Dongre Revaiah, AIR-410 CSE-22 Prelims, Mains, Essay & Maths

Hi All,

This is the 43rd Topper Journey & Strategy post from the Batch of 2023. Dongre Revaiah secured AIR-410 in CSE-22 in his 2nd attempt. Following is his detailed write up.

Introduction

I am Dongre Revaiah, did my entire schooling from Social Welfare schools in Telangana. I pursued my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from IIT Madras. I worked for 5 years at ONGC Mumbai High. My optional subject is mathematics.

You can contact Dongre Revaiah on his Instagram Profile

My journey

At the age of 4, I lost my father. Since then, my mother has been working as a Mid Day Meal cook to support our family. I completed my education up to 12th grade in social welfare government schools. I successfully cleared the IITJEE exam and gained admission into IIT Madras for Chemical Engineering. However, I faced a hurdle when I couldn’t afford the registration fee of 20,000 rupees. In my time of need, I approached Dr. Ashok Sir, the district Magistrate, who generously provided 20,000 rupees from the widow fund to my mother. Additionally, he gave a newspaper advertisement that resulted in sponsorship of around 1.8 lakhs. This financial support enabled me to complete my higher education.

In my final year, I appeared for the GATE examination and achieved an All India Rank of 70, which opened up opportunities for me to secure a job at ONGC.

I started my preparation along with job, and gave my 1st attempt in 2021. I balanced my studies and job in my first attempt and selected for interview but missed the final list by 2 marks. Then i resigned from my job and appeared again for cse – and in 2nd attempt i have secured AIR 410.

This journey exemplifies the strength and resilience I developed in the face of adversity, allowing me to overcome various constraints and achieve academic and professional success.

Prelims Strategy

I used to focus heavily on static. I had read standard books multiple times like Spectrum and Laxmikant. I focused a lot on science & Tech and environment because there are many questions from it.
For current affairs, I couldn’t manage to read the newspaper. Instead, I relied on PT 365 and solved the Insights Monthly quiz, which provided comprehensive coverage of current events. Additionally, I jotted down any uncovered information that surfaced during test series. My main focus was not just on reading extensively, but on revising the material repeatedly, even if my initial reading was relatively limited.
I’d recommend not to make notes from the newspaper, cause it takes a lot of time.
I made notes for almost all subjects, this helped me to revise more effectively. (It is always better to have short notes, but If it is taking more time then you can refer materials that are available
I Set a goal of attempting minimum 90 questions and i usually go for 2 iterations. But whatever is your strategy, you should master it in mocks only.
To diversify my preparation and avoid becoming accustomed to the question patterns of a single institute, I preferred to give mock exams from 2-3 different institutes. By doing so, I exposed myself to a wider range of question styles, difficulty levels, and exam formats. This prevents from getting too accustomed to the question pattern of a single institute,
I followed a practice of solving approximately 10 full-length mock tests. I believed in finding the optimum number of mocks that worked well for me rather than chasing after an excessive quantity
For CSAT, I didn’t do anything, cause my optional was Mathematics and used to solve only maths questions. I was comfortably getting around 100s in mocks

Note: Keep your mind open – many questions can be solved y common sense. Keep up your confidence level high – this will definitely put you on positive side. Try to avoid overthinking in exam hall.

Prelims & Mains Booklist

Polity- Laxmikant
Modern History- Spectrum
Ancient & Medieval – Tamil Nadu History Text books supplemented by Only IAS material
Art & Culture – Nitin Singhania – but selective read
World History- Shreyans Kumat Sir notes
Geography- 11th- Physical Geography NCERT, Extensively focussed on Mapping part
Economy- Mrunal sir videos and handouts
Environment- Shankar IAS booklet, Prepared National parks, wild life sanctuaries etc
Ethics- Lexicon for core concepts and definitions, Vajiram notes for ethics and case studies, online search for examples of civil servants with qualities
Mapping – Youtube videos + search the places in news and research a bit about them – like surrounding countries, rivers etc
IR- Sunya IAS mains notes + Forum IAS current affairs notes
Internal Security- Sunya IAS mains notes + Forum IAS current affairs notes
Governance – Sunya IAS mains notes
Disaster Management – Sunya IAS mains notes
Society – Past years Mains 365 materials
Ethics – DK Balaji + Philosophers part from Lexicon

Join here for free guidance from Mudit Jain, IRS CSE-17 (IPS CSE-14 & 15), Author of Decode Civils – Philosophical Essay Writing, Decode GS2, Decode Ethics 4.0 & Decode History Books

Ethics book referred by CSE 22 Toppers: AIR –10, 76, 91, 176, 189, 249, 288, 297, 299, 326, 356, 476, 541, 611, 616, 700, 737, 739, 746 & others

History book referred by CSE 21 Toppers: AIR – 44, 212, 572, 653 & others

Sample PDFs of Books: Decode Civils – Philosophical Essay Writing, Decode Ethics 4th Edition, Decode GS2 & Decode History

Slideshow of References from Decode Ethics 4th Edition of 9 out of 13 Section-A Questions of 2023 CSE Ethics Paper:

Essay Strategy

For essay, I read Anudeep Durishetty sir’s book and Went through many toppers copies and Mudit Jain Sir’s Essay Strategy on YouTube. This meticulous study provided me with valuable insights into effective essay structures and approaches.
At the beginning of my essay writing journey, I focused on writing 1-2 abstract essays. then, I shifted my brainstorming toward primarily philosophical topics.
My strategy was of gathering examples, anecdotes, and quotes to enrich my essays. My intention was to familiarize myself with these elements and skillfully incorporate them throughout my writing. By doing so, I aimed to enhance the depth and impact of my essays.
In my essay writing approach, I consistently began with an anecdote and concluded by referencing that anecdote. During the final exam, I crafted an essay titled “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what the ship is for.” To commence the essay, I shared the inspiring story of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who valiantly sacrificed his life while attempting to rescue hostages during the 26/11 attacks.
Note – if you don’t get any anecdotes, you can start with quotes or directly you can hit the essay
In the body of the essay, I employed a multidimensional analysis approach, examining essay topics from various perspectives such as social, political, economic, environmental, and more. Additionally, I ensured to address the counterarguments or opposing viewpoints, presenting the other side of the coin. Finally, I concluded my essay by summarizing the main points and providing a final perspective.
For each paragraph, one dimension, and both pros and cons of that dimension with examples. Ending line of every paragraph should hint at the beginning of the next one.
The conclusions will encompass the introductory section and aim to conclude on a positive and optimistic note.
When brainstorming for an essay, it is beneficial to jot down your ideas on a single A4 sheet, as it aids in the process of revision
During my preparation, I made the mistake of brainstorming for only one essay at a time, which resulted in difficulties during the exam. I encountered similar examples for both essays. Therefore, I recommend brainstorming for two essays simultaneously during the preparation phase to avoid such issues.

Mains Strategy

In my 1st attempt – i didn’t have time to make notes, I relied solely on Sunya IAS mains notes to support my preparation
In my 2nd attempt, For each topic, I structured my notes to include a few pros, a few issues, and a few suggestions. Additionally, I made separate notes specifically dedicated to data and examples. The primary goal of these notes was to provide a comprehensive and organized overview of each topic and I focused on revising them as frequently as possible, ensuring that the information was deeply ingrained in my memory and readily accessible during the exam
I spend more than 60% of my time on Optional. For GS my focus was on writing answers in time, examples, supporting data, supreme court judgements and committee reccomendations
To stay updated with current affairs, I relied heavily on the Forum IAS current affairs course by Bipin Sir and their test series. During my first attempt, I participated in the Vision IAS test series, while in my second attempt, I chose the Forum IAS test series. These resources provided valuable insights and helped me stay informed about the latest developments.
I recognized the importance of presentation in mains answer writing. To make my answers more appealing to examiners, I strived to present my thoughts clearly and avoid monotony. I found that incorporating visual aids such as maps, flow charts, and micro diagrams improved the presentation and made my answers more engaging.

Optional Strategy

Given the bulkiness of Mathematics as my optional subject and the limited time between prelims and mains, it was challenging to handle. To overcome this, I created short notes and maintained a “Book of Wrongs” which includes those I made mistakes on and difficult ones. This has helped to revise better.

Booklist for Maths

Vector Algebra –

Krishna Series

Schaum’s outline on Vector Analysis

Curves in space – From Pearson book

Calculus – Malik Arora + Grewal
Ordinary Differential equations
Ode & PDE by MD Raisinghania

Laplace part – Advanced ODE by Raisinghania

3-D Geometry – P N Chatterjee
Linear Algebra – IMS notes
Statics – Krishna series on Statics
Dynamics – Krishna series on Dynamics
Partial Differential Equations –
Ode & PDE by MD Raisinghania
Boundary Value Problems – Advanced ODE by Raisinghania
LPP – IMS notes
Real Analysis – Elements of Real Analysis by Shanti Narayan + Malik Arora
Modern Algebra – R Kumar books (Both Ring theory & Group theory)
Fluid Mechanics – MD Raisinghania
Complex Analysis – By Krishna series
Mechanics – Rigid Dynamics Volume 1

Test Series for Maths

In my 1st attempt, i chose IMS for test series, but found it to be not very useful, no timely correction (just corrected only 1 paper during mains time) and most of the questions are repeated – that gives fake confidence. My score in 1st attempt was 247 (142 + 105)
However, in my second attempt, I switched to Successclap and Mathocrat Test Series. I found both of these test series to be beneficial, particularly in relation to Paper 2. Through these test series, I was able to improve my marks significantly, increasing from 105 to 159 in Paper 2.

Few Suggestions

Create a formula sheet for each chapter in Mathematics and revise it regularly to avoid forgetting important formulas during the exam
Regarding theorems, prioritize them only after gaining comfort in other areas. Selective readings in this section can be beneficial
Solving previous year questions (PYQs) is crucial, aiming to cover as many as possible, starting from 2000 and at least completing those from 2010 if time is limited. Additionally, give attention to Indian Forest Service (IFos) PYQs.
Focus on practicing problem-solving with pen and paper instead of merely reading. Accuracy is particularly important in Paper 1, as most topics are relatively easy and covered during graduation
For Statics and Dynamics, solve questions that cover each model from the Krishna series and PYQs..
For analytical Geometry – especially the 3-D part – mug the important problems from PN chatterjee, as most of the questions are repeated and its difficult to solve the questions freshly in exam hall. Allocate ample time for 2-3 revisions of this chapter.
In Fluid Mechanics, pay more attention to chapters 3, 5, and 11 in MDR. Most questions are derived directly from the book, making it a scoring area that requires extensive revision.
For Mechanics, focus on fundamental concepts like Moment of Inertia and D’Alembert’s principle.
In Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, practice solving problems for kinetic and potential energy in various scenarios – this part i referred from Successclap question bank
In order to score well in Mathematics optional, it is crucial to pay attention to all concepts, including those that are often overlooked
For example – We tend to neglect Error part, convergence parts etc in Numerical Analysis – but nowadays questions are being asking from such overlooked areas

By giving equal importance to all concepts and thoroughly understanding their intricacies, one can enhance their performance and increase their chances of scoring well in the exam.