History is the systematic study of the events of the past and is constructed on the basis of written records, materials, inscriptions, coins etc. The inclusion of history in the Kerala Civil Services Examination, or for that matter in any administrative services examination, is to provide one a sense of identity to the aspirants, help them identify the errors and mistakes of the past, and to draw inspiration from the successes.

If one wishes to clear the KAS exam with flying colours, then it is important to study history.

General history 

There are some aspects of general history that are covered such as ancient history, modern history, post-independence history etc. 

Information regarding the same can be drawn from the Tamil Nadu State Board History Text Book (Class XI), Themes in Indian History Part I, II and III, A Brief History of Modern India by Rajiv Ahir, Politics in India Since Independence (Class XII).

Kerala history 

Some of the most important topics covered under Kerala history are – 

1. Pre independence socio- political movement from 18^th Century AD.
2. Formation of Kerala state political parties, movements.
3. Formation of governments, landmark legislations, policies etc.

Some of the topics that are discussed and studied in depth are – 

1. Advent of Portugese
2. Advent of Dutch
3. Rise of Travancore
4. Hyder Ali and Tipu’s Invasion 
5. Advent of British and their influence
6. Rise of Valiants
7. Malabar under British Regime
8. Famous Administrators of Travancore 
9. Social movements in Kerala
10. Kerala renaissance
11. Kerala’s role in independence movement 
12. Political agitations 
13. United Kerala Movement etc.

An aspiring candidate can study the following books for the Kerala history portion of the mains examination- 

1. Kerala Charithram by Prof. A. Sreedhara Menon
2. Kerala History and its Makers by Prof. A. Sreedhara Menon
3. Political History of Kerala (1885- 1957) by A Sreedhara Menon
4. Cultural Heritage of Kerala by Prof. A. Sreedhara Menon
5. Refer to http://www.keralaculture.org/ i.e. the official website of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala.

How to prepare for history?

1. History has a lot of facts and figures and some of these need to be memorized for the exam. Ensure that that is done with the help of mnemonics and various other memory aids.
2. Remember events in a chronological order as questions might test the candidate’s ability to interlink happenings of different dynasties.
3. Understand important events of history in the form of cause and effect to retain information better.
4. Repeatedly revise important information and attempt tests to check if the information has been rightly reproduced.

To conclude

The Kerala Administrative Services (KAS) exam is much in tune with the Civil Service exam conducted by UPSC and Combined Graduate Level Exam by SSC, but lays more of an emphasis on the history and cultural heritage of the state of Kerala rather than the whole of India. Therefore, it is important to give due importance to this section and prepare oneself according to the demands of the exam.