Revision is the key. Don’t expect to remember all the facts and details the very first time.
Don’t even try that.
Most importantly , analyze previous year’s question papers. See what type of question are asked and how they are asked.
Link with current affairs.
FR, FD , DPSP etc are difficult as they have laws and by-laws. Some are explicit while others are implicit. It is thus important to get the concept and soul of the article. UPSC wont ask petty details or facts. It will exploit the conceptual part.
Link , Link , Link – Easiest way to crack UPSC. Read about President and move on to Governor. Read about PM and move onto CM. Read FR and move to Human Rights Commission.
A list of the Articles, Amendments and some of the important cases which YOU NEED to mug up.
CHAPTER SEQUENCE TO FOLLOW WHILE READING M. LAXMIKANTH
CHAPTER: 3, 4,7,8,9,10,11.
THEN, CHAPTERS: 12 TO 16 IN 1 DAY—part II SYSTEM OF GOVT
THEN, CHAPTERS 17 TO 23. SKIP 24 ie PARLIAMENTARY FORUMS. COME TO SUPREME COURTCH 25.
THEN, CHAPTERS 26 TO 31 STATE GOVERNMENT. PART IV
CHAPTERS:- 34 TO 37
THEN, CHAPTERS:- 38 TO 47.
CHAPTERS:- 48 TO 56
THEN CHAPTERS: 57 TO 63
Schedules
Just go through the title and remember which Schedule talks about what. Schedules actually help
you in memorizing articles. Say 10th Schedule, 11thSchedule, 12th Schedule and so on.
Amendments:Some of the important amendments that you should remember are:
1, 7, 24, 26, 35, 36, 42, 44, 52, 58, 61, 69, 86, 91, 92, 93, 94.97 100TH GST
Some important cases: PM BAKSHI
1. 1967 Golaknath vs State of Punjab/1973 Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala/ 1980
Minerva Mills case;
2. 1978 Maneka Gandhi vs Union of India
3. 2007 IR Coelho vs State of TN
4. 2002 TMA Pai vs State of Karnataka/ 2003 Islamic Academy of Education vs State of
Karnataka/ 2005 PA Inamdar vs State of Maharashtra.
GENERAL TIPS:- You must read any book that you follow at least 10 times. There is no need to
remember each and everything given in the book and neither do we have to remember the
Articles verbatim.
Instead, focus on the outline of an Article. Important Articles would be Fundamental Rights, DPSPs,
Election of the President, Council of Ministers, Office of profit, Budget, CAG, ECI, UPSC, FINANCE
COMMISSION, emergencies.
Firstly, you need to mug up the Parts of the Constitution. The Constitution is divided into 22 Parts.
Remembering the Parts helps in recalling the related Articles quickly.
For instance, just remember that Part III is FRs (Articles 12 to 35), Part V is The Union (Articles 52 to
151), Part XVIII is Emergency Provisions (Articles 352 to 360), etc
Then start with the Articles.
COVER 20 to 30 Articles at a time and continue revising them till YOU are able to recall all 20 or 30
without looking in the book. Then go ahead and after you have finished first 50 Articles, try to recall
all 50 in one go. Then, first 100 and so on.
THERE IS NO need to remember the Articles verbatim. You need to know that Article 72 is regarding
the power of the President to grant pardons and roughly in what kind of cases, i.e. court-martials,
death sentences and cases to which the executive power of the Union extends.
This way, YOU CAN EASILY REMEMBER around 400 of the 440 or so Articles in the Constitution.
Skip the first few chapters. U can follow this order in the forms of different blocks which are logically inter-connected.
Block one: The BASE
1.Salient features of the Indian Constitution
2.Preamble to the Constitution
3.Union and its territory
4.Fundamental rights
5.Directive principles of state policy
6.Fundamental duties
7.Amendment of the constitution
8.Basic structure of the constitution.
Block two: UNION GOVT
1.Emergency provisions
2 .President
3.Vice-President
4.Prime Minister
5.Central Council of Ministers
6.Parliament
Block 3: JUDICIARY
1.Supreme Court
2.High court
3.Subordinate Courts
Block 4: State Government
1.Governor
2.Chief Minister
3.State Council of Ministers
4.State legislature
Block 5:Local Government
1. Panchayati raj
2.Municipalities
Block 6: Constitutional Bodies
1.Election commission
2.Union Public service commission
3.State Public service Commission
4.Finance Commission
5.National Commission for SC’s
6. National Commission for ST’s
7.Special officer for Linguistic minorities
8.Comptroller and auditor general of India
9.Attorney General of India.
10.Advocate General of India.
Block 7:Non-Constitutional Bodies
Block 8: System of Government
1.Parliamentary system
2.Federal System
3. Centre-state relations
4.Inter-state relations.
Block 9: AUXILIARY TOPICS
1.Citizenship
2.Cabinet committees
3.Parliamentary committees
4.Parliamentary forums
5.Special status of Jammu and Kashmir
6.Special provision for some states
7.Union territories
8.Scheduled and tribal areas
Block 10: Constitutional Framework
1.Historical Background
2.Making of the constitution
