How to Make Notes for UPSC? Tips & Strategy

PWOnlyIAS April 01, 2024 07:21 1449 0

Learn how to make effective notes for UPSC preparation, covering prelims and mains, with tips from toppers, utilizing NCERT books and newspapers, and understanding the benefits of note-taking for success in the UPSC exam.

Notes-making for UPSC Exam is one of the most cherished skills of an aspirant. With proper utilisation of that skill, a candidate can convert his/her attempt into a successful one. If you are curious to know more about notes-making for UPSC, you are on the right path, as this article will provide you with all the relevant information to help in your preparation.

How to Make Notes for UPSC?

Before actually preparing for UPSC, candidates more or less have the same question – How to make notes for UPSC? A beginner may find it rather challenging to understand the minute details that go into UPSC preparation. One such minute detail is making notes for UPSC. It is the most underestimated facet of UPSC preparation, but a critical one when it comes to clearing the exam.

Candidates who have understood the art of making notes will have a great chance of clearing UPSC. This is because notes-making will bring together all the information you have read for the exam. It will help in better revision and recall during the exam.

How to Make Notes for UPSC by Toppers?

One of the common traits possessed by toppers is the notes-making skills. While notes-making does not require rocket science, it does require precise strategy and planning. Toppers have always advised aspirants to have their own notes ready for different stages of the examination. These notes prove handy during revision and will also help in recalling during examination.

All previously successful toppers have had their own handwritten notes in one form or other. They have attributed their success to notes-making, and advise others to learn and inculcate the art of notes-making.

In this article, we have compiled various strategies adopted by toppers when it comes to notes-making for UPSC. These strategies will go a long way in helping you clear the UPSC exam.

How to Make Notes for UPSC? A Step-by-step Guide

UPSC notes making is an art in itself. It requires meticulous planning and execution. If properly made, it can give overwhelming rewards for the candidates. Hence, candidates having proper notes, preferably hand-written, have a very high chance of success in the examination.

Given below are the steps to make highly-rewarding notes for both UPSC prelims as well as UPSC mains:

How to Make Notes for UPSC Prelims?

Prelims requires a separate type of notes due to emphasis on a larger knowledge base compared to mains. This is because the syllabus of prelims has not been defined specifically.

Complete the Syllabus: Familiarize yourself with the UPSC syllabus for each subject and topic. This helps in organizing your notes according to the relevant sections of the syllabus.
Identify Static Sources: Static sources have to be identified before preparation so that basics of the topics are covered and prepared in the form of notes. Example: NCERT’s and standar Books.
Newspaper Notes: Special emphasis has to be given to newspapers, as it is the main source for questions on current affairs.
Other Current Affairs Sources: Apart from newspapers, information from other sources such as PIB, Down to Earth, economic survey etc have to be added.
Bullet Points: Notes have to be organised in the form of bullets so that only relevant information is presented. This reduces the burden of bulky information.
Focus on Facts as well as Concepts: Prelims consists of both facts and concepts. Candidates must have notes of both facts and concepts from relevant sources.
Aligning with Syllabus: The most important fact that needs to be remembered is that relevancy of information has to be gauged. If the topic is irrelevant, there is no use making notes on it.
Seek Guidance: Every year toppers shared their resources to the aspirants, you can help from their notes to make your own notes.
Utilise Test series: Test series covers dynamic aspects of the syllabus, you can attempt the mock test and enhanced your by identifying key concepts and topics asked in the test.

How To Make Notes for UPSC Mains?

Making notes for UPSC mains is slightly different from notes making for UPSC mains. Following is a basic guide for making notes for UPSC mains:

Cover all Topics mentioned in Syllabus: The candidates must cover all the topics mentioned in syllabus to be assured of their preparation levels. This will increase their chances of writing better answers.
Current Affairs Linkage: The current affairs connected to static topics have to be noted down. This will ensure that candidates write better answers.
Diagrams and Illustration: Candidates must prepare relevant diagrams to illustrate the topics. In addition, they need to have facts and figures on various topics.
Simple Language: Language remains the key in mains preparation. Candidates must understand the concept and present it in a simple way.
Editorial Analysis: Many editorials have information that will help in mains exams. Analysing daily editorials and making short notes of relevant information will help in scoring higher marks.
Value-addition from Test Series and PYQs: Analysing test series will provide many new facts and figures, which could be added to the note as value addition. Similarly, model answers from PYQs will help in better understanding of concepts. Additional or new knowledge needs to be added to the existing notes.
Short-length Notes: Notes should be made in a concise way with a sole aim of revising at least 3-4 times before the actual exam. Bulky notes can be avoided.
Notes of Other Important Data: Real-life examples, case studies, famous Quates, slogans and current affairs related to the topic you’re studying. This enhances your understanding and makes the information more relatable. These points will give you an additional edge in writing answers.

How To Make Notes for UPSC From NCERT?

UPSC has been emphasising on the importance of NCERT books for exam, as visible from the questions that have repeatedly appeared from these books. Based on this trend, it is obvious that NCERT is very important for UPSC preparation. Here are key steps to be followed while making effective NCERT Notes:

Analyse Previous Year Questions from NCERT: Candidates must analyse previous years question papers to identify the questions that were asked directly from NCERTs. Based on this information, they must recognise types of questions that are asked from the books. For example, in ancient history, questions on ancient ports, foreign travellers etc are directly asked from NCERT books.
Summarise Information: Before making notes, candidates have to go through the chapter. They must identify relevant information and then summarise in their own words.
Visual Aids: Use mind maps, maps, flow diagrams etc to represent the information. This will help in boosting visual memory.
Mark Recurring Topics: There are many themes from NCERT that are asked recurrently in the exam. Such themes have to be identified and prepared in a better way. For example, questions based on Buddhism, Jainism, Vijayanagar empire, foreign travellers, Gupta era etc are asked regularly.

How To Make Notes for UPSC from Newspaper?

Newspapers are the vital sources of information for current affairs. For comprehensive coverage of a wide range of topics from current affairs, candidates have to make notes from newspapers. Here are some of the ways in which you can prepare good notes from newspapers:

Selecting Appropriate Newspaper: Candidates must select a proper newspaper that they must refer for notes-making. It is advisable to choose a newspaper that covers a wider range of issues.
Identifying Relevant Topics: Newspapers may contain both relevant and irrelevant topics. Candidates must have an understanding of topics that are relevant for the exam. You can watch daily newspaper analysis for identifying relevant topics.
Add Static Portion: When a particular topic from a newspaper has been added in the notes, the candidate must also add the relevant static concept along with it, without fail.
Summarise Information: The information must not be copied as it is. If possible, read multiple sources of the information before identifying the most important components and noting down.
Organise Notes: The notes must be organised based on months or subjects so that it is easy to recall topics that are covered multiple times in the newspaper. Notes can be structured using keywords, bullet points, and headings.
Regular Update: Notes have to be updated on regular basis. This will create a sense of discipline among the aspirants and prevent procrastination.
Regular Revision: Revise notes at least once a week. This will increase retention capacity of the candidate.

What are the Benefits of UPSC Notes?

Notes-making is an important and critical component of UPSC preparation. Some consider it as the difference between successful and unsuccessful candidates. There have been many debates on why UPSC notes are beneficial. Some of these benefits have been mentioned below:

Faster Reference: A candidate can refer to any topic in a faster way during practice and revision. This saves time and effort.
Long-term Memory Retention: Making notes has proven to be an effective tool for long-term memory retention, helping candidates recall topics for a longer duration.
Easy Understanding: Notes will contain information that is based on a candidates’ understanding of a topic. It is a break-down of complex information into simpler form.
Revision Boost: A candidate who revises multiple times has a higher chance of recalling during the exam. For multiple revisions, notes-making is a must.
Identify Weaker Areas: Candidates can mark weaker topics in their notes. This will be a reminder for them to give more emphasis on those topics during revision.
Condensing Multiple Information: Notes help condense information from multiple sources into a single collection. This will ensure that a candidates’ knowledge base is wider.
Time Management: Notes will reduce your time to a large extent, you can utilise this time in covering current affairs and other uncovered portion of the syllabus. It will make ready for every stage of examination in a less time.

UPSC notes-making is a self-learning process. The more regular you are, the better the notes. The process has to be consistent so that you get enough time to revise it multiple times. While you may not be gifted with photographic memory, notes-making and revision will help you in recalling topics in a more rewarding way.

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC	UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs	UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz	Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers	UPSC Test Series 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

The benefit of notes-making is that it helps condense and organize large amounts of information from multiple sources.

Newspapers are a very good source of day-to-day happenings in the world. Making newspaper notes help candidates to be well-informed regarding current affairs.

Short notes help candidates to perform revision in a better way. Instead of reading the whole book, they can focus on vital information provided in short notes.

While it is feasible to make digital notes, it is always advised to make hand-written notes. Witten notes are more advantageous than digital notes as it will help in memory retention.

No. current affairs notes must include information from sources such as PIB, Down to Earth, government portals, economic survey etc, apart from newspapers.

Topper hand-written notes are available from multiple sources such as e-commerce sites, brick and mortar stores and some notes are also available free of cost on the internet.

The process of making notes for UPSC is similar. As far as economics is concerned, candidates have to first make notes on concepts. Later, they can add dynamic parts. Inter-linking between static and dynamic parts is important.

Ethics is mostly a static subject and hence a candidate must have a handout containing definitions of all concepts, along with examples. If you find any articles in any newspapers based on concepts of ethics, make a note of it.

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How to Make Notes for UPSC? Tips & Strategy

How to Make Notes for UPSC?

How to Make Notes for UPSC by Toppers?

How to Make Notes for UPSC? A Step-by-step Guide

How to Make Notes for UPSC Prelims?

How To Make Notes for UPSC Mains?

How To Make Notes for UPSC From NCERT?

How To Make Notes for UPSC from Newspaper?

What are the Benefits of UPSC Notes?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Notes-making Important for UPSC?

What is the Importance of Newspaper Notes?

What are the Benefits of Short Notes for UPSC?

Can I Make Digital Notes?

Should Newspapers be the only Source for Current Affairs Notes?

Where Can I Find Toppers Hand-written Notes for UPSC?

How to Make Economics Notes for UPSC?

How to Make Ethics Notes for UPSC?

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