Geography Optional Strategy For UPSC Preparation

Posted on 04 September, 2021 16:55

Geography Optional is one of the most opted for Optional in UPSC Preparation. To get a good score, it is important to prepare a Geography Optional Strategy. And Geography Optional is also opted due to the following reasons:
1. Interesting concepts and diagrams.
2. Easily available material in the market. Click here to find the complete booklist of UPSC Geography Optional.
3. Concurrence with UPSC General Studies Mains Paper I, Paper-II (International Relations part) and Paper III (Industry, Agriculture, Contemporary issues), etc. Hence this helps cover UPSC Mains Syllabus also.
4. Geography is a part of the curriculum in school, hence a basic knowledge.
5. Repetition of questions in UPSC Mains Examinations as shown in the Previous Years Question Papers.

When taking Geography as optional, you need to keep in mind that you are not only studying about the countries and cities; you are going to do an in-depth Geography optional strategy preparation from every aspect.
You need to keep in mind that while building a UPSC Geography optional strategy for preparation, the entire IAS syllabus should be covered. This can be done with the help of notes, reference books, or any other study material. You need to update the notes regularly on contemporary events as well as analyze the news from a geographical point of view. Lastly, answer writing is of significant importance for the examination.

How to prepare for Geography Optional and Geography General Studies?

Start with Mapping for Geography Optional Preparation

· First it is important to start with Mapping. You must complete the Mapping section comprehensively and not separately for every topic.
· Aspire IAS has been one of the pioneers of Mapping Module which is helpful not just in UPSC Prelims but also in UPSC Mains in drawing Maps in Answer writing and in UPSC Geography Optional to score 300+ in Optionals and secure your rank.
· At Aspire IAS we teach World Mapping from Orient Longman Blackswan Atlas and Indian Mapping from Oxford Student Atlas.
· Drawing Maps in GS Paper I to IV can also give you an edge in GS marks and you can score 100+ in UPSC General Studies Paper I due to this habit.

Start with NCERTs and Basics to strengthen your Foundation For Geography Optional Preparation

· If you are a beginner and you have to prepare Geography Optional on your tips, you must prepare a solid foundation of Geographical concepts and diagrams through NCERTs and Basic books.
· We cover these topics in our Geography Mapping and Advance Module in which we cover Geography from the point of view of General Studies but eventually it helps in Optionals since the topics and concepts remain the same, the depth of the answer writing changes.
· The NCERTs and GC Leong could be the best available sources for this purpose.

Then Start with Paper I: Human Geography

· After mapping, we must read with Paper I topics like Geographical Thoughts and Models & Theories because with this base you can write answers in Paper II of Optional.
· Also this is one of the most confusing and time-consuming subjects so it takes time to evolve the maturity needed to write UPSC Answers for Geography Optional.

Read Topics from Paper I and Paper II simultaneously:

· Then whenever you are completing a Topic from Paper I you must cover the same topic from Paper-II for Indian Geography.
· For example, if you are covering Industry, you must study the Industry related Models and Thoughts from Paper I like Weber, Growth Pole, etc. and then study India’s Five Year Plans, Industry chapter from India Year Book, and all the locational factors from Paper II of Geography Optional.
· This will ensure you study Geography Optional Topicwise and not Paper wise.

Linking both Paper I and Paper II

· All of the above steps will ensure your linkages of Paper I and Paper II and this will enhance your answer writing skills and understanding of the issues of India. Eventually, this gets reflected in your Personality Test which will fetch you 200+ marks in the Interview and your final selection.

Linking of the static and dynamic portion

· Dynamic portion of UPSC Geography Optional can be found on Aspire IAS Daily News Analysis which is a free-of-cost venture for all the aspirants of UPSC.
· The content is regularly updated as earliest as possible so that the continuity is maintained and only the important and UPSC Specific topics are covered comprehensively.
· Almost on a daily basis, you will find some news or editorials on topics like agriculture, industries, fisheries, monsoons, climate change, conservation, wildlife, energy, etc.
· So, you must note down important and exam-related points from those news items. For example, natural calamities and disasters are often seen in the news and they could be linked with both the papers up to a certain extent.

Retention in the Mind rather than in the Notes

· Many students have this habit of making notes of everything that comes in their way but at the time of the Examination, they forget the topics or get confused which leads to their failure in UPSC CSE Examination.
· No doubt Note Making is important in UPSC Journey but more than note-making, the topics, and the concepts should stay in your mind.
· Because in the examination hall, it is the mind that is going to recall and write the answers accordingly.
· Hence, Ankit Sir focuses more on the retention of the topics through Oral tests and Mnemonics along with conceptual clarity in classes.
· Having said that, Note making is especially important for current affairs. Your sources for notes should be newspapers, magazines like Down to Earth, government reports, Economic Survey, etc.

Make a separate copy of Diagrams, Maps, and Flowcharts

· Augment your notes with diagrams and flowcharts.
· Revise it multiple times so that at the time of UPSC Mains your answer stands out and you get an edge in the UPSC CSE Examination.
· Practice maps regularly. It is advisable to prepare region-wise maps from standard textbooks covering topics like physical features, terrain, soil, rivers, agriculture, monsoons, industries, resources, drainage, etc.
Revise, Revise and Revise!
· As Ankit Sir says, it is important to read 1 Topic 10 times, rather than 10 topics only 1 time.
· Success comes only with multiple revisions.
· Your fear goes away only with multiple revisions and Practice.
Geography as an optional subject is having a vast UPSC syllabus but with Ankit Sir’s guidance and your trust and passion for studies, one can study it in an organized way and the UPSC IAS Geography Optional syllabus can be covered without any hassle.

Aspire IAS has been guiding toppers from Geography Optional for 10 years and hence toppers like Reshma Mam (IPS Kerala) have been able to score top rank with Geography Optional.