UPSC Notes are an essential part of the learning process and help in consolidating information. Good UPSC IAS notes are not only beneficial for revision but also help in better understanding the concepts and recalling the information during the exam. It is rightly said that making comprehensive and precise notes can help aspirants to cover a vast UPSC syllabus in a relatively shorter time, allowing them to focus on the more critical topics and retain the information for a more extended period. In this article, we will discuss the different types of UPSC notes, share some effective tips on how to make notes for UPSC, and recommend the best quality UPSC notes. We will also discuss the importance of notes for UPSC preparation, and how aspirants can make the most of it. Is UPSC very tough? This article will help you find an answer for this.

You can also enrol in our UPSC Coaching program and get more study materials.

UPSC Notes For Preparation

To begin the UPSC Preparation in the most effective way, aspirants must have complete information about the exam, including the syllabus, exam pattern, marking scheme, how to choose the best optional subject for the UPSC exam, etc.

The UPSC 2023 examination dates have been made public on the organization’s official website. On May 28, 2023, the preliminary test will be held in accordance with the UPSC timetable.

Candidates must attentively read the provided UPSC Notes PDF in English if they plan to take the UPSC IAS 2023 or UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE).

Download UPSC Notes PDF

Following is the list of all UPSC notes provided by Testbook for UPSC aspirants, you can download PDFs of individual topics by clicking on the below subject-wise links.

• Governance UPSC Notes
• Ancient History Notes for UPSC
• Medieval History UPSC Notes
• General Studies Notes for UPSC Exam
• Indian Economy UPSC Notes
• UPSC Polity Notes
• Environment UPSC Notes

UPSC Notes in Hindi

UPSC Notes in Hindi represent an important source of information for the UPSC aspirants preparing in Hindi Medium. These UPSC Hindi notes are an excellent source for students to understand the significance of subjects in the Hindi language. We understand that not every candidate is fluent in the English language, and to help them score well in the exam we have also developed subject-wise UPSC notes in the Hindi language also.

Get UPSC Notes in Hindi PDF

Following is the list of all UPSC notes in Hindi provided by Testbook for UPSC aspirants from Hindi medium, you can download PDFs of individual topics by clicking on the below attached subject-wise links.

• UPSC Geography Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Ancient History Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Indian Society Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Ethics UPSC Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Medieval History Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Internal Security Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Polity Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Modern History Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Art and Culture Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Economy Notes in Hindi
• UPSC Environment Notes in Hindi

NCERT UPSC Notes

Testbook offers the most recent NCERT notes both online and as a downloadable PDF for offline reading. These NCERT notes are prepared in clear language and brief material, making them simple to understand. They are also important in terms of the UPSC Prelims and Mains exams. These NCERT notes are incredibly simple to understand because the narrative is built around the topic.

For general studies (Prelims or Mains), aspirants should concentrate on NCERT notes in the following UPSC subjects: History, Geography, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Fine Arts, and Science.

Which is best notes for UPSC?

Following is the list of all NCERT Notes for UPSC provided by Testbook for the aspirants:

• NCERT Notes on Geography for UPSC Exam
• NCERT Notes of Art and Culture of India for UPSC Exam
• NCERT Notes For Ancient History of India for UPSC
• NCERT Notes on Modern Indian History for UPSC
• Geography Environment NCERT Notes For UPSC

UPSC Preparation Tips Notes

Once you understand the UPSC exam pattern and syllabus, the next critical step is to learn how to prepare for the exam without coaching. Candidates should recognize that coaching establishments will only aid in preparation and that only hard work and determination will get them through the exam. The UPSC examination, like any other, involves reading, writing, and speaking abilities.

• To enhance your preparation, the Testbook will give comprehensive, relevant, and up-to-date study materials for each of the static subjects.
• Reading the newspaper every day will assist the candidate to stay informed about how things are changing and evolving around the world.
• Start with the Fundamentals in the NCERTs for each subject, and as you go, stick to just one standard book for each subject until you completely understand that one book.
• Starting early will not help you if you wind up squandering time on insignificant preparation tasks.
• Start out studying for fewer hours and gradually increase the amount of time you spend studying to ensure high-quality learning.

Following is the list of UPSC preparation tips provided by Testbook for UPSC aspirants:

• UPSC Prelims Preparation Strategy
• UPSC Mains Preparation Strategy
• UPSC Preparation for Beginners
• How To Prepare For UPSC Without Coaching?
• How To Start Preparing For UPSC At Home?
• How To Read Newspaper For UPSC?
• How To Prepare Art and Culture For UPSC?
• How To Prepare Economics For UPSC?

How do I make notes for UPSC?

Making notes is a critical step in UPSC preparation because the syllabus is too broad and the books are too numerous, it is humanly impossible to revise multiple times from books! In such instances, UPSC Notes are the most valuable resource! When it comes to making UPSC notes from NCERTs, the majority of students feel lost. We fully appreciate how serious it is, which is why we’re here to assist.

• When preparing UPSC Notes, the initial step is to read the books aloud without underlining or making any notes. If not, you would have to start over since you can miss anything crucial. So, read it quickly at first and make an effort to comprehend the main ideas.
• Second, reading nearly every NCERT book between VI and XII is a challenge in and of itself! The majority of students spend a lot of time failing to realize that they only need to follow the syllabus and do not even need to read the complete book. Making notes from relevant NCERT material is therefore crucial to saving time, especially while revising.
• The third thing you must do is use bullet points when writing. Avoid writing your UPSC notes in paragraph form because they would be difficult to read and filter. Therefore, if taking notes, always use bullet points and highlight any keywords.

How to Make UPSC Notes from the Newspaper?

The newspapers offer essential current affairs study information, which is a major part of the questions asked in the IAS examination. It is impossible to overstate the value of newspaper reading for passing the UPSC Civil Services Exam. It supplies phrases to use in the UPSC mains and offers insight into current issues.

Follow the below instructions to make UPSC Notes from newspapers:

• Focus on keywords: Highlight and emphasize essential keywords, and include information from reliable newspaper and magazine sources such as the Hindu, PIB, Yojana, and PRS.
• Categorise the data subject-wise: Consider grouping the material you read into subjects like geography, politics, economics, the environment, ecology, science, and technology.
• Prepare Short Notes: Write in your own words as you take notes from editorials and newspaper articles. Keep it simple and comprehensible. Short notes from editorials will make your preparation easier.
• You can make e-notes: Digital is the modern method for everything! To make UPSC notes, you should ideally use software like Evernote. It will enable you to write much faster! It also makes it incredibly simple to alter or update the notes.
• Make use of Flowcharts: Flowcharts can be used to replace the wordy content. When feasible, create flowcharts because pictures are simpler to read and remember than long phrases. Whenever there is a series of events, especially in history, flow charts make it simpler to remember the information.

Learn how to read newspaper for UPSC here!

How to Make e-Notes for UPSC?

Making e-notes for the UPSC Exam provides convenience in your preparation. E-notes for UPSC are easy to organize, you can access them from anywhere without any struggle to carry them as compared to physical notes. E-notes can be used to supplement lectures since they provide a clear learning benefit over conventional note-taking methods.

Tips to make e-notes for UPSC are as follows:

• Use a Digital Note Application: There are many apps available that allow you to create digital notes for UPSC, such as Google Keep, Evernote, etc. These apps allow you to format the text, attach file attachments, and other features to help you keep your UPSC digital notes organized and easy to access.
• Use MS Word or Text Editor: You can also use MS word, or a normal text editor to create E-notes for UPSC. These are the old traditional methods which can also do the work of making e-notes for UPSC preparation.
• Use a handwritten e-notes-making app: There are apps that allow you to make hand-written e-notes for UPSC exam on your smartphone or tablet. These apps have an OCR (optical character recognition) feature that converts your handwritten text into digital text. You can use a stylus or just write with your finger, this makes it faster and easier to create e-notes for UPSC.

Pros & Cons of Digital UPSC Notes 

Making notes is advantageous to make it more appealing by adding more educational information. Digital UPSC Notes could be useful when answering questions in an essay-like format. It also helps to properly categorise by subjects so you can quickly review or quickly locate the topic as needed.

Pros

• Editing is simple: It is easier to write and preserve notes since you may keep adding relevant elements that were previously left out.
• Simpler to organize: You can create as many folders and files as you need to suit your needs, which makes sorting easier. Each file and folder can be renamed to help you organize them or can be quickly and easily searched.
• Effective strategy to enhance your preparation: e-Notes will assist you in keeping your notes organized, crisp, and clear, as well as compressing a large UPSC curriculum into microform using pictures.
• Ease of Access: E-notes are more portable than a dozen actual notebooks, which are more difficult to maintain organised, and carry around.
• It’s easy to share: Digital notes don’t require any scanning or copying and can be simply distributed around your friends.

Cons

• Low Retention: Unlike paper notes, digital notes have a low retention rate. Furthermore, we frequently use copy-and-paste text, which does not stimulate our brains to think differently.
• Distraction: We are easily distracted while taking digital notes via pop-up notifications or engaging in other enjoyable activities. As a result, you are unable to concentrate on your UPSC study.
• Issue with battery life: If your device discharges or has power issues, it may prohibit you from studying your notes for the UPSC.
• Increased screen time: Computer screens can strain your eyes, which could irritate your eyes and give you a headache, which will keep you from studying.

Also check – Best app for UPSC Preparation

Why It is important to make notes for the UPSC exam?

In the context of the Civil Service Mains examination, it is crucial to learn how to take concise notes when preparing for the UPSC. Without thorough study, making their own notes, and periodically reviewing them, one cannot hope to succeed in the Main examination.

• When you begin reading the UPSC preparation materials for the second time, you should begin taking notes.
• Taking notes will aid with your frequent revisions.
• The greatest approach to learning about current events is to visit online websites.
• Do not waste time in prelims taking notes for ancient history and art & culture.
• Your notes will be added to our knowledge base after you start taking them.
• It will be easier to revise if you have all of your notes in one convenient location.
• You will benefit from taking notes for all three parts of this coveted exam. Any concept can be briefly reviewed in the shortest amount of time.

How can I get free study material for UPSC?

Testbook is one of India's most famous online learning platforms, and it provides free UPSC preparation notes.

How can I make notes for UPSC from the newspaper?

For UPSC exams, reputable newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express are essential tools to grow knowledge on many topics. Understand the UPSC exam pattern by reviewing previous years' papers for pertinent topics. Prioritize subject materials such as editorials, defense, economy, and constitutional amendments. Make concise notes by summarizing critical points with emphasis on keywords and trustworthy sources like PIB (Press Information Bureau) and Yojana, a monthly government magazine offering insights into socio-economic issues. 
Have a comprehensive understanding of current affairs integrated with foundational knowledge based on its background. Organize notes by subject and topic for efficient revision. Critically analyze editorials, assessing points for and against to develop a deeper perspective. Regularly update and revise notes to be current and ready for the exam.

How do I make geography notes for UPSC?

For effective UPSC geography notes, study the NCERT Geography syllabus from grades 6-10 in-depth. Organize notes systematically, using bullet points and visual aids like maps. Highlight key terms. Create mind maps to visualize relationships and regularly review and revise them. Personalize notes with insights and connections. Integrate these strategies with crucial readings, such as "Certificate Physical and Human Geography" by Goh Cheng Leong, "Geography of India" by Majid Husain, and "Oxford School Atlas." Summarize these readings systematically, extracting key concepts, examples, and definitions. Apply the same principles of organization, visualization, and personalization to ensure comprehensive notes for UPSC exam preparation.

How do I make notes for current affairs to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services examination?

While the UPSC Civil Services Exam lacks a specific current affairs syllabus due to its dynamic nature, effective UPSC current affairs notes are crucial. Sources like The Hindu and Indian Express provide reliable information. To create these notes, focus on vital topics like politics, economy, environment, science and technology, international relations, security, social issues, health, education, infrastructure, art and culture, sports, and miscellaneous events. Categorize details into syllabus areas with a consistent note format, summarizing articles and using visual aids like mind maps. Enhance retention with personal insights. Regularly update notes, connecting current affairs to the broader UPSC syllabus. Utilize note-taking apps for organization, engage in forums for perspectives, and practice integrating current affairs into answers for holistic preparation.

How do I make short notes for the UPSC Civil Services Examination preparation?

Create concise UPSC short notes by employing proven methods: Cornell for questioning and recording notes in review-friendly columns, Outline for a clear linear presentation with headings and bullet points, Mapping for visual learners with a tree-like structure, and Chart for structured organization with distinct columns. Prioritize vital concepts using bullet points, keywords, and visuals for clarity. Enhance understanding with insights, regularly update notes, integrate them into answer writing, and use digital tools for efficiency. Maintain a topic-wise structure for easy retrieval and ensure regular revision. This amalgamation of note-taking methods optimizes the process, facilitating practical short notes for UPSC exam preparation.

Other Resources To Refer along-with UPSC Notes

The other options can be Text Books, Test Series etc which can be used along with UPSC notes for the holistic preparation of UPSC examinations. The prelims-cum-mains plan should combine online practice tests and study guides with offline resources like IAS texts and NCERT.

Aspirants can also check out the following resources along-with the UPSC notes:

• Best Books For UPSC Exam
• History Booklist For UPSC
• NCERT Books For UPSC
• Best Books For General Studies
• Best Magazines For Current Affairs
• Best Newspaper For UPSC Preparation

Testbook provides a set of comprehensive notes for different competitive exams. Testbook is always on the top of the list because of its best quality assured products like live tests, mocks, Content pages, GK and current affairs videos, and much more. To study more topics for UPSC, download the Testbook App now.