http://www.employmentnews.gov.in/
http://www.upsc.gov.in/
Military as a Career: A Self Assessment Tool - Home
ias preparation strategy-IAS PEDIA
Thursday, January 6, 2011
another career planning and guidance website is career360
sneak peek........
* Central Institute of Tool Design is an ISO 9001:2000 certified premier Institute in Asia to provide specialized training in Tool Engineering, CAD/CAM & Mechatronics.
* by Team Careers360
*
| | Share | Post a comment | Subscribe to newsletter
*
CITD in collaboration with University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad invite applications full-time Post Graduate courses in Mechanical Engineering, conducted under Industry-Institution joint programme leading to M.E. Degree.
INSTITUTE: Central Institute of Tool Design, MSME, Hyderabad.
Programme 1: Master of Engineering (M.E.) – Mech- CAD/CAM
Eligibility: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering / Production Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Mechatronics or equivalent with a minimum of 55% marks in the qualifying examination.
Course Fee: Rs.32.000/- per semester for self-sponsored category and Rs.40,000/- per semester for Industry sponsored category + one time Autonomous fee of Rs.6000/- both categories.
No of Seats: Self Sponsored-20 seats ; Industry sponsored-05 seats
Programme 2: Master of Engineering(M.E.) – Tool Design
Eligibility: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering / Production Engineering or its equivalent with minimum of 55% marks in the qualifying examination.
Course Fee: Rs.25.500/- per semester for self-sponsored category and Rs.31,500/- per semester for Industry sponsored category + one time Autonomous fee of Rs.6000/- both categories.
No of Seats: Self Sponsored-20 seats ; Industry sponsored-05 seats
For both Programmes:
Duration: 24 months ( 4 semesters)
Age: Below 45 years preferable
Selection Process: Based on entrance to be conducted by University College of Engineering, Osmania University. GATE rank holders also need to qualify in the Entrance Test.
career360
sneak peek........
* Central Institute of Tool Design is an ISO 9001:2000 certified premier Institute in Asia to provide specialized training in Tool Engineering, CAD/CAM & Mechatronics.
* by Team Careers360
*
| | Share | Post a comment | Subscribe to newsletter
*
CITD in collaboration with University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad invite applications full-time Post Graduate courses in Mechanical Engineering, conducted under Industry-Institution joint programme leading to M.E. Degree.
INSTITUTE: Central Institute of Tool Design, MSME, Hyderabad.
Programme 1: Master of Engineering (M.E.) – Mech- CAD/CAM
Eligibility: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering / Production Engineering/ Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Mechatronics or equivalent with a minimum of 55% marks in the qualifying examination.
Course Fee: Rs.32.000/- per semester for self-sponsored category and Rs.40,000/- per semester for Industry sponsored category + one time Autonomous fee of Rs.6000/- both categories.
No of Seats: Self Sponsored-20 seats ; Industry sponsored-05 seats
Programme 2: Master of Engineering(M.E.) – Tool Design
Eligibility: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering / Production Engineering or its equivalent with minimum of 55% marks in the qualifying examination.
Course Fee: Rs.25.500/- per semester for self-sponsored category and Rs.31,500/- per semester for Industry sponsored category + one time Autonomous fee of Rs.6000/- both categories.
No of Seats: Self Sponsored-20 seats ; Industry sponsored-05 seats
For both Programmes:
Duration: 24 months ( 4 semesters)
Age: Below 45 years preferable
Selection Process: Based on entrance to be conducted by University College of Engineering, Osmania University. GATE rank holders also need to qualify in the Entrance Test.
career360
career,engineering info,jobs
check out this fantastic site which give no holds bar access to real info
.sakshieducation
sneak peek...........
* I year B.Tech
Common Subjects
o Engg. Physics
+ Bonding in Solids
Crystallography
+ X-Ray Diffraction and Defects in Crystals
+ Elements of Statistical Mechanics
+ Quantum Mechanics
o Engg. Chemistry
+ Electrochemistry
+ Batteries
+ Corrosion And Its Control
+ Polymers
+ Rubbers
o Mathematics - I
+ Sequences - Series
+ Mean Value Theorems
+ Differential Equations of First Order
+ Higher Order Linear Differential Equations
+ Laplace Transformation
+ Vector Calculus
o Mathematical Methods
+ Solution for Linear Systems
+ Eigen Values & Eigen Vectors
+ Fourier Series
+ Interpolation
o Computer Programming & Datastructures
+ Introduction to Computers
+ Introduction to C Language
+ Functions and Arrays
+ Pointers and Strings
o English
+ Heaven's Gate
Haragovind Khorana
+ Sir C.V.Raman
Sam Pitroda
+ The Connoisseur
Mother Teresa
+ Disaster Management
Amartya Sen
o Engg. Mechanics
+ Systems of Forces
o Engg. Drawing
+ Introduction to Engineering Drawing
* Academic Guidance
* Soft Skills
* Entrance Exams
* Colleges / Institutes
* Company Info
* Short Term Courses
* Job Point
* Toppers Talk
* Interviews of CEOs/HR Heads
* Great Speeches
* GenNext
* Events
* Books
* Results
* National
* International
* Education Loans
* Tips
EXAM DATES
GATE 2011
January 30, 2011
XAT 2011
January 2, 2011
AIEEE 2011
1st May 2011
UPSC Examinations
2011 Calender
.:: Recruitment of Junior Engineers through SSC ::.
Staff Selection Commission – SSC as given recruitment notification for the recruitment of Junior Engineers (Civil and Mechanical) in Central Water Commission and Junior Engineers (Electrical) in Department of posts. The details of age, educational qualifications, fee details, Pay scale, Vacancies, scheme of examination and other details of SSC Junior Engineer Recruitment are given below.
Vacancies:
Number of vacancies for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil & Electrical) = 160
Name of the posts:
1.Junior Engineer (Civil and Mechanical) – Central water Commission: 142
2.Junior Engineer (Electrical) – Department of posts: 18
sakshieducation
.sakshieducation
sneak peek...........
* I year B.Tech
Common Subjects
o Engg. Physics
+ Bonding in Solids
Crystallography
+ X-Ray Diffraction and Defects in Crystals
+ Elements of Statistical Mechanics
+ Quantum Mechanics
o Engg. Chemistry
+ Electrochemistry
+ Batteries
+ Corrosion And Its Control
+ Polymers
+ Rubbers
o Mathematics - I
+ Sequences - Series
+ Mean Value Theorems
+ Differential Equations of First Order
+ Higher Order Linear Differential Equations
+ Laplace Transformation
+ Vector Calculus
o Mathematical Methods
+ Solution for Linear Systems
+ Eigen Values & Eigen Vectors
+ Fourier Series
+ Interpolation
o Computer Programming & Datastructures
+ Introduction to Computers
+ Introduction to C Language
+ Functions and Arrays
+ Pointers and Strings
o English
+ Heaven's Gate
Haragovind Khorana
+ Sir C.V.Raman
Sam Pitroda
+ The Connoisseur
Mother Teresa
+ Disaster Management
Amartya Sen
o Engg. Mechanics
+ Systems of Forces
o Engg. Drawing
+ Introduction to Engineering Drawing
* Academic Guidance
* Soft Skills
* Entrance Exams
* Colleges / Institutes
* Company Info
* Short Term Courses
* Job Point
* Toppers Talk
* Interviews of CEOs/HR Heads
* Great Speeches
* GenNext
* Events
* Books
* Results
* National
* International
* Education Loans
* Tips
EXAM DATES
GATE 2011
January 30, 2011
XAT 2011
January 2, 2011
AIEEE 2011
1st May 2011
UPSC Examinations
2011 Calender
.:: Recruitment of Junior Engineers through SSC ::.
Staff Selection Commission – SSC as given recruitment notification for the recruitment of Junior Engineers (Civil and Mechanical) in Central Water Commission and Junior Engineers (Electrical) in Department of posts. The details of age, educational qualifications, fee details, Pay scale, Vacancies, scheme of examination and other details of SSC Junior Engineer Recruitment are given below.
Vacancies:
Number of vacancies for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil & Electrical) = 160
Name of the posts:
1.Junior Engineer (Civil and Mechanical) – Central water Commission: 142
2.Junior Engineer (Electrical) – Department of posts: 18
sakshieducation
career counselling
check out this site for good and quick career decision making
ignouonline.ac.in/sakshat
part of the questionnaire is here for your peek...
Hobbies & Accomplishments
Look at the different activities listed below. You have three options for every activity: I am involved in this activity, I have won prizes at the school level, I have won prizes at the inter-school level. If any of these options are relevant to you, please click under that column. You are free to choose none of the options or all the three options.
Use the table below to try out this questionnaire
Q. No Activity I am involved in this activity I have won prizes at the school level I have won prizes at the inter-school level
1. Writing (e.g. essays, articles, poetry)
2. Public Speaking (e.g. debating, giving speeches)
3. Drama and acting
4. Solving mathematical problems
5. Participating in mathematics competitions
6. Participating in science exhibitions
7. Activities related to design (e.g. collage, poster making, clay modelling, sculpture)
8. Making things out of cloth, paper, wood, clay or any other material (e.g. clothes, toys, jewellery, craft items)
9. Drawing, painting, sketching
10. Participating in social service activities
ignouonline.ac.in/sakshat
ignouonline.ac.in/sakshat
part of the questionnaire is here for your peek...
Hobbies & Accomplishments
Look at the different activities listed below. You have three options for every activity: I am involved in this activity, I have won prizes at the school level, I have won prizes at the inter-school level. If any of these options are relevant to you, please click under that column. You are free to choose none of the options or all the three options.
Use the table below to try out this questionnaire
Q. No Activity I am involved in this activity I have won prizes at the school level I have won prizes at the inter-school level
1. Writing (e.g. essays, articles, poetry)
2. Public Speaking (e.g. debating, giving speeches)
3. Drama and acting
4. Solving mathematical problems
5. Participating in mathematics competitions
6. Participating in science exhibitions
7. Activities related to design (e.g. collage, poster making, clay modelling, sculpture)
8. Making things out of cloth, paper, wood, clay or any other material (e.g. clothes, toys, jewellery, craft items)
9. Drawing, painting, sketching
10. Participating in social service activities
ignouonline.ac.in/sakshat
ias prep strategy by shubhra-saxena
naother wonderfull site none the less.but no real answers or noteds is available but frank opinions and it actually inspires confidance.click here to visit the site directly
an extract from the site.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Making notes
This is a very important process. You have millions of books and they seem intimidating at times.
It's always a good idea to make notes.
First, do not ever make notes in your first reading. I would go for notes maybe in 2nd or better in 3rd read.
There are many kind of notes that you can make.
1) If you select certain most important topics in your optionals, eg distt administration, RTI in pub ad, then select the best books for that topic and write all of that on A4 sized sheets. select such 50 60 topics from your optionals by looking at the pattern of paper and make the best notes possible. Initially it seems like a lot of hard work. But it really helps. I made such notes for about 80-90 topics in Pub ad. Remember, you can not afford to leave the rest of the syllabus. because even in the best case scenaro you might get questions outside this list.
So finish your syllabus thoroughly and these notes will work as add ons.
2) Chapter-wise notes- I did this in both psychology and Pub ad.
take an A4 sheet and fold it in between so that it has 2 parts. write synoptical notes just the gist that is relevant to you. write it in condensed form so that it doesnt take much space. Also, use highlighters and red/pink/green pens to highlight imp stuff.
You must be wondering why I a stressing on A4 sheets. They are easy to handle and you can classify the notes whenever you want. You don't have to carry a big notebook at the time of exam.
3) Post-it notes-
Suppose you have GS notes from a coaching class. They are good. But they are huge. Also, you have already spent enough time on optionals notes. So there's a short cut for these notes. Buy Post-it notes, the yellow coloured stickies. When you have studied a topic, just write the +ves, -ves, anything on that post it and stick it onto that page. When you are revising the stuff, just look at the post-its. That will save your time and stick better in head.
Just before the exam, you can just glance at these notes for the last time. Remember you should have done this many times before. But the last revision is the most crucial. Psychology students would understand why. When you write your paper this year, you would understand the significance of this last look you gave your notes.
Also understand that the note making exercise is a tedious one and you might think you are wasting a lot of time. rather you could study from books. but for a single topic you will have to open 4 5 books at a time. That's even more tedious. Plus it will be difficult to retrieve the stuff. Get it all in one place and you are all set.
Posted by Shubhra at 12:05 PM
69 comments:
Tanuja said...
Ma'am a request, can we get your notes ?
That would also save lot of time for us and as we know they are the best ones and far better than any coaching notes . I am not doing any coachings so it would be a great help for me and those who can't afford a coaching . Thanks
tanujakumari100@gmail.com
July 15, 2009 2:21 PM
Shubhra said...
No, my notes can not help you as they might not be relevant for you. you will have to do the requisite hard work for thus exam. Do not shy away from hard work if you wanna clear this exam.
July 15, 2009 2:29 PM
Shubhra said...
I did it all on my own. I didn't have even this guidance that you have in the form of this blog. So go ahead and work hard. there's no short cut to success.
July 15, 2009 2:31 PM
Nuke said...
thanks a lot mam this was enlightng just hope i get the schedule frm you ..i am sorry mam i might seem kinda freaked out but to be frank i am nt a very good planner so if you could just give me a skeleton i would work on it and improvise ..looking for the guidance
July 15, 2009 9:47 PM
click here to visit the site directly
an extract from the site.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Making notes
This is a very important process. You have millions of books and they seem intimidating at times.
It's always a good idea to make notes.
First, do not ever make notes in your first reading. I would go for notes maybe in 2nd or better in 3rd read.
There are many kind of notes that you can make.
1) If you select certain most important topics in your optionals, eg distt administration, RTI in pub ad, then select the best books for that topic and write all of that on A4 sized sheets. select such 50 60 topics from your optionals by looking at the pattern of paper and make the best notes possible. Initially it seems like a lot of hard work. But it really helps. I made such notes for about 80-90 topics in Pub ad. Remember, you can not afford to leave the rest of the syllabus. because even in the best case scenaro you might get questions outside this list.
So finish your syllabus thoroughly and these notes will work as add ons.
2) Chapter-wise notes- I did this in both psychology and Pub ad.
take an A4 sheet and fold it in between so that it has 2 parts. write synoptical notes just the gist that is relevant to you. write it in condensed form so that it doesnt take much space. Also, use highlighters and red/pink/green pens to highlight imp stuff.
You must be wondering why I a stressing on A4 sheets. They are easy to handle and you can classify the notes whenever you want. You don't have to carry a big notebook at the time of exam.
3) Post-it notes-
Suppose you have GS notes from a coaching class. They are good. But they are huge. Also, you have already spent enough time on optionals notes. So there's a short cut for these notes. Buy Post-it notes, the yellow coloured stickies. When you have studied a topic, just write the +ves, -ves, anything on that post it and stick it onto that page. When you are revising the stuff, just look at the post-its. That will save your time and stick better in head.
Just before the exam, you can just glance at these notes for the last time. Remember you should have done this many times before. But the last revision is the most crucial. Psychology students would understand why. When you write your paper this year, you would understand the significance of this last look you gave your notes.
Also understand that the note making exercise is a tedious one and you might think you are wasting a lot of time. rather you could study from books. but for a single topic you will have to open 4 5 books at a time. That's even more tedious. Plus it will be difficult to retrieve the stuff. Get it all in one place and you are all set.
Posted by Shubhra at 12:05 PM
69 comments:
Tanuja said...
Ma'am a request, can we get your notes ?
That would also save lot of time for us and as we know they are the best ones and far better than any coaching notes . I am not doing any coachings so it would be a great help for me and those who can't afford a coaching . Thanks
tanujakumari100@gmail.com
July 15, 2009 2:21 PM
Shubhra said...
No, my notes can not help you as they might not be relevant for you. you will have to do the requisite hard work for thus exam. Do not shy away from hard work if you wanna clear this exam.
July 15, 2009 2:29 PM
Shubhra said...
I did it all on my own. I didn't have even this guidance that you have in the form of this blog. So go ahead and work hard. there's no short cut to success.
July 15, 2009 2:31 PM
Nuke said...
thanks a lot mam this was enlightng just hope i get the schedule frm you ..i am sorry mam i might seem kinda freaked out but to be frank i am nt a very good planner so if you could just give me a skeleton i would work on it and improvise ..looking for the guidance
July 15, 2009 9:47 PM
click here to visit the site directly
aswers by anay dwivedi
here is one of the several hqandwritten sheets by anay dwivedi. please visit this site for further guidance.also make a backup copy of information you feel essential.from my personal experience,you never know when the site may get deleted by chance.
click here to go to anay's site.
click here to go to anay's site.
Psychology Mains
click here for source
Psychology Mains
Posted on June 9, 2010 by anaydwivedi
Strategy
Before talking about my strategy for psychology, I would like to point out that it was my first optional and I was thorough with the standard books and Pathak sir’s notes. I firmly believe one book should be read five times for the prelims rather than five books once.
For those with psychology as a 2nd optional, gaining an insight into various topics is very important. Do not aim at mugging up names, researches, experiments, jargons, etc. Instead focus on getting an idea about how to link various topics as questions being asked are quite difficult to predict.
First and foremost, do not aim at finishing books. You have to cover the syllabus topic-wise.
Take a printout of the syllabus from the UPSC website and try to cover the topics one by one. I prepared the full syllabus as I felt anything can be asked for a 60 marker. Do not study something thinking that it is for paper 1, etc. Everything you study can be applied anywhere.
I counted the number of topics in the syllabus (x in chapter 1, y in chapter 2, z in chapter 3 and so on. total x+y+z…). I aimed at covering 5 topics everyday. While finding content on a particular topic, I referred standard books, Mukul Pathak sir’s notes and above all the internet.
But once I prepared a given topic, I never picked up the book or notes again to refer what was given. I relied on what I had written on that topic from then on. The strategy should be to revise your notes again and again at least 7-8 times.
I started this exercise in the first week of June and aimed at finishing it by September 1st. But eventually was able to do it by September end.
Before explaining it further, here are the sources:
Books and notes
I have given a list of books. It doesn’t mean I read them from cover to cover. I went as per the topics in the syllabus and tried to find the content in these books and notes.
Books:
1. Morgan and King
2. Baron
3. Ciccarelli
4. Chaplin-Krawiec (try to go through it only when you are confident about the basics)
Notes: Mukul Pathak sir.
Internet:
1. Wikipedia
2. Google search
3. Yahoo search
Books and notes are not enough as 95 % of the people taking up psychology go through these books and Pathak sir’s notes. Therefore, they should be treated as basic information one should know.
The key to scoring in psychology is writing your own examples, diagrams, flowcharts, and key words you can think of and those you may find on the internet.
Example:
Introduction to psychology: Definition and scope.
I would first pick up Morgan & King and find out how it defines psychology. It might say: psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour and its application to human problems.
I would compare it with what Baron says. It might say: psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes.
So I now conclude that psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour and mental processes and its application to human problems.
This way all the sources need to be referred to and the comparison also leads to gaining an insight into the developments in psychology over the years.
Strategy (contd)
Once I went through the books and Pathak sir’s notes, I would try to find something about the topic on the net. Since 5 topics have to be finished per day, I did not invest more than 30 mins on a given topic if I already had enough content to write a 60 marker.
If I couldn’t find anything in the books and the content is not enough, then went about searching on the net for about an hour or so. Topics such as gender bias, sports psychology, ROC, etc have been explained very nicely on the internet.
Once I had enough material on a given topic I tried to compress the 700-800 words I had written as follows:
1. Identify the key words from that particular topic and write it in a pocket notebook under that topic.
2. Draw the diagram found in the books/notes/internet and if there’s none, try to think of a diagram. This is to avoid wasting time during the paper thinking of something to draw. Also, pictorial representation is always easier to remember.
Coaching
I did not take any coaching in psychology during all my 3 attempts. The best coaching I can think of is definitely that of Mukul Pathak sir. In fact, I don’t think there is any other person who can be compared to Pathak sir.
I took his guidance for answer-writing during my 3rd attempt and will share with you his inputs.
Answer-writing
It is a key element of scoring marks in the optionals. For the same content, person A might score 30 whereas person B might score 35. The right way of presentation of an answer is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I totally neglected this aspect at my own peril in my 1st two attempts. Thinking that it was all about knowledge and content rather than presentation, as it was the UPSC exam and not some school test, I did not focus on some key elements of an answer.
1. Underlining: it is very important as the examiner can have a look at all the key words straight away and save effort and time. Always underline with the pen as you write as there isn’t enough time for pencil,etc
2. Key words: they should be written straightaway in the answer and hence no need to think of introduction, body, conclusion, etc during the paper.
3. Diagrams: always try to draw a diagram in every question. Do it freehand and with a pencil. No need to use scale, etc. as there isn’t enough time in the exam. If still running short on time, draw it with the pen. No problem.
Also, try to modify the standard diagram in the book so that it looks different.
4. Graphs/flowcharts: topics such as brainstorming can be explained very effectively through flowcharts. Graphs can be used to explain ROC curves and internet is a good source.
5. Language: Use simple language. Do not show your vocabulary. Whenever using jargons, explain in one line immediately. It has to be assumed that the examiner doesn’t know anything about psychology.
Therefore, writing in the middle of the answer,”…one of the examples of nature vs. nurture debate is LAD. The debate is still unsettled.” Do not assume the examiner knows that LAD is language acquisition device of Chomsky.
6. Examples: never write the standard example given in the book.
7. Answers can be written in points if you have enough content and time and word limit constraints matter.
Use your General Studies knowledge in psychology.
Let us take the case of social learning. Do write that it was a concept most famously put forth by Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment. But do not use 1 page to explain the experiment. Do it in at most 3 lines. Instead focus on giving your own example:
In India incidents of mob violence have been on the rise. The Gujjar agitation involved people blocking highways and damaging public property in order to force the government to start talks. People all over India observed the issue on TV. When similar but unrelated issue erupted in J&K over the Amarnath issue, similar tactics were applied by certain groups in order to make the government listen to their demands. This chain of events further continued and the Tata Nano Singur controversy was also one of the issues where people resorted to violence. Roads were blocked and tyres were burnt. This is a classic example of social learning.
Remember that once notes have been prepared, the sources should not be referred again. Focus on revising the notes and remembering the diagrams and key words on each and every topic.
Broad perspective
Do not focus on one point. Writing 10 points in 2 lines each is better than writing just 5 points, 4 lines each.
Example: the question asked in 2009 regarding gender differences with respect to substance abuse in India.
Substance abuse:
• It doesn’t mean only opium, heroin, cocaine, LSD, pot, alcohol, etc.
• People addicted to tea and coffee is also substance abuse.
• Elderly taking sleeping pills and aspirin is also substance abuse.
• A hypochondriac depending on excessive medication is substance abuse.
• People in urban areas addicted to soft drinks and energy drinks is an example of substance abuse.
• Not only cigarettes and bidis, but chewing tobacco and pan masala is also substance abuse.
Gender differences:
• This would not only include male and female differences but would also involve further classification into rural and urban areas.
Keeping in mind the above points, an answer can be written for 20 marks.
Sample answers
I wrote few answers and showed them to Pathak sir. I have uploaded 2 of them.
Psychology Mains
Posted on June 9, 2010 by anaydwivedi
Strategy
Before talking about my strategy for psychology, I would like to point out that it was my first optional and I was thorough with the standard books and Pathak sir’s notes. I firmly believe one book should be read five times for the prelims rather than five books once.
For those with psychology as a 2nd optional, gaining an insight into various topics is very important. Do not aim at mugging up names, researches, experiments, jargons, etc. Instead focus on getting an idea about how to link various topics as questions being asked are quite difficult to predict.
First and foremost, do not aim at finishing books. You have to cover the syllabus topic-wise.
Take a printout of the syllabus from the UPSC website and try to cover the topics one by one. I prepared the full syllabus as I felt anything can be asked for a 60 marker. Do not study something thinking that it is for paper 1, etc. Everything you study can be applied anywhere.
I counted the number of topics in the syllabus (x in chapter 1, y in chapter 2, z in chapter 3 and so on. total x+y+z…). I aimed at covering 5 topics everyday. While finding content on a particular topic, I referred standard books, Mukul Pathak sir’s notes and above all the internet.
But once I prepared a given topic, I never picked up the book or notes again to refer what was given. I relied on what I had written on that topic from then on. The strategy should be to revise your notes again and again at least 7-8 times.
I started this exercise in the first week of June and aimed at finishing it by September 1st. But eventually was able to do it by September end.
Before explaining it further, here are the sources:
Books and notes
I have given a list of books. It doesn’t mean I read them from cover to cover. I went as per the topics in the syllabus and tried to find the content in these books and notes.
Books:
1. Morgan and King
2. Baron
3. Ciccarelli
4. Chaplin-Krawiec (try to go through it only when you are confident about the basics)
Notes: Mukul Pathak sir.
Internet:
1. Wikipedia
2. Google search
3. Yahoo search
Books and notes are not enough as 95 % of the people taking up psychology go through these books and Pathak sir’s notes. Therefore, they should be treated as basic information one should know.
The key to scoring in psychology is writing your own examples, diagrams, flowcharts, and key words you can think of and those you may find on the internet.
Example:
Introduction to psychology: Definition and scope.
I would first pick up Morgan & King and find out how it defines psychology. It might say: psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour and its application to human problems.
I would compare it with what Baron says. It might say: psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes.
So I now conclude that psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour and mental processes and its application to human problems.
This way all the sources need to be referred to and the comparison also leads to gaining an insight into the developments in psychology over the years.
Strategy (contd)
Once I went through the books and Pathak sir’s notes, I would try to find something about the topic on the net. Since 5 topics have to be finished per day, I did not invest more than 30 mins on a given topic if I already had enough content to write a 60 marker.
If I couldn’t find anything in the books and the content is not enough, then went about searching on the net for about an hour or so. Topics such as gender bias, sports psychology, ROC, etc have been explained very nicely on the internet.
Once I had enough material on a given topic I tried to compress the 700-800 words I had written as follows:
1. Identify the key words from that particular topic and write it in a pocket notebook under that topic.
2. Draw the diagram found in the books/notes/internet and if there’s none, try to think of a diagram. This is to avoid wasting time during the paper thinking of something to draw. Also, pictorial representation is always easier to remember.
Coaching
I did not take any coaching in psychology during all my 3 attempts. The best coaching I can think of is definitely that of Mukul Pathak sir. In fact, I don’t think there is any other person who can be compared to Pathak sir.
I took his guidance for answer-writing during my 3rd attempt and will share with you his inputs.
Answer-writing
It is a key element of scoring marks in the optionals. For the same content, person A might score 30 whereas person B might score 35. The right way of presentation of an answer is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I totally neglected this aspect at my own peril in my 1st two attempts. Thinking that it was all about knowledge and content rather than presentation, as it was the UPSC exam and not some school test, I did not focus on some key elements of an answer.
1. Underlining: it is very important as the examiner can have a look at all the key words straight away and save effort and time. Always underline with the pen as you write as there isn’t enough time for pencil,etc
2. Key words: they should be written straightaway in the answer and hence no need to think of introduction, body, conclusion, etc during the paper.
3. Diagrams: always try to draw a diagram in every question. Do it freehand and with a pencil. No need to use scale, etc. as there isn’t enough time in the exam. If still running short on time, draw it with the pen. No problem.
Also, try to modify the standard diagram in the book so that it looks different.
4. Graphs/flowcharts: topics such as brainstorming can be explained very effectively through flowcharts. Graphs can be used to explain ROC curves and internet is a good source.
5. Language: Use simple language. Do not show your vocabulary. Whenever using jargons, explain in one line immediately. It has to be assumed that the examiner doesn’t know anything about psychology.
Therefore, writing in the middle of the answer,”…one of the examples of nature vs. nurture debate is LAD. The debate is still unsettled.” Do not assume the examiner knows that LAD is language acquisition device of Chomsky.
6. Examples: never write the standard example given in the book.
7. Answers can be written in points if you have enough content and time and word limit constraints matter.
Use your General Studies knowledge in psychology.
Let us take the case of social learning. Do write that it was a concept most famously put forth by Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment. But do not use 1 page to explain the experiment. Do it in at most 3 lines. Instead focus on giving your own example:
In India incidents of mob violence have been on the rise. The Gujjar agitation involved people blocking highways and damaging public property in order to force the government to start talks. People all over India observed the issue on TV. When similar but unrelated issue erupted in J&K over the Amarnath issue, similar tactics were applied by certain groups in order to make the government listen to their demands. This chain of events further continued and the Tata Nano Singur controversy was also one of the issues where people resorted to violence. Roads were blocked and tyres were burnt. This is a classic example of social learning.
Remember that once notes have been prepared, the sources should not be referred again. Focus on revising the notes and remembering the diagrams and key words on each and every topic.
Broad perspective
Do not focus on one point. Writing 10 points in 2 lines each is better than writing just 5 points, 4 lines each.
Example: the question asked in 2009 regarding gender differences with respect to substance abuse in India.
Substance abuse:
• It doesn’t mean only opium, heroin, cocaine, LSD, pot, alcohol, etc.
• People addicted to tea and coffee is also substance abuse.
• Elderly taking sleeping pills and aspirin is also substance abuse.
• A hypochondriac depending on excessive medication is substance abuse.
• People in urban areas addicted to soft drinks and energy drinks is an example of substance abuse.
• Not only cigarettes and bidis, but chewing tobacco and pan masala is also substance abuse.
Gender differences:
• This would not only include male and female differences but would also involve further classification into rural and urban areas.
Keeping in mind the above points, an answer can be written for 20 marks.
Sample answers
I wrote few answers and showed them to Pathak sir. I have uploaded 2 of them.
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