How to Prepare UPSC GS Paper - 3
To prepare UPSC GS Paper 3 for the IAS exam, first of all read the fundamental books of GS. Paper III of General studies.
UPSC includes subjects Economics, Environment, Science & Technology and Internal Security. The topics of this paper intersect with the topics of GS I and GS II. So it may be difficult for the aspirants to differentiate between the topics of General Studies III and other GS papers. Any particular book will not help you.
Follow these tips:
- Go in detail to cover the syllabus of this exam.
- Make a plan to work efficiently and a specific strategy to get a good score in this exam.
- Follow that trend which UPSC follows.
- Read the questions of General Studies and correlate them with the current affairs.
- Make your notes according to the syllabus.
- Limit yourself with some best current affairs’ resources.
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UPSC GS Paper 3 syllabus :
Science and Technology – This is a vast topic. It has affected our day to day life a lot. Study deeply About various inventions which have made human life easier like Modern machines, Computers, Mobile phones, Solar equipment. Science and Technology are important for the preliminary exams also, so give more attention to this topic. In Science and Technology some topics should be covered from the help of newspapers, internet and Science magazines. Read some books which focus on contributions to Science, Technology and Western inventions. Questions are asked from the current affairs section. Give an attention to the current developments. Have a good knowledge of the topics and fundamental scientific terms (which are Used in space like PSLV, GSLV, Crypto engine etcetera and some Nuclear Research Eg. Uranium Enrichment, Nuclear Fission and fusion, Fast breeder Reactor, Biotech, stem cell, Gene editing and GM food).
Some important topics of current affairs are Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Robotics space, IPL. Also read Newspapers regularly and see the Economic survey and some chapters of India year book also. This will help you a lot.
Some Resources – Youth Destination Notes, The Hindu, NCERT (chemistry and Biology from class XI to XII, UN and Environment Ministry’ s website.
Disaster Management – Cover the topics floods, cyclones, tsunamis, ATS also. There is a need to involve Scientist Bureaucrats and Students to find the solution of disaster management problems. Don’t ignore NCERT because they help to build your base and help you understand the events and developments in a more easy way. Jagdish Chandra Bose, Chandrashekhar, Bhaskar, Varahamihir, Sushrut, Charak are some famous names who have glorified India’s achievements in the field of Science and Technology in the whole World. Study about them in the newspapers or internet. Including commissions reports in your answer will make you able to get higher marks in the exam. Go to the background story of the news, why are these topics in the news? Learn their practical applications in daily life and how far they are beneficial in the future.
Economy and Infrastructure – This section covers maximum static parts of Economics. So it is quite a broad section. Questions are asked of dynamic nature. Make your base clear with NCERT first then go for some good books. Also read Government schemes and programmes and keep an eye on their benefits and impact. Apply them while answering the questions of General Studies III for the UPSC exam. This topic deals with inclusive growth and issues. Government departments, Economic bodies and NGOs publish their reports in newspapers. Prepare this topic mostly in the newspapers and current affairs book.
Sources – The business Standard, The Hindu newspaper.
EPW magazines cover government budgeting, so read the current year’s budget.
Some subtopics are : Liberalization Globalization and Privatization (LPG) . LPG policies have a great effect on the economy and industrial growth. Read them carefully. Indian Economy deals with Infrastructures such as Railway, Airport, Energy support. Keep in mind some Government schemes and statistics while studying this topic. This section requires to read some sub topics for example- Employment, Planning, Growth Development and mobilization. From this section, tricky and dynamic questions are asked although they are static in their nature. Read some relevant NCERT books to cover this topic, after this choose some best books for deep study. Be aware of the Economic situation of India as well World. Enroll yourself in a mock test series and try to get the basic concepts of the questions.
The syllabus of this paper overlaps with the General Studies paper 2. Read all the questions from the political point of view as well as economical. In General Studies paper third you will have to reply to the question from an economic perspective. See how these topics affect the economy.
Internal security and disaster management – The key point of the success is hard and smart work. Make a connection between the different stages of development and its issues how extremism affected this.
Clear this primary concept while reading General Studies III syllabus. This topic deals with the issues created by external state like Pakistan (border issue and terrorism), China (Border issue), Bangladesh (illegal Refugee). Some other issues are Drug Mafia, Human trafficking, Terrorist organization etc. These issues create a challenge to the internal security of India. Update yourself with this area regularly. Communication Networks (Mobile phone ,satellite phone, social networking sites etc.) play an important role in our life. Riots created by these mediums are also a great challenge to the Internal security of India. Money laundering and how to prevent it, this is also a significant topic. ‘ Security challenges in border areas deal with the management of border areas and the challenge of security agencies how they can feel safe and secure while fighting. Read about various security forces of India just as Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, CRPF, Intelligence Agency like RAW and Indian police service While studying General Studies paper 3 syllabus –
- One another important topic is how neighboring countries affect the security of India. what actions the government has taken against these countries.
- Read a standard newspaper regularly and make notes of some important topics.
- A deep Insight of case studies will help you in writing a better answer in the mains Exam.
- Refer the sanction of different Security Agency of India while answering your answer.
Some concepts like River embankment, watershed management and land zoning can be present in a better way through diagrams. Just grasp the concepts! Cover the dynamic syllabus of UPSC GS Paper 3, Correlate some relevant current affairs with the theories so that you can maintain the flow of answers in the IAS exam.
Disaster Management is a dynamic topic. Flood, cyclone, questions related to flood, cyclone ,Tsunami are coming frequently in the IAS exam.
Environmental studies include these subtopics- River conservation, pollution in metro cities, Climate change, Forest and wildlife conservation, Marine population from human activities. Also read the current affairs based on environment and wildlife.