Hi All,

Dilip secured AIR-21 with 309 marks in maths. Before cracking CSE 2021, he secured AIR-18 in IFoS 2020. Following is Dilip’s strategy in his own words:

Maths optional prep basics:

I largely depended on self study for Maths optional. Since I’m from an engineering background, I was already familiar with a significant part of the syllabus (from Maths electives, IIT prep, Job requirements, etc). So already had a basic foundation in this subject, which I found very helpful.

Reference:

• I mostly used IMS notes to study the various subjects and gain basic problem practice. Updated IMS notes are available online, I mostly used their soft copies.

• I have also used YouTube videos from Mathocrat channel, especially to gain conceptual clarity on the Physics heavy parts of the syllabus. He strongly prioritises PYQs, which aligned well with my prep strategy.

• The G20 google drive is a very comprehensive source for Maths optional material, and I’ve selectively used the various study materials available in there.

• I’m not good at self preparation of notes. I largely depended on notes by Kanishak Kataria to revise the core formulae and theory. Yogesh sir’s notes were also helpful. (Both these notes can be found in the G20 google drive).

Problem practice:

• This is in my opinion the most important part of prelims prep. Every serious Maths aspirant will have covered the basic syllabus topics, it’s regular problem practice that elevates our marks from average to 300+.

• I primarily focused on PYQs, since the Maths paper is often repetitive and static in nature. Used problems from various sources like Krishna series and Schaums series for additional problems. The bulk of my Maths prep time after prelims was spent on problem practice. In my opinion, speedy problem solving is the fundamental skill that a Maths aspirant needs to develop. UPSC evaluators actually forgive minor quality issues in your answers, but failing to complete the paper is absolutely fatal to your chances.

Test series:

I have attended the post-prelims test series offered by IMS Delhi twice. Question quality is fine, and their feedback was helpful in aligning my answer presentation to the UPSC requirements. There was a considerable delay in getting the answer sheets evaluated.

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All My Notes

Sample PDFs of Decode Ethics 4.0 Part-A & Part-B Books, Decode GS-2 Book & Decode History Book:

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Peer group:

Having a good peer group is vital for maths prep, especially self study. I had a few friends at Tvm who were also preparing with Maths as optional. I’m also a member of G20 and Mathocrat telegram groups, which were helpful in discussing difficult problems and concepts.

Prep methodology:

• In my first attempt, I tried to split the syllabus into smaller chunks and to set weekly targets such that the whole syllabus could be covered in 6 months. That went fairly well, and I was able to cover the basic syllabus and do a reasonable number of practice problems in that period. I almost exclusively depended on IMS modules at this point.

• After that first round, I realised that the IMS modules weren’t providing me adequate conceptual clarity to solve the difficult problems in Physics portions (Fluid dynamics, Mechanics, etc). That’s when I started following Mathocrat, and his videos were very helpful in bridging that gap. Once you get the knack of it and gain adequate problem practice, the physics parts of the syllabus can help you perform exceptionally well in Paper 2 (I got 164).

• Modern algebra was another portion which was personally difficult for me. I bought Khanna & Bhambri book to supplement other sources in this subject. I’m still not entirely confident in this subject, but was able to do all the problems from this topic this year.

Exam time:

• Make sure that you’re using the question selection (only 5 questions to be attempted out of 8) intelligently. Try to choose problems that aren’t too lengthy, time is a major constraint. Each question will have multiple sub questions which are from different subjects, so it’s risky to completely leave out any subject during preparation. However, do try to compare and choose questions which are largely from your strong areas.

• Keep tracking the available time throughout the exam and adapt accordingly. Don’t worry too much about handwriting or presentation during the actual exam, but do try to improve legibility during your practice sessions.

• Also take note of the space available to you before starting your answers. UPSC mostly provides adequate space to compete your answer, but there can be rare exceptions. In such cases, adapt your answer to fit into the available space. Use rough pages for extra calculations.

• Calculator: devote some time to learn all the various features of the calculator, being strong in calculator usage can save a lot of time during exams. Especially useful in numerical methods, linear algebra etc. Refer to YouTube videos if required to learn equation solving, matrix manipulation, etc using the calculator.

Final observations:

Maths is definitely not a small or easy optional. But it definitely provides good returns if you invest enough time and effort into it. It was pivotal in my good performances in both IFoS (AIR 18) and Civil Service (AIR 21) exams. If you have reasonable interest and aptitude in the subject, there are adequate resources and guidance available to take you to a 300+ score in Maths papers. Best wishes!