Prelim: Law-The Saviour

Of all the papers that I had to study for civil services, Law-my first optional has given me the least trouble (also the least marks in the mains-2008). For those who have studied law and are reasonably interested in the subject, it is an excellent optional at least for the prelim. (We will discuss law as an optional for the mains in another post). The syllabus is short and simple and one can score reasonably high marks in the prelim. This is how I studied law for the prelim:

1. Knowing the bare act inside out is must for a good score. Every single word must be read and re-read. All illustrations and examples given in the section have to be fully understood and remembered. (For those of us who hate the sight of the bare act, it is time to start getting comfortable with them).
2. Study of law is incomplete without landmark cases. The only problem is that there are way too many landmark cases. Separating landmark cases from not so landmark ones is a painful exercise. I made a list of the cases that had been asked before in the exam and added cases which I thought were relevant to that list. Use your discretion in making the list. An unusually long list might permanently deter us from looking at it. Constitutional and torts cases are relatively simple and one should be able to answer them. Do not sweat too much for the criminal and jurisprudence cases. Just do the ones that you in your wisdom think are significant.
3. Looking at the last 10 years papers MINUTELY is very important for two reasons. Firstly, there are questions that are repeated regularly and secondly it tells us what to expect and what not to study for the exam. For instance, while studying IPC, I would read all the sections including those providing for the punishment. However, questions are asked only from the sections that define/specify the offences and not from the sections that provide for the punishment separately. (I would not have noticed this but for my friend Abu pointing that out to me. Unlike me he had obviously looked at and analyzed the last 10 years paper in greater details).
4. Walking an extra mile for the prelim might just fetch few extra marks. A closer look at the previous year’s papers will reveal that there are certain areas from which questions have been repeatedly asked in the prelim even though they are not part of the prelim syllabus. For example, ‘Treaties’ is not part of the prelim syllabus for the international law. However, almost every year there have been questions from ‘Treaties’. Even in IPC and Constitutional Law one might find few questions (maximum 2 or 3) from areas which are not part of the prelim syllabus. One could make a list of such areas looking at the previous years’ papers and prepare them well.
5. Following were the books I relied on for the prelim.
   
   STARKE’S INTERNATIONAL LAW (Please read the foot notes in each chapter properly especially for the prelim purposes)
   BANGYA’S TORTS
   AVATAR SINGH’S CONTRACT LAW + BARE ACT
   V.N.SHUKLA’S CONSTITUTIONAL LAW + BARE ACT
   AVATAR SINGH ON JURISPRUDENCE
   IPC-BARE ACT ONLY (One can look at GAUR also for landmark cases).

For those of us who are in the perpetual fear of GS, law as an optional comes as a big relief. An excellent score in law could be the best shield against the surprises and disappointments that the GS paper might throw up. I really do not know what the safe score for the law is? I am not sure if any one does. Just work hard for the excellent score and you would not have to worry about whether you are in the safe zone or not.