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Showing posts with label IASPrelims2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IASPrelims2018. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

UPSC CSE – How to make notes effectively

4:45 pm
UPSC CSE – How to make notes effectively


We all know how important it is to make notes for exam preparation. We all do it and have been doing it for years. However, you might not be able to reap the maximum benefits out of it. Here, we bring to you tips on how to make notes effectively. This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government and banking jobs.

Understand the purpose – Why make notes?

· While understanding a topic is easy, remembering it is difficult. Hence it is important to make notes of important topics so that you can glance through whenever you want to revise. Well-made notes save you the trouble of revisiting the voluminous study material.
·  Writing down points helps you to remember it better. Note that while you’re writing, you’re also thinking about it, which helps your mind engage more actively with the information and thus store it better.

How to make notes?

1. Linear Notes

Linear notes method is in which you condense the material you have read using headings and subheadings. This is the best method for making notes while reading a book, newspaper or a magazine.

·         Avoid getting carried away and copying a lot of material.
·         A good way is to keep loose sheets of paper handy and to jot down important points about a given topic.
·         Usecolors, block letters, boxes, and highlighters to immediately draw your attention to the critical points and would aid in a quick recall.

2. Pattern Notes

In this method, one writes the main idea at the center of the page and each line radiating from it represents a branch of that idea. Each point is written as briefly as possible. (Think of flowcharts and mindmaps.) Advantage is one can see the entire information without turning the page and disadvantage is there are chances of missing out on information.  Using keywords can remind of basic ideas but when it comes to remembering details it is sometimes inefficient.

What does a good set of notes have

·         Topic outline, key points, advantages and disadvantages and finally the conclusion
·         Well labeled diagrams, tables, graphs or sketch maps wherever necessary

Tips to make Notes
·         Use loose sheets as they help in organizing and adding content relatedat a later time
· Include information in points and do not write long paragraphs. That would defeat the purpose of making notes. The idea is to keep it crisp, concise and focused on the main idea
· Try to use different colored pens for headings, sub-headings etc.
· Maintain separate folders/files for each subject. You could also use sticky notes to demarcate one section from the other
· Keep revising the notes every once in a while.

Now, that you know how to make notes, make the most out of it during your preparation. You can also use Oliveboard’s Mocks to improve your UPSC CSE exam preparation.


Hope this helps.All the best.
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Tuesday, October 01, 2019

History MCQ Repository For IAS 2020

5:57 am




History : Practice Quiz For Civil Service Examinations

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Saturday, July 14, 2018

UPSC Result- Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination, 2018 Declared on upsc.gov.in, upsconline.gov.in, check your result here

12:59 pm






Click Here to download Result- Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination, 2018

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Thursday, May 10, 2018

UPSC Guide - How to read newspapers effectively

6:27 am
Are you an UPSC aspirant? Here’s an interesting article on reading newspapers brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government and banking exams.
Regularly reading the newspaper is an indispensable part of the UPSC Civil Services exam preparation. In fact, newspaper reading is an integral part of exam preparation, be it the UPSC CSE or other exams such as CAT, IIFT, SBI PO, IBPS PO etc. This improves your general awareness and help you score higher in the GK section of the exam. If you are reading the newspaper in English, it boosts your English preparation along with GK.
‘The Hindu’ is the most widely recommended newspaper for UPSC aspirants. Here are few tips on how to read newspapers effectively.
     1. Rely on 1 good newspaper and that should be enough
     2. Spend no more than 5 minutes on the front page
   3. Focus on issues and not news. As for example: The news is boy faces trouble for talking to a girl. Here, the issue is moral policing
  4. Read selected editorials – Areas of interest, Agreements, Political Events, Scheme Announcements by Government bodies, Economy
    5. Maintain notes, understand the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’
Watch this video to learn to read newspapers effectively in less than 3 minutes!


Now, ace your UPSC CSE preparation with Oliveboard’s Mocks. All the best!
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Friday, April 20, 2018

Government Schemes part 2 Prelims 2018 (ShankarIAS ) Pdf Download

9:32 am






Click Here to download Government Schemes part 2 Prelims 2018 (ShankarIAS ) 

Click Here to download Government Schemes part 1 Prelims 2018 (ShankarIAS ) 

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Sunday, March 18, 2018

International Organisations By Ias Parliament

5:52 am




A compilation of renowned International Organisations and the related Prelims-Special Current Affairs Topics, aimed at helping Prelims 2018



Click Here to download  International Organisations By Ias Parliament

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Saturday, March 17, 2018

UPSC CSE 2018: Enhance your preparation with Online Mocks!

12:36 am

This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government, banking and MBA exams.

With the UPSC CSE exams getting tougher by the day, you’re expected to be prepared for any kind of challenge. Mock Tests are conducted to assess the candidates’ performance. They provide a brief demonstration of the final UPSC CSE Exam, which will help you get acquainted with the various aspects of the exam, well before the exam.

Traditionally, UPSC Aspirants, have been taking the CSE Mock Tests in the offline (pen & paper) mode. However, it is now the age of internet and the pen & paper UPSC CSE Mock Tests have left the building. With everything rapidly shifting to the digital platform, UPSC CSE Mock Tests are no exception.

The UPSC CSE Online Mock Tests are more dynamic than pen & paper mock tests, in terms of feedback, analysis, and tracking. The significance of UPSC CSE Online Mock Tests, goes far beyond comfort and convenience. The UPSC CSE Online Mock Tests, if sufficiently utilized, have the potential to take the UPSC CSE Exam Preparation to a whole new level.
Therefore, it’s high time you switch to UPSC Online Mock Tests.

Not convinced yet? Following are some of the advantages of shifting to Online Mock Tests for UPSC CSE Preparation:

Immediate and Insightful Feedback

Unlike in pen & paper mode, you don’t have to wait for your results for days with bated breath and nervousness after taking an Online UPSC CSE Mock test. Online Mock Tests give the results immediately. Which means you can immediately identify their weak points and start improvising them without wasting any more time.

Automatic tracking of progress

In online mock tests, your progress is automatically saved after each mock test. This means you can keep a tab on previous results which makes comparing results, to track progress or improvement, easier. The UPSC CSE Online Mock Tests also make you self-sufficient by helping you access and monitor your performance all by yourself.

Identify strengths and weaknesses

Online Mock Tests provide a detailed analysis of your result which helps you identify which areas you’re weak at and what your strengths are. The overall result is broken down into the topics under UPSC CSE. The result shows you the number of questions you attempted in each section, time-taken to answer it, and your score in that section.

Accurate and unbiased results

In pen & paper mode, chances of inaccurate or biased results is high. Whereas, in online mock tests, the tests are marked by the system automatically, without any human interaction. This excludes any chance of bias and gives you accurate results based completely on your performance.

Convenient

It goes without saying, that online mock tests are much more convenient compared to pen & paper mode. Online mock tests can be taken anywhere and anytime from the comfort of your home. The tests can be taken on Laptops/Desktops/Mobile Phones too.

Cost-effective & time-saving

Unlike offline mock tests, there is no traveling involved if you take Online Mock Tests. Online Mock Tests can be taken from anywhere; all you need is a computer/laptop/mobile phone and a decent internet connection to take the tests. Although online mock tests might seem expensive, they save a great deal of money (involved in traveling), time and energy.

Helps determine speed and accuracy

Speed and Accuracy are two very important factors to be kept in mind for UPSC CSE Prelims. You have a total of 2 hours to answer each of the preliminary exam papers of UPSC CSE of 200 marks each. Online mock tests help you determine your speed and accuracy. It gives you details of the total time taken and time taken in each section and the accuracy.

Immediate solutions

Solutions are immediately available after every online mock test. This will enable you to compare your answers with the solutions and keep you from repeating the same mistake again.

These are just some of the advantages of taking online mock tests for UPSC CSE Exam.
So, what are you waiting for? Take a FREE UPSC (IAS) Mock Test now.


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Friday, March 09, 2018

UPSC Prelims 2018: Complete Study Notes on Coastal States of India & Major Indian Sea Ports

12:58 pm
India’s coast-line and various seaport located alongside form an important topic for the UPSC CSE preparation. This blog post covers all important points about it. This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government, banking and MBA exams. 

India’s Coast-line
  • 18th longest total coastal length among all world countries. 
  • Stretches over 7516.6 kilometers of land and thus, makes India one of the biggest peninsulas of the world.
  • The coastal length of mainland India (except Andaman &Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep islands) is 5422.6 Km. The coastal length of all islands taken together is 2094 Km.
  • Runs over 9 states and 4 union territories and is bound by the Arabian Sea on the west and Bay of Bengal in the east.
  • The western coastal states are: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
  • The eastern coastal states are: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.
  • The 4 union territories lying on the coast-line are: Daman & Diu, Puducherry, Lakshwadweep Islands and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

1.GUJARAT
  • Important ports of Gujarat are – Alang, Kandla, Mandavi, Okha, Porbandar, Veraval, Jafarabad, Pipavav, Bhavnagar, Dahej, Magadalla, Hazira, Mandvi (Surat), Mundra and Maroli.
  • Major port: Kandla
  • The Kandla port was formed with the intention to decongest the Mumbai port.
  • It is located in the Gulf of Kutch and is the largest port of India, when measured by the volume of cargo handled.
  • Intermediate ports: Okha, Porbandar, Pipavav and Bhavnagar.
2. ANDHRA PRADESH
  • Important ports of Andhra Pradesh are —  Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Machlipatnam 
3. TAMIL NADU
  • Important sea ports of Tamil Nadu are – Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin.
  • The second largest port in India, Chennai Port (or Madras Port) primarily handles fertilisers, general cargo, iron-ore and petroleum products.
  • It is one of the oldest ports of India.
  • Located at the north of Chennai, Ennore port was established to reduce congestion on Chennai Port. It is also India’s first corporate port.
  • Tuticorin Port is officially known as VO Chidambaranar Port and is an artificial deep sea harbor.
  • The port handles the trade of coal, food grains, salt, sugar, petroleum products and edible oils and carries out major trade with the neighbouring country of Sri Lanka. 
  • Kanyakumari, which is the southern most tip of the Indian mailand is located here.
4. MAHARASHTRA
  • Important ports in Maharashtra are – Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai Port ,Dharamtar, Mora, Redi, Jaitapur, and Rewas. 
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the largest container port in India. It was formerly known as Nhava Sheva port.
  • Mumbai Port handles one-fifth of India’s foreign trade with predominance in dry cargo and mineral oil from the Gulf countries.
5. KERALA
  • The important ports of Kerala are — Cochin, Kanhangad, Kollam, Kottayam, Kalichanadukkam, Vizhinjam international sea port.
  • Export of tea and coffee and import of chemical fertilisers and mineral oil are handled by the port.
6. ORISSA
  • Most important port – Paradip which is an artificial deep water port.
  • Coal, iron-ore and other dry cargoes are handled at the port. It has a cold handling plant, a railway system and a national highway that connects it to the road networks of the rest of the country.
  • Other smaller ports – Astaranga, Kirtania and Dhamra.
7. KARNATAKA
  • The important ports of Karnataka are – New Mangalore, Belekeri, Tadri, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Kundapura, Hangarakatta, Malpe and Padubidri.
  • The new Mangalore port exports commodities such as granite stones, cashew, manganese and coffee and imports products like LPG, timber, cargo container and others.
  • Panambur is the site of sea port called New Mangalore Port.
8. GOA
  • Marmagao is the major port of Goa.
  • Mormagao Port is the leading iron ore exporting port of India with an annual throughput of around 27.33 million tonnes of iron ore traffic.
9. WEST BENGAL
  • The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers form the Sundarban Delta near the Bay of Bengal. 
  • Haldia is one of the most important ports of the state.
  • It is located in the Hooghly River and it is the most important centre of jute industries.
  • It is also known as the ‘Gateway of Eastern India’.
Major Sea-ports of India
A port is a location on a coast or a shore that contains one or more harbours where ships can dock. The locations of the ports are selected to optimise access to land and navigable water that can be used for commercial purposes and provide shelter from waves and winds.
Hope this helps.
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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

UPSC 2019 – Detailed Syllabus and Preparation Tips

12:59 pm

Preparing for UPSC 2019? If yes, this post on UPSC 2019 – Detailed Syllabus and Preparation Tips will be quite helpful. This post is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for Government, Banking and MBA Exams.
UPSC CSE Prelims: Syllabus

General Studies Paper I (100 questions): Syllabus
·         Current Affairs (National + International)
·         History of India and the Indian National Movement
·         Physical, Social and Economic Geography of India and the World
·         Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty,
·         Demographics, Inclusion, Social Sector Initiatives etc.
·         General Issues on Environmental Ecology: Bio-diversity, Climate Change etc. (Topics not requiring specialisation)
·         General Science

General Studies Paper II (CSAT*) (80 questions): Syllabus
·         Reading Comprehension
·         Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills
(This is including decision making questions, assertion, stress management, verbal and non-verbal communication)

·         Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
·         Decision Making and Problem Solving (questions from this topics were last asked in 2013)
·         General Mental Ability
·         Basic Numeracy (Numbers and Relations, Orders of Magnitude etc.)
·         Data Interpretation (Tables, Graphs, Charts, Data Sufficiency etc.)
·         *MCQs/ Objective Type


UPSC CSE: Mains Exam Pattern & Syllabus

This exam tests a candidate’s level of general awareness and the ability to analyse and take a view on various socio-economic issues. The exam is descriptive in nature. Relevant, meaningful and succinct answers are expected.

Study Materials for UPSC 2019 Exam
·         A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum.
·         Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G.C Leong.
·         Book on Indian Polity by Laxmikanth.
·         Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania.
·         Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh.
·         India Year book 2018.

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Monday, January 08, 2018

UPSC 2018 – 6 Months Preparation Strategy

1:44 pm
UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2018 is scheduled to be held on 3rd June, 2018 (Sunday).The official notification will be published around 7th February, 2018. The competition is tough and there is a lot to cover. Therefore, we bring to you a step wise preparation strategy for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2018 to put you ahead. This strategy is brought to you by Oliveboard, an online exam preparation platform for government and banking jobs.

1.      Understand the exam pattern: UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam consists of 2 papers. Both the papers contain objective type questions. Marks obtained in only GS Paper-I are considered for selection in mains examination. The majority of your focus should be on preparing for GS Paper-I but at the same time GS Paper-II should not be ignored. Following table shows the pattern of Prelims exam.

Paper Name
No. of Questions
Maximum marks
Time
Negative marking
Remarks
GS Paper-I
100
200
2 hours
1/3rd
GS Paper-II
(CSAT)
80
200
2 hours
1/3rd
Qualifying in nature (33 %)

2.      Understand the Syllabus: The detailed syllabus of UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2018 will be given in the upcoming official notification. You might want to note down the syllabus or take a printout. Syllabus is one of the most important document when it comes to starting your preparation. It gives an idea of important areas and topics. Syllabus says a lot about the type of questions UPSC is expecting to ask in Preliminary exam. Meanwhile you can get syllabus from last year UPSC notification.

3.      Right preparation resources: Without right resources , you cannot expect your preparation to move in right direction. UPSC Civil Services Exam 2018 requires intensive study so that you may gain required knowledge and right perspective. Here is the list of most popular books and other resources required for your preparation. These preparation resources are highly recommended by previous year toppers. 

1.      A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum.
2.      Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G.C Leong.
3.      Book on Indian Polity by Laxmikanth.
4.      Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania.
5.      Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh.
6.      India Year book 2018.
7.      General Studies Paper-II manual by TMH.
8.      Economic Survey 2018.
9.      Useful online resources such as websites. Click here for 10 best websites for Civil Services 2018.
10.  Environment for Civil Services prelims and mains by Khullar and Rao.

4.      Make your own Study Plan: Every aspirant has a different routine. Some are preparing full-time while some have jobs. So a well thought out study plan proves to be very effective. Keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses while making your own study plan. Follow a balanced approach. Do not plan to study all the subjects at once. Take 2 big subjects and complete their syllabus. Then follow with 2-3 more subjects. Make daily, weekly and monthly targets and abide by them. The syllabus of Prelims is the subset of Mains syllabus so the key is to prepare for both simultaneously. You should allocate proper practice time for GS Paper-II. Try to be efficient in time management.

5.      Test Series: Your study plan is ready by now and you have access to all the study resources. You have started well with your preparation but what about testing the level of your preparation? What about the mistakes which you might make in the real exam? What about the topics which you might have left unprepared? How about the preparation level of others? There are so many things which you will be able to know only if you start taking mock tests. No preparation is complete without proper practice and mock tests. 

The question arises “How can I enroll for a quality test series?”. Majority of aspirants are from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities which do not have proper coaching and testing facilities. Even aspirants from Tier-1 cities do not want to waste their precious time in reaching test centers. Technology has the perfect answer for this problem. Online mock test series are equally effective as their offline counterparts with some added advantages.
1.      You can take the online mock test anytime and anywhere.
2.      You save your precious time which you can put to studies and revision.
3.      Questions in online test series are of high quality and prepared by experts.
4.      You get the quality and accurate solutions and can take the tests again.
5.      You get to know the improvement areas.
6.      Useful analytics which shows where you stand against thousands of other aspirants.
7.      Sectional tests, Video lessons, E-books.

Above are some of the features of a good online test series. Many of these features are missing in offline tests. Oliveboard is providing a high quality all India online mock test series for UPSC Civil Services Exam 2018 Prelims. With Oliveboard, you will get access to all the above features and much more. Try a Free All India test now.

6.      Understand the kind of questions UPSC focuses on: You should understand what UPSC expects from you in Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2018. You should understand the kind of questions UPSC is asking. The best way for this is to solve previous years papers of Civil Services Preliminary exam. This will also test your knowledge and you get some practice. You will also get to know the focus areas. Environment, Economics and Current Affairs have been the focus areas in recent years. The questions are getting more dynamic with every passing year.


We have prepared this strategy after taking valuable inputs from previous years aspirants and experts. You can kickstart your preparation by taking some vital inputs from this article. All the best!
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