Saturday, 24 March 2018

HOW TO PREPARE FOR NPSC MAINS EXAMINATION, BOOKS AND TIPS.

                                                 ~HOW TO PREPARE FOR NPSC MAINS EXAMINATION, BOOKS AND TIPS~




               I have been trying to free myself to write this blog, and to be honest I have not been able to execute because of number of engagement to the extent That I had to excuse myself.
Well, I Received  a number of calls and people texting me how to approach NPSC mains and i had to narrate the whole thing over and over and some even asking for a second narration. In order to save myself I decided to pen down this, and also am not a regular blogger so excuse me if it's not one of your regular read (my previous blog dating to 4 years back)

         Since almost 20k people appear for prelims so it makes more sense to publish material for pre, where as for mains only handful candidates i.e less than 1000 sometimes even less than 500. In this blog I'll try to give tips and short cuts, do's and don'ts.

                 About me: I have been preparing for UPSC since 2012, wrote UPSC  mains, cleared UPSC Assistant commandant in General quota(couldn’t clear my physical), gave NPSC twice and cleared as JDA in my first attempt and EAC in my second.  I also gave  lectures at couple of NPSC coaching centre and i have an experience of 200 hours of classroom lecture. This is just to give an idea that whatever tools and ideas am giving comes from a very well experimented corner and I leave it to your judgment whether to accept or throw it into the bin.

          Leaving behind all the nonsense here are the information.

#BOOKS TO READ AND WHAT TO READ.
There are all together 8 subject so I'll try to sort out with respect to that but one of the text book you cannot do away with is 
EXCEL MCQ FOR PRELIMINARY AND MAINS- you need this in your NPSC library,  price of this book goes up every year, I remember buying it for 400rs and it's now 800rs which means it is very very important. Every year they just paste new question paper and no new information so even if you have an old one it's good to go.

*PAPER 1 is MCQ and it includes sections like
1) History(40mark)
2) Science(40mark)
3) Mathematic and mental ability(40amrk)
4) Nagaland(40mark)
5) Current affair(40mark)

*PAPER 2 is descriptive and includes
6) Economics(25-35Average)
7) Geography(25-35Average)
8) Current affair related(25-35Average)
9) Polity(25-35Average)
10) Nagaland(74mark)

1)HISTORY
Since for mains history is asked in MCQ format so the catch is you should have done a good reading on history from 1857 till independence. Ancient and medieval are not included.

Books- any standard textbook on modern history is fine because I have seen that almost all history textbook have same input, because it's factual and the narration is same. Tata McGraw hill, Lucent, wizard- one of them will do... 

Tips- do all the MCQ from Excel, if you have enough time do more from other MCQ bank. You'll have 40 MCQ so try to bank upon it.

2) SCIENCE
If you look at the syllabus the commission have mentioned basic science, everyday science.
So even the science student doesn't have an upper hand and the saying is a myth that science questions are asked more or it's advantageous for science student.

           I wouldn't suggest reading any textbook, just solve the MCQ from EXCEL and here's the tip- circle those questions which you understand eg: chemical name of common salt? Or, largest organ in the human body? Don't even bother about questions you don't understand ( if you are not able to understand then it means you need to get into the theory, and it basically means starting from the root so just eliminate it unless you have to) . Also I would suggest you to dissect previous years question paper to get an idea of what kind of questions are being asked and then accordingly circle it. Circling means when you do revision you have to consolidate only those MCQ and leave out the rest. So that's the drill and I'll be mentioning CIRCLING again and again.

3) MATHEMATIC AND MENTAL ABILITY.
     I won't suggest you any other book, dissecting all the previous year questions and solving EXCEL is more than enough. The mathematics part is simple class 10 Maths so it shouldn't be an issue. Also solve previous year questions exhaustively.

4) NAGALAND.
 Books to refer are 
1) Any textbook on Nagaland from the market, I made use of Nagaland G.K by N.Khashito Aye
2) NBSE Nagaland textbook for class ix and x


         Nagaland and current affair is the only topic that's is asked for both paper 1 and 2 , for paper 1 do all the MCQ from EXCEL, and if there is question bank from other book solve it too. Also solve previous years Nagaland questions because it's a small topic with huge mark allocations so questions are always repeated. 

5) CURRENT AFFAIR.
    For paper 1, I would advise you to have followed your newspaper religiously and jotted down all the facts for MCQ. If you have not then you can follow this step- Google "current affair monthly MCQ PDF for competitive exams" this will give you an exposure to a lot of website, pick which ever is convenient and get it printed or you can write it down(not a big issue, I wrote 700 in two days) . For every month there will be 100-150 MCQ, not every question is important, refer previous years CA MCQ and filter on an average 50-65 MCQ and that should be good, and for a year it will vary from 700-800 max.

  
6) ECONOMICS.
Book to refer- Tata mcgraw hill Ramesh Singh.

   You don't need to read everything from there. Leave all the technical stuff and read the conceptual and generic definition. This topic is important only for paper 2, all 2  marker are definition based and 10 marks are opinion and current related. It's a bit dynamic in nature, but not to the level comparable to UPSC.

7) GEOGRAPHY.
Books to refer- Any standard textbook on geography for competitive exams, I have seen that almost all the textbook have same input and doesn't vary at all in terms of input. I have been using wizard.

     At the most questions from this section is for about 15-20 mark, and it has only 2marker and 5marker questions, rarely 10marker.

           So for any aspirant they should have read heavily on 1)polity 2)economics 3)geography (importance in descending order) because this are the topic where one need to pick up language and need to be clear on concepts. I won't include history because it's mostly part of MCQ, but also simultaneously need a wide reading for essay and opinion based questions.


8) CURRENT AFFAIR RELATED.
 For paper 2 you have had read competitive examination magazines and newspapers, it's indispensable. All those questions on polity, economics and sometimes Nagaland are intertwined with current issues. For this section there is no short cut, consistency or if possible last hour quick read will help.
       


9) POLITY.
Tata McGraw hill laxmikanth : you need this only whether it's for NPSC or UPSC( mother of all exam). Since its relevant for paper 2 so the drill is know the concept, definition , pick up the language, refer previous year questions. 

10) NAGALAND
1) Nagaland village empowering law (A compilation) by Z. Angami.
2) Economic survey of Nagaland to add flavor to your answer writing
3) Make sure you have the above and then go for supplementary textbook if need be.

                     For paper 2 take all the previous year’s question paper, even those papers prior to 2012 and write down notes for all 2 marker factual questions, they are again always repeated, chances are, they might repeat last year’s questions too. For 5 marker question, the candidate should have read significantly on Nagaland and the facts on budget and other information from economic survey helps a lot, hence ECONOMIC SURVEY facts(download PDF mode from govt. website) is to substantiate answer and no factual questions will be asked directly. So it's more to do with writing opinion hence having a background understanding on the topic should be there.



A) HOW TO APPROACH MCQ AND DESCRIPTIVE?
1)As we have discussed above that there are tricks as to how MCQ can be done but again some area needs the long process painstaking 
Process of reading and understanding eg. for topics like polity, geography, economics, current affair.This steps cannot be excluded and you should either get it done by doing classes or extensive reading.

2) Again coming back to MCQ, circle those questions which you have solved, the idea is not to memorize the facts but to get familiarize with the question and answer, it's impossible to memorize thousands of facts. When you have an MCQ question the answer is also in the question itself so hence picking up right answer. Don't forget to revise circled MCQ because the trick is to retain it in short term memory, it will be very fresh for 3 to 5 days and will get blurry By time. So revision is indispensable.

3) Word limit for answers for paper 2-don't write too much or too little. At the most a person can write 3000 to 3200 word in 3hours so if we divide it's 15-16 word for every mark. For 2marker write like 30 quality words, 5marker 75-80 word, 10marker-120-150 word and for 20marker 250 to 300 would suffice. It wouldn't make sense to write more than that and humanly impossible unless attempting a world record. Also having a big handwriting helps, don't write so tiny that your 300 words look like 150 words, it's a visual effect. 


B) HOW TO APPROACH ESSAY AND ENGLISH PAPER?
1) English section carry 100 mark , 80mark for comprehension and 20mark for grammar. Doing previous years question as model test prior to exam is a must. Since there is no sample question on Internet so solving previous year question is one way and other way would be doing mock test from coaching institute. ( I didn't want to do mock test because normally coaching institute publish name with picture as successful candidate from their institute, which I find it wrong in many levels. Anyways I didn't succeed to save myself from such evil as my name was published in local paper somehow portraying me as their successful candidate, where as I was the faculty member. I somehow vented out my disappointment here)



2) Time management is the key here, finish English and comprehension part within 80-90 minute max, keep at least 45 minute each for one essay.

3) For essay follow this format

I) Introduction.
II) background/history related.
III) Main concept/theory/what the subject is about.
IV) Current scenario related to it.
V) Good side.
VI) Negative side/obstacle.
VII) Suggested reforms.
VIII) Conclusion.

    Since 1000 words for each essay in 45 minutes is a challenge so scribble down the format and make one paragraph for each, write almost 120-125 word for each paragraph. All together 125*8=1000 word, so when your are writing intro focus only on intro of the essay don't waiver from that point, going to next paragraph ie history and background write 125 solid on history and don't move from that topic, follow the same for the rest. Such arrangement keeps you sharp on the topic and gives you well structured essay and saves time from wandering away.


   At least prepare minimum 40-50 essays on current related issues and some generic essays on crisis management, social problems, current event of national and international importance, local issues.

     
C) CONCLUSION
         *This suggestions are not to be taken as alpha and omega of your preparation, please do not be limited by my suggestions. This should be kept as your minimum performance and you should exceedingly exceed.

         *English paper and MCQ should be nailed well, normally it does not have a threshold limit like paper 2 which everyone somehow happens to score in the same spectrum.

         * The trick is doing it again and again, multiple revision and using your short term memory and ability to knit a good answer with a good opinion.

         * Don't forget to look at the syllabus again and again, refer previous years question paper all the time.( you'll find it in NPSC website download) Try to build an intuition so that the moment you see information you'll know if  it's important or not, ability to filter information will save you from wasting time on unwanted information and also saves mental space.



     THIS IS THE END OF ME!! ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR PREPARATION, MAKE SURE YOU ARE ALWAYS MOTIVATED TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGE TO THE SOCIETY, LET JESUS GUIDE YOU TILL THE END~

19 comments:

  1. Yes sir ... Thanku for the wisdom gbu

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Moa..much needed 😊

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please suggest me some good guide book for npsc prelims

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Moa. Very helpful, indeed. God bless :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing the valuable information here. So i think i got some useful information with this content. Thank you and please keep update like this informative details.

    https://www.walnutexcellence.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you so much. God bless you sir!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Where can I get the Excel McQ for prelims and mains book? Please notify.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you sir, much needed answer.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Can you please tell me ,Where can I get the excel MCQ for prelims and mains book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello my suggestion would be to go for online mock tests for the NPSC preparation.

      edugorilla.com provides one of the best NPSC Online Mock Tests for your best preparation. Must try!

      Delete
  10. It's indeed a great blessing reading through the words of encouragement and all the pros and cons. It really help out of my confusion state of mind in me..

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Does anyone able to give me full information about npsc

    ReplyDelete
  13. It was great to see someone write on this topic. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
    Best upsc coaching institute in Dimapur

    ReplyDelete