“Freakonomics: A Roadmap to Success in Economics”

          

                                 “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”                                         

                                (Everything has a value and you pay for it.)

                                       *Well, this is Economics summed up*  

                                                                                                          Total Questions/Marks- 18

Hello Junta!!! Now it’s time to discuss some Economics which is an important component in the General Studies section. This section can be easily cracked by studying some recommended readings and newspapers (the ‘Business and Economy’ section). This section comprises Indian Economy as well as Micro and Macroeconomics. (PS. Science students, don't freak out, there are sites like khanacademy.org that can help you learn the basics quite effortlessly, for free)

ECONOMICS

The subject of economics will be quite familiar to all of us. Even if not, we are here to simplify it for you. As far as HSEE is concerned, this section mainly concentrates on Indian economy since Independence. To attain mastery in this section it is good enough to start from NCERT textbook of Class 11. Which will give you complete understanding of basic economics and its contents. Get a clear idea of the development roadmap chartered by the economic planners of India including Jawaharlal Nehru to P.V. Narasimha Rao and subsequent Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation policies in 1991. Get a clear picture of all the five-year plans, its objectives and achievements as well as failures (Remember the years properly). Also try to understand the success and failure of the economic roadmap till 1991 and post-1991.

 Focus on the problems faced by the Indian economy and the reasons for the backwardness of our economy like unemployment, poverty, rural underdevelopment, inequality as well as low productivity. Also learn the schemes, programmes and  initiated by the government to address these problems like MGNREGA, NABARD, SIDBI. It will also be better to study about different sectors of the economy, that is agriculture, manufacturing and services. Try to mug up some data like the sectoral contribution of these sectors to India’s national income. Make yourself well-aware about the institutions that play an important role in our economic governance and reforms like Planning Commission, RBI, NITI AAYOG, SEBI, etc.    

 The next important part is that of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. For this, the NCERT textbook of class 12 is mostly referred. The areas you have to go through are the fundamentals of demand and supply, the concept of elasticity, the concepts of cost, revenue and production. Also go through consumer’s and producer’s equilibrium. As far as macroeconomics is concerned, go through basic concepts like GDP, GNP, etc, measurement of national income, the role of central banks, commercial banks and financial system, functions of money, money supply, government budgeting, revenue and expenditure of government, foreign exchange, balance of trade and payments. For studying Macro you have to be cautious about fluctuations in economy that be different ups and downs for that get subscribed to daily magazines, newspapers, online reliable data. There are chances that the essay might be relatable to latest Demonitisation issue so have preparations on it, make your opinion on the issue that will help you.

Thinking of all this economic terms and concepts, For greenhorns it might feel like quite a heavy burden to cover up all these topics in time span of now less than 45 days that too while managing with your boards and other exams. IF you really need help with the basics, try KHAN ACADEMY (khanacademy.org). They have FREE classes where you can learn all of Economics quite effortlessly, even if you don't know anything in it, as of yet. Summing up, in short economics is nothing but just common reaction to human behaviour in monetary terms. When studying micro economics, we learn about individual behaviour in market economy and while in macro we understand concepts in bigger level as comprising of nation as a whole. Example, Forest is an economics. Micro is like studying each individual part of forest like tree or animal whereas Macro is like studying forest as a whole. So, you start studying forest from each individual tree then to reach to a study of complete forest. So, in the end just apply simple concepts in your practical life and then economics is whole yours. Economics section will become a cake walk in HSEE. I am sure!

                                                         ALL THE BEST! 

Interview #1 : Sanjana Acharya (AIR 1, 2016)

Sanjana Acharya is not your typical brainy girl. With interests as varied as doodling, being a huge DIY enthusiast, poet and a pro YouTuber (check out Jasanna Dreams !!) she is quite the versatile person. A chance encounter at the DCF (Department Computer Facility, where we chill the f out) led to this rather stimulating interview. Go check it out, you might grab something useful.


1) Hey Sanjana, Could you tell us a little something about yourself?

I wish I had something interesting to say here, but I really don't.

2) How's being a freshie coming up? Has the campus and the Department been as awesome as you expected it to be? 

So far my experience has been good, and I've gotten the random-est opportunities here that I had never thought of before, but they are really amazing.

3) So tell me, what was your motivation behind HS? Why Humanities at IIT M?

I've always been inclined to these subjects, but I never quite knew what exactly to do career-wise, or even which subject I wanted to pursue out of the broad spectrum of HS. I think at 17, it is very hard to make a decision like that. So, this course seemed ideal to me- to get a more in depth look at the subjects I am interested in, and to then be able to narrow down and study that.

4) IIT being a primarily technical institute is often feared by many students as a wrong or rather awkward place to pursue an MA in Humanities, in. What is your response to that? Have you been able to fit into this place?

I chose IIT because I wanted to be a part of a larger, more dynamic campus. Thus there are larger events and a lot more opportunities presented to you- and a lot of events are not related to your field of study at all, but I think that's what makes it special. You get to interact with people that are interested in things very different from you and are pursuing a totally different life path. That's really cool. I've fit in here just as well as any engineering student, I think.

5) As someone whose it through, you would know that one of the greatest problems aspirants face at this time of the year, is with how to balance the boards and test prep. How did you manage?

For me my main focus was clearing HSEE. I knew if I did averagely well in 12th, it'd be enough to get in here. However, I did Humanities in my 11th and 12th, and my HSEE prep did kinda help with my boards, and my knowledge of Economics helped me in HSEE. Not much, but still, it was kind of complementary for me.

6) Also we get a lot of queries as to whether now is too late a time to start preparing for HSEE. What do you think? 

I don't think so at all. A lot of my friends who got through started around this time. Even I started taking my HSEE prep more seriously only from Feb. However, if you are starting now, be focused and work hard. Remember there is competition out there, and there will be people who have been preparing for a long time. However, do not lose hope, what it important is to work hard and study smart.

7) What was your prep strategy? Were there any sections you found particularly tough? How did you deal with it?

I did take a long distance program from a coaching center and the materials from there were quite helpful. I would suggest that to those preparing. Apart from that books like Manorama were useful, and a YouTube channel called StudyIQ which was really helped out tons in GK.
I found the General Studies tough because questions would come from literally anywhere, but from doing mocks and questions, I started to get a gist of the kinds of questions that are asked, and I'd read up on that.

8) When it comes to giving the exam or a mock, the time constraint is a major issue for most aspirants. Do you have any tips on smarter time management?

So, I took the most time for maths, because- calculations. So I would do the English, then the General Studies section, and come to the Quantitative Aptitude last- in that, I solved the logic section first because that included series and patterns, and were less time consuming for me. I would come to the maths last, so that even if I could not  finish all the questions I would lose minimum marks. In saying that, I always was answering the paper till the last minute, so my advice is use the time you get diligently- do not get distracted or stressed. Stay calm and focused throughout.

9) Many students find the General Studies section very tough to prepare for, given its sheer massive syllabus. Any tips?

It is daunting. But the only way to overcome that is to try out the sample questions, past papers and mocks. I know it'l seem daunting at first because you will feel like you know nothing, but keep at it. You will come to know which areas to focus on and how questions are asked. There is an article that tells you what are the major areas to focus on, and best ways to prep for GK on this blog already. Do check that out, it will be very helpful.

10) Is there anything else you want to tell our prospective future freshies? Any message?
   
It is very much possible for you to clear HSEE. Don't lose heart. But, at the same time, it won't be cakewalk, so keep working hard, and most importantly work smart, and you'll be an IITian in no time!

If You Know Indian Society, You Are not Far From HSEE

HSEE  is not totally biased about sociology, anthropology, and political science, but it is these subjects that helps the aspirants to give their essay the true spirit of HSEE. Indian society and culture is the name that comprises of subjects like the above. MCQs are also asked for the same as well.

Prep Strategy

Although the name suggests the Indian society and culture alone, Indian philosophy should also be considered to an extent, like the Upanishads, phases of human life, and the terms and concepts  that comes under these. Another  vital part of the Indian society is the various forms of hierarchy that exists. The concepts like Sanskritsation, westernisation and modernization in India and the sociologists who proposed these concepts should be referred.

No. Just No.

 The institutions of society lays the foundation of the subject and the basic Indian laws laid upon these institutions. NCERT  12 textbooks can help the aspirants with demography of India (ref to the latest  census reports too), social movements and the changes of  1800s and 1900s, struggles of minorities and tribal groups, and get familiar with the names of the tribes in majority across the country. Political structure as well the characters of Indian constitutions are two fields of the syllabus that may help you with well-built arguments for the essay (depending upon the given topics).

The second phase of ‘Indian society and culture’ deals with Indian history. It includes religious history covering the beginning  till the current scenario of that particular religion(Buddhism, Jainism, the Sikhs, the Sufis)  in India. The formation of two cults in Indian religious history(Bhakthi movement) and the beginning of Vedic era were two milestones of Indian history that brought out the major cultural changes in the subcontinent and referring to these two events can be helpful in both the parts of HSEE. Another topic that all are familiar with is about the Mughal history, but apart from the names of the rulers and their year of reign, the major architectural  creation under them and the artistes in the corresponding emperor’s court.

Other  components include: modern India, viceroys and governor generals of British India, Panchayathi raj system, policies adopted by the government for the development of minority groups, their struggles, feminism in India, first war of independence(1857 revolt), reformation movement, teachings of Buddha and Mahavira, Gandhi and the movements led by him as well as ahimsa. Keep an eye on the syllabus as well.

Getting thorough with all the above topics seem tiring, but once we get started, they’ll no longer be an intricate task. For this section the years of important events (and not every single minor event) should be accurate in your memory, eg: the year of quit India movement, Swadeshi movement, ban of sati, etc.

Test taking strategy

For HSEE in general the MCQs can be completed on time only if the aspirants get faster with the analytical and quantitative skills. Maintain peace of mind before exam and you’ll answer them in ‘splitsecond’. And when it comes to the essay, we’ll have to take a minute or two to think of all the points for the essay topic you choose. Its the essay that fetches the ticket for the candidate, so keep it simple and it would be great if certain arguments of the candidates are reflected in the essay. All the best, to all the aspiring candidates.

Refer to the following sites for few materials:

http://holisticthought.com/socio-religious-reform-movements-in-india/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Buddhism_in_India

http://www.sociologyguide.com/social-stratification/Sanskritization.php ( all sociology related topics are available in this site)

Addressing Logical Reasoning, Logically.

Well, reasoning logically, the Logical Reasoning section of the HSEE should figure in your scheme of preparation, as a crucial aspect of the exam to be dealt with. I remember this being attached with the Maths section, in most of the mock tests that I attended, at a coaching centre. Fundamentally, the LR division will decide your performance in the exam greater than the chunk of marks allotted to it. It is the part which can be completed real quick, even without putting in the brain-breaking memorization or going through the pain that the formulas are. The quicker you finish off this division, the more time you get to wrap your mind around the Math, the tougher questions in GK and the seemingly “choice less” Multiple Choice Questions in the English section. So, don’t miss the opportunity to prep for racing through LR, rightly (:P).

This section is more or less similar to Maths. So, the prep for this is also similar. Those of you super-cool aspirants out there, who’ve joined coaching institutes, would’ve noticed that there are many subdivisions under LR. For example, the Number series, the Letter and Symbol series, the Statement and Argument, Clock puzzles, etc. You take chapter by chapter to prepare for your board exams, right? Likewise, you deal this section topic-wise. Regular practice would make a helluva difference in the end. Towards the beginning of HSEE, you would do good to spend more time on the GK and Social Sciences sections, as they are based on complex and heavy-weight materials. And they take a lot of your time, when even glancing through them. So, regular practice for 2-3 weeks would make you damn good and you’ll be able to sail through by spending relatively lesser time on it.

For those of you super-cool aspirants, who haven’t joined coaching institutes, check this (http://www.indiabix.com/) out. 

Follow the same instruction, cover one topic per day. Your work for this section should be more extensive in nature, than in-depth. The more you know about the various questions that can be asked, the better. But I gotta wave a red flag here (Lite. Not that of the Communists :P). Ensure that you spend less time on the internet during/for your prep. They consume so much of your time, that you can sue them for a trillion US dollars. Set an alarm, search for the required info, practice the important/tough questions on indiabix, and come out of it. Don’t go looking for many resources, as you’d end up in confusion.

Practice such questions as:

1.      Eight friends A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H are sitting around a circle (not necessarily in the same order) facing the centre.   B sits third to left of F.  E is an immediate neighbour of both B and H. Only one person sits between A and H. C and G are immediate neighbours of each other. Neither C nor G is an immediate neighbour of B. Only one person sits between C and D. 

Who amongst the following is an immediate neighbour of both A and H?

               2. If in a certain code language NOITCELES represents SELECTION, then what will AIDNI represent?

a. AIDS   b. INDIA   c. HINDI   d. HANDI

Acquaint yourselves with such questions, to the extent that the moment you see them in the exam the solution begins to form in your mind! This might sound dramatic, but I’ll now let you know why.

3.    An accurate clock shows 8 o'clock in the morning. Through how may degrees will the hour hand rotate when the clock shows 2 o'clock in the afternoon?

A. 144º B. 150º C. 168º D. 180º

              

4.    A watch which gains 5 seconds in 3 minutes was set right at 7 a.m. In the afternoon of the same day, when the watch indicated quarter past 4 o'clock, the true time is:

A. 59 7 min. past 3 12 B. 4 p.m. C. 58 7 min. past 3 11 D. 2 3 min. past 4 11

Hope you found them tough :P

If you didn’t, don’t start celebrating yet. There might be tougher questions. 

The point I’m trying to make here, is, only when you finish off questions of Model 1 & 2 quickly, you’ll be able to do better in other and tougher kinds of questions.

Attend the mock tests regularly, those on your modules, as well as those on indiabix. Even one mock test can make a difference.

Now to the most important part.

You might say

“It’s too late for all that stuff”

Well, to that, peeps, we say

“Been there, Done that”

You’ll probably be having a little more than 45 days to go for the exam, by the time you read this. But if there’s anything that I can emphasize the most on, it would be this. Don’t lose hope. Put your heart in, whenever you work. You’ll get it.

1 more week to go for your boards! Focus well on that. For now that’s more important. But keep the suggestions given above, in mind. Work slow and steady. Don’t be unsure of yourself. Not many have the courage to desire to get into IIT. You’ve shown courage. You can do this. So, get set to add more to our blog, as an IITian.

I’ll end by quoting one of my Professors,

“If you get into IIT, awesome. If you don’t get into IIT, that’s awesome too”

But don’t think much about the latter, I’m sure I’ll be “interacting” with you this August.

#instilife 

How To Tackle The Essay Part

Fret not, we've got you covered.

Now that the HSEE exam is looming closer, it is high time that you brushed up on not just beautiful writing skills, but also skillful time-management; for that's going to be a crucial factor in structuring your essay properly and being a notch above other aspirants. 

As you may already know, the second part of the paper is the essay and you have only thirty minutes to choose one topic (from typically three), brainstorm and put into black and white a proper, structured, 300-word essay while not panicking all the time. This sure needs some nerve, I tell you. But worry not, here are some tips to get you started.

Ground Work:

#1. Research into potential topics that might be asked.

And when I say potential topics, it's probably not going to be your typical 10th or 12th standard essay on pollution, water crisis or any such cliched theme. The question will require you to think deeper and try to interconnect themes that do not exactly coincide. This is not meant to frighten you (sorry, if I just did) but although the topics are generally something you have an idea about, research really does help. Take a look at the past year question papers to get a better idea of what questions might be asked.

#2. Structure your essay.

This primarily depends on the kind of essay that's being asked: argumentative, narrative, descriptive, factual or personal. If you're very sure about your writing skills, you can always choose the personal, narrative or descriptive essay and if you're spot on with facts you can go ahead with the factual essay. But otherwise, it's highly pragmatic to go with the argumentative essay as it primarily concerns your opinions and doesn't bother much with facts and flowery writing. 

The structure for an argumentative essay ideally can be as follows:

1. Introduction

2. Your stand on the argument

3. Elaboration of key points introduced (or the main body, the reasons you cite to back your stand)

4. A few potential counter-arguments that can arise.

5. Refutation of those counter-arguments with valid reasons and reiteration of your original argument.

6. Conclusion.

If you're planning to go with the argumentative essay, try and stick to this format and you should do pretty well. :P

#3. Write.

Do not give in to Mr Laziness' endearing calls. Write on the topic that you researched into; do not leave it at just getting to know stuff. When you write, especially under a time limit, you understand how bad or good you are at it, and there's a lot of room for improvement. Try and carve out thirty minutes every three days to write on at least one topic.

#4. Get Your Essays Corrected. 

Ask the right person (can be your dad, mom, sibling or an English Teacher) for feedback on your essays. Take the time to reflect on what you did wrong and try not to make the same mistakes again. If you're not sure about whom to ask, there's always us, we're nice people and glad to help. :)

Exam Time Tips:

#1. Choose your topic immediately.

You get to know the topics for Part 2 just at the beginning of the last thirty minutes. DO NOT dilly-dally around trying to figure out which one to choose. If you have a good idea about one topic, go for it, no matter how childish it may sound to you. There is no time to brainstorm and write an impressive essay on some difficult topic. Understand that. Make fast choices here.

#2. Spend (only) about 5 minutes structuring the essay in your mind.

Brainstorm and structure your essay in your mind as fast as you can. This is to ensure that you don't go off-track while writing the essay because there's no time to change what you've written and we don't want disconnected paragraphs.

#3. Write Away.

Write legibly, while keeping up with the clock. Make sure you don't write too much or too less because that's going to encroach upon your time nd/or your quality of writing.

#4. Stay cool-headed.

I know that's easier said than done, but it's good to try. Be ever-prepared for what's going to come in Part 2 and do not fret about how hard or how easy it is. Just think, structure and write coolly.

#5. Re-check.

One skim-through of your essay should be good enough to get rid of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. They're very unwelcome, mark that.

So that's about it as regards the essay. 5 minutes for choosing and structuring, 20 for writing, and 5 for re-checking. Pretty decent, eh?

Happy prepping!

-Sruthi.

Simplyfing Mathematics

Contrary to popular notion, this is the one section on which you can actually rely. Most aspirants assume that Maths is the toughest part but believe me when I say that this is the easiest part of the paper, and in this you can easily score well.

For this section all that you need to do is to go through the basics , practice a lot and be ready for easy but lengthy calculations.

While Beginning

Even if you hate Mathematics and haven’t touched this subject after class 10th it still is OK because here in the HSEE exam Maths is of elementary nature, if your fundamentals are clear, you can solve all these questions with ease.

So start with fundamentals and attempt some questions. You can start like, complete the basics of a chapter and solve some questions from that chapter.

The Second Step

After going through the basics of all the topics (like formulae, shortcuts etc. ) try to practice as much questions as  you can because practice will give you confidence and will figure out your weak points.

While practicing don’t forget time constraint and don’t run away from lengthy calculations. You can see (ask around) if there are any shorter, simpler steps; in case your calculation is too long.

If you are a Law Exam aspirant then focus on the syllabus which you have already learnt because questions in HSEE won’t be from outside of that.

Don’t forget to solve all the past year papers and attempt a good number of mocks, this will give your preparation a finishing touch !

In Exam Hall

- If there is an option to use virtual calculator (it was there on the last year paper) then use that only for lengthy calculation, don’t waste your time in doing simple calculations with that.

- The one life saving tip in doing Maths during exam is to be confident. Try to not keep cross-checking again and again.

- And at lastly, don’t get stuck at any single question, a few rat-trap questions will be there in the paper, so don’t waste your time in solving them, jump to the next question after attempting once.

P.S. – Also remember,  HSEE gives you 1 min. per question. If you will Save your time in the GS or any other section , you can invest that in solving Maths. So,

                                                  Don’t Panic , Keep Calm  and Solve Maths !

Achchha Chalta hoon ! Looking forward to see you all here.

Environment and Ecology: A topic not to be left out.

Hello Junta,

The most important step for preparation of any entrance exam is to go through the syllabus and have a good idea about the different topics. So, try to go through the syllabus of HSEE exam much before you start any serious preparation. So let me give a brief insight about this topic which can sometimes play a decisive role in your final selection to this program.

Environment and Ecology.

All of us have read this subject when we were in school but most of us took it very lightly since it was a very straightforward subject. But when it comes to HSEE exam, it is one of the most important topic as along with the MCQs you may better be prepared for a double treat as for the last 5 years there has been at least one essay question based on Environment and Ecology which may repeat this time as well.

Preparation

The important things to keep in mind while doing this section are -

1. Make concise notes about different definitions and terminologies with a brief description. (Particularly Ecology part requires some understanding about Ecosystem and its elements).

2. Mug up all the important International Treaties related to environment. (Many questions related to International Treaties has been asked in previous years). Also don't forget to mug up different Acts and Laws related to Environment and Pollution in India.

3.  Understand the usage of Renewable Resources. Make notes about differences between different renewable resources and its future usage.

4. Try to memorize the various chemical names of different pollutants. This will be a new learning experience for Non-Science background students. So spend more time to mug up all these chemical names.

5. Read and have some basic knowledge about the various forms of pollution- their causes and effects.

6. Last but not the least, you may get an essay question from  Environment and Ecology section as has been the case for the last 5 years. Therefore, make sure that you have good knowledge about global warming and also about last year's Paris Climate Conference and its decisions.

Recommended Readings (Though Not Compulsory)

1. Refer to ISC Biology textbook for advanced reading. It has got a very crisp coverage of the Ecology section, usually as an appendix. You can also make use of NCERT Class 11 Chemistry Textbook Chapter 14 which may come handy. 

2. I have collected some readings from my classmate and I am sharing the link of the Google drive below. So download all the files and start reading.

Click here to download all the readings.

https://goo.gl/eZgkxW

Exam Tips

Apparently Environment and Ecology is the last topic in the MCQs section. Therefore many students end up attempting the MCQs in a hurry. Since it is a topic which takes very less time as it is entirely dependent on knowing or not knowing. Therefore, it is better to attempt such questions in the beginning. At first, attempt all those questions which you know and leave those questions which you are not sure of. You can attempt all questions towards the end if there is no negative marking. A mastery of this section can improve your chances as other students usually take this section lightly. You can expect some strange questions which can be really difficult. Don't panic in case you are not able to tackle some of them. You can compensate in any other sections or in the essay writing , which ultimately has a major part in your selection.

ALL THE BEST!!   LOOKING FORWARD TO MEET YOU ALL HERE !!

                   

                        

Yes we can - How to tackle World Affairs

Hello aspirants!

To any student in their last year of school, this time of the year is associated with endless cups of coffee, staying up the whole of the night cramming as much as possible and those nervous few minutes before an examination begins. While HSEE is a competitive exam with a small success rate and very few seats, it is definitely possible to crack the exam without years and years of preparation. All of us who have made it to IIT M can vouch for that.

When you check the syllabus you’ll notice that General Studies takes up 50% of the total marks. World Affairs is the one section which has the potential for fetching you the most possible marks. It is something which doesn’t require much preparation but has a far-reaching consequence on your end results. It doesn’t matter if you are not preparing for CLAT or are not a quiz whiz kid. Current Affairs is easily manageable.

Current Affairs:

World Affairs seems daunting at first because literally anything could be asked in this section but looking at the past HSEE papers, you’ll realize that there is a trend. Out of the 18 questions, Current Affairs takes up only 3-4 questions. If you have been reading the newspapers diligently, these questions would be a breeze. Pay special attention to the last few months leading up to the exam and be aware of any conferences or news-making events that have occurred during the year. For example, Brexit and the U.S Presidential Elections are events that cannot be missed.

Basically everything else: 

Moving on to the rest of the questions (what most coaching centers dub as ‘Static G.K’), there are a few important fields from which questions can be asked. International organizations are quite crucial. You might be asked who the head of certain organization might be or when it was founded. Make a list of all the organizations and their heads starting from IMF, World Bank to NATO and so on. Google is your knight in shining armor. It might seem a taxing affair but it pays to do it religiously. 

International dates and wars will definitely feature in HSEE. Keep track of all the wars, countries which fought them and their key leaders in the movement. Make sure you make a list of all the important dates such as World Environment Day and International Day for Biodiversity. Apart from these, be thorough in all important International Conventions and Conferences and the cities they were held in, such as the Rio 21 conference or Copenhagen Climate Conference. Most of this might be familiar to you but you are bound to make slight screw ups. Also pay attention to the Nobel Prize winners and other award winners. This is another potential area from where you could be tested. Keep in mind that there might be few questions related to India such as the Constitution or important facts. It doesn’t mean you need to mug the constitution but know what Article 19 and Article 21 is.

How to deal with this: 

This is not an exhaustive list - there are so many things that could be asked in this section that is not possible to predict accurately. I found it useful to make a personalized list of all these things because in the process of looking for facts, you find yourself learning a lot more which comes handy in entrance exams. Pick up any of the CLAT centric G.K books or banking entrance books. I keep mentioning CLAT because they are your fellow poor souls who have to go through this too. You might find Manorama Yearbook or the Pearsons’ Concise Guide to General Knowledge mighty useful in preparing for this section as well as the other sections in History, Indian society and Ecology. 

For Current Affairs, websites such as gktoday and a lot of others are modeled for the competitive examination pattern and they help you in cracking questions instead of making you cram your facts. Also, periodicals like CSR (Competition Success Review) give a very comprehensive summation. For prepping on the go, try Inshorts, it's a pretty cool moblie app that sums up important news in an attractive and easy to use format. (it works offline too!) 

There is no right way to go about preparing for World Affairs- be it mugging, making your own lists or any other method you have come up with. Just remember to not be afraid by the sheer number of possibilities in this section and rather dive headfirst into solving questions. Do a lot of mocks and past papers (try CLAT papers too, *sigh*) - many questions are often repeated and you'll get an idea of what can be asked, so that you can avoid junk while you prep. You’d realize that this is one of the best ways to start learning. Because if there's one tip we can give about world affairs or GS as a whole, is that you can never learn enough, so quit learning, and take tests. Learn from your mistakes. 

And remember the golden rule of mock test taking - "Never go wrong at a question you once went wrong in."

Exam Strategy

It's simple, and quite straightforward. Don't waste time. This is a section where you either know, or don't know. Don't assume that if you sit and meditate on a question for too long you'll figure it out. Click away. Hit all the questions you know. As for stuff you have no clue of, either avoid it or make quick guesses (ONLY IF the paper says there is NO negative marking. Do check this. Just because it wasn't there last year, doesn't mean it won't be there this year.) 

In short, don't spend more than a few seconds per question. Time saved here can be invested on Math and logic and stuff that really need time. Be smart.

We hope you find this useful and in time for your preparation. Chill out and hopefully we see you here soon enough. Till then, happy mugging!