Dwij Goel (AIR-71 CSE-22) GS-2 124 Marks

Hi Guys, My name is Dwij Goel and I have secured AIR 71 in UPSC CSE 2022. I come from a small town named Kharkhauda,near Meerut, U.P. After finishing my basic education from Meerut, I have done B.Tech in mechanical engineering from NIT- Bhopal. After my graduation in 2019, I worked for a year in Hero MotoCorp limited, Gurgaon as Assistant Manager.

How I scored 124 in GS2

I got 124 marks in GS2 this year and I improved it from 100 marks which I got last year. Here is my strategy. GS2 broadly covers 3 sections namely polity, governance and international relations. Here I would be writing about each in a comprehensive manner.

Polity

Sources:

1. M. Laxmikant for basics as it was my only source for prelims as well.
2. Value addition: landmark judgement: Only IAS booklet
3. Atish Mathur sir specific notes for mains, they are freely available on his telegram channel. Good value addition for mains.

Strategy:

Q. How to read Laxmikant in less time for mains(after prelims )

I covered basics from Laxmikant to revise all the basic concepts like federalism, centre state relations etc. but for mains, reading strategy is different.

1. It should be to grasp catchy phrases like N A Palkhivala called Preamble as the ‘identity card of the constitution’.
2. Focus on main areas which upsc frequently ask like separation of power, decentralisation etc.
3. Remember important articles, judgements and amendments Ex: I mentioned MC Mehta case in question asked about Environment related cases.

Value Addition:

1. I used booklet from Only ias and Atish Mathur sir notes for covering the topics mentioned in syllabus in wholesome manner. It helped me in getting quality content also, like if Separation of power is asked, we need to mention what all provisions in constitution provide for it, article and judgements related to it.
2. I selectively used Mandar patki sir ( AIR 22 , CSE 2019) notes for some topics, his notes are in pdf format and easily available.
3. Made a list of important committee names and tried to include them in my answers.

Governance

1. Basic Source: Vision value addition material , I made notes out of them for each topic mentioned in the syllabus
2. Value Addition: I included examples, case studies, catchy phrases from Only IAS prahaar booklet for mains mentorship program.
3. 2nd ARC: I read summary of selective chapters of 2nd ARC and tried to include them in way forward, suggestions etc.

IR

1. Newspaper articles are very important, I used to save them in a separate file if some good articles is there.
2. Static: Vision mains 365 covers it comprehensively
3. Current: Vision mains 365, and my own articles clippings.
4. Made notes from Sansad TV: diplomatic dispatch, past 6-7 months videos.
5. I had keen interest in IR and after my mains I read many books on IR, I would highly recommend “The India Way” by Dr. S. Jaishankar for getting good perspective on India’s approach to foreign policy.

Test Series & Answer Writing

1. In my 2022 attempt, I attempted mock tests online. I also wrote some ForumIAS tests which I got from outside and after writing them at my home only, I got them evaluated independently( I was not willing to invest money again in costly test series ). My those copies are not in pubic domain so I would be sharing them on my telegram channel for the reference.
2. In my 2021 attempt I took Vision.
3. How many tests to give : I would suggest to write 2 full length mock paper for each GS subject. I used to take part tests of different coaching(from market or online ) like Forum, Vision and scribble them on the paper. It helps in building the content as well as helps in structuring the answer.
4. Since I joined live answer writing session, I used to diligently follow it and always try to improve my answers.

As they say “the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war ”. So write more, learn more.

"Lite Hai"