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Sociology Optional : Resources, strategy etc

Thread for aspirants with sociology optional to discuss strategy, resources, answer writing and everything else

Rise from Ashes,kb1iasin8830and19 otherslike this
70.1k views

98 comments

Hello 
11.1k views
It would be great if people would elaborate on their strategy ahead. I have my Socio notes that I am going to revise and I will rely on PYQs to guide me.
Brave,
11.3k views
Any coaching for sociology available?
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@Equalizer This is my first attempt so I am not the best person to answer that. I have prepared from home on my own. Hopefully someone else will shed some light 


Equalizer,Reznick99
13.8k views

How u people prepare sociology?

11k views
@Equalizer This is my first attempt so I am not the best person to answer that. I have prepared from home on my own. Hopefully someone else will shed some light 


What is ur graduating subject

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@Equalizer I am an engineering graduate 


Equalizer,
13.8k views
Hai... 🖐🏻
10.6k views
Nothing concrete tbh, stuck in that 90s prelims limbo. Took a (crappy) test series during the postponement which helped complete my syllabus using mostly Nitin Sangwan's book and Ritzer for value addition. Hoping to revise those sources along with more examples and thinkers via. google/other promising venues and focus more on just answer writing.
Equalizer,
13k views
I am also in 90s. We can prepare optional hard.
10.9k views

some basic learnings from previous failures:

1) It’s very important to FINISH the syllabus. 

There are 2 parts to the syllabus. One is the CORE part - this includes THINKERS plus some HIGH VALUE topics. Most of the serious aspirants have a decent grasp on these topics. The trend is that not more than 50% of the paper is from this section. The other section has PERIPHERAL topics which appear very general. If you write a general answer here - it won’t work. Must make “Sociological” notes on these general topics.

2) Examples seem to work!

Found in multiple topper copies that they spend 30-40% of the space writing contemporary examples. For ex: If sacred-Profane is asked - you can write about Sabarimala and profanity of menstrual blood. 

3) Interlinkage between 2 papers seems to work. 

Found in multiple topper copies that when something from Paper-2 is asked, it is linked with some theory or concept in Paper-1.

4) Value of diagrams and flow charts is questionable in Sociology.

Didnt find many diagrams etc in topper copies in Sociology. Most of them wrote in standard 3-line paragraphs combined with points where necessary.

5) Dropping Names works!

For everything you say - if it’s substantiated with the name of a Sociologist or Sociological study - it seems to work. One topper copy had as many as 45 Names in Paper-2. This is a common feature of all topper copies.


6) 75% of paper is from PYQ. Practice them instead of writing random test series.

kb1iasin8830,Mettleand12 otherslike this
12.7k views
@vikhcu2073 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😊


10.4k views
Nothing concrete tbh, stuck in that 90s prelims limbo. Took a (crappy) test series during the postponement which helped complete my syllabus using mostly Nitin Sangwan's book and Ritzer for value addition. Hoping to revise those sources along with more examples and thinkers via. google/other promising venues and focus more on just answer writing.

which crappy test series if i may ask ?

9.9k views
@TabsAndChords It was some minor institute on Telegram called Simplified IAS. I'm not sure they even read the copies they checked lmao.


TabsAndChords,
10.9k views
@vikhcu2073 Thanks for the input. I have found the nature of PYQs to be highly dynamic and in this regard, having a grasp on the contemporary issues along with decent fodder like examples and sociological thinkers is definitely useful 


Emerald24,Augustya_Shrivastava
13.6k views
@vikhcu2073 Thanks for the input. I have found the nature of PYQs to be highly dynamic and in this regard, having a grasp on the contemporary issues along with decent fodder like examples and sociological thinkers is definitely useful 


For a change - can we make this thread worthwhile? I think we can really enhance our scores by sharing good examples from contemporary events. We can do it on a closed Telegram group if you don’t want to share content in open. Please let me know.

kohliwag,
10.7k views
@vikhcu2073 yes brother. Subject like sociology can only be prepared well with peer interaction. We have to form a serious group of few. I am getting 124-128 from various keys. Don’t want to waste any time


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The group should be with people having attitude like never give up and don’t want to waste time.
Augustya_Shrivastava,
12.3k views
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