HOW TO GET 140 MARKS IN ESSAY IN CSE? :- PART I
Hi, I have got 140 in Essay in 2006 Mains & also 140 in 2008 Mains. Many candidates are confused about How to PREPARE ESSAY … So writing this piece …
Essay preparation for Civil Services Exam can be of two types:-
1. LONG-TERM PREPARATION
2. SHORT-TERM PREPARATION
I will first write about long-term preparation. It can be done by those aspirants who have 1 yr or 2 yr or 3 years in their hands i.e. before Mains exam …
1. LONG-TERM PREPARATION
(The Path Less Trodden):-
• These things should be done when you are doing your GRADUATION these days or u have enough time say 10 months at least to go for Extra-Curricular reading :-
• For long-term preparation be regular with any two national newspapers. I would recommend THE HINDU & THE TIMES OF INDIA. The Hindu gives you simple & effective writing style while TOI gives u stylish English & increases your vocabulary. Both are needed to write a good Essay.
• Read 2-3 hours everyday. Specially focus on the Editorials & other Analytical & Critical articles. Say in Hindu focus on Magazine, Book Review, Literary Review, Business Review, Open Page, 2 page OP-ED Page etc & in The Times of India focus on its Editorial Page. Whenever you encounter a DIFFICULT PHRASE, EDIOM, PART OF SPEECH etc just see the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary or Chambers Dictionary & in a Diary note down that word, its meaning, its usage in sentence etc. This MUST be done within 1-2 minutes. Don’t keep it pending.
• Or else one word is lost from your vocabulary. By doing this your VOCABULARY will increase & you will know HOW TO USE THAT WORD IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT. This is a gradual & continuous process and it will take 12-18 months to make your vocabulary very strong & have command over the language & expressive power.
• In addition to newspapers read as many articles from GOOD MAGAZINES as possible. The following magazines can be referred to.
a. FRONTLINE ( Must )
b. THE ECONOMIC & POLITICAL WEEKLY ( Must )
c. MAINSTREAM (Optional)
d. WORLD FOCUS (Optional)
e. THE ECONOMIST (Optional)
f. TIME or LIFE ( If you have access to a good library)
• I am not saying that you should try to finish all these magazines in one month. But try to read as many HIGH QUALITY ARTICLES as possible. This will increase the RANGE & VARIETY of your thinking & will make you knowledgeable about the happenings around the world & different streams of thought. (For Example: - What is “Stream of Consciousness”? What is “Theatre of Absurd”? What is “Objective Correlative” in T S Eliot’s poems? What is The Revival Movement? Etc)
• Jot down POWERFUL & EFFECTIVE sentences that you come across in a Diary. Any Quotations or Important Sentences said by Intellectuals like Amartya Sen, Manmohan Singh, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, Bertrand Russell, Arundhati Roy etc should be noted down.
• Revise your Diary in free time many times so that you can remember these quotations, important words, sentences etc & use them at relevant places in your Essay in Mains Exam.
• Apart from these things read a lot of NOVELS, POEMS, PLAYS, SHORT STORIES etc
• I am giving a list of some of the books that I read. You can pick up some of them …
1. R K NARAYAN’S NOVELS (SWAMI & FRIENDS,THE ENGLISH TEACHER,THE GUIDE,THE DARK ROOM,THE BACHELOR OF ARTS,WAITING FOR MAHATMA,THE PAINTER OF SIGNS etc)
2. WAITING FOR GODOT ----- by SAMUEL BECKETT
3. T S ELIOT ----- SELECTED POEMS
4. THE GOLDEN TREASURY
5. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ( MACBETH,KING LEAR,TEMPEST … ETC)
6. ENGLISH AUGUST ------ by UPAMANYU CHATTERJEE
7. GEORGE ORWELL ----- THE ANIMAL FARM,1984
8. BERTRAND RUSSELL ----- SCEPTICAL ESSAYS, PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAYS, HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
9. THE DISCOVERY OF INDIA --- JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
10. THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS ---- ARUNDHATI ROY
11. MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN ---- SALMAN RUSHDIE
12. PLAYS OF HAROLD PINTER or at least know about his works.
13. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE ---- by GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ
14. NOVELS OF CHARLES DICKENS like GREAT EXPECTATIONS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, HARD TIMES etc
15. Search TOP 100 NOVELS OF ALL TIME in Google & read some 5-10 novels of any author “WHOM YOU LIKE” …
The basic idea is to make yourself “well-read” & with a COMMAND over ENGLISH … For this READ SOME GOOD QUALITY novels or poems mentioned above or after searching Google (For ex. Best 100 Poems of Twentieth Century, Best 100 Plays of All Time etc. )
really appreciating post....thanks a lot sir...
ReplyDeleteI have you bookmarked your web site to check out the latest stuff you post.
Deletebest tnpsc coaching center in chennai
thanks for this post
ReplyDeleteSir i need study plan for upsc primes exam and i need details of civil services economics exam book
Deletereally nice tips sir!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletehello sir
ReplyDeletesir do we quote poems n famous quotations in essay?
Hi Sehar,
ReplyDeletei used to quote at least 20-25 quotations in one Essay.But at relevant place.But don't quote the names at all places.In 10 places quote the Author's name or Poet's name.In other places just write it by incorporating a phrase out of the quotation in a sentence.If you think that the quotation is VERY RARE & VERY FEW people know it,then write it as if YOU are the AUTHOR of the quotation,without any " " mark.The Examiner will think :- This man is a REAL PHILOSOPHER IN THE MAKING & u get more than 140 marks ... ha ha ha. JUST BE INNOVATIVE & CREATIVE WHILE YOU ARE WRITING AN ESSAY ...
Take care.
Bijay.
hi sir
ReplyDeletethanks 4 the wonderful suggestions
n that taking the credit was awesome
so sweet of u to reply
thanx again
Hi sir,
ReplyDeleteIt would be fine
if u can post us a sample essay.
ur suggestions are very helpful for me.
ReplyDeletethanks a lot sir!!!!!!
ReplyDeletevery help for us. i am following you.
u have given the basic ideas and how to develop writing skill.
ReplyDeletethanks a lot
I have a query what is the connection between reading books and writing essays. If i have only one year in hand,how should i prepare myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your experience and advises. In the beginning you mentioned about the Long Term and Short Term approach for preparing for Eassy... Could you please throw some light on Short term preparation as well...
ReplyDeletethank u sir...
ReplyDeleteWhat is its approximate fee structure for best ips study center in chennai
DeleteSir, I read in "Pratiyogita Darpan" that you was studying from 5 pm to 5 am during your preparation.
ReplyDeleteIs it true?
Respected Vijay Sir,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sir for being so kind and taking this toiling task just to help us.I follow your suggestions,your advice riligiously.It's a blessing Sir,for us,who are far from DELHI....preparing alone.Thank you for each and every suggestion Sir.We hope we'll get your help in future also through your popular blog..
Really a nice post.
ReplyDeleteAnyway here is a great site on this topic.
Also having good tips to crack IAS and other competitive exams
Click Here
Compared to previous year this year UPSC general studies was more unique as one could solve 20-30 questions based on general knowledge & newspaper. Students were more prepared this year and the paper lacked in depth conceptual questions.Questions asked on polity were more obvious except the ones with combinations of options. But that shouldn't trouble IAS aspirants as one could score high without even attempting them. Polity questions related to Prime Minister, Supreme & Rajya Sabha without combinational options were very easy and one should have scored them.You can find more on www.upsc4all.com
ReplyDeleteNice article here is our suggested study plan to
ReplyDeleteIAS Preparation to Get through IAS 2013 PRELIMS in 1 Month
Prepare for Entrance exams Free of cost and Online @ TCYonline.com
ReplyDeleteHi guys!! It is for all those who are preparing for the IAS exams. I was preparing for the same and was looking for coaching but was unable to find. Then i opted for the online course for IAS general studies and it was beyond my expectations. It is both time and cost effective. So got myself enrolled at :
ReplyDeleteIAS General Studies and CSAT Prelims Online Video Coaching Course
Check it guys!! it's a must and a great Online Coaching course for IAS preparation.
hope it was helpful!! thanks
frnds i am confuse plz frnds say me in civil services exam eassy written in which langugge??
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend you nice essay service for all students 1ws.com. Starting from 300 words for some money! Don't wait much time, get a perfect essay now!
ReplyDeleteHow to get top rank with upsc coaching in chennai
ReplyDeleteUseful blog posted here. One can also get the details of online books for gate exam only at Online ICE GATE Institute. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteNice Article. Good to see this. BSNL Recruitment
ReplyDeleteGood information. Keep sharing this kind of useful info. Latest GAIL Jobs
This is very useful information in this post. IAS Coaching in Indore
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAre you looking for top MPPSC coaching in Bhopal, MP? We are the best and most credible MPPSC coaching institute in India. We have helped thousands of students pass their exams with flying colors. Our training is unique, innovative and designed to help you ace your exam on your first try.
ReplyDelete