The civil services preparation banks on three pillars. First is conceptual understanding. Second is consistency. Third is Consolidation. I have elaborated my thoughts on conceptual understanding and consistency in previous blog posts. This blog will cover the consolidation part of the preparation.
I am listing fifteen consolidation techniques which may help in capturing maximum information in the minimum amount of time.
First is reading a content multiple times. If you want a perfect recall in prelims then 3 to 4 reads are necessary. For mains, two additional reads and for the Interview one more reading is required. There is a proven principle of number 6. If you wish to remember any name, a word in the dictionary or any other thing of interest then do revision nearly 6 times.
Second is make the summary of the summary. Revise a subject and each time, keep reducing the length of your notes.
Third is forming mnemonics. For example, all the members of gulf countries could be learned by forming some short cuts and revising those shortcuts from time to time. 'BOKUS Question' (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi, Qatar). Similarly, all the things could be converted into shortcuts and remembered well. Don't forget to revise the shortcuts from time to time. Otherwise, you may forget them as a cue.
The Fourth is to relate the subject to your personal life. For example, if I am learning something on unemployment then I can check which category do I fall in for a better recall of the subject. Or if I observe my maid, then I can see the problem faced by the domestic workers.
Fifth is to elaborate. Elaborate the subject in detail and explain it to yourself.
Sixth is to ask the question "What did I learn from this article"? You may only be able to recall one or two points from the whole page article. But if you immediately recall as soon as you finish the article, you won't forget it.
Seventh is to write it down. Manocha sir always rightly said, go back to basics. Become a fifth-grade student. Remember by writing or jotting down things on paper.
Eight is to imagine and visualize. Imagine the subject. For geography, picture the map in your brain. For Biology, visualize everything happening in your body.
Ninth is to reflect on the issue. All the above points are essentially some form of reflection. But here reflection means thinking of counter points and weakness in the argument.
The Tenth is to draw charts, diagrams, and mindmaps. For whatever you read, just draw a circle and highlight the four points related to the subject. Draw some lines to indicate dependency.
Eleventh is to solve the questions as soon as you are done with the topic. Pick a question bank and solve it topic wise. This helps a lot in consolidation.
Twelfth is to use the curse words or rude words. The curse words are really helpful in remembering some piece of information. Relate them to the concept. MC, BC, and others sensitive body parts are good for remembering information. For example, India-South Africa relations could be remembered as MCBC. Marine, custom, cultural exchange and BRICS. For our savings rate of 32% is equal to the number of girlfriends which a person may have had.
Thirteenth is to keep a piece of small paper in your pocket. Whenever you read a topic, make an entry of the heading in it. Whenever you are idle like relieving yourself or walking on the road or travelling in the metro, pull out the slip and just look at it. The Brain will automatically do the rest.
Fourteenth is to make a story around the concept. For example, In order to remember the constitution part IX and IX-A, one can form a story of corruption in the Gram sabha. "There was a gram sabha of some villages together. It had the duty of performing all the function which bosses in the capital decided for it to do. Blah blah"
Fifteenth is a sort of gaming exercise. One can pick any topic and start thinking on that. And pick another topic from his reproduction and jump to that. Such chain of topics trigger various neurons in his brain and helps in better association and consolidation. For example, I may begin with Africa and say that Africa has Masai tribes. etc etc. Now switch to the topic of tribes. India also has many tribes like 'Dongaria kondh'. Recall recent news items related to this. and Likewise, trigger the chain.
The Sixteenth is to discuss and explain the topics to others.
The Seventeenth is to read your class notes in an associative manner. So for example, leave a question of content on page 10 on the page number 20. List the corresponding answer on page number 50.
There are various other strategies which are helpful in consolidating the subject. They key is to revise, revise and endlessly revise. Do not think if it as a waste of time. And enjoy the process, relate with the process and take pride in it.
Write more substance and your experiments with different techniques.
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