Originally Posted by upscIndia

OMG! They have given incredible and superb essay topics and I can sense that writing on any of these topics for 3 hours is really very tough.
Our essay paper carries 250 marks and anyone scoring around 150 is seen as excellent.
We don't specificaly prepare for essay. Since the prepartion for Mains paper encompasses a wide range of topics, it helps us in essay as well.
But that said, this is how we go for essay.

We read the editorial section of newspaper religiously and then paraphrase the entire editorial in our own words. This helps us to improve our writing skills and since editorial covers a huge range of topics that if you have paraphrased all the editorials there can be no essay topic which would seem difficult.

What you can do is follow the editorials of 'The Dawn' and 'The Express Tribuine'. I guess 'The Dawn' is one of the best newspaper in the entire suncontinent. If some newspaper in India can match Dawn, its 'The Hindu'(n Don't go by it's name, it has nothing to do with the Hindu religion, it is just that it was started in 1860s and later sold to someone else who decided to continue with the name since it was well known paper) and the 'Indian Express'

In fact, I have downloaded 'The Dawn' newspaper iOS application in my mobile and I often refer to their editorials. They are very good and well written.

Read 2-3 hours everyday especially focus on the Editorials & other Analytical & Critical articles. Ex in my Newspaper I focus on Magazine, Book Review, Literary Review, Business Review, Open Page, 2 page OP-ED Page & Editorial Page. Whenever you encounter a DIFFICULT PHRASE, IDIOM, PART OF SPEECH etc just see the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary or Chambers Dictionary & in a Diary note down that word, its meaning, its usage in sentence etc. This MUST be done within 1-2 minutes. Don’t keep it pending.

The basic idea is to make yourself “well-read” & with a COMMAND over ENGLISH … For this READ SOME GOOD QUALITY novels or poems after searching Google (For ex. Best 100 Poems of Twentieth Century, Best 100 Plays of All Time etc. )

4.5 Lakh students competing for 100 seats makes this exam very very tough! and that is why so much of effort is required! One to 1.5 years of preparation is required before anyone can even think of giving their first attempt! Our prelim is on coming 23rd and I will upload the papers here also so that you all can all have an idea.


Additionally, you may refer to the following blog for essay tips
anaydwivedi[dot]wordpress[dot]com/2010/06/11/85/