Look at it like this- after a month, will you be able to revise for a specific topic? Or even know where the content for that topic is given in your notes?
The register will keep becoming bulkier and more confusing. You may get the satisfaction that you are working diligently but unfortunately, all this hard work will not yield much.
2. The purpose of notes is to:
i) Collect relevant information from multiple sources.
ii) Organize the information in one place.
iii) Make it easy to revise the information and then, reproduce it on demand.
3. Note-making should not be a single-dimension exercise. This means that you should not only collect newspaper clippings, should not only write everything you have read on another sheet of paper, should not only stick to bullet-points etc.
Good notes are those which have a judicious combination of tables, diagrams, quotes, clippings, sentences, data etc.
HOW TO BEGIN
1. Ideally, make notes on loose sheets. This makes it easy to add more information later.
2. If you want, keep a margin on the right-side of the page, where you can briefly summarize the information contained on the page, for instance by writing a small acronym. This will make it easy to revise and memorize.
3. Divide your notes into broad themes such as
- Social issues (Poverty, Education, Health)
- Economic Issues (Employment, Industry, Govt. Programs)
- Geography + Environment/Ecology
- Political issues
- Administrative Examples (of good practices/initiatives or malpractices)
- International Issues (Bilateral and Multilateral)
- Scientific Developments
BACKWARD & FORWARD LINKAGES
A student who has recently started preparing for the CSE will often complain that he/she does not understand a lot of what is given in the newspaper. The reason is simple- most articles use terms or refer to incidents that you may not be aware of.
This makes it important to develop BACKWARD LINKAGES.
For example, you read an article which says that 5 coffee varieties in India have been awarded the GI tag. The article itself may not contain too much information. But it should raise in your mind some basic questions such as:
- What is a Geographical Indication tag?
- How is it different from a patent or a trademark?
- Who awards it and on what basis?
You many not be able to think of all such questions for every article you read. But if you are reading the paper with the intent to learn and understand (not just with the intention to finish reading it), such questions will arise in your mind. Do a little background research and, in just a little while, you will find yourself feeling confident and well-informed about the issue.
Similarly, you read an article which says that the govt. is proposing amendments to the RTI act. Visit a website such as
PRSIndia and first read a little about the act itself.
- What are its basic provisions?
- What are the exemptions from disclosure under the act?
- What has been the critique of the act in the past?
If you realize that MK Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary is approaching, educate yourself about his first satyagraha, about the award he returned to the British Govt. to protest against the Jallianwala Bagh killings etc.
Backward linkages help you enrich your understanding about an issue. But this is not sufficient. In the Mains as well as in the Interview, a crucial part of your answer will be suggesting remedies or resolutions for existing problems.
For this, you must also develop FORWARD LINKAGES.
For example,
- If India extends a soft loan to Russia, everyone knows that it will strengthen Indo-Russian ties. But will it have any impact on Chinese global influence, especially in Africa? Can you show that this is better than the Chinese Belt & Road Model (that raises the risk of a debt trap)?
- If an IAS officer resigns unexpectedly, the news of his resignation will become stale in a few weeks. What will remain important are your views on such acts. Was it appropriate? Did he have any other alternative? What benefits or problems does this result in?
- It is easy to recommend a shift from conventional automobiles to electric vehicles. But how do we enhance our production/supply of lithium ion batteries? Do we have a sustainable supply of materials such as cobalt and nickel? And if we don’t, how do we increase our reach in countries which can supply them?
Forward linkages will further enhance your understanding about an issue PLUS help you realize the linkages between seemingly un-related issues (such as S&T and Diplomacy).
IMPORTANT NOTE
Be cautious of an information overload. Know where to stop.
While it is good to research into a topic, you always run the risk of going too deep into one issue, while will end up wasting time which should have been spent on other areas of your studies.
To know where to stop, go through the syllabus and previous years question papers carefully and regularly. This will help you understand the needs and demands of the exam.