HOW TO PREPARE FOR ICAR EXAM IN SOCIAL SCIENCES

SOCIAL SCIENCES GROUP

This group doesn’t carry a huge syllabus but each of the topic is equally important and the concepts regarding the main two subjects – Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension should be crystal clear. It may look easier from outside or in the undergraduate level but in the masters there is tough road ahead. You need to be the best. If you are able to think out of the box, have creativity inside you, can communicate with others in a much better and efficient way than others and are confident enough to successfully carry this subject in the near future and become the best, then social science is for you.

Syllabus, Books and Topics to be covered

Syllabus, Books and Topics to be covered in Social sciences

Agricultural Economics

1. Agricultural Economics (S. Subba Reddy & others): It is the fundamental reference book for JRF exam and should be thoroughly read covering each and every topic of Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Finance, Marketing, Production Economics and Farm Management. The mathematical problems in between should be omitted. The unit of Economic problems in India is not required. Solve the MCQs. and fill in the blanks given in the backside of the book. By heart the Appendices comprising dates and years of committees for rural credit and the name and year of Rural Development Programs.
2. Modern Microeconomics (H.L. Ahuja):No need to study the whole book. Though it is only for extensive reading and concept building but some portion of both of the micro and macro portion needs concept build-up. In the microeconomics part, Theory of demand, Theory of production and cost and Market structure are very important from the exam point of view. Go through the theory of International Trade once and just gather some useful notes and info from it. In Macroeconomics portion, theory of income and employment (except Classical theory, Consumption function, Post Keynesian theories and Unemployment), Banking, Money Supply and Demand, Keynes’ liquidity preference, Money and Inflation and IS-LM Curve model along with Philips curve.
3. Modern Economic Theory (K.K. Dewett): Take down the notes of only from the chapters- Money, Banking and International Economics.[P.S. One can refer to any one of Ahuja and Dewett according to their convenience].
4. Agricultural Finance and Management (Subba Reddy and Raghu Ram): just go through Chapter 1, production functions (unit-6; only theory), IMF, IFC, IDA, Crop insurance and Agricultural projects. Take down concise notes.[P.S. this book can be omitted]
5. Agricultural Marketing in India (Achharya and Agarwal): Selected chapters are to be studied and pen down notes. It’s an important part from which questions come. Marketing should not be neglected in any way. Read the chapters and then solve MCQs.
6. Objective Agricultural Economics (K. Nirmal Ravi Kumar): The only objective book for economics. Try to solve and revise as many MCQs possible. The more you solve, chance of getting common questions increase. Leave the fill in the blanks part but try to solve the matchings (acc. to syllabus).
7. Agricultural Production Economics (V.T. Raju): Read the book precisely. Try to understand the graphs given. Farm management portion should learn by heart as many questions come from that portion. The formulas of farm inventories should be emphasised more.
8. Agri-Facts on Agricultural Economics: Very useful book for last minute revision. Read it in the last month and retrieve as many information as you can. If you can take down complete notes and sum up your entire syllabus in notes, then refer this book only for its objective questions.

Key to success: Read and cover the books once. Try to understand rather than mugging up and get the concepts clear. This will do 50% work. Solve MCQs after reading each book.
Tally your study with the syllabus and emphasise on your weak parts. Start mugging up solved MCQs in the last month before exam so that bunch of them get stuck in your head. Many of the students have this tendency of leaving the finance and marketing part as it is a bit boring. But my suggestion is if you are finding it boring, then study it from Introduction to Social science book and solve MCQs along with mugging them up. This the shortcut way of covering finance and marketing.

Agricultural Extension

1. Extension Communication and Management (G.L. Ray): Read the book thoroughly up to chapter 8 of the latest version. This is the fundamental book for extension in social sciences group. Read and revise it again and again as most of the questions come from here.
2. Principles of Agricultural Extension Education (Sagar Mondal): Moreover same book with few other important topics included in it. Also go through the book line by line and read those portions carefully which are included in the prescribed chapters of G.L. Ray.
3. Textbook on Agricultural Communication: Process and Methods (A.S. Sandhu): Take a full read of the entire book once if you have enough time or else give emphasis in to selected topics. Read the examples and informative portion more carefully. (Ch-2,4,6,7,10,11-only Radio, Television & audio-video cassettes,13,15,16,17,18, 20,21,22,23- very important; Effectiveness of comprehension, validity and utility, Communication I.Q., Organisational Leadership, Communication Effectiveness, Empathy, Homophily-Heterophily, Role of Key-Communicators – imp. topics from the left over chapters)
4. Introductory Rural Sociology (J.B. Chitambar) or Textbook on Rural Sociology and Educational Psychology (Sagar Mondal): Though my preference is 1st one but many prefers the 2nd option because of easy language and understanding. One can read this book for giving extra effort in Sociology and Psychology portion as many question comes from there. Just go through the book once and pen down important notes from the topics included in the syllabus.
5. Instant Extension Education Part -1 (Shruti):One of the most important book. Should be read and revised as many times as one can. Each and every potion of the book is to be remembered. It also has previous year question papers. Training and management and ED portion can be omitted.
6. MCQs in Agricultural Extension (Sunil V.G.):The best objective book for extension. Practice it as many times as you can. Basically try to mug up the MCQs along with its answer by practicing it. Training and management portion can be omitted.
7. Agri-Facts on Agricultural Extension: Very useful book for last minute revision. Read it in the last month and retrieve as many information as you can.
8. Though there are many other objective books available in the market but Sunil V.G. is enough for cracking the entrance. One can check the objective book from ASTRAL publication which may become quite helpful later. Few questions in 2019 have come from this book only.

Agricultural Statistics and Econometrics

1. Study the statistics part of Introduction to Social Science.
2. Go through the UG notes especially ANGRAU and TNAU notes.
3. Pen down a compact and concise notes of the various tests and designs
4. Give stress on binomial and normal distribution, moments and its formulas, skewness, kurtosis and Theory of probability.
5. For econometrics, mug up the MCQs given in K.N. Ravi Kumar.

General Agriculture

1. R.K.Sharma
2. Nem Raj Sunda
3. BHU Capsule (for BHU exam only)
4. Muniraj Singh Rathore– Current Edition (Last month Revision)
5. Agriculture Current Affairs– Current Edition (Last month Revision)

After reading this book you can take our courses for General agriculture which is absolutely free.

Subscribe the course: General agriculture

Tally the first two books with each other and study. Previously studying only Nem Raj Sunda was enough but from 2019 onwards GA is equally important in social sciences like that of other groups. So start reading GA bit by bit and make yourself ready before BHU so that you can give a big test of GA before JRF and see where you stand. Covering last two books are very important for last minute revision. The BHU capsule is the best book if you are eyeing exclusively BHU for masters because most of the questions in 2019 came from this book only in BHU entrance.

The last book has come recently in the market and also preferred by many students for general agriculture. One can give a try by studying this. It has very minimum mistakes and also have very good rating.
So, this is all for our JRF preparation. Just try to follow it and maintain a routine accordingly. Everyone has their own way of studying. Just follow that way and success will be yours.

SERAIL NO	NAME OF BOOKS	BUY HERE
1	Agricultural Economics (S. Subba Reddy & others)
2	Modern Microeconomics (H.L. Ahuja)
3	Modern Economic Theory (K.K. Dewett)
4	Agricultural Finance and Management (Subba Reddy and Raghu Ram)
5	Agricultural Marketing in India (Achharya and Agarwal):
6	Objective Agricultural Economics (K. Nirmal Ravi Kumar):
7	Agricultural Production Economics (V.T. Raju)
8	Agri-Facts on Agricultural Economics
9	Extension Communication and Management (G.L. Ray)
10	Principles of Agricultural Extension Education (Sagar Mondal)
11	Textbook on Agricultural Communication: Process and Methods (A.S. Sandhu)
12	Introductory Rural Sociology (J.B. Chitambar)
13	Instant Extension Education Part -1 (Shruti)
14	MCQs in Agricultural Extension (Sunil V.G.)
15	Agri-Facts on Agricultural Extension:
16	R.K.Sharma
17	Nem Raj Sunda
18	BHU Capsule
19	Muniraj Singh Rathore
20	Agriculture Current Affairs
21	Textbook on Rural Sociology and Educational Psychology (Sagar Mondal)

BEST OF LUCK!!!