Reading Habits: What Matters More, Quality or Quantity?

Quality and Quantity

• Quality matters more than quantity. Use technology to your advantage and thoroughly enquire about the books before making any purchases. Numerous exam takers and top performers have provided reviews on a few highly recommended books for the core subjects.
• Bookstores are overflowing with books by a wide range of writers and publishers. However, only carefully chosen texts are actually pertinent for the best exam preparation.
• However, owing to a lack of proper guidance related to preparation for the UPSC CSE, the majority of students end up stacking books and study materials in their rooms, turning it into a junkyard rather than productive space for learning.
• Before obtaining resources and study material, an aspirant should consult seniors who have passed the exam (preferably), experienced mentors, and genuine/reliable sources so that instead of becoming a "waste," it becomes a proper "investment."
• Numerous YouTube channels also post sessions of presentations given by toppers in which they discuss their preparation methods, the books they read, and any ambiguities they encountered.
• All of these would enable you to continue to plan forward. The fact that the book needs to meet syllabus requirements should also be accorded the necessary weight.
• Always keep in mind that you should follow only one or two books for a particular subject and read it as frequently as you can. If you attempt to read every book on just one subject, you risk not finishing your syllabus in the allotted time.
• An IAS officer is thought to possess sufficient and ample knowledge to handle a variety of issues, from routine tasks to odd issues. Therefore, it can be argued that an IAS officer should be imbued with a basic level of knowledge relevant to all themes and substances.
• Realistically, there can never be a set quantity of required readings. At the very least, it is impossible to maintain uniformity when indicating the number of books to be cited.
• Some people enjoy reading from the internet, some enjoy reading notes from coaching centres, some even prefer to recommend only conventional NCERT books, and some may combine all of these sources.
• Which books and sources are used is entirely dependent on the candidates' comfort and ease. These vary from time to time, from aspirant to aspirant and from experienced to naive candidates.