote and was able to complete the whole course.
You can follow as i had, or you can directly learn as well. Link to my notes will be attached. You can take a look at it for reference.
General Strategy
One needs to understand that we are studying the optional to clear the UPSC examination and not to do a PhD. So dont get emotional while preparation. Be objective with a clear focus on results.
Answer writing requires some work. Introduction and conclusion have to be very specific and need to be prepared in advance for each type of question. Eg : For Secularism topic in IGP, my intro was Starting with what Machiavelli – Father of European secularism had said, what it means in the international context and what in the Indian context. Irrespective of the question, if secularism is asked, this used to be the intro. So always have Intro and conclusions prepared as they are very important to fetch marks.
I would recommend you to change the size of your handwriting such that you fill up the answers sheets completely. 294 in the first attempt is a testament to that fact. Perception does matter.
It is always recommended to write in paragraphs in Optional paper. Do not write in points. Quote as many scholars in every answer as you can ( Should obviously be relevant to the question ).
Previous year questions are of paramount importance in Optional paper (not so much for Mains) . Whichever topic you have finished reading, pick up its PYQs and solve them. Time yourself and ensure that you are able to reach the word limit in that time. Writing practice is the only thing that will sail you through the optional. I had written answers to most of the questions which had been asked in the previous years.
Keep some points in mind while writing answers
Start with defining the basic terms In PSIR wherever possible, follow the dictum of 4Cs. — Compare, Criticise, Contemporary, Conclude. Check after every question whether you have done this, It will fetch a lot of marks Do not forget criticism if available. It is extremely important. In questions that require you to differentiate between 2 concepts say Social movements New and Old, Run them in parallel. Your answer should not be divided between New para and old para. On each and every point of differentiation write them both together. Always look for temporal terms in the question ( Like Old, New, Contemporary, etc) . They will help you understand what the examiner is asking and write accordingly.
PSIR is divided into 4 different parts
Paper 1 Section A : Political Theory and Indian Politics
- Mam’s notes are more than enough in this section. No need to do anything extra. PYQs are very important. Do refer them before learning various thinkers. In the answers 4Cs is highly applicable. Have a clear idea on Contemporary C as well. For eg, in a question regarding Philosopher King, you could add that Iran’s Supreme leader is closest to Philosopher king as given by Plato in contemporary times.
Paper 1, Section B : Indian Govt and Politics
- Again Mam’s notes were enough for this section Highly current affairs related paper, so keep a close eye on issues which could be asked here, It also helps you a lot in GS2 paper.
Paper 2, Section A : Comparative and International Politics
- This is said to be the dullest portion of PSIR preparation. But believe me it is the most interesting and the most scoring as well. Doing this portion properly will ensure that you can score pretty well in the Paper 2 theory portion. I had followed Mam’s notes and added a lot into my notes from the world’s leading open access website for students and scholars of international politics website, especially on the topics which i though were not clear to me. But again realise that you need to read just enough so as to understand properly and make only that much notes which can be used in your answers. You can see a lot of material been added to my notes for a reference
Paper 2, Section B : International Relations
- This is the dynamic portion of PSIR and also is the most interesting Shubra mam takes a lot of effort to make good notes here and they are very good. But i had supplemented her notes from a few sources. Before starting any topic, read what kind of questions were asked on that topic in the previous years and your preparation should be moulded accordingly. Dont unnecessarily go off topic and waste your time. Remember the aim is not to do PhD but to get good marks in UPSC. Dont get emotional. The Diplomat – no need to get the magazines. Say, when you are reading India-Bangladesh relations, just search on The Diplomat regarding this and read all the relevant articles. You can supplement your notes like this. There is a limit of 5 articles per month, but this can be overcome by deleting your cookies after 5 articles are done. You can read as many articles as you need after that, though you can consider getting the paid account if you have the money for that. Caspian Report Youtube channel – It helps you understand many dimension of IR and foreign policy of various nations and acts as a good orientation towards that country’s foreign policy. No need to make notes. just understand what he says. Indian Express and The Hindu articles especially by C Raja Mohan and others. Have a clarity of picture in your notes. Take a look at my evernote for reference. Introductions and conclusions should be prepared well in advance and that too with Scholars wherever possible Write as many answers as possible.
Revision is the key to writing good answers. So revise it 7-8 times at least.
Evernote shared notebook: Open with a browser other than Chrome.
Source- Quora
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