Selfstudyhistory.com’s Interview of Udit Kadian [Rank 375, CSE- 2023, History Optional]

Profile of the Candidate

Questions Related to History Optional

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

• I have always been interested in stories and History to me is the story of the deeds of mankind, that over centuries has culminated into the present times. This interest, I knew, would allow me to study it for long periods of time without getting bored and/or tired, which is a requirement for scoring well in any optional subject, esp. one with  such a vast syllabus.

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

Positives

• PYQs are a great help and form 60% of the paper, easily.
• Static syllabus, unlike PSIR or other
• Significant overlap of subject with GS and Prelims

Negatives

• Huge syllabus
• relative subjectivity in checking and marking
• not extremely scoring unlike Maths or others

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

• Notes of Hemant Jha, PYQ books of Self study History, Self-notes from various topper copies and notes

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

• In paper 1 – from part A
• in paper 2 – from Part B

(6) How did you prepare for Map Portion?

• Everyday half and hour mapping session to remember mapping sites and in the last 30 days of exam, would give half and hour for revising the short notes that I had on those sites.

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

• Before prelims – none
• After prelims – I’d finish history in the first month post prelims and then just give regular tests while revising History every Sunday and giving half-hour to maps everyday.

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

• I did try to write 5 answers a day, within time. It did help in ensuring that answer-writing format get engrained in my brain and so it helped improve my speed.

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

• Self study history test series. It helped because of their PYQ focussed question framing that allowed me to practice well before the exam.

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

• Yes, i made short notes before the final revision, they helped me revise the major portions of syllabus in one day at the end.

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

• Yes I have and yes it did.

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

• More questions from topics that were ignored earlier and more challenging questions, not straightforward.

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

• Yes, many. Some opinion based like – Is history written by winners, who are the  five personalities that you admire, was 1857 more important than 1947? and what do you consider mughals greatest achievement was?

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

• Through PYQ specific test series.

Click here for Answer Sheets of Udit Kadian [Rank 375, CSE- 2023, History Optional]