• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

ClearIAS

UPSC: Latest News, IAS, IPS, UPSC Online Preparation

UPSC Prelims Test Series 2021Enroll Now
  • Home
  • Start
    • IAS
    • IAS Exam Eligibility
    • UPSC
    • UPSC Syllabus
    • UPSC Exam Date
    • UPSC Results
    • FAQs
  • Programs
    • Prelims
    • Mains
    • Interview
  • Buy
    • Courses
    • Mock Test Series
    • IAS Books
    • eBooks (PDF)
  • Free
    • Study Materials
    • Guidance
    • eBooks (PDFs)
    • Mock Exams
    • ClearIAS App
    • Downloads
  • Toppers
  • Blog
  • Login
ClearIAS » UPSC Toppers » Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 3

Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 3

Last updated on January 22, 2019 by Alex Andrews George

Harikrishna Pai IPS (CSE 2013 Rank 218) shares the list of the books and study materials he referred for UPSC Civil Services Prelims and Mains in this part of his interview with Clear IAS. If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of the Harikrishna Pai’s, topper’s interview with ClearIAS, follow the corresponding hyperlinks given at the bottom. Now straight into the preparation strategies of Harikrishna Pai and books recommended by him for UPSC Prelims and Mains.

The preparation strategies and study materials used by Harikrishna Pai for UPSC Prelims

Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 3

ClearIAS.com: Can you elaborate on your preparation strategies/approach and study materials and books used for Prelims Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Please mention books/materials used for each subject)?

  • Ancient India – NCERT Class XI (R.S.Sharma)
  • Medieval India – NCERT Class XI (Sathish Chandra)– focus on culture part
  • Modern India- NCERT Class XII (Bipan Chandra), India’s struggle for independence
  • Geography: NCERT XI (Fundamentals of Physical Geography, India: Physical Environment, NCERT XII (India: People & Economy)
  • Polity: Indian Polity: Laxmikant
  • Economics: Introductory Macroeconomics (NCERT Class XII),   Economic Survey + Institute  notes from Pala
  • Science and Technology: Didn’t make any special preparation- 10th standard level S & T knowledge would suffice + topics related to current developments (Eg: stem cells- widely discussed in last year’s newspapers )
  • Environment: NCERT XII Biology (2006) relevant portions, MoEF website, India Yearbook– relevant portions, Institute notes
  • Current Affairs: Newspaper (The Hindu) + Manorama Yearbook /Mathrubhumi Yearbook.
  • General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT): No Special preparation. Practised sample questions from the institute.

ClearIAS.com: Any tips/advice for UPSC Civil Services Prelims?

Focus on concepts rather than by-hearting facts. Practice sample questions.

The preparation strategies and study materials used by Harikrishna Pai for UPSC Mains

ClearIAS.com: Can you elaborate on your preparation strategies/approach and study materials and books used for each topic of Mains Papers? (Please give a detailed view, especially for sub-topics in all the general studies papers. Also please mention the books/materials used for each subtopic like Disaster Management, Internal security, Indian Society, Biodiversity etc.)

130+ Prelims Marks is Possible. Only if you are guided the right way.

Join ClearIAS Prelims Test Series 2021.

Take a Free Test

  • Regional Language (Compulsory): (Malayalam): no much effort put. Used to reading and writing earlier also. Old question papers serve as a useful reference.
  • English Language (Compulsory): No special preparation.
  • Essay Paper: [Also mention the essay you wrote] Gave special emphasis to certain most likely areas for the essay (Eg: women’s issues) while preparing for GS itself. No special study other than collecting ideas from available sources. (The Hindu’s Sunday Story (now redundant) is an example, Yojana, Kurukshetra, frontline etc for collecting points ). Practised writing sample essays.

Organising thought and presenting various dimensions of the topic are important for an essay. So essay can’t be studied. It is a reflection of our ideas. I wrote on “Gross Domestic Happiness is as important as Gross Domestic Product” – gave a general idea of development perspectives, India’s growth path, major challenges in our progress, what to do etc.

  • General Studies 1: History was my option. So left those portions as such. For GS following books shall be useful-

Modern India: same as prelims

Post Independence: India Since Independence (Bipan Chandra): but this book seems a bit biased. + Items discussed in News

World History: NCERT Class X India and the Contemporary World 2, India and the Contemporary world 1 (The Story of civilisation Volume C- from Industrial Revolution), NCERT XII (Modern world History: Arjun Dev)

Culture: Relevant portions from Ancient & Medieval NCERT + Spectrum’s Facets of Indian Culture Paperback (selected reading) + website of Centre for Cultural Research and Training (selected points only) + current issues

Sociology – NCERT Introducing Sociology Textbook for Class XI, Class XII NCERT Social Change and Development in India, Class XII NCERT (Indian Society Textbook in Sociology) + Current issues+ Institute notes for select topics

Geography : Prelims books + Relevant portions from Human & Economic Geography (Leong & Morgan) – old book,so data obsolete) + current issues

Don't miss the latest updates of ClearIAS!

Join ClearIAS Telegram Chanel.

Get free studymaterials and guidance.

Join for FREE

  • General Studies 2: Mostly current related topics asked last time. So Newspaper reading is vital.  Relevant topics shall be referred in Introduction to the Constitution of India, D.D.Basu and Indian Polity by Laxmikant. Second ARC fourth report (Ethics in governance) is also good.

Bilateral: current issues, IDSA comments. PRS review on bills/policies. Yojana/Kurukshetra for Panchayath, rural development etc.

  • General Studies 3: Economy: current issues + Institute notes from Pala, XIIth Five year plan report (selective reading).

Environment- Current issues, relevant government reports of the time, MoEF site + Yearbook.

Disaster Management: Concepts from NCERT & CBSE book on DM, ARC report summary, current issues.

Science & Tech : Newspaper + Wikipedia search, gktoday etc.

Security: IDSA, Newspaper etc.

  • General Studies 4 (Ethics): Studied concepts from some notes. Had a general idea about thinkers. No other special preparation.
  • Optional  Paper 1: Ancient India:  Upinder Singh (History of Ancient and Early Medieval India), Spectrum Maps (Historical Atlas of India (Optional)) or (Historical Atlas Of India)+ Sites in other textbooks, NCERT, Manikant Singh Sir’s  notes. Medieval India: Sathish Chandra (Part I & Part II), Manikant Singh Sir’s notes
  • Optional Paper 2: Modern India: all mentioned ones (Prelims) + A New Look at Modern Indian History: From 1707 To The Modern Times by B.L. Grover, Alka Mehta + Modern India: 1885-1947 by Sumit Sarkar. World History: All mentioned GS books + Aspects of European History (Stephen J Lee)+ Institute notes (Baliyan Sir, Shobhan sir)

ClearIAS.com: What was your optional subject? Please give some insights on your selection of optional subject also.

I chose History. Optional require study in a reasonable depth. So “How far I can do well (both studies & Writing) on this subject?” shall be the single most important question while choosing optional. How far our study method matches with the subject etc needs to be analysed with the help of syllabus and previous question papers. Availability of guidance & books, previous knowledge in the subject etc can also be considered.  I don’t believe in scoring/not scoring (subjects) theory which is mainly a creation of coaching institutes. I mostly relied on self-study and got reasonably good marks. Of course, guidance from seniors was valuable in this regard.

Trusted by Toppers. Loved by 3,00,000+ Registered Users.

ClearIAS UPSC Prelims Online Mock Exams.

Take a Free Test

ClearIAS.com: What was the colour of the pen you used for writing mains (Blue Ink/ Black Ink)? Also, the company and brand name of the pen used: 

Black, Reynolds Trimax.

ClearIAS.com: What was your writing style in GS and optional? Bullet Points/ Essay style or a mix of both styles?

For GS: mix of both;

For Optional: Essay type.

ClearIAS.com: What are the government reports that aspirants should go through, before giving Mains Exam?

Selective reading of second ARC reports seems useful, but I won’t say it’s indispensable. Important outcomes of committees etc can be important, but newspapers can be effectively used for this.

ClearIAS.com: Did you use sub-heading/points/graphs in your essay paper?

I used subheadings, but no graphs/bullets.

ClearIAS.com: If you didn’t explain it in detail earlier (Qn 1), can you brief on how you attempted the Ethics paper? Strategies and writing style for Ethics case studies?

I used a mix of both bullet points & paragraphs while writing answers. For case studies, I tried to bring out various issues involved, alternatives, suggestions etc. To be frank, I answered in the way by which I could have dealt the cases in real life (use with caution. It’s MY method)

ClearIAS.com: What was your exam-hall strategy for mains: attempting all questions even at the cost of compromising quality or writing only quality answers compromising on the number of questions attempted?

My strategy was a tradeoff between these two. Tried to attempt maximum questions at the reasonably good quality. But I faced time crunch in paper II.

  • Click to read Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 1.
  • Click to read Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 2.
  • Click to read Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 4.
  • Click to read Harikrishna Pai (CSE 2013 Rank 218) UPSC Topper’s Interview – Part 5.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Share1K
Tweet
WhatsApp
1K Shares

Integrate Learning With Test-Taking!

Is UPSC Prelims your weak area?

Don’t worry!

We can help you score high marks!

Are you ready to practise the right way?

Yes, I want ClearIAS to help me score high!

Get our newsletter

Don't miss our email updates!

About Alex Andrews George

Alex Andrews George is a mentor, author, and entrepreneur. Alex is the founder of ClearIAS and one of the expert Civil Service Exam Trainers in India.

He is the author of many best-seller books like 'Important Judgments that transformed India' and 'Important Acts that transformed India'.

A trusted mentor and pioneer in online training, Alex's guidance, strategies, study-materials, and mock-exams have helped thousands of aspirants to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amandeep kour says

    January 17, 2016 at 6:05 pm

    How can those students prepare who dont study history after 10 th class

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Aim to be an IAS Officer?

Nothing can beat practice!

Join ClearIAS Prelims Test Series 2021

Practice 40+ online mock exams!

Limited Period Offer: 40% OFF!

Enroll Now!

ClearIAS Study Materials for UPSC Prelims and Mains

  • Indian History - Indian History and Culture.
  • Geography - Indian and World Geography.
  • Economics - Indian Economy.
  • Indian Polity - Constitution, Social Justice etc.
  • General Science - Science and Technology.
  • Environment - Biodiversity, Climate Change etc.
  • Current Affairs - National and international.

ClearIAS Study Materials for UPSC Mains (Extra-Topics)

  • World History - GS paper 1.
  • Indian Society - GS paper 1.
  • Foreign Relations - GS paper 2.
  • International Affairs - GS paper 2.
  • Internal Security - GS paper 3.
  • Disaster Management - GS paper 3.
  • Ethics - GS paper 4.

ClearIAS Study Materials for UPSC Mains (Paper-wise)

  • Essay Paper
  • GS 1 Paper
  • GS 2 Paper
  • GS 3 Paper
  • GS 4 Paper

ClearIAS Online Mock Exams (Prelims and Mains)

  • Prelims Mock Exams
  • Mains Mock Exams (AWP)

Congrats! You are at the right place - ClearIAS!

  • 1 million+ monthly users!
  • 9,00,000+ ClearIAS App Downloads!
  • 4,50,000+ Facebook Followers!
  • 3,50,000+ Email Subscribers!
  • 3,00,000+ Registered Aspirants!

Prepare for UPSC Online!

Get Started

UPSC Online Preparation Guidance

  • UPSC - Union Public Service Commission
  • IAS - Indian Administrative Service
  • Civil Services Exam (CSE) - Exam Pattern
  • UPSC Syllabus - Subjects to learn
  • IAS Books - Books to learn
  • UPSC CSE Eligibility - Who can appear?
  • UPSC Exam Dates - When should you apply?
  • UPSC Result - Check UPSC Results
  • UPSC FAQs - Clarify your queries

What do toppers' say about ClearIAS?

Poonam Dalal

"Working 24*7 in the police for the last 5 years and been out of touch with the preparation, I took the guidance from your website, especially the ClearIAS prelims test series. I bought it and found it to be the best available online." - Poonam Dalal, ClearIAS Online Student

Read more reviews by UPSC Toppers...

Enroll in

ClearIAS UPSC Prelims Online Test Series 2021

Score High in the IAS Exam!

Trusted by Toppers

Limited Period Offer: 40% Discount!

Enroll now

Don’t lose out without playing the right game!

Adopt the 3 Strategies for Success in the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Learn UPSC Strategies

  • Home
  • IAS
  • UPSC
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • Login

UPSC Online Preparation

  • Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
  • Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
  • Indian Police Service (IPS)
  • IAS Exam Eligibility
  • UPSC Free Study Materials
  • UPSC Exam Guidance
  • UPSC Prelims Test Series
  • UPSC Syllabus
  • UPSC Online
  • UPSC Books
  • UPSC Prelims
  • UPSC Mains
  • UPSC Interview

ClearIAS

  • About ClearIAS
  • ClearIAS Programs
  • IAS Coaching
  • Announcements
  • Book Review
  • ClearIAS App
  • Sitemap
  • Work with us
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us

UPSC 2021

UPSC Exam Calendar 2021

Follow us

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterFollow us on YouTubeFollow us on ClearIAS Learning AppFollow us on ClearIAS Test Prep AppFollow us on Telegram

Featured on

ClearIAS Featured in The Hindu
ClearIAS Featured in the Times of India
ClearIAS Featured in the New Indian Express
ClearIAS Featured in the Yourstory

and many more...

Copyright © 2020 - ClearIAS.com