Effective Precis Writing Tips For Karnataka PSI exam 2022

If you were asked to describe any movie in a few sentences what would you do? You include those which seem important to you and finish a 3 hour movie in 5 minutes. That is exactly what is asked in various government exams like in the PSI exam. In PSI exam paper 1 precise writing is for 10 marks. You are expected to reduce the given passage into ⅓ of the size and even provide the suitable title. So to help you get these 10 marks without fail we provide you some tips for effective precis writing. Oliveboard has also introduced PSI exam paper 1 course to improve your preparation for translation, essay writing and precise writing. 

Precis Writing 

Precis writing in simple language is a summary of given information. Basically it is compression of the content. In precis writing you encapsulate the passage into the fewest words possible. Any reader should be able to understand the idea of the original passage by reading the precis, which should mention all important details of the original paragraph. 

Let’s say you are asked to summarize a movie, what you do is, you mention all the important events that happened, because they are essential to understand the movie. Most importantly you won’t add anything of your own, you just mention what happened in the movie. The tone, the mannerism of characters, you try to bring them in your summary. You will surely avoid things that are not required. Now this is how exactly precise writing works. To assist you with some effective tips for your precis writing in the PSI exam. 

Format of Precis Writing 

When you summarize a passage it is necessary to follow the format of Precis Writing. Following the Format of precis writing will help you to score full. 

• While writing a summary, keep in mind that it should be a paragraph.
• Introductory part- start your precis writing with a simple introduction. Include the main context of the passage in the precis writing. 
• Precis writing is written in your own words
• Precis writing is an outline of the given passage, don’t add your own thoughts and comment in the precis writing. 
• Include the sentences that reflects the main objective of the passage in your precis writing for better impact 
• Often, rephrasing the main point is all that is needed to “wrap up” your summary.

Tips for Precis Writing 

Comprehend the passage 

Unless you read the passage carefully and understand the given story or content you can not summarize the content. Read as many times as possible and try to grasp the context of the given passage. Try to read in between the words and sentences. The more familiar you are with the passage the better you can summarize the passage. So as far as the precis writing is concerned, read and understand the passage carefully. Do not read in hurry, you may neglect a few important points in the passage. 

Connect with the Content 

We can summarize a movie better than a story we read, this is because you connect with the content. You understood the emotion, idea and meaning of the dialogues and scenes in the movie, you felt the content. So do the same with the given passage. Read it, try to connect with the passage, understand the idea of the passage and try to bring them in your precis writing. Maybe it is not essential but it makes your precis more effective. 

Rive up the passage 

Divide the passage into sections and make points on important topics. You must include all the important points in your precise writing. Prepare points in chronological order so that you add them in the same way in your precis writing. This arrangement of points helps you not to miss any essential points. This helps to maintain the format of precis writing. 

Prepare a mind map

Prepare a mind map regarding how to write your summary. Note down the points and read them carefully and compare it to the original passage, see if you included all the essential points. If you found that you missed something, add them and then start writing your precis.

Start Writing Down!

After following all the steps, start writing your precis and in the PSI exam paper 1, precis writing should be the ⅓ size of the original passage. So remember this condition and write. The precis writing should be in indirect form and oftenly in past tense. 

Find a Title for Precis Writing

Title plays an important role as well, as you are asked to give a title for your precis in the PSI exam, finding the best title also helps you score marks. So give a title that suits the context of the passage. 

Scrutinize your own write up

After writing your precis, review it and look for any grammatical errors. If possible make changes. Analyze if your precis is reflecting what is given in the passage. 

Plus Points

The below mentioned points will help you gain some plus points in your precis writing.

• Usage of shorter sentences and writing the precise up to the point. 
• Suitable Title 
• Usage of Easily understandable sentences. Don’t use jargons or complex sentences
• The precis reflecting the original context and usage of right facts and figures 

Good precis writing

• Meticulous writing- write up which has details and which is precise 

• Unambiguous – which is clear and does not open to more than one interpretation

• Connected – the content well connected to the passage 

Steer clear

Steer Clear of these following points in your precis writing.

• Do not elaborate the single point too much. This makes your precise writing pale. Write up to the point and avoid stretching a single point. 
• Do not use your own opinion, assumption or criticism in the precis writing.
• Do not give title that is no way related to the text given

Conclusion 

As precis writing is for 10 marks in the PSI exam, it is necessary to score in this section. These kinds of sections are often asked to test your language abilities. To help you score in such easily scorable sections, Oliveboard has introduced PSI exam paper 1 course, you can visit our website for more details.