UPSC Notes Making Strategy – NCERT + Advanced Books (Complete Guide)

Introduction
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of the toughest competitive exams in India. Every year, lakhs of aspirants appear, but only a few hundred make it to the final list. One of the major differentiators between successful candidates and others is the quality of their notes. Notes not only help in revision but also in developing conceptual clarity and answer-writing skills. However, many beginners either make bulky notes or copy entire textbooks, which becomes counterproductive.

In this 4000-word comprehensive guide, we will cover:

Importance of note-making for UPSC

Sources (NCERTs + Advanced Books) for note-making

Step-by-step process of note-making

Digital vs handwritten notes

How toppers make notes

Mistakes to avoid while making notes

Subject-wise note-making strategy

Last-minute revision with notes

1. Why Notes Are Important for UPSC?

Retention & Recall: Writing in your own words improves memory.

Condensation of Sources: Multiple books → concise notes.

Revision Friendly: Notes are easier to revise than 10 heavy books.

Answer Writing Aid: Short, structured notes provide ready content for Mains.

Current Affairs Integration: Notes help in linking static topics with current affairs.

Example: Reading NCERT Geography + adding a newspaper clipping about India’s climate policy = Integrated notes.

2. Sources for Note-Making

UPSC preparation requires selective reading. Let’s categorize sources:

(A) NCERTs (Class 6–12)

History: Old NCERTs (RS Sharma, Satish Chandra, Arjun Dev).

Geography: Class 11–12 NCERTs.

Polity: Class 9–12 Political Science.

Economy: Class 11–12 Macro & Micro Economics.

Society: Class 11 Sociology.

Environment: Class 12 Biology (last units) + Ecology NCERT.

(B) Standard Advanced Books

Polity → Laxmikanth

Economy → Ramesh Singh / Sanjeev Verma

History → Spectrum + Bipin Chandra

Geography → G.C. Leong + Atlas

Environment → Shankar IAS

Ethics → Lexicon / Subba Rao

Optional → According to chosen subject

 Rule: NCERTs = foundation, Advanced = enrichment.

3. How to Make Notes Step-by-Step

Step 1: First Reading – No Notes

Read NCERTs thoroughly, highlight important parts.

Understand, don’t write everything.

Step 2: Second Reading – Short Notes

Write in your own words.

Use bullet points, flowcharts, and diagrams.

Avoid copying long paragraphs.

Step 3: Digital/Handwritten Compilation

Polity: Keep chapter-wise one-pagers.

History: Timeline-based notes.

Economy: Concept + recent government reports.

Geography: Maps + diagrams.

Step 4: Regular Updates

Add current affairs examples.

Example: For "Parliamentary Committees," add the latest CAG or PAC news.

4. Digital Notes vs Handwritten Notes

FeatureHandwritten NotesDigital Notes

Flexibility

Easy to draw diagrams

Easy to edit

Speed

Slower

Faster typing

Revision

Strong recall (muscle memory)

Searchable keywords

Portability

Needs notebooks

Stored in cloud

Best Tools

A4 sheets, sticky notes

Evernote, Notion, OneNote

 Recommendation: Use Hybrid Method – Keep Polity/History handwritten, Economy/Current Affairs digital.

5. Toppers’ Note-Making Strategies

Anudeep Durishetty (AIR 1, 2017): Focused on micro notes for Prelims + analytical notes for Mains.

Tina Dabi (AIR 1, 2015): Used digital + handwritten combo, regularly updated with current affairs.

Gaurav Agarwal (AIR 1, 2013): Made minimal notes, relied on revisions.

Takeaway: Don’t waste months making notes. Instead, keep them concise and revision-friendly.

6. Common Mistakes in Note-Making

 Copying entire NCERT into notes.
 Making bulky 500-page notes.
 Not updating notes with current affairs.
 Ignoring diagrams and flowcharts.
 Switching formats (handwritten ↔ digital) repeatedly.

Golden Rule: Notes should shrink with each revision.

7. Subject-Wise Note-Making Strategy

(A) History

Ancient & Medieval: Use NCERT timelines + short pointers.

Modern: Spectrum → Prepare chapter-wise events, personalities, movements.

Art & Culture: Use CCRT + NCERT Fine Arts → focus on keywords.

(B) Geography

Physical: Diagrams (plate tectonics, monsoons).

Human: Key theories (Malthus, Demographic Transition).

Indian Geography: Maps + current examples.

(C) Polity

NCERTs + Laxmikanth → Prepare one-pagers (articles + cases).

Update with Supreme Court judgments.

(D) Economy

Concepts: GDP, Inflation, Fiscal Deficit.

Add Budget, Economic Survey highlights.

Make charts for policy changes.

(E) Environment

NCERT + Shankar IAS.

Add COP meetings, climate agreements.

(F) Ethics (GS-4)

Prepare definitions in own words.

Collect examples from newspapers.

Keep one notebook of case studies.

8. Last Month Revision Strategy with Notes

Prelims: Use short one-pagers, fact-based notes.

Mains: Use analytical, example-rich notes.

Revise each subject at least 3 times before exam.

Practice answer writing using your notes → Improves articulation.

9. Digital Tools for Note-Making

Evernote/OneNote/Notion: For organizing topics.

Google Drive: For PDFs & reports.

Obsidian: Linking concepts.

MS Word/Excel: Quick tabular notes.

 Use technology smartly, but don’t waste time formatting.