Selfstudyhistory.com’s Interview of Abhijnan Hazarika [Rank 172, CSE- 2023, History Optional]

Profile of the Candidate

Introduction

(1) Tell us something about yourself. 

• My name is Abhijnan Hazarika and I secured 172 rank in UPSC CSE 2023. My hometown is Guwahati, Assam. I did my graduation in Electrical Engineering from NIT Silchar in 2017. I worked as an engineer in Powergrid Corporation of India Limited from 2017-2020 after which I left my job to prepare for civil services. I am currently undergoing training as a Finance & Accounts Officer in Assam Finance Service under APSC.

Marksheet:

Questions Related to History Optional

(2) Why did you choose history as your optional subject?

• Due to interest in the subject
• Overlaping with GS subjects

(3) Kindly mention positive and negative about the History Optional for those who what to take history optional.

Positives:

• Overlapping with GS1, useful in Essay and Ethics paper
• Comparatively static in nature

Negatives:

• Vast syllabus

(4) Kindly mention booklist and sources which you followed for History Optional.

• Common sources- Baliyan Sir’s notes, Self Study History Test series+ PYQs+ Map material
• Ancient India- A History of Ancient & Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh
• Medieval India- History of Medieval India by S Chandra, Advanced Study in the history of Medieval India by JL Mehta (selective), made additions from notes of Shruti Sharma Madam
• Modern History- From Plassey to Partition by S Bandopadhyay
• World History- Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe (selective)

(5) In Paper I and II, you answered 3 questions from Part A or Part B?

• Paper I- 3 from Part A
• Paper II- 3 from Part B

(6) How did you prepare for Map Portion?

• Prepared sites from notes of Gaurav Agarwal Sir and Nandini Maharaj Madam which I found online
• Self Study History material

(7) How much time per day you used to give the history optional during your preparation (both before and after prelims)?

• Till around 2 months before prelims, 4-5 hours daily and thereafter almost nil till prelims
• After prelims, around 3-4 hours regularly

(8) Did you do answer writing regularly? If yes, what amount of time you devoted to it and how did it help you?

• I didn’t have a habit of answer writing regularly but used to give 6-8 tests during the time between Prelims and Mains

(9) Did you join any test series? If yes, kindly name it? How did it benefit you?

• I gave self study history test series in 2021, 2022 as well as 2023.
• The evaluation benefitted me to rectify my mistakes while the solved papers helped me to enrich my answers which I believe helped me immensely

(10) Did you maintain self-notes? If yes, how did it help you?

• I used to maintain concise self-notes for almost 90% of the syllabus. It helped me in better retention of information and quick revision which was very helpful when exams were very close

(11) Have you solved previous years papers of history optional? Did it help you in the examination?

• Yes, I had solved PYQs of around last 10 years. It helped me as similar questions in history occur from time to time and also helped me to get an idea of what type of questions are generally asked in the exam

(12) In your views, how the nature of questions asked in history optional changed in recent years?

• Paper I- the mapping portion has become tougher with every passing year; the other part seems to me to be on similar lines
• Paper II- has become more analytical in nature and more particular questions are being asked

(13) Were you asked questions related to History in interview? If yes, kindly mention those.

Few questions were there related to history

• Why has China been able to conserve their culture better than India?
• Has the Chinese wall played any role in it?
• Since most invasions have taken place through Khyber Pass, what would have been the effect if such a wall had been built along the Khyber Pass?
• Are invasions good or bad?

(14) How did selfstudyhistory.com benefitted you in your History Optional Preparation?

•  It has helped me to enrich my notes through regular additions and to improve my answer writing through feedback which I had tried to incorporate

(15) Any specific thing you want to share about history optional?

• Although a bit vast in nature, it is a very interesting subject and is very scoring in nature if prepared properly.

Click here for Answer Sheet of Abhijnan Hazarika [Rank 172, CSE- 2023, History Optional]