IFoS(IFS) Maths Optional

1.     HOW TO PREPARE IFS(IFOS) MATHS OPTIONAL?

The Indian Forest Service is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India. The other two being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in the year 1966 under the All-India Services Act, 1951, by the Government of India. Indian Forest Service is usually mentioned as IFoS.

Choosing an optional is quite a tricky part for IFS/IFoS, But, after simplifying the choices, some of the criteria that are crucial in determining the choice of optional are-

1.         Marks Fetching ability of the subject

2.         length of syllabus

3.         Comfortability with subject

4.         Success rate of the subject

Keeping the above in mind, Mathematics proves to be the most sensible option for the optional subject. It fetches marks easily. The syllabus is moderate to lengthy and easy to understand with practice. Lastly, the success rate of the subject is high. It is one of the most successful subjects in the IFS/IFoS examination, with a lot of Engineers making it to the final list. Mathematics would easily make it to the list of Top 3 optional. It helps in navigating through the uncertainties of the exam. A good performance in Mathematics alone can land you in the top 100 ranks.

Mathematics is one of the lengthiest but most scoring optional in the IFS exam. Mathematics is the only subject that requires us to understand things and not cram the syllabus. The syllabus can be easily broken into 13 topics. Mathematics can be prepared from a combination of books and notes from reference books. Also, the IFoS exam requires a science or engineering bachelor’s degree from UPSC recognized universities. Since most of the mathematics syllabus is already covered in graduation, a little bit of practice makes it very easy.

For paper 1 which has 6 topics, Linear Algebra, Calculus, Analytical Geometry, Ordinary Differential Equations, Dynamics Static and Hydrostatics, and Vector analysis has to be prepared. Whereas, In Paper 2 there are 7 topics. Abstract (Modern) Algebra, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Partial Differential Equations, Linear Programming, Numerical Analysis and Computer Programming and Mechanics and Fluid dynamics.

For these papers, you need to gain good accuracy in your answers for which one should practice at least past 10 years papers along with questions from the standard books. To maintain accuracy and precision one should keep revising and form a time-table which will also help in choosing the right combination of questions and time management.

One of the issues during preparation is the continuity in terms of practice. For that making concise or small notes of a page or two for each topic and keeping revising them is important. There isn’t much time on exam days to go through all of the topics in length. Making a schedule in such a way so as to incorporate mathematics for at least 2 hours in a day can also prove to be very beneficial.

A month of determined practice is adequate to finish the syllabus once, and another 15 days for revising things. People generally score good marks with much lesser days than those spent on forestry as well.

The strategy for preparing for Maths Optional is also given below. Since it has a Static Syllabus., referring to the available standard textbooks is the best option. Maintaining a formula sheet and topic-wise notes can be rewarding too. From the textbooks, it is important to solve the questions which have been asked in the question paper multiple times. Since the syllabus is so vast, the selective study is essential to keep track of your preparation. It is also to be noted that for lengthy or tricky problems, understanding the algorithm and solving the steps one by one is required. In the actual exam, one has to show all the steps and mention any formula/theorems that are used. Writing trivial steps is not encouraged. During practice and revision, one of the most important steps is to not read the problems and their solutions but to solve the questions that one can’t solve.

Since the vast syllabus of civil service examination can leave anybody in confusion. Hence preparing a suitable timetable is essential. The aspirants must plan their schedule accordingly and revise the previous year question papers thoroughly.