Can you share a few hacks that you use for notemaking?

This is for any Mains Test Series. This is what I have seen some people who have nailed the Civils with a Top Rank with Mains Test Series.

First, do not assume that Test Series is only for "Answer Writing Practice". It is also for a paced preparation for the exam. If you are a complete beginner, a good way to proceed would be to to first make a list of issues of topics from which questions can come from a topic. For example, if you have Polity - first few chapters, questins will be from Preable values, Basic Structure doctrine etc. They have to be prepared well and you can expect questions from those areas.

This is a competitive examination, and while for Prelims we read everything, for Mains, we have to focus on "issues" from which questions can be asked. You can use magazines such as Epic , and make one page notes on each isse and book it under Paper 2, 3 4 etc. You can expect questions comevered in magazines from Mains magazine in the MTS.

If at all you have teething problems, a good approach is also to see the question paper first , and make a lit of topics from which questions are asked and then prepare those topics. Preparing 20 topics is not an easy task, but if you do that, with over 10 tests and 200 topics prepared, you will be very well prepared.

When you prepare the topics, makes notes, and then attempt the paper WITHOUT looking at the notes. Answer writing has to be done from memory. If you try this for 4-5 papers, you will develop a knack for it.

Remember that there is a difference between someone who has written 12-15 tests and someone who is not.

Someone who has written let us say 12 tests, means 36 hours of answer writing. If the person studies at least 20 hours before each test, that adds up to 240 hours of focussed studying for the test. That will show in the paper.

And do not try to be perfect. Try making progress, that is more important.

I had a kid write 7 questions the first time I met him write the paper in the class. He improved with time, got Rank 13. When he got the rank, he was there at the center wearing shorts, he couldn't believe it ! :D

Start small, make it big.

Super Memo 18- All the way.

Imagine a situation, where I have like 200 a4 sheets with 200 topics. With SuperMemo 18, I can do the following things.

1. Give a priority to each topic

2. Schedule the review of interval for each topic

3. Make active recall questions on those topics

So I wake up in the morning, open the software and topics which I have scheduled for the day show up one by one. I can edit, delete and update the topic and give a next review date. Say for example 5 days. Then, I go to the next topic, realize the notes is more than adequate, so i delete some unnecessary lines and feel the topic is easy and doesn't need to be revised in next 15 days. With the click of a button, I schedule the review after 15 days.

And the best part, all the topics are shown according to my priority. The topics which are of high priority are shown to me at the beginning when my mental energy is high, the least priority topics are shown at the last. And for suppose, if I am not able to review some topics allotted for that day, those remaining topics will be distributed across next few days so that my burden will not vary much.

It's called Incremental Reading. You involve the concept of spaced repetition and active recall.

It's the best thing I have stumbled across in this UPSC prep. It started with a question " how to effectively remember what you have studied", from there I kept learning more and more about this and fell in love with this software. 

i use pen and paper.

now i just tear pages from monthly since i realised that:

-no brownies for notemaking

-exam scenario is survival mode. that means

-if i dont absorb anything, ill only write general points

so whatever is absorbed very properly never needs to be noted down.

hence less focus on compiling notes. more on understanding as well as i can

Before preparing notes, decide which all areas/subjects you need to make notes. Personally, I think only optional requires extensive note making. For prelims, mnemonics should be used instead of writing down gazillion factual points.

Coming to making notes, I'd suggest an easier method, which is copy paste😅 This 'advanced method' requires a pdf of the text and a note making app. Works better on lap; if it's a tablet, then multi-tab functionality is required. Now straight off copy paste relevant analytical aspects of the text. The resultant note would be a collection of sentences very awkward to read. Now read it, underline and then high light key words (in the note app). Now jot down these key words into a flash card (an app also is fine), and revise using the cards as a self quiz/revision tool😅

@Neyawn  sir i want to ask a question 🙋 ie how to get most out of MGP PROGRAM means I have facing a doubt that is

1. Do i watch Answer discussion video after giving the test . 
2. Or do i watch answer discussion video with my checked answer copy . 

Thanks. 🙏

Waiting for response sir. 

Posted this on another thread..reposting here

Have a question..anyone here who has been using Evernote on tab for a while now? Did you face any issues with the app? Also would you recommend going for a paid subscription of it?..only for upsc prep usage.

For current affairs …… complete it issue wise for instance one should have a note on climate change containg everything about it cop meetings, steps which India is taking etc

use Evernote and you can update whenever a new update comes  for instance in the above example if India changes it renewable energy targets etc 

Here are some of my thoughts: 

• UseSmall Pdf word converter to convert PDFinto word doc. Word Docs are more easy to manipulate. Example,you can convert any topper's typed notes, whichever you like and use them as base to make your own modified notes.
  
  
• Rather than typing 10 bullet points on something, say features of Rule of Law, it would be better to turn into a mindmap and pasting it along with your notes.Pictorial memory >Typing Memory.
  
• Write shorter and crisp sentences in your digital notes. You will be gaining marks for your copy not your notes.Liberally use +,-,% to shorten your statements. 
  
  Example: The highlighted and the underlined sentence say the same thing but the highlighted one appears longer. 
  
  
  
• Make audio notes of the facts you want to mug up. A 2 minute recording of your own voice can help you mug up one page of factual info. Try it.I memorized the order of Sikh Gurus, Bhakti Saints their individual achievement, using this. 
  
  
• Flash notes are helpful in memorizing stuff accurately. Anki is a incredibly great tool, if mugging up is not your forte.
  It may appear slightly difficult in the beginning. Once you get comfortable, you can make playful notes to remember stuff.Here is good introductory video. 
  
• Lastly,@Neyawn once suggested somewhere to print your notes, in the time of revision. It might appear costly or even beating the purpose of Online notes, but it helps in revision in crunch time.
  
  

Hoping that it will help some of you.