Q1. Which test series to go for? When to finish the syllabus?

Ans. There is no perfect test series out there. Any test series from reputed institutes (Insights/Vision/ForumIAS/IASBaba et al) will do. Pick one and make your peace with it. You will always wonder what the other test series is like. I took an open test by Vision before prelims, and I have but good things to say about it.

I subscribed to Insights prelims test series as well mains one. I took both of them online. In 2017, there was only prelims test series, which is now rechristened as textbook based approach.

Click to access Insights-IAS-Timetable-for-Prelims-Test-Series-2018-Sheet1.pdf

Insights prelims test series schedule was pretty relaxed and I found that I could manage to finish as per their weekly targets. I followed their schedule for good six months before deviating from it (have talked about it under Prelims tab)

Q2. How many newspapers should I read and how? Should I make notes? Should I make notes daily or read monthly compilation or do both?

Ans. One is sufficient. The Hindu is concise and can be read in under one hour once you become a seasoned reader; I cannot say the same about the rest. Read the newspaper to absorb everything that is happening in the country and the world.

I found that making notes out of newspaper hampers actual reading and understanding of what you are reading. If you are reading and simultaneously making notes from newspaper, you can easily take 3-4 hours.

Every daily current affairs digest would more or less be the same. They will cover major events and inane trivia from all major sources. That same daily current affairs will be put together topic-wise to form monthly/yearly compilation. So if you read one, you shouldn’t bother with the other. Reading two different sources of current affairs (say, Vision and Insights) defeats the rationale of minimal sources and maximum revision; and in my opinion, counter-productive.