According to current trends in UPSC exam question patterns, a significant majority of questions are map-based. Questions are asked in both the Prelims and Mains exams, as well as the Interview round.  The UPSC examination is one of the most converted tests in India; hence no stone should be left unturned in preparation. It is critical to study from a decent atlas, such as the Oxford Atlas, and then augment it with internet maps when studying for UPSC exams.  If you want to learn more about how to study maps more efficiently, keep reading to the conclusion of the post

India Map

Foremost start your preparation with India's maps. You can start with physical maps where you have to prepare natural landscape divisions, rivers, major plateaus and hills. Memorise the names and the number of states through which a major physical feature passes through. For example, the states through which the Brahmaputra travels. 

Next comes memorising the order in which major geographical features appear in the country i.e., their order from east to west or from north to south.  Finally, you should learn about the places of interest near the geographical interests. For example, the location of the name of biosphere reserves, national parks, if any, around the geographical features or the names of major cities through which the geographical features passes through. 

Once completing the physical maps, you should move towards political maps where you have to study administrative divisions, cities and states. In the political map, you have to study the boundaries and borders of states both domestic and international, the major cities of India and the connection/ distance between them, and names of cities through which major lines like the Tropic of Cancer or Standard Meridian lines pass through and north-south and east-west order of major cities, regions, popular tourist attractions & areas of interest in the country.

Therefore, to encapsulate what to study in India's map, neighbours and states which share borders with them, important longitude & latitude lines, states, rivers, lakes, mountain/ glaciers, natural vegetation, national parks, and important places are to be studied.

World Map

Once upon completing the preparation of the Indian map, you should next prepare the world map but divided it into different regions. Candidates are requested to emphasise Asia, Africa, Artic, Antratartic, Australia, North America, South America and Europe regions. While preparing the world map, you should study the major rivers, oceans and their borders with other nations. You should also observe important navigation lines, straits and channels passing through the regions. 

Next comes studying the international boundaries of countries and whether they are landlocked. It is important to focus on the location of major places of interest and their order on the map. Studying important physical features, major lines like the Equator, Tropic of Cancer, hotspot areas, conservation spots, and biodiversity regions are important as well. For the Interview round, knowing important international projects and the countries involved in them can prove to be beneficial as well. 

 To encapsulate, what to study on World's map regions through which important latitude and longitude lines pass through and important physiographic features are to be studied.

Bottom Line

You can use maps to grasp a situation better. For example, if you come across a place in the news, you can look it up on a map to understand its location better. This technique not only helps in boosting preparation but also helps in visualising and analysing the situation better as you will be able to deduce the surroundings of the place through maps. 

For the interview round, you should study locations that hold geo-political significance and while studying NCERTs, do not forget to learn ancient Mediaeval maps of Kingdoms, cropping pattern maps, seismic maps and soil maps. These tidbits of information will help you to enrich your answers in the Mains examination.  Candidates are requested to solve ten-year question papers to understand the type of questions that are usually answered from maps and study accordingly. Solving mock tests aids memorization and preparation as well. 

You can also study maps by drawing India and world maps freehand. Divide the maps into small regions and practice drawing on one region at a time and once you are confident with your accuracy, you can accumulate them and practice together. And finally, it is important to understand that it takes time to master maps, however, with dedication and persistence, you will be able to solve map-related questions easily.