Topper’s Talk | Muskan Srivastava | AIR 36 | UPSC CSE 2024

Summary

Muskan Srivastava describes how she improved from AIR 98 in her first UPSC attempt to AIR 36 in her second. A 2021 BTech graduate in Electronics and Communication from IIIT Jabalpur, she worked as a software engineer at Microsoft while preparing, then left her job in 2022 to prepare full time. She credits her improvement to repeated revision, learning from her first attempt, selective use of resources, consistent answer writing, and better exam-time strategy.

Prelims Strategy

Make Previous Year Questions Central to Preparation

• She repeatedly solved and revised UPSC Prelims questions from 2011 onward—through 2022 for her first attempt and through 2023 for her second.
• She recommends reviewing the reasoning behind wrong answers and looking up unfamiliar options or concepts.
• Previous year questions can reveal recurring themes and make previously asked material part of one’s usable knowledge, including older schemes that may appear again.

Build a Limited, Reliable Set of Basic Sources

• Polity: Laxmikanth, supplemented once by the Class 11 Political Theory NCERT for concepts such as liberty and secularism.
• Economy: One dependable core source. She used Nitin Singhania’s book, but advised students to stick with the material their course or teacher provides if it works for them. Concepts matter, especially as questions become more conceptual.
• Economic Survey and Budget: Use concise summaries and analyses rather than trying to read the full Economic Survey PDF. She used Vision IAS summaries and budget analysis, highlighting key points for later revision.
• History: NCERTs from Classes 6–12, extracting relevant information from older lower-class books where it was not covered adequately in later ones.
• Science and technology: Establish a basic understanding first, then use current affairs to make sense of developments. She used online resources for areas such as biology and biotechnology where she needed additional grounding.
• Environment: PMF IAS material alongside current-affairs updates. Be clear about locations such as national parks, Ramsar sites, biosphere reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.
• Geography: NCERTs. She preferred older editions but said candidates could use either version and should avoid switching among multiple sources.
• Art and culture: Nitin Singhania’s book, used selectively and guided by previous year questions. She focused on relevant areas such as architecture, dance, and music rather than reading every section equally.

Prioritize Current Affairs

• Read a newspaper consistently. She used The Indian Express, but said candidates could choose another accessible newspaper.
• Newspaper reading supports current-affairs knowledge and a deeper understanding of events, while also building language skills.
• For annual revision, she used PT 365 and Mains 365, prioritizing areas such as environment and science and technology, then other subjects according to available time.
• Treat schemes selectively: focus on those appearing in previous year questions or current-affairs compilations instead of trying to memorize every scheme.
• Prioritize core subjects and sources before pursuing less predictable or peripheral topics. She emphasized that some questions will be unfamiliar to everyone, so preparation should focus on improving one’s relative position.

Use Mock Tests as a Diagnostic Tool

• She attempted roughly two to three sectional tests per subject and about 15–16 full-length tests. Across her preparation, she described completing around 35–40 tests.
• Review mistakes, return to the relevant basic source, and mark material that needs another revision.
• Her test scores varied widely, sometimes falling into the 40s or 50s and at other times exceeding 100. She cautioned against treating a mock score as a prediction of the actual exam result.

Develop a Personal Attempt Strategy

• Her own attempts varied by paper: about 81 questions in 2023 and 92 in 2024. She suggested that attempting 70 or more may be a reasonable target for some candidates, but stressed that the right number depends on accuracy and comfort.
• Use subject knowledge, current-affairs familiarity, and careful elimination to attempt questions that are not directly recalled.
• Do not rely on blind guessing. Experiment in practice tests to identify the attempt level at which accuracy remains acceptable.

CSAT Preparation

• Treat CSAT as a qualifying paper that still requires regular preparation; a strong GS score cannot compensate for failing it.
• Prepare the fundamentals of quantitative aptitude, reasoning, and reading comprehension. Do not leave an entire topic untouched just because it seems difficult: basic questions from that topic may still be manageable.
• For reading comprehension, she solved the previous ten years of UPSC questions and preferred checking the official UPSC answer key, because coaching keys may differ. Repeated practice helps candidates recognize question types such as assumptions and inferences.
• Practice identifying difficult or time-consuming questions early. Spending several minutes on a question that is unlikely to be solved can cost time better used elsewhere.
• Candidates need not attempt all 80 questions. She considered leaving around 20 and aiming to attempt roughly 60 a viable approach, while emphasizing that each person should develop a strategy through practice.
• In the final one or two months, practice CSAT diligently—even if mathematics is a strength.
• Her own sequence was to begin with comprehension, then move to mathematics and reasoning, and return to comprehension near the end. She recommended adapting the order to one’s strengths and stress levels.

Mains Preparation and Answer Writing

General Approach

• Prepare a sound content base early. She estimated that about 60–70% of Mains preparation should ideally be completed before Prelims.
• After Prelims, use the first month for remaining content consolidation, then devote more time to answer writing and revision.
• Practise daily, using previous year questions as a regular source of questions. She wrote recent Mains questions first and then worked backward.
• She also practised with about three test papers per GS paper.
• Learn to write clearly and develop content before becoming overly concerned about speed. She said her early answers were very slow, but regular practice and stronger subject knowledge improved both speed and quality.

GS Paper 2

• Polity: Use relevant constitutional articles, judgments, and political-theory terms such as federalism and secularism. Explain a judgment briefly when using it, and avoid inserting irrelevant references.
• Look for useful, non-partisan statements from institutional speeches and public figures to enrich answers.
• Even when a question focuses on problems or challenges, include constructive remedies or a way forward where appropriate. Avoid ending on an entirely negative note.
• Social justice: Use a dependable base source, then enrich answers with current affairs and concrete examples from observation or public life.
• Governance: Prepare syllabus keywords and recurring previous year question themes, including e-governance, accountability, transparency, and performance auditing. Make model answers for the previous four or five years of questions; she noted that themes often recur in altered form. Use specific case studies where relevant.
• International relations: Combine basic material with ongoing newspaper and current-affairs coverage because relationships and events change quickly. Prepare frameworks for recurring themes important to India—such as terrorism, trade, climate change, and the Indo-Pacific—and use current-affairs compilations selectively.

GS Paper 3

• Economy: Use appropriate economic terminology—for example, “fiscal deficit” rather than only saying that borrowing should be reduced. Refer to the Economic Survey and Budget, and note unusually useful data or examples encountered in newspapers.
• Internal security: The syllabus and previous year questions provide a framework. Prepare repeated themes such as Naxalism and terrorism, and add relevant current affairs. Maps showing affected regions can add value when appropriate.
• Science and technology: Use a concise, organized base such as Mains 365, and track significant initiatives or ministerial announcements. She advised memorizing specific facts for especially important developments when they may help answer a direct question.
• Environment: Combine a core source such as PMF IAS with significant current affairs. Use diagrams or maps where useful.
• Disaster management: Treat it as a technical subject. Use terms precisely—preparedness, mitigation, and related concepts are not interchangeable. Learn relevant frameworks such as the Sendai Framework, disaster-specific guidelines, and current examples; maps can also help.

GS Paper 1

• Modern history: She used Spectrum and relied on recent previous year questions to judge which areas required greater emphasis.
• Art and culture: Organize notes by major dynasties as well as by themes such as architecture, dance, music, literature, and philosophy. Add relevant points as they arise during reading, so revision gradually builds a usable set of dynasty-wise notes. She said a limited number of major dynasties account for much of the useful material.
• Geography: Give attention to physical geography, including newer or less familiar concepts, and to current-affairs-linked topics. Prepare industry-related factors—resources, raw materials, labour, markets, and transport—so they can be adapted to different industries.
• Society: Use relevant keywords and terminology, and support answers with examples from newspapers, films, or social observation where suitable.

GS Paper 4: Ethics

• Learn the syllabus keywords and use them to identify what a question is testing—for example, attitude, aptitude, or a particular ethical concept.
• For difficult or abstract prompts, connect the question to the closest syllabus area, then adapt relevant concepts and examples.
• In case studies, do not merely list actions. Explain the ethical or constitutional justification for each action.
• Work within legal and constitutional limits; do not present unlawful action as a solution simply because it appears compassionate.
• Prepare examples of public servants’ good work, including less familiar examples, and relevant examples of corruption or misuse of power. She also suggested using appropriate, non-controversial examples from films or other media.

Time Management and Final Revision

• Respect the recommended time per answer—she cited roughly seven minutes for a 10-marker and 11 minutes for a 15-marker—and practise under timed conditions.
• If a question is unfamiliar, write what is defensible and move on rather than sacrificing too much time. She recalled giving a short response to a question for which she had limited material.
• Match the answer’s dimensions to the question. Add a way forward when useful, even if it is not explicitly requested, but do not force extra points or sacrifice all the time for a conclusion.
• In Ethics, she aimed to allow about 15 minutes per case study and distribute the remaining time across the other questions. When possible, use the five minutes before writing begins to read a case study and organize points mentally.
• If reading speed is a constraint, practise concise answers rather than filling pages at the expense of attempting questions.
• In the last 20–25 days before Prelims, do not start substantial new material. Consolidate what has already been studied, prioritize weaker or high-yield areas, revise basic books and current affairs, and keep some test practice for strategy and familiarity.
• Revise repeatedly: she found that each round became faster as she learned what to highlight or focus on. She preferred highlighting over making extensive short notes, but advised candidates to choose the revision method that works for them.
• Near the exam, practise recent previous year questions and CSAT, and leave a buffer for travel or unexpected events.

Interview Preparation and Experience

• Muskan described two interviews, both with a board chaired by Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla.
• Her first interview ranged from her hometown and its sugarcane to artificial intelligence, public health, the CAMPA Fund, sports, and a hypothetical question about a half-human, half-machine species. She described it as conversational and unexpectedly imaginative.
• In her second interview, questions included security challenges, space-based intelligence and militarization, China and the LAC, Starlink, Kathak, films, Bollywood nepotism, and a book she had mentioned during discussion.
• She found mock interviews useful for practising presentation and exploring likely areas based on the Detailed Application Form, but said the real interview could be much less predictable and more discussion-based.
• She also noted that a board’s expressions do not reliably reveal whether it approves of an answer.

Geography Optional

• She chose Geography because she found it interesting while studying GS and saw some overlap with the GS syllabus.
• She said her score improved from about 260 to 287 after changing her preparation approach.
• For Paper 2, she used Majid Husain. She also stressed consulting standard references, while clarifying that candidates need not read every standard book cover to cover.
• Build connections across topics—for instance, linking Indian geography and the Himalayas with relevant geographical theories.
• Use diagrams, simplifying complex ones when necessary. Turn relevant data into visual forms such as bar graphs.
• Solve or at least brainstorm eight to ten years of optional previous year questions, since questions and themes can recur. Where an answer reveals a content gap, add that material to notes.
• She mentioned Savindra Singh as a useful reference for physical geography concepts.

Study Routine and Planning

• Her typical routine began around 7:15–7:30 a.m., with newspaper reading first. She divided the day into two main study blocks, usually working on different subjects in each.
• She reported studying around seven to eight hours daily, sometimes increasing to roughly nine or ten hours near an examination.
• Balance GS and optional according to the stage of preparation. When an optional is new, it may warrant more time; as Prelims approaches, increase the emphasis on Prelims-relevant GS and revision.
• After Prelims, she initially gave more time to the optional, then moved toward a more balanced split, with GS receiving greater priority as the Mains examination approached.
• Keep classroom study aligned with self-study, revise promptly after class, and use a weekly day or holiday to address backlogs.
• Limit sources. Choose material that is accessible and revise it repeatedly rather than continually switching books or pursuing every last detail.
• She described anxiety before Prelims as normal and suggested practical coping habits such as talking with family, sleeping properly, or taking a short walk.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Muskan Srivastava: The main speaker, sharing her UPSC preparation and interview experiences.
• An unnamed host or moderator: Introduces and welcomes Muskan, manages the event, and invites questions.
• Audience members: Ask questions during the Q&A; their names are not identifiable in the subtitles.
• Subhash Sir: Mentioned as the person invited to felicitate Muskan; no substantial spoken remarks from him are captured in the subtitles.
• Referenced preparation sources: UPSC Prelims and Mains previous year questions; NCERTs; Laxmikanth; Spectrum; Nitin Singhania; PMF IAS; Majid Husain; Savindra Singh; The Indian Express and other newspapers; Vision IAS PT 365, Mains 365, Economic Survey summaries, budget analysis, and test series.