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Hindi Videos of Govind Jaiswal : How a rickshawala’s son cracked Civil services examination

2011-12-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

This is an inspiring story of how a rickshawala’s son cracked Civil services examination with All India Rank of 48 and became an IAS Officer in his first attempt in 2007.

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“I want to tell all those youngsters living in deprivation that anything is possible if they have the will.” - GOVIND

ABOUT GOVIND

Govind is son of a rickshaw vendor from Varanasi. He has cleared the IAS toppers list this year; thus setting an example of empowerment through education. Although due credit goes also to his father who has toiled all the past years to educate his son with a dream in his eyes!

When Govind got the news of clearing the Civil Services Exam, tears ran down Govind Jaiswal's face and refused to stop. Staring him in the face was the only thing he had ever wanted, and now that he had achieved it.

He waited till the tears dried up, till the news sunk in and made that one phone call on which depended the hopes of his entire family.

Govind, the son of an illiterate rickshaw vendor in Varanasi, had grown up with cruel taunts like 'However much you study, you will still be a rickshaw puller.' He had studied with cotton stuffed in his ears to drown the noise of printing machines and generators below his window in a poor neighbourhood where small workshops existed cheek by jowl with tiny residential quarters.

He had given Math tuitions to supplement the paltry sum his father could afford to send him each month. His ailing father had sold a small plot of land to give Govind about Rs 40,000 so that he could move to Delhi which would provide him a better place to study.

Throughout his life, he had lived with only one dream -- to become an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. For him that was the only way. And when he broke the news to his family, that he was ranked 48 among 474 successful candidates in his first attempt at the exam -- it was the turn of his three sisters and father to weep with unbridled joy.

I could not afford to have any other career goal. My life would have been absolutely futile had I not made it into the civil services," says Govind, just back from his medicals in New Delhi, mandatory for the IAS.

"You must understand that my circumstances were such that besides the Civil Services, I had no option. I didn't have much of a chance with lower government jobs because they are mostly fixed, neither could I start a business because I had no money. The only thing I could do was work hard at my studies."

It was almost impossible for him to study in the one room he shared with his family. To add to his woes was the power cut that extended between 10 and 14 hours every day. The moment the lights went out, he had to shut the window to block out the deafening noise of generators in the many workshops around his home.

So in search for a quiet place to study, he briefly shared a friend's room at the Banaras Hindu University. Since that did not help him much, he did what many civil services aspirants in northern India do -- he moved to New Delhi.

For his son to make a fresh start in a city Govind had never visited before, Narayan Jaiswal, Govind's father, sold the only remaining plot of land he had saved after getting his three daughters married.

Working for ten years at the government ration shop, Narayan earned a living by weighing goods at the store. One day when the shop shut down, he bought one rickshaw and hired it out. He added three more and at one time was prosperous enough to own about 36 rickshaws.
That was a period of financial security and Narayan was prudent enough to buy three small plots of land. With three daughters to marry off, he knew he would need it in times to come. But bad times soon befell the family. His wife passed away when Govind was in school. For 10 years there was acute hardship. The rickshaws dwindled.

On his meager earnings, the uneducated rickshaw vendor with a hearing disability continued the education of his children. The girls were married after their graduation -- Narayan sold two pieces of land for the weddings, the last plot was sold to achieve his Govinda's dream.

Narayan gave his son Rs 40,000 to prepare for his Civil Services exam in New Delhi and pursue his childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer. For the next three years, he sent his son between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 every month, sometimes foregoing the expense of treating the septic wound in his foot that continues to nag him till today.

Outside his narrow lane, opposite the Varanasi City railway station, where Narayan Jaiswal parks his rickshaws and spends most of his waking hours, he still walks barefooted with a bandage, one end hanging loose and scraping the dirty road.

"Beyond this year, my father could not have afforded to send Govind any more money. It was getting very tough for him. Govind was earning Rs 1,500 from tuitions, I don't know what he would have done if he didn't make it to the IAS this year. My father could not sleep for 10 days before the results came," says Govind's eldest sister Nirmala, whose son is almost the same age as her brother.

Now that he will earn Rs 8,000 as his starting salary during his two-year training period in Mussoorie, Govind says his first priority is getting good treatment for his father's wound.

"I want to look after him, I don't know if he will leave Varanasi but I will definitely move him out of this rented room that we have lived for 35 years."

If his son's new job dramatically changes things for the better, Narayan Jaiswal is quite unaffected by it. He is surprised by the scores of journalists and well wishers flocking to his house.

Until now, courier delivery boys found his house with great difficulty but now even the fruit cart-wallah, one-and-a-half kilometres away, will tell you where the 'IAS' house is.

"I like my work. I haven't decided about the future -- what could be a better place than Kashi? As long as my son looks after me, what else can one want?" he says, visibly uncomfortable with the media spotlight.

Having lived his life in Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganga, Govind has given his home state Uttar Pradesh as his preferred region of posting. If he doesn't get UP, he is open to being sent to any state in India.

"Varanasi needs a tight administration. As for me, I want to be a good officer. We are the agents of change and I as an administrator would like to inform common people about their right to know, their right to information. The benefit should finally go to the people."

His hero is President A P J Abdul Kalam. Govind is reading the Hindi translation of the President's best-selling book On Wings of Fire and takes out a nicely thumbed copy from a plastic bag.

"After Gandhiji, President Kalam has given us a dream and the power to dream. His dream is of a developed India and he is a symbol of many common people's dreams."

In a time when the Indian bureaucracy has its drawbacks like a lack of accountability, corruption and perpetuating a system that was handed down by the British to rule a subordinate population Govind's thoughts are fired by the idealism of youth. He insists his idealism will not be watered down in future years, that he will not allow himself to be influenced.

"I am a product of my circumstances that has been wrought with hardships. When I go out as an officer my character will be put to the test, and then I want to see what a real man I am."

[Courtesy: Outlook Magazine and Rediff.com]

VIDEO: Inspirational Story of an IAS topper from Jharkhand Indrajit! MUST WATCH

2011-12-15T03:25:00.000-08:00

Indrajit, a son of a farmer from Jharkhand fought against all odds to achieve and fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an IAS officer at the age of 24!

Topper's Mantra:Tukaram Mundhe, IAS

2011-12-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

Mr. Tukaram Mundhe, IAS
All India Rank-20 C.S. Exam. 2004

I Stressed on Writing Structured Answers
Language plays a crucial role in the main exam. If the language is good, it communicates your message clearly and precisely. ‘Good’ language means simple, lucid and intelligible language, with short and meaningful sentences. Good language does not mean language loaded with big and heavy words and complex sentences. It applies to all the papers, including Essay.

What was your strategy for success?Planned hard work; particularly I stressed on writing “structured answers.” It is the writing communication which fetched me better marks. I resorted to the presentation of answers in point and attractive formats.

What were your Optionals?Political Science International Relations and History.

On what basis did you select them?It was a planned strategy these Optionals were my subjects at Graduation level.

What should be the approach of beginners in selecting Optionals?The Criteria of selecting Optionals should be aptitude, interest and ability to comprehend the subject matter. Also, one should be able to express views in lucid and simple language.

What was your plan for preparation?My plan for preparation was to go for the examination after my graduation. Preparation at graduation level was a part of preparation for civil services. Therefore, Optionals for civil services were already selected.
When actual preparation for civil services examination began, I prepared my own notes, as my style of studying was by preparing notes. I prepared notes on almost every topic.
Later on, I changed my strategy a little bit. Instead of preparing notes topic wise, I prepared by writing answers on every topic and sub topic, which paid rich dividends.

How much the quality of language is effective in main exam?Language plays a crucial role in the main exam. If the language is good, it communicates your message clearly and precisely. “Good” language means simple, lucid and intelligible language, with short and meaningful sentences. Good language does not mean language loaded with big and heavy words and complex sentences. It applies to all the papers, including Essay.

Your opinion about coaching institutes?Coaching institutes could play the role of improving your performance. The coaching institute can guide you along right path particularly in writing proper and complete answers.
However, all coaching are not good, only select few give proper guidance in writing quality answers.Coaching institutes help to a particular point only candidate himself has to devise the means to achieve the goal.

Did you prepare notes for Optionals and G.S.?Yes, I did. It helps in creating structured answers. It also gives you confidence as you are ready to tackle any question as preparation takes place along those lines. Above all it helps in time management in the main examination.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

Topper's Mantra: Dr. Amit Shiv Kumar Telang

2011-12-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

Questions Test Knowledge
Not Just Memory

Dr. Amit Shiv Kumar Telang
All India Rank - 11 C.S. Exam. 2004
" I look forward to represent my country at various international fora. I wish to let the world know that we are a country not only big in number but in intellect, culture and above all democratic ideals."

Congratulation on you success. Having met you ambition now, what role do you visualise for yourself in context of the nation, society at large and your family?I look forward to represent my country at various international fora. I wish to let the world know that we are a country not only big a number but in intellect, culture and above all democratic ideals.

Whom would you give credit for you success? Your secret of success?I thank the almighty and my parents my teachers from my early schooling till date, my friends Sandeep, Atul, Prasad and my wife Deepali who were always with me in thick and thin. The secret of my success is my perseverance and hard work.

How much time did you devoted for (This attempt)(i) Prelims 15 days
(ii) Mains 21/2 months
(iii) Interview 15 days
I devoted equal time, for GS & Optionals in mains. In prelims I concentrated more on optional.

Did you integrate Prelims & Mains preparation or was it separate?
I integrated study of my first optional-Medical Science.

Which magazines & newspapers did you concentrate on? Did you get any help from Civil Services Chronicle?I exclusively depended on Civil Services Chronicle for general studies (Current Events). It also read Hindu. I read books from Spectrum Publication for General Studies.

What were your Optionals in Prelims & Mains? What was your basis of selecting them?Prelims : Medical Science
Mains : medical Science & Zoology
The former was my subject of graduation and Zoology was much similar to my first optional especially the second paper.

Which books did you refer for Optionals & GS in Prelims and Mains?GS - Spectrum books, NCERT class VIII to XII, Civil Services Chronicle.
Medical Science - Standard books
Zoology - Kotpal series, Verma & Agrawal (Cell biology, ecology etc.), Veer Bala Rastogi (Evolution), Reena Mathur (Ethology), Guyton (Physiology) & Harper (Biochemistry)

Did you makes notes? Are they useful? What is your advise on note-making?No, I have not made any notes. I relied on books, underlined them and revised them.

Did you feel any change in the trend of questions? When you appeared for the first time in the exam did you feel any change in question-trend in comparison to what you had anticipated? Comment on trend today in comparison to 5 to 10 years earlier.The questions are more generalised now and test knowledge and to just memorising the notes.

Did you attend any coaching institute. What is your over all opinion about the coaching institutes?I attended coaching for interview only. I feel guidance from a good coaching constitute helps a lot.

When should one ideally begin thinking about and preparing for this exam?During final year for graduation.

Do you believe writing style matters in the examination? What are your suggestions?
Success in this examination depends a lot on one’s writing style. One has to be precise, succinct and simple. Illustrations, examples, diagrams are must.

What is your opinion on time management for preparation and in the actual exam?It is “the most important” factor, infact poor time management is the reason for my initial failure in this examination. One must practice writing answers within time to prevent last moment hurry.

What is your observation on(a) Disadvantage to Rural background candidates in this exam.
I don’t think in this examination any disadvantage exists. Infact background doesn’t make any difference.
(b) Advantage to Professionals and Technocrats qualifying in greater number.
They are a habit of writing precise answers.
(c) Advantage to students of public school and top universities.
I don’t find any specific advantage.

What should be the strategy to maximise one’s score in essay paper?Should write a simple essay with real life examples. No need of any unnecessary idioms, phrases or quotations.

Before getting down to actual preparation, what kind of reading should one do to prepare one’s suitability for this exam?One should be a regular newspaper reader to say the least. Interest in quizing, watching current event programs on TV etc. does help.

What is your advise to(i) Freshers who are going to appear for the first time.
Think that it is your best attempt and put all your energy in it.
(ii) Candidates who cannot decide upon Optionals.
The best ways is to select an optional with which you are familiar. Write some answers, get them corrected by teachers and ask for their advise.

Those who have failed in this exam.The failure is because of some mistakes. Try to rectify them and success is all yours.

Tell us something about your interview? Did you feel nervous in the exam?I appeared in Prof. D.P. Agrawal’s board. The members and chairman were very cordial. Questions were general and situational. I did feel a bit nervous at the time of interview but not in prelims or mains.

When were you introduced to CSC for the first time? As a reader what do you think are the strong points in CSC and in which segment do you visualise a room for improvement?I started reading CSC since 2001. Its strong points are sections like World Watch, India Watch, Economy Sections. Questions & answers on constitution are very good. Improvement may be done on model test papers many times the answers are wrong.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

Success tips by IAS Topper S Divyadarshini

2011-05-18T01:28:00.000-07:00

Frankly speaking, I didn't do any extraordinary preparation as such. I studied for four to five hours on an average per day. And then put in a few extra hours during exam time. The most important preparation is in believing in self that I can crack it.

Believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself nobody else will believe in you. Have the courage and confidence that you can make it the next time and work sincerely in achieving what you have set out for yourself.

I learnt from my mistakes. I thought with putting in more effort I should be able to clear the exam the next time. Also, during my first attempt to clear the preliminary exams I didn't know what risks you could take, there was negative marking for wrong answers and which questions to attempt first. But then I learned from my mistakes and corrected all those in my second attempt.

Success Mantra: Self confidence, perseverance ad never-say-die attitude.

Best wishes!

(Source photo, text from rediff.com)

Tamil Nadu shines in civil service exam

2011-05-12T01:15:00.000-07:00

IAS topper is a lawyer : Tamil Nadu shines in civil service exam

Candidates from Tamil Nadu have claimed the first and third ranks in the 2010 IAS examination, the results of which were declared on Wednesday evening, sending ripples of jubilation across the state. Two other candidates from the state also figure among the top 10 rank winners.

The top rank winner is the brilliant 24-year-old law graduate from Chennai, S Divyadarshini, who has emerged successful in her second attempt. Fighting corruption is high on her agenda, she told reporters after her triumph as IAS topper.

“I want to be within the system and make a difference, rather than complain from outside,” she said. She secured her BL (Hons) degree from the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University here.

The all-India third rank winner, R V Varun Kumar, is switching to police service from dentistry. Hailing from a common middle class family in Tiruchirappalli – his father Veerasekharan was a state NSS Liaison Officer — Varun did his dental surgery course from a private medical college in Chennai. “Somehow my mind was not in dentistry and I gave it up in 2007,” Varun told Deccan Herald over the phone. He realised that his calling in life, under his father’s inspiration, was the civil services.

Varun initially got into the CRPF as the 67th all-India rank holder as his passion was for the Indian Police Service (IPS). He again took the IAS/IPS exam last year and has bagged the third rank.

Hailing the Right to Information (RTI) Act as landmark legislation to help common people tackle administrative corruption, Divyadarshini said she was hopeful of pursuing her goal to fight this social menace.

She did not expect to be a topper and she had was no secret formula for success other than hard work and a systematic approach to studies. “Don’t neglect hard work,” was her advice to youngsters.

Varun too relied on “sheer hard work and perseverance, a belief that one day I will be there.” He attributed his success also to his family’s complete support “both emotionally and financially.”

News article by M R Venkatesh, May 11,2011 DHNS visit www.deccanherald.com/content/160696/ias-topper-lawyer.html for full article. Reproduced here for information purpose.

Against all the odds Prasad Akkanouru achieved his dream of becoming a Civil Servant

2011-05-12T00:41:00.000-07:00

Prasad Praladh Akkanouru

UPSC Civil Services Examination 2010. Roll No.011570.

All India Rank 141

Date of Birth: 02 - 04 - 1983 (Birth place: Bothi, Dist. Latur, Maharashtra)

Mother tongue: Marathi

Name of Father: Praladh Shantiveer Akkanouru - Farmer

Name of Mother: Annapurna Praladh Akkanouru - Housewife

Address: Latur, Maharashtra.

Education:

* National scholarship

* Board topper in 12th class from Nagpur

* Distinction in B.A. History from Pune University

Hobbies:

Reading books, Poetry (Writing)

At Civil Services:

* Optional Subjects: History and Public Administration.

* In first attempt, passed written exam and appeared in Interview.

* In second attempt written not qualified.

* In third attempt secured All India Rank 141.

BIG ACHIEVEMENT

In this year’s IAS merit list Prasad Akkanouru is probably the only aspirant, who passed this

coveted exam despite many difficulties.

- After completing 10th class from Latur, he did ITI Electrician course for secure future. It was

his parents wish.

- His family members wanted him to become a teacher by doing a D.Ed. Course after 12th. But

Prasad wanted to become a officer through civil services exam.

- He left home to fulfill his dream of IAS officer.

- He boarded the train to Nagpur, the city, which was unknown to him.

- After reaching in Nagpur, he went to many unknown people for job. Here he got his first job

of a waiter in a small roadside hotel.

- He took admission in a school in 11th class by selling a gold chain, his only asset.

- After a work of 10 hours, he used to study hard in the night. He did that for two years.

- His strong determination and perseverance paid him off. He secured 12th class merit list.

- Media in Maharashtra took notice of Prasad’s achievement. His photos published in the

newspapers and flashed on news TV channels.

- Because of this media attention, his family members came to know about his location. Till then there was no contact with the family for two years.

- At that time he told media that his dream is to become an IAS officer.

- Pune based NGO took responsibility of providing him facilities in Pune to complete his graduation.

- During the graduation, he started IAS preparation. He completed graduation with distinction.

- After graduation, he was willing to go Delhi for guidance. Financial condition was the big hurdle for him.

- He went to many people for financial help. After continuous efforts of several months, some people extended their helping hand for Prasad. With that help, he came to Delhi.

- In Delhi, he faced many problems due to insufficient money. But he managed all the problems with great determination and focused hardwork.

- In Delhi, he joined ‘Career Quest’. Here he got timely guidance and motivation. According to Prasad, ‘Interview (Personality Test) plays very crucial role in one’s selection in Civil Services exam. I realised this during my third attempt. Guidance provided by Sanjeev Kabeer, Director, Career Quest IAS Academy was instrumental in my success in this exam.’

- Prasad said ‘I was feeling a great pressure because of two unsuccessful attempts. Many people started telling me that one cannot pass this exam without paying bribe! I never give attention towards the rubbish things like this. During this time, self motivation was the key for me. On 11th of May 2011, a good news came to me! I passed this coveted exam with such an unexpected rank! It was a feeling of conquering the world. Now I can say that any one can pass this exam with determination and continuous hardwork. Timely & right guidance is the key to IAS exam. ‘Nothing is impossible’ is my mantra.’

The Front-Benchers

They're a study in inspiration. Children who overcome their straitened contexts through sheer grit and desire.

READ PRASAD'S STORY (written in 2003) IN OUTLOOK MAGAZINE http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?220747

Send your wishes to Prasad Akkanouru at careerquest.in@gmail.com

**** Please note: One may reproduce this news article without making any changes in content and style. Do not edit the matter and mention the source with the active link http://www.careerquest.in/

S Divyadharshini topped the prestigious Civil Services Examination 2010

2011-05-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

Detailed list of all IAS Toppers is available at www.iasplanner.blogspot.com

Chennai-based law graduate S Divyadharshini has topped the prestigious Civil Services Examination 2010 for which the results were announced today.

The second position was also secured by a woman, Sweta Mohanty, a computer engineer, while R V Varun Kumar, a dentist from Chennai, got the third rank.

A total of 920 candidates, including 203 women, have been selected for the Civil Services, which attracts the largest number of candidates from the entire length and breadth of the country.

Divyadharshini, who has done BA, BL (Hons) from Dr Ambedkar Law University in Chennai, cleared the exam in her second attempt. Mohanty cleared the exam in her third attempt.

Kumar, the topper among men, has done his BDS from Ragas Dental College in Chennai. This is his third attempt.

An elated Divyadharshini said she was surprised to find herself topping the exam as she was not expecting it. "I was expecting some result but not as a topper," she said.

As congratulatory messages poured in, she said the achievement was the result of "tedious" exercise and hard work of one year coupled with luck.

The top 25 candidates consist of 20 men and five women -- 15 of whom are engineers, five belonging to Commerce, Management, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences; and five belonging to medical science background.

Of the top 25, eight have made to the merit list in their first attempt while four made it in their second attempt, nine in third attempt, three in fourth attempt and one in fifth attempt.

Among those selected, 28 are physically challenged candidates while 14 are orthopaedically challenged, five visually impaired and nine hearing impaired.

A total number of 5,47,698 candidates applied for this examination and 2,69,036 candidates appeared for Preliminary examination, which was conducted on May 23, 2010.

12,491 candidates qualified for the main written examination held in October- November 2010.

2,589 candidates were shortlisted for the personality test conducted in March-April 2011 out of which 920 were selected.

They have been recommended for appointment including 428 General (including 19 Physically Challenged), 270 OBCs (including 8 Physically Challenged candidates), 148 Scheduled Castes (including one Physically Challenged candidate) and 74 Scheduled Tribes candidates.

There are 151 vacancies in IAS, 35 vacancies in IFS and 150 in IPS.

The results are available on PIB website www.pib.nic.in and also on the U.P.S.C. website www.upsc.gov.in

Success mantra by Mona Pruthi, IAS Topper 2006

2011-04-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

The importance of civil service will always remain. It is a wrong assumption that everyone is corrupt. Lots of good work is being done in the government also.

'Lady luck smiles only when you work hard. Luck may knock at your door but you have to get up and open the door.'

Only studying hard does not get you to the top. You must also be dedicated and committed to be a good administrator.

Sincere hard work, clever thinking, time management and a balanced approach.

Lots of people from rural areas are making it big in life. You can think of new ways and opportunities.

Start reading NCERT textbooks from class six to twelve. Select two good options that interest you and work on them. Read the The Hindu newspaper everyday.

I prepared while being in an employment. Concentration, clever use of available time and resources are important. Yes it is possible to prepare IAS with your job.

Study method should be - Read, think, write and think again.

HOW TO PREPARE G.S.? - Two good newspapers, current magazines and standard texts.

How to manage time in exams? - Have a time-table. Cover all areas simultaneously.

How many hrs per day are enough for preparation? - Eight hours.

Confidence clinches Civil Services examination.

Patience is part of the testing strategy of UPSC.

This service allows one to change things in 100s of ways.

The best way to change a system is to be situated within it.

"From the very beginning I wanted to be in the Civil Services but topping it never crossed my mind. It was too high an expectation. I wanted to be there because what you can do by being part of the Government, you can't do sitting outside. Now that I have managed it, it is time to work out the dream,"

FOUNDATION COURSE fOR UNDERGRADUATES www.iasfoundation.blogspot.com --------------------------------------------------------

Archana Nair, IAS, made it to the seventh rank in her very first attempt in 2006.
She gave up a lucrative job in the corporate world for a chance to serve the country, the feeling is yet to sink in. The 25-year-old Economics graduate from Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce and postgraduate from the Delhi School of Economics worked with American Express for a year before deciding to quit to prepare for the examination.

"Money is not everything in life. My stint with American Express was very good and paid me well, but I realised it would not give me the opportunity to serve my country. It was a long thought-out process for me. A lot of my friends told me that I was taking a big risk, but sometimes you just have to take the plunge. In a way, my work has given me an understanding of the corporate world which can be of use to me in the Government,"

Meet IAS Topper Adapa Karthik

2011-04-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

A doctor by profession, Karthik Adapa gave up scholarships to Harvard and Cambridge to join the Indian Administrative Services.Thinking beyond marks, appreciating the value of each subject and teaching these very subjects to students during his preparation helped him ace the exam.

Now stationed at Ranikhet, a small town in Uttarakhand Karthik (who was ranked first in the IAS exam of 2008) aspires to make a difference by working at the grassroots...

Why did you opt for the IAS?

It offers a tremendous opportunity for leadership and to work at the grassroots level. For example, I now work in a small town with a population of around 20,000. It is such a backward region that even a little work we do has a tremendous impact on the people here. You also get a chance to impact people's lives across a variety of domains such as health, education, water, sanitation, roads and electricity. In fact, as a topper, I was given the option to go to my hometown in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh but I chose Ranikhet as it's a much more backward place and that's the kind of place I wanted to contribute to.

Medicine is considered a noble profession. What prompted you to move out of it?

I enjoyed being a doctor and in fact, continue to be a doctor even now. In my capacity as an administrator, I organise health camps, where I also serve as a doctor. But what I realised is that as a doctor, the canvas you get to paint on is very small. Health is the only field you can work in as a doctor.

Tell us about life as a student...

I was always a good student, which helped me secure admission to a national medical college. I got a scholarship for a postgraduation at both Harvard and Cambridge. I also got a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation scholarship for a PhD in Molecular Medicine at Harvard and the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Trust Commonwealth Shared Scholarship for my PhD in Cambridge. But I opted for the IAS. In two earlier attempts, I also got through the Indian Police Services, but I let it pass, too.

Three attempts? It sounds taxing! How did you prepare?

I enjoyed the process. I wish I had to give ten attempts so I could study for ten years! You actually grow a lot in the process; the reading is voracious. I look upon it as a way of life and not much has changed since those times for me. I still read a lot, keep abreast of what's happening in the world, in the country, in my state.

Which subjects did you chose during the mains and why?

Zoology and Psychology. Having done medicine, which is Advanced Biology, I wanted to go back to my basics and study Zoology, which is Basic Biology. I also wanted to study one subject that was different and would tell me something I enjoy in life and Psychology fitted the bill well. I worked really hard in Psychology. Though I didn't score too well, it gave me new perspectives to see my life events. It brings about a holistic change in your personality, which happens as long as you don't study merely for marks but internalise the subject. You must appreciate the basics of the subject and study its varied topics.

How did you prepare for the exam?

I referred to basic textbooks like Morgan & King and Barrons. Then you have advanced textbooks for each subject; Coleman for Abnormal Psychology, Pearson's for Education Psychology. I would devote six to eight hours a day, but more than the number of hours, it is the quality and consistency of your studies that matter. I used to be very consistent with my reading.

What did you do differently in Attempt 3, which enabled you to crack it?

I feel I was much more focused and also put in more effort than in my first two attempts; however, some things you learn only with experience. Lesson 1, I learned how to manage my time better after going through the entire process twice. Lesson 2, never to ignore Prelims even after your Mains or your interview because when the results are out, you don't have any time left for the next year's Prelims.

Any interview tips for IAS aspirants...

Just be yourself! The more artificial you are, the more you will struggle. While preparing, 'studying' newspapers is the ultimate thing. I read The Hindu, which is by far the best newspaper when preparing for the Civil Services Exam. While preparing, don't merely 'read' the newspaper, 'study' the newspaper, just like you would a textbook. Underline, make notes, analyse, draw some conclusions, discuss.

Advertisement: Join IAS Interview Training Program At Career Quest, Delhi Visit www.careerquest.in

Who was the inspiration behind your success?

My teachers and my students.

Your students?

I taught Zoology and General Studies at a coaching institute, during my preparation while simultaneously preparing for General Studies with study material from another coaching institute. If I didn't teach a topic well, my students' faces said it all. This would encourage me to study and understand better, work hard and ultimately teach better. So I thank my teachers for teaching me and my students for bearing with me and tolerating me.

How has your administrative experience been so far?

We have a period of independent charge as part of my training. Hence I am at Ranikhet as the Joint Magistrate, for the last one-and-a-half months. I am the youngest but still the leader of the entire team. Hence I need to be the energy and motivator of the team. Ranikhet is located in the hills where everything usually closes by 6 pm. But our office remains open till 8 or 9 pm, sometimes longer. We are trying to make the administration friendlier and improve health, education, etc. In fact, I have lodged the first FIR against illegal mining in Uttarakhand, probably a first in all of North India.

Nitin Jindal

Careers360 is a complete education and career magazine offering campus and course reviews, career features, scholarships, expert advisories, entrance exam preparation & solved papers, admission alerts and more.

Source http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/12/career-meet-ias-topper-karthik-adapa.htm

IAS Toppers Basant Garg, Gaurav Uppal, Sumedha Dwivedi

2010-11-26T04:55:00.000-08:00

IAS toppers
By Ruchika M. Khanna, Dailt Tribune

(Photo: From
top to bottom
Basant Garg, Gaurav Uppal, Sumedha Dwivedi)

Corporate jobs may offer the best of salaries and perks… but the vast majority of young brains still crave to join the prestigious Indian Civil Services.

The fact that a big share of this year's top 10 posts in the civil services exams have been bagged by professionals from various streams shows that this is still the dream job for many. The topper S. Nagarajan, a Railway Traffic Service official, is a B.Tech from BITS, Pilani, while the second and third spots have been bagged by doctors. Manish Kumar, who stood fifth, is an IIM graduate who chose the services over a plum New York posting.

Incidentally, six of this year's top 10 candidates have taken coaching from the same institute. On the matter of coaching, the toppers have varied views.

Suja K, a student of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, did not feel the need to undergo any coaching classes. "I don't think it is necessary at all. I only did mock tests for confidence…," she has quoted as having said. She had Economics and Malayalam literature as her optional subjects.

“Most people want to join the services in order to make a difference to society. A job in the corporate sector may get you good money, but the satisfaction of ushering in social change, of being a part of planning policies for society is what draws most people to the civil services,’ says Sumedha Dwivedi, an IAS topper from Batala in Punjab. She secured 68th rank in the civil services exam this year.

Dr Gaurav Uppal, a Medical Officer with the Health Department, Haryana, who has secured the third rank, says that though the role of civil services has changed with the changing socio-economic- cultural mileau, civil servants are held in high esteem. “This is the best way to affect change in society. A civil servant will make necessary changes for the benefit of the common man, so that he can adjust in the changing socio-economic system,” he says. Agrees Manoj Kumar, who got the 393rd rank. Son of a vegetable vendor, who funded his education by selling fruit juice, Manoj says that it is only in these services that the sheer intelligence and talent of a person counts more than his social standing.

Most of the IAS toppers this year have cleared after making several unsuccessful attempts earlier. “But the unsuccessful attempts cannot be regarded as failure. Each attempt only helps you in avoiding the mistakes made earlier and ultimately leads to success,” says Manoj, who has cleared the examination in his fourth attempt.

He says that since he did not take private coaching, he had to make several attempts before he succeeded. “Coaching is as important as self-study. Coaching helps one get direction and learn management of an examination, besides helping one deal with the interviews,” he says. Agrees Dr Uppal, “Though I prepared for my optionals on my own, the syllabus for General Studies paper is very vast, and so I took coaching from a private institute at Chandigarh.” He says that coaching also helps one deal with interviews more professionally.

Dr Basant Garg, who is perhaps the youngest person to clear the examination, and that too in the first attempt, says that besides coaching for general studies, one has to remain consistent and have concentration in one’s own study. This 23-year-old doctor secured second rank in the examination.

Most of the toppers say that they put in six hours of study on an average every day. But around the time for the civil services Mains, they were putting in 10 to 12 hours of study. After all, the rewards are assured only through hard work, they say.

Interview with Dr. Basant Garg IAS Topper 2005 (2nd Position)

2010-11-26T04:06:00.000-08:00

Do you want to be an IAS offcier? Start preparing early, plan accordingly, develop a perspective about various issues, interact with various people and peers with due care. Be selective in the optionals. Read this article (Source - Competition Success Review) on Dr. Basant Garg (IAS Topper)...

Q. What is the secret of your success in this examination?

A. I stared preparation three years back during my MBBS course. This allowed me to prepare steadily and kept things stress-free at all times.

Q. How much time do you think one requires for serious preparations for this examination?

A. Two years of dedicated hard work is necessary. If one starts preparation during one's studies, it may be three years.

Q. Which journals and newspapers have you been reading for the General Studies and other papers?

A. Newspaper : The Hindu, Magazines : Competition Success Review, Yojana, Frontline, Hindu Year Book.

Q. Do you remember any remarkable incident of your life that motivated or promoted you to go for a career in the Civil Services?

A. Once I complained to my father that there were very few seats for Medical entrance. He said, "You need only on". There is always room at the top.

Q. What prompted you to chose Civil services as your career?

A. Civil Services provides to the aspirants the opportunity to serve the people from a position where on can influence decision making.

Q. How did your parents, family and friends contributed to your success?

A. My father ahs been a big motivator. My mother and my brother have been great supporters. Besides, friends and relatives have also contributed by giving me a lot of time for preparation, often taking the burden upon themselves.

Q. Had you not been selected in the Civil Services examination, what would have been your reaction? Which other service/career would you have gone in/opted for?

A. I would have been unhappy and would have continued in my field.

Q. How do you visualize your success?

A. My success is the success of my parents' efforts. It reflects upon my schooling, my teachers and the society I come from. There are God's blessing to me and my family.

Q. What were your optionals at the Civil Services Examination?

A. Prelims : Medical Science, Mains : Medical Science and Zoology.

Q. How many attempts had you made earlier before you got selected?

A. This was my first attempt.

Q. What was your criterion for the selection of the optional subjects?

A. In order of priority :

1. Background

2. Interest

3. Availability of quality material

4. Syllabus - how specific.

Q. how did your prepare for the compulsory papers?

A. I largely depended on my schooling, newspaper reading for English Paper. For Hindi Paper, I read Hindi newspaper for about a week.

Q. What is your impression about the Interview Board?

A. The Interview Board was friendly and comforting since I largely presented balanced and rational views.

Q. What do you think is a better way of preparation between selective intensive study and wide extensive study?

A. One should be highly selective for optionals. in General Studies, one can be selective with respect to History and Polity. Rest of General Studies requires extensive study, especially Economy and Current Affairs.

Q. Is this pattern of the examination appropriate for selection? Would you recommend any other improvement?

A. I think it is appropriate for selection, since each step of the examination brings out certain strengths and endeavours of aspirants.

Q. Do you feel that there should be no restriction on the number of attempts?

A. I feel the number of attempts should be restricted so that unsuccessful candidates can move on in life and be productive to the nation.

Q. To what extent, you think, Model Test Papers can be useful for the aspirants of Civil Services?

A. They, sometime, give you an idea of the pattern of the question paper, thus helping in time management during exam.

Q. What is your advice to the future aspirants?

A. Start preparing early, plan accordingly, develop a perspective about various issues, interact with various people and peers with due care. Be selective in the optionals.

An Exclusive Interview With Shubra Saxena IAS Topper

2010-11-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Shubhra aced the civil services exam

She quit a good IT job to pursue a new career direction: rural development.

An Exclusive Interview With Shubra Saxena By Priya Naik (Careers360.Com)

Shubhra Saxena worked in an IT company, got married and efficiently managed a home. All this, till she could not bear the nagging dissatisfaction of the corporate world.

It was then that she decided to resign from her job, bought a mountain of books and began cramming for the civil services examination.

Of course, this was not without her husband doubting if she could manage. But she proved him and several others wrong, when she topped the examination this year.
Q. How difficult was it to let go of a well-paying job and sit and study for over a year?
A. It was not easy. I was earning well and working in the IT industry for about six years. My lifestyle changed when I stopped working, but I was motivated to see this through.

In fact, when I started in the IT industry, I was convinced that it was a great career. But after a while, I realised that it was just a job and that I was not contributing to the society. The sense of dissatisfaction began to grow. It was difficult to convince my family that I could do it.
Q. Does the quality of the time spent studying matter more than the quantity? Did you have daily targets to meet?
A. Sure. I had very little time for the exam, so I did not have the luxury of time. Most people take about one to two years for the exam. I had to be very clear and focused. In all, it took me fourteen months to clear the exam.
Q. You were clear that you were writing this exam for 'social good'. How do you intend to put this into practice?
A. Yes, I do. I have certain priority areas: rural development, SC/ST, women and children. I grew up in Jharkhand and am aware of the impact of rural backwardness. Jharkhand is rich in minerals and forest areas, and still is backward. So yes, that affected me. It has been stagnant for 30 years. Bringing about change in such places is imperative.

Q. What were your optional subjects for the exam? How did you choose your subjects?
A. I picked Public administration because I thought I should know the basics of administration. And psychology, because I had very little time. I attended Mr Mukul Pathaks' excellent classes at the coaching centre in Vajiram and completed the syllabus in three months. Psychology is suited for my interests and attitude.
Read complete interview at http://www.careers360.com/news/3177-Shubhra-aced-the-civil-services-exam

IAS 2009 Topper : Dr Shah Faisal

2010-05-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Times Of India:

He comes from a remote village in Kupwara district of strife-torn Kashmir and studied in a village school. Eight years ago, his father was gunned down by militants. But Dr Shah Faisal, a 26-year-old MBBS, has fought the odds and won. On Thursday, Faisal became the first Kashmiri ever to top the civil services exam. "I don't have words to express how I feel, I am not able to speak. I just wish I was with my family. I am just waiting to hug my mother," Faisal, who came to the capital before the results to "get away from the stress of waiting", told TOI. Even through the elation, Faisal gets emotional at the mention of Kashmir. Describing himself as a victim of conflict, he says, "I have watched the bloodshed in Kashmir very closely. I was devastated when my father Ghulam Rasool Shah was gunned down. It is him that I miss the most today. He used to dote on me and taught me English and maths when I studied in school," he says. In Srinagar, his mother Mubeena Begum, thrilled beyond words, says, "Faisal has made every Kashmiri proud with his hard work and dedication." Her husband, she says, was killed because he refused shelter to militants. Ironically, it was the tragedy that opened a window to the wider world for the family. "After the killing, I shifted from village Sheikh Nar in Lolab Sogam area of Kupwara to Srinagar with my children ^ two sons and a daughter. My elder son Shah Faisal had done his class X from Sogam high school while my two other children were in middle school there. I was a broken woman but never gave up and fought against all odds to bring up my children," says Mubeena, a teacher, like her husband. Faisal, who did his MBBS from Srinagar's Sher-i-Kashmir Medical College, says he was confident of qualifying but never imagined he would be right on top. His mission now is to serve his people in the strife torn area of Kashmir. "I wanted to serve my people and in the role of an IAS officer I would like to reduce the communication gap between the people and the administration. I will give audience to them to hear their problems, cares and worries. I want to bring a change, especially for women and the youth," he says, insisting that he never received any formal training for the UPSC exam. Among his inspirations, Faisal counts an IPS officer from his state. "I was inspired by one Abdul Gani Mir of my area in Kupwara, who passed his IPS in 1994. I have been in touch with him since 2007, when I thought of sitting for the civil services exams," he says. Gani is currently DIG, CID in Jammu and Kashmir Police. Faisal's younger brother Shah Nawaz is also a doctor while his younger sister Talat Shah is a library assistant.

Samay Live:

Overcoming all ordeal and militancy atmosphere in the valley, Kupwara boy Shah Faesal has topped the list of three-phase Indian Administrative Service (IAS) 2009.
Dr Faesal also become the first Kashmiri to top the Civil Services examination.
His success will also set an example in the valley. Faesal belongs to Kupwara district of Kashmir, which is believed to be militancy gate.
The 26-year-old MBBS graduate, who topped the list of 875 successful candidates, said that he was not the first Kashmiri to achieve the milestone he was also second Muslim in the history to achieve the feet.
It was celebration at Faesal’s hometown and his family members were seen distributing sweets.
Faesal said that it was not only cracking Civil Services, the highest job in India, but it was battle against the all odds.
His family moved to Srinagar from Sogam village in Kupwara after brutal murder of his father in 2003. His father Ghulam Rasool was a schoolteacher and well-known personality in the village. He fell prey to militancy bullets without any reason.
After father’s death, Faesal’s family left their native place for never to return.
Faesal’s mother is also a schoolteacher and she said, “I am happy that he achieved his dream.”
Despite his science background, Faesal had chosen Urdu literature and public administration as his optional subjects for the civil service exam.
Faesal's success will also inspire talents in the valley and they will help Kashmir to join the mainstream of society.

Indian Express:

Shah Faisal dreamed big. In a state where few go in for civil services, the 27-year-old put his medical career on hold to appear for the examination. Today, as the results came in, his name was at the top — a giant leap for a boy from a government school in a remote village, whose father was killed by militants, and a big, big step for Kashmir.
“There was nothing in my background that would make anybody think I can achieve this,” a jubilant Faisal, who had been hoping to be among the top 50, said today. “But I did it. So can thousands of other students with similar difficult backgrounds.”
“It is not only my own success,” he adds. “I feel I have broken the jinx that Kashmiri students cannot reach the top. I am the first from J&K to top this examination and I am sure my story will become a model for our students who fear to dream big. I am an orphan with a scarred childhood. There was a tragedy in my family, my father was killed. I was raised by my mother who is a schoolteacher. I belong to a far-flung village in Lolab and I studied in a government school.”

Faisal says he was motivated by the idea of “doing more than what forms success in Kashmir”. The civil services examination is not something Kashmiri students generally opt for. “So I thought to make an attempt...”
The first person he called up on learning about the results, at 3 am today, was his mother. Mubeena Begum hasn’t had an easy life. After her husband, Ghulam Rasool Shah, a schoolteacher, was killed by “unidentified gunmen” eight years ago in Sheikhnar village, located in frontier Kupwara district, she migrated to Srinagar with her three young children for a better life. She raised Faisal and his siblings on her schoolteacher salary.
For her, the news of Faisal’s success was “like a new birth”. While he had always been an achiever, Mubeena didn’t expect him to do this well. “I didn’t see him with books all the time. He did study but in a very normal way,” she says.
What the family had no doubts about was Faisal’s determination to become an IAS officer and to do something for the state. “He always wanted to do something big. Even after qualifying for MBBS, he didn’t seem satisfied. It was his passion to qualify for the civil services exam. He would store photographs of Kashmiri IAS officers in his cellphone,” Mubeena says.
Faisal’s one regret is that his father isn’t around to savour his success. “I’m missing him today... He taught me that I could take on any challenge, only if I work hard. He was my guide and my teacher and can you imagine, the basics that he taught me in Class XI came as a big help during the (Civil Services) preliminary (examination).”
Faisal didn’t take any formal coaching for the exam. “I took Public Administration as a subject and for sometime studied geography too. But then I decided to study Urdu literature. I an emotionally attached to the language.”
While he put his doctor’s training aside to prepare for the exam — unheard of in a state where medicine and engineering are among the most coveted professions — Faisal picked up another vocation in the meantime. He is also an active RTI activist.
Among those who inspired him to take the civil services exam were his late maternal grandfather Mohammad Maqbool Wani. He qualified for the Indian Forest Service 45 years ago, but disappeared while on his way for training. “We never heard of him again,” Faisal says. “But my mother always talked about him during my childhood and the family was proud that he had qualified. I think that pride with which my mother remembered my uncle became a reason for my interest.”
Abdul Gain Mir, who qualified for IPS in 1994 and belongs to Kupwara too, was also a big inspiration and kept motivating Faisal. A Deputy Inspector General now, Mir is a delighted man. “Faisal has made all of us proud... His success has sent a clear message that there is no dearth of talent in Kashmir,” he says.
Equally proud is Khursheed Ganai, who in 1981 stood second in the civil services exam — the highest rank for anybody from J&K till today’s results. Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah now, Ganai says he hopes more from the Valley take the exam inspired by Faisal, calling it “the need of the hour”. “I hope his success does what mine couldn’t.”

The Hindu:

Transforming a hurdle into an opportunity, Dr. Shah Faesal coped with personal tragedy to become the first from Kashmir to top the Union Public Service Commission 2009 examinations.
The untimely death of his father in 2002 at the hands of “unidentified militants” days before his Pre-Medical Test did not deter Dr. Faesal from clearing the examination or becoming the first candidate from Kashmir in several years to be selected to the Indian Administrative Service through open merit.
Dr.Faisal, who turns 27 on May 17, was only 19 when his father, a teacher, was killed in Kupwara.
As friends, well-wishers and the media on Thursday thronged the Hamdard Study Circle premises here, where the doctor took coaching for the Civil Services examination, Dr. Faesal said: “I had only two choices — to be bogged down or to stand up and face the challenge.”
A festive atmosphere prevailed as Dr. Faesal, attired in brown formals, articulated himself in well thought-out and measured words, surrounded by people eager to shake hands with him and present him sweets.
Asked why he chose not to pursue medicine, he said: “I felt that I could not have made a change by being at a hospital and wanted to work with the government.”
For the Prelims, Dr. Faesal chose Public Administration. He chose Public Administration and Literature of Urdu Language for the Mains.
Appearing resolved about which service he wanted to get into, Dr. Faesal said: “I have chosen the Indian Administrative Service already.”
He would like to serve from Kashmir, as he was familiar with the environment and had a vision for it. However, he would not mind serving in any part of the country.

Topper's Strategy by Dr. Basant Garg

2008-08-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Without Hard Work Strategy Won’t Take You anywhere

Dr. Basant Garg
All India Rank - 2 C.S. Exam. 2004

Dr. Basant Garg was in his best spirit when Team Chronicle visited him. He opened his heart on Strategy, Optionals, coaching, writing style, background and a number of other factors deciding one’s fate in this endurance test, i.e. C.S. Exam. Read on...

Q. Tell us about your academic background?
A. I am a medical graduate from Punjab University, Chandigarh. I joined in 1999 and just completed in December 2004.

Q. When did you first dream about the I.A.S. Examination?
A. Infact, right from the childhood I had dream to become an I.A.S. Officer. When cousin Dr. Amarjeet Garg cleared this exam in 1998, I started drawing roadmap for this examination. And finally sure to prefer this career.

Q. When did you start your preparation? This exam is supposed to be very tough in nature?
A. I started my preparation three years back when I was doing MBBS. When I spoke to my cousin and other people, I got the idea that the nature of exam demands extensive as well as intensive preparations. It required focused attention. Three years back I started preparation and adopted scientific method. I was utilising two hours a day at the institute and 2-3 hours in self-study. This was my routine since I planned to take up the exam, and selected Medical Science as my first Optionals.

Q. What should be the criteria to choose optional papers?
A. I think, interest, background, materials available and your ability to handle the vastness of the course are the criteria to opt the optional subjects.

Q. Can you explain how did you prepare your Prelims?
A. I got about 4 months to prepare, out of which I utilised 31/2 months for Medical Science because I subscribe the view that optional is more marks-fetching and crucial. For general studies, I was very selective in Polity and History. Economics, I studied extensively. Notes of an institute were quite helpful. For the current affairs. The Hindu and Frontline was sufficient. I did not study Geography. My performance in Geography was very poor. I did 5 out of 30 questions. I was confident of Science and Mental Ability. My target was to get 85-90, correct out of 150. For Prelims, I too help of an institute. For some section I relied solely on the notes of the institute. Apart from that I took help of the Abhimanyu I.A.S. Study group. One book that helped me a lot was Hind Year Book 2004. It was very helpful for Current Affairs. I spare more time for the optional.

Q. Did you prepare any notes?
A. I got notes of Sri Ram IAS. I am not in the habit of preparing notes.

Q. What was your second optional and why did you opt that?
A. My second optional was Zoology. It was very much related to my field. My mother is a lecturer of Zoology, she helped me a lot One of my cousins had appeared in Civil Services with Zoology as an optional, so I utilised his notes also.

Q. Is strategy more important than hard work?
A. Without hard-work, strategy won’t take you any way. But I can say that everyone puts their hard work, those who have strategy also are successful. Hard work builds the base and strategy builds the building over it.

Q. What is your advice to the fresher about opting Optionals.
A. Plan in advance. Try to get as much information about your optional as you can.

Q. To what extent writing style matters in the main exam?
A. Try to give the crux and convey what you want to convey in the answers. Strict to word limits. But I was always short of the word limits.

Q. How did you prepare for Essay paper?
A. It gets prepare by itself. You should have moderate control over language and grammar. When you prepare for GS mains, you automatically et prepared for essay as well. I attempted ‘Globalisation and its impact on India’, which I wrote in approximately 1400 words. I covered historical, social and economic aspects of this topic.

Q. Do urban background students have an advantage?
A. Yes, I do agree. English educated students have an advantage.

Q. How was your Interview?
A. It was Mr. Nawada Wala’s Board. It was stress free. The Board was very cordial. My interview lasted for 30 minutes. The chairman started the questions from the medical field like human cloning. Other members asked me about FDI, Indo-Nepal relation, human right in Punjab, electricity reform policy etc. It ended on a hilarious note and at no point of time they made me feel nervous. It went in smiling and I came out smiling. At one point while answering on post-terrorism Punjab I felt my answer was not adequate.

Q. What was your greatest mistake?
A. Everything went so well that I am not able to think of any mistake now, may be when I think about later I can find the mistake. Not to study Geography for General Studies was one mistake.

Q. When did you plan to take up civil services exam? How did you proceed?
A. When I was about to complete my MBBS. Initially started by own, then I joined an institute in Chandigarh and Delhi. Last year I was in Job. Whatever time I got free, devoted to the exam. I was an extensive exercise.

Q. What were your Optionals? Why did you opt the same?
A. Medical Science and Psychology. Medical Science as natural optional and Psychology was interesting, and was scoring too.

Q. What was your strategy to crack the exam?
A. In prelims focus was on optional rather than general studies and got command over large section of the syllabus. I studied fine study material. I tried to cover maximum issues and topics from standard text books. For general studies I consulted standard and conventional books and did practice last ten years questions. Time management was very crucial for me since I was in job. For prelims my prime target was to cover maximum topics of optional because it is more scoring. During preparation for main examination I tried maintain equilibrium between Optionals and general studies. It was very difficult to manage time during main exam. For Essay, I did little preparation. I prepared few topics and was lucky to get those very topics in the exam.

Q. How did you plan for General Studies?
A. I consulted standard books and practiced questions asked in previous years. I tried to improve upon areas I was not well in previous exams like Statistics, Economics and History. I studied very standard books lime D.D. Basu for Polity, Bipin Chandra for Modern History. For Geography I read conventional stranded textbooks.

Q. Your approach was of extensive study or followed intensive study method?
A. It was combination of both. Certain topics require extensive study, while others require intensive study.

Q. What was your strategy for main examination?
A. I started preparing general studies immediately taking prelims. My Psychology was already prepared. I has scored 355 marks in previous attempt. So, main stress was on Medical Science and a little bit on essay.

Q. How did you plan for essay?
A. For Essay, I did little effort. But I focused on only few themes. Like Indian democracy, Judicial activism etc. For essay my luck favoured.

Q. Tell us about your interview session?
A. An interview is the final stage of the show. For interview, I joined certain coaching institutes in Delhi and locally also. I seriously interpreted the feedback given to me during mock interview sessions and I tried to overcome by shortfall in very next mock interview. I was the last candidate to be interviewed and It was in the board of Madam Parveen Talha. It lasted for twenty minute. The board was very cordial. They asked various questions like on my job, about Mughal garden, Mughal architecture and other architectures. I was asked to compare different architecture. I had very little knowledge. I was answering in like ‘I don’t know’ because I was unable to answer. Other questions related to my field of medical profession and certain situational questions were asked. I handled intelligently those questions.

Q. Did you feel nervous at any point of time during interview?
A. No, the prepared in such a manner that nervousness was not part of my personality. I handled all the questions confidently and nervousness was nowhere. When I was waiting for my interview, I thought that board members have to select me and I have to just support them.

Q. What should coaching classes you attended?
A. The coaching institutes provide basic framework on which a person has to go. They give the basic idea and they also help you to decide which areas are to be focused, and which section has to show less interest. Then, it depends on your personal efforts and approach.
When asked about choosing right coaching institute one should decide on the credibility of an institute. Mr. Ravindran helped me to a great extent.

Q. What was your biggest mistake?
A. I should have taken it more seriously earlier also.

Q. What is your suggestion for fresher regarding selection of optional subjects?
A. In choosing optional subject one should keep in mind his background and interest. In addition, one should also concentrate on the availability of materials, coaching, notes, guidance etc. If a person has real interest he can crack the exam even if the optional chosen does not showing good trend.

Q. This was your fourth attempt. Tell us about previous attempts?
A. I was not very serious during first attempt, I appeared just to see the pattern of the examination. During the second attempt I planned in skillful manner. I faced the interview. Similarly in the third attempt faced the board but the rank I got was not satisfactory. So, I made up my mind again. I knew my weaknesses and planned accordingly. I was expecting a good rank in the final attempt and the result is before you. (Reproduced from Chronicle magazine)

[IAS prelims notes and study material for freshers. Career Quest Education provides quality material. You can get the notes and kit at www.studykit.blogspot.com or send sms to 09811 29 9811]

Topper's Mantra: Suja K.

2008-08-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

Choose Subject with Which You are Comfortable

Suja K.
All India Rank - 4 C.S. Exam. 2004

‘The trait of enjoying the process of learning and finding pleasure in the acquisition of knowledge should be cultivated from the early beginning. The solid preparation can begin later, may be one year before the exam. But, it is good to know if only really wants it right from the school, college days.” Says Suja K. All India Rank - 4 C.S., Exam. 2004.

Congratulation on your success. Having met your ambition now, what role do you visuals for yourself in context of the nation, society at large and your family?I see myself doing my own bit of Science that I can in building an India, that has stronger economic ties with other nations, an India whose economic aspirations receive priority over political consideration. As a responsible individual. I will express my gratitude to the family and society that have groomed me by delivering them with all the best things which are within my reach.

Whom would you give credit for your success? Your secret of success?To my family members who have always allowed me to carry on with my over aspirations, who have never pressurized me to do anything what they wanted, who have genuinely helped me to achieve all that I have achieved. Yes, the credit goes to my sweet parents, grand mother and uncle.

How much time did you devote for(i) Prelims 1 year (GS was given more attention).
(ii) Mains 21/2 months (after declaration of Prelims result).
(iii) Interview nearly 20 days.

Did you integrate Prelims & Mains preparation or was ti separate?It was separate.

Which magazines & newspapers did you concentrate on? Did you get any help from Civil Services Chronicle?The Hindu, The Economic Times, Yojana, CSC etc. I was not a regular subscriber of any magazine. But I found it to be a handicap while preparing for mains.

What were your Optionals in Prelims & Mains? What was your basis of selecting them?Prelims - Economics
Mains - Economics & Malayalam Literature.
I was familiar and extremely comfortable with both the subject.

Which books did you refer for Optionals & GS in Prelims and Mains?GS : Prelims (Spectrum’s Books, India Year Book).
GS : Mains (Spectrum’s Book on Eng. T., Indian Geography, Polity, History etc.), Economics (Prelims).
Economy Survey, graduation notes, scum series work books, Books on various branches of Economics by Indian authors.
Economics (Mains)
Public Finance (Bhatia)
Micro & Micro Economics (Ahuja)
International Trade (Ravi Batra)
Development Economics (Debraj Raj, Thirwal & Missa & Puri)
Malayalam Literature
Sahitya Charithaam (KM George)
Indian Economy (Missa & Puri Dutt & Sundharam)
Karitha Charithaam (Leelavethi)

Did you make notes? Are they useful? What is your advise on note-making?
I was not good at making notes. But I used to note down the points. It has helped a lot especially for Prelims. I find it is good to do that when one is reading. It saves a lot of time in the end.

Did you feel any change in the trend of questions? When you appeared for the first time in the exam did you feel any change in question-trend in comparison to what you had anticipated? Comment on trend day in comparison to 5 to 10 years earlier.There is a change in the trend of questions - Questions are becoming more and more analytical. Prelims has also been made together in the sense even if you knew two matches for sure out of sure, you cannot guess the correct match unless & until you know all four.

Did you attend any coaching institute? What is your over all opinion about the coaching institutes?No, Attending Coaching Institutes are not a pre-requisite.

When should one ideally begin thinking about and preparing for this exam?The trait of enjoying the process of learning and finding pleasure in the acquisition of knowledge should be cultivated from the early beginning. The solid preparation can begin later, may be one year before the exam. But, it is good to know if one really wants it right from the school, college days.

Do you believe writing style matters in the examination? What are your suggestions?
It may matter to some extent in all papers in the sense that you should ....... what you want to convey in a precise way, to the point. Flowery language is not advisable even for the essay paper writing point-wise can be useful for some questions.

Q. What is your opinion on time management for preparation and in the actual exam?A. It is very important, especially when one is taking GS-II. It is good to give a fair deal to all questions rather than writing too much on some questions you know well and leaving out the rest. Keep up the word limit.

What is your observation on(a) Disadvantage to Rural background candidates in this exam.
Accessibility to relevant materials may be a problem. If there is a factual doubt, through Internet, it can be easily cleared. In rural areas, this may be a problems. Searching things manually may waste a lot to time.
(b) Advantage to Professional and Technocrats qualifying in greater number.
It is easy for Technocrats to study humanities, but not the other way round .... GS contains questions from both, it may prove to be an advantage for them. As far as Optionals go, there is no difference, I believe between technocrats & others.
(c) Advantage to students of public school and top universities.
The atmosphere, discussions with friends, the peer-group frame work etc. may help. Interactions within such group may be an advantage.

What should be the strategy to maximise one’s score in essay paper?Do not quote. Be personal and original. Do not use flowery language. Look at the issue from all angles. There should be a flow. Choosing of topic is also important.

Before getting down to actual preparation, what kind of reading should one do to prepare one’s suitability for this exam?
Quiz Books, GK Books, Previous issues of various magazines etc. give a feel of the knowledge that one is trying to acquire.

What is your advise to(i) Freshers who are going to appear for the first time.
Read the instructions carefully Do not be in a hurry. Be relaxed. First attempt should be the best attempt.
(ii) Candidates who cannot decide upon Optionals.
Choose those subjects with which you are comfortable and you would enjoy reading it. There is nothing called a scoring optional. Do not be misled by this idea.
(iii) Those who have failed in this exam.
Whatever happens in life, happens for good... You might be wanted else where... Not clearing this exam should not be a dead-end... All people have failed to some point in their life...

Tell us something about your interview? Did you feel nervous in the exam?It is an experience which I was worried about since my college days, but when it actually happened, it turned out to be wonderful.. I was very nervous before the actual interview and I was not satisfied after it was over... But I was relaxed when it was happening.

What was the biggest mistake you made in this exam?
That I wasted my time in between Prelims Exam and declaration of result. That I wrote my Roll No : in the precise-Sheet which I was not supposed to do.

When were you introduced to CSC for the first time? As a reader what do you think are the strong points in CSC and in which segment do you visualise a room for improvement?In my M.A. days. The expected questions a mains is extremely useful.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

Success Formula!

2008-04-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

" Planned Studies,
Hard Work and INNER motivation
are the Keys to Success "

Mr. Sorabh Babu Maheshwari
AIR 1 Civil Services Examination, 1999-2000.
Age -23. He has done B.E. (Mech.)

* Secret of success
There are myriad of factors responsible; to sum up God’s grace, family’s support and encouragement, planned studies, hard work, inner motivation can be cited as the main factors.

* Time requires for serious preparation

Atleast one year of serious dedicated preparation.

*Interview Board
Questions posed before a candidate are very well framed and answers to them should be made taking into consideration all possible views and a balanced approach is expected from a candidate.

* Advice to the future aspirants

The path towards this coveted service passes through many ups and downs. To carry oneself along these pulls and pushes requires strong inner motivation and decision to aspire for Civil Services should come from within.

* Civil Services as career

The unique blend of service opportunities which Civil Services offers. Diversity of job, being a party in policy implementation, bigger responsibilities, social esteem and to do good to common masses were some factors which made me to go in for Civil Services.

* My Optionals

Mathematics for Prelims; Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering for Mains. Having studied Mechanical Engg. in my graduation for 4 years, I found it a natural choice and I felt quite comfortable with Mathematics.

* Preparation of Compulsory papers
I made a list of topics to be read, then gave them a priority based on their importance and started from the top giving due time to each of them. This approach was mandatorv for me as I am already in job and did not have ample time.

* Selective, intensive study and wide, extensive study
Wide extensive study should be followed by selective intensive study.

Few Words.....

The path to the coveted Civil Services is full of ups and downs and is a highly uneven track to traverse. Before taking a decision about Civil Services as your career, it is expedient to check up oneself and remain determined after wards.

The first and foremost thing to decide while aspiring for Civil Services is the judicious choice subjects for the Prelims and the Mains. This is the most important and first step of your journey and should be accomplished most carefully as coming things hinge on it and a wrong decision may prove to be disastrous.

Careful analysis of syllabus, previous years’ papers, your calibre, requirement of subject (Visionary, Numerical, Theoretical), comfort level with the subject and past trends should be done. Advice from seniors and fellow candidates should also be sought. To avoid dithering in choice at later stage, initial deep thinking and consultations are a must. Having decided the subject, it is advisable to stick to your choice even if the perception of others about it is not favourable.

Preparation for General Studies can be done hand in hand while preparing for Optional papers. Good mix of study hours for General Studies and Optionals makes study enjoyable and it becomes easy to sustain for long hours without losing interest and enthusiasm. Before Prelims result, one Optional can be exhaustively prepared so as to have an edge during study for the Mains and also to ease out burden during these busy days.

General Studies, though does not have any limits, yet syllabus as outlined by UPSC gives quite good understanding of the question paper. General tendency about General Studies paper is to devote much more time on unproductive readings which, in reality yields little returns.

Concentrate on what is more probable, followed by probable, then less probable if time permits. Even if you do not cover less probable ones, you are not at much o floss. So, be secure and study systematically. Being a regular reader of newspapers n magazines gives good command and writing skill, hence, this should be made a habit.

Trend now-a-days has shifted more towards current issues, hence a thorough awareness of recent happenings is mandatory. one you achieve the threshold in General Studies, more efforts should be put on Optionals (Especially in Prelims) as it is more scoring and is the hub of success.
For Mains, syllabus is quite beautifully elaborated and we know beforehand the study topics. Ready reference material as published in some magazines is of great help. I believe that the preamble of UPSC Question Paper are the instructions on the front page of the paper.

Give some time in reading the instructions and follow them. By doing this, you are averting a possible source of error which could creep in if you do not read them.

Follow the world-limit as prescribed at the end of the question to the extent possible. Try to confine your answer within that limit, never exceed it. The art to express many contrasting views in a confined word space comes through practice, so practise some previous years’ question papers. Be your own while writing, never try to imitate anybody. Your expression needs try to be limited yet comprehensive while writing General Studies paper.

In Essay paper, your imagination can reach zenith but with a purpose, never divert from the main topic. To ensure, work out the sub-titles, rearrange them if necessary and once you are satisfied with the rough work, elaborate are satisfied with the rough work, elaborate on this outline after wards.

There is no standard word-limit yet. What one can effectively write in 3-hour duration is good enough length. My essay consisted of approx 2500 words. Conclusion should be drawn only at the end, take a balanced approach and write whatever good comes to your mind at the end, take a balanced approach and write what ever good comes to your mind at the moment. Devote initial 40-46 minutes on preparing rough outline. Next 2 hours for writing inflow and last 15-20 minuets for review and corrections.

Approach to Optional paper is not universal and is individual specific, adopt such strategy which you are comfortable with and which fits into your constraints. Since, I am working with maruti Udyog, I did not have plenty of time as against my fellow candidates. I had to evolve and finetune my strategy to cover up such a huge Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics syllabi apart from General Studies & essay.

"How to write an answer" is equally vital for Mechanical Engineering/Mathematics paper as it is for General Studies & Essay. Students sometimes ignore basics and it costs much. Before proceeding, state all the assumptions involve and try to give minutes plausible details, adopt step0by-step approach, see that no vital step is left in between, as these steps are the links and missing or weak links can never ensure good strength of the answer, so be careful about it. All this sequential and systematic answering comes through a lot of practice and analysis of standard answers. Simulate the actual examination hours at home to judge your performance and to plug any loopholes.

For the Personality Test one should better form a group of 3-4 people as the preparation for Interview cannot be done in isolation. All would agree that personality is a life-time asset and expecting miraculous alterations in personality in a span of a few days or weeks is not possible. Yet, efforts can be made to overcome major deficiency and polish p views and opinions.

Remember, no one is omniscient and non-awareness of something should be admitted with politeness. Only those people learn who have urge to change are willing to accept new ideologies. If at any point of time, you could show that your approach is flexible an amenable the world is yours. It is better to say ‘No’ than to bluff around. Those interviewing are highly experienced persons and know much better than us, therefore one should be expressed only if asked so, never start giving history of an issue, unless asked to do so. Of the question put is not clear t you, politely ask for more information. It is not the factual knowledge but your views which are on test. Always observe interview etiquette and be honest, polite, convincing an modest. Arrogance, rigidity, flicking round the issue should be avoided.

A lot depends upon the Almighty, so pray often. Be self confident but not complacent, honest, motivated, have patience and be optimistic. Work hard as there is no short-cut to success and hard work never goes unrewarded. I would like to quote Swami Vivekanand (often my eldest brother reminds me of it): Arise awake and rest not till the goal is achieved. There are many ups and downs during the course. It is the ‘downs’ which need to be tackled more vigorously and skillfully, it is when a person’s qualities are on test and they emerge as winners who have these qualities. To cite my example, I was often told that it is just impossible to think for IAS while working. I was advised sometimes even to quit the job. Yet, I managed to come out with flying colours despite all these hiccups’ kudos to good planning, my faith in Almighty, parents’ blessing, hard work and God’s grace. I have read somewhere that winners are those who manage their hardships effectively and do learn from our mistakes makes us successful. Never feel depressed, self confidence and inner strength are the two basic requirements for anybody to appear in this examination. Believe in yourself. You are your own best judge and you know which areas are weak and nee reinforcement. General perception around the Civil Services aspirants regarding Mechanical Engineering is highly discourage yet I took it and got success. So never get carried away by others. End.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

"Profound Faith In God, Strong Will Power and
Dogged Pursuit Do Bear Fruit"
- Ms. Manju Rajpal, IAS Topper Among Women 2000

"Winners don’t do different things, but they do the things differently" - these lines appearing in the Preface of Shiv Khera’s Book "You Can With" touch the very fathom of success or failure in life. There are no roses always strewn on the path of those moving towards their goal in life; instead the thorns in the way is the biggest truth of life. I never agree with those who think failure s synonymous with lick. Every sweat of your brow through hard work bears the splendour of your bright career and this ensures your Golden Tomorrow.

Those who keep faith in their capabilities, shape their future with their own deeds. We have t take exam/test at every step f life. Therefore, whether it is a competitive exam or a sundry struggle in day-to-day life, till you have the high aim of standing first or coming out victorious therein, the pinnacle of success remains a distance dream.

The first step towards success is to choose your goal honestly and thereafter to make dedicated efforts backed by strong determination t achieve it. By honesty, I mean that incases you are selecting Civil Services s your career, the first quest ion that you should put to yourself is: Whether you want to become the same of which you are making efforts. It is very easy to inherit a dream, an aspiration or a goal but to muster courage to convert it into reality is surely a difficult task. Therefore, if father desires, mother has a dream or it is a pressure from your social circle or family that you have to be a shining star in the firmament of civil Services but you are planning, for your job satisfaction, quite a different a career for you, my advice to you would be to reconsider your decision for making Civil Services as your goal. If the decision to join Civil Services is your own, then assess your suitability in the context of your capabilities to see whether you passes the requisite self-confidence, dedicated efforts, strong determination and commitment; the reason being that the lack of constant and hardwork leading to initial setback or failure to achieve the desired success engulfs the whole personality into darkness. If your decision is backed by an honest assessment of positive aspect of your capacity or capability, then proceed towards your goal in right direction and, believe me no obstacle on the way can ever waver you from your path. By right direction; I mean that if you want to ensure your success in Civil Services, then it is desirable to make a right selection of study material.

I have seen many candidates studying a lot which is hardly necessary. Therefore, don’t waste your energy. Take a decision on the basis of the nature of your Optionals whether extensive or intensive study is required. Always use authentic and dependable study material brought out by standard publishers.

You must be quite serious in the selection of your subjects. Some subjects are considered scoring and that the chances of success therein are rated quite high. This is a wrong method of subject-selection. Subject-selection should be always based on your interest in the subject, availability of study material and your ability to understand the nature of the subject as a first reaction, better evaluate your deficiencies in the subject and try to remove them.

In my opinion, keeping in view the moral disequilibrium and fall in performance level as a result of such frequent change of subjects, it is better to stick to your original after rectifying your drawbacks. Preparation for civil Services demands right time-management. If there is something more valuables than time, it is ‘Time’ only. Therefore, instead of wasting the interlude between completion of prelims exam and its results, prepare at least one Optional, assuming that you would be successful in the exam.

Then at the time for General Studies and the other Optional. At the same time, one of the criteria for selection for Civil Service is that how for a candidate succeeds in expressing himself through originality of thoughts; excellence and analytical presentation via effective writing. An indepth study of the subject is desirable but there is a world of difference between "knowing all" and "effective presentation of requisite knowledge". Therefore, make constant efforts to develop your expressive power.

Keep your self-confidence intact while appearing for the Prelims and the Mains, then only you can attempt the Question Paper in a reasonably logical way. Select Questions after utmost thought and instead of making hurry in answering the questions, it is better to understand their true content.

In prelims, while it may be alright to answer objective questions on the basis of intelligent guesswork but in the Mains, logical and fact-based and to the point answer are desirable. In General Studies, if you do not know the answer to a particular question, it is risky to attempt it with guess work or on the basis of wrong information.

While selection topics in the Essay Paper, always be careful that it should contain not only factual or informative data but there should also be analytical presentation. During interview, keep in view that no Training institute can improve your personality completely although some of these Institutes provide an avenue to be helpful through well-planned preparation and Group Discussions. During Interview, keep in mind that the members of the Board are more experienced than you; therefore, an attempt of focus your personality is to invite risk.

Whatever you are, keeping faith in yourself, have a balanced view of the questions put to you. Have faith in life and have positive outlook towards various developments; thereby you acquire the moral prop to face difficulties To sum up:- (No mater whether you take only a few steps, Go on your chosen pathwith positive state of mind, Your destination will reach you automatically: O grumbler with your forethought and planning, You can even change your destiny) you will find that a stone" thrown up with right intent could make a hole in the sky".

"Hard Work, Focussed Approach And
Faith In God Are Instrumental
In Achieving Your Goal"
- Santosh Kumar Misra, IAS Topper 2000 (2nd Rank)

1. Focus on Mains : Always target the Mains Exam and make passing the Prelims a critical but incidental objective. If you always focus on Prelims result and don’t think of Mains till the Prelims result are out, you will end up as a loser because there is hardly any time left for a thorough preparation. So always aim at the Mains.

2. Revision is a must : Always remember "anything you could not revise prior to the examination is as good as not having prepared at all" So always make sure that you’re able to revise whatever you’ve prepared just prior to the examination.

3. Practice, Practice and Practice (Especially for maths) : Go through the unsolved papers of the previous years and solve them. Try to monitor you speed. Speed is of utmost importance in this examination

4. Have a Small Group : Preparing alone is extremely boring and at times frustrating. So form a small group with your friends, and have regular discussions, e.g. in History, Polity, etc. it helps to keep your tempo up.

5. ‘Dare-to-Bare’ Attitude for your Personality Test : Given the extremely short time (25-30 minutes) in which your personality is assessed, it is your responsibility to bring out your very best in front of the board. This should be done in a very modest way and it should not appear as if you are boasting. The risk in baring yourself in front of the board is that you will also be exhibiting your weakness. So do it in a pre-planned and well-planned way.

6. General Do’s & Don’ts for the Interview:
(i) Be utmost respectful to the board. They are usually very senior and learned people.
(ii) Have no biases for any Board . Don’t go by any stories doing rounds in your campus corridors.
(iii) Never make any sweeping statement
(iv) Accept your mistakes boldly.

7. Overall : Be patient and maintain your pace. This examination is all about tenacity and perseverance. Don’t lose heart and work hard. Your efforts are bound to succeed.

8. Suggested study Time-Table: Say you are appearing in Civil Services Examination, 2001. Here is how I recommend going about it:
(i) Start in December 2000
(ii) December 200-February 2001: Finish your Optional (i.e., the Optional other than the one you’re taking in the Prelims.
(iii) March & April 2001) : Devote fully to the Preparation of Optional 1 (i.e., the subject you’ll opt in the prelims) thoroughly.
(iv) May 2001 should be spent exclusively for Prelims. A selective and precise coverage of syllabus is required.
(v) For General Studies in Prelims, all you need is a collection of Competition Success Review issues from December to May. Just go through them and try to pick as many facts as you can. Also solve the previous years’ General Studies Prelims and Model Papers published in competition Success Review.
(vi) Take a break after the Prelims for 10-15 days. Relax and re-energise yourself for the last four months of the year-long battle.
(vii) Complete the Optional-1 where you left it at the time of Prelims. This should be done by the middle of July.
(viii)Give second half of July and August to your Optional -2, once again.
(ix) Prepare all your General Studies including current events in September and leave October for Revision.
(x) After your Mains are over, take a break for say a month or so. Just keep reading Newspaper/Magazines (Hindu & Frontline’s international events are a good combination). You should be in touch with magazine like Competition Success Review.
(xi) From January you should start preparing for your round two. Prepare the topics you could not do in your lst attempt and try to cover any, new areas where you feel you were weak. By March , you should be fully prepare to tackle the Mains once again (hopefully you won’t need it, still it pays to be prepared).
(xii) In March the results come out and immediately afterwards you should start your interview preparation. Interview : Interview preparation does not require one to stuff oneself with facts, ability to analyse and to critically examine an issue is what actually counts. Facts you may not know and there is no harm in saying so to the Board but you must be able to think laterally and analyse all dimensions of the topic under consideration. Speak honestly, truthfully and with modesty. Understand the questions before answering them and clarify the points if you did not understand them. Many a time what happens is that your answer is misinterpreted, so do not hesitate in clarifying it. Framing your own questions and answering them (especially recording them on to a tape and listening them) is a very useful technique, if you don’t feel confident. Otherwise also it is extremely helpful in making a correct choice of words while answering a question. End.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

Useful Blogs for IAS Preparation

www.IASarticles.blogspot.com

www.currentgs.blogspot.com

www.IASplanner.blogspot.com

"Hard Work, Good Planning,
positive Approach and Faith
In God Ensure Success"
- Vinod K.Jacob, IAS Topper 2000 (5th Rank)

A civil servant is one of the most balanced and normal personalities in a country. He/she need not be an expert, a genius or a super-specialist, he/she has to be an average man/woman of pleasing nature and personality with a flair for leadership and administration. This dictum should guide every IAS aspirant throughout the 3 stages- Prelims, Mains and Interview. A 10 to 14 months programme is a must for this Exam. One should not attempt the first Prelims as a trial.

The first attempt ought to be the best attempt. Preparation should be focussed on the Mains 3 months solely devoted to Prelims. Choice of Optional should be the first step the choice should rest solely on aptitude and bent of mind. The study should begin with understanding of the first principles and the basics. One should refer only to the standard text-books and noted classics in the concerned subjects. Preparation for Mains should not be on the basis of past years’ Questions papers only. First, complete the syllabus and then one month preceding the Mains, practise with the help previous years’ papers. I feel that it is the performance in General Studies paper that tilts the scales.

My observation has been that he candidates are extremely thorough with their Optionals and level of knowledge is improving s the years pass by. Hence General Studies alone makes or mars one’s chances. Likewise, one has to practise writing good essays. Writing and presentation skills count for much. English paper and Language paper are no easy sailing affairs. I could not succeed in my first attempt (1998) because I failed in Hindi compulsory paper. So it is always advisable to brush up one’s grammar and vocabulary. Making notes, keeping paper cuttings, regular map reading and group discussions are a must. Keeping focussed is often a tall exercise but with the help of our family and few reliable friends we can always recharge our betteries and stay on course.

Prelims: A three-month exclusive preparation for Prelims is a must. For the subject paper, the whole syllabus should be thoroughly studied, revise, re-revised and mastered. No part can be afforded to be overlooked. No part can be afforded to be overlooked. For General Studied, one has to go through NCERT books and the Hindu and Frontline. Many of the questions can be answered through intelligent guesses. Remember, first complete al mental ability questions and then go onto the rest.
P.S. : The subject is more important than G.S. hence, spend more time on the subject.

Mains : On an average atleast 6 to 8 hours of study a day is a must. I used to take off and Sundays but used to spend 2 hours reading the Hindu even Sundays. All papers should be prepared simultaneously. Equal importance should be given to all papers. One should always stick to the word limit. In case of long answers, do not write more than 500 words. Never take an aggressive stand while attempting your Essay papers. Explain all the differing and opposing schools of thought and with logical reasoning explain your viewpoint.
Target : 1150 to 1250/2000. General Studies, I believe, makes or mars your chances.

Interview : A civil servant is not born. But he is not made one overnight. Hence, one should aim at projection an optimistic outlook. Humility is a quality that has no peers. Our arguments should not resemble rhetoric but should be persuasive. Taking part in debates and extempores is a must. I even took classes in Law in my M.L. one should spend atleast 2 hours a day in reading the newspapers. One should be prepared for analysing any issue of current importance. But, we should never try to give ad.hoc or quick.fix solutions. Remember, stalling for time is a very good way of overcoming a problem. In Civil Services Examination, Emotional Quotient (E. Q.) is as important as I.Q. hence, you should stay focussed, calm, patient and in a proper frame of mind. Remember, he who rules the mind is greater than he who rules the city.

"Dedication, Time Management &
Hard Work : Secrets Of My Success"
- Ms. Bhawna Garg, IAS Topper 1999

For the Civil Services Exam, a very different kind of approach is required. There are three stages in this Exam Preparation -Though, work, then deed, and not anyone of them being less important than other.

With the number of vacancies dwindling each year an the competition getting tougher and at the same time, the number of aspirant increasing- this year around three lakh students has appeared, one must consider all the pros and cons of the situation, before jumping into th fray.
You have to be self-motivated. I would like to remind the aspirants the words of Swamy Vivekananda. "Stand up, be bold and take the whole responsibility on your shoulders and know that you are creator of your own density. All the strength and success that you want are within yourself." Once having decided about going in for the exam, it must be atleast a year before you ought to be appearing for the Prelims.

I decided sometimes in January 97 during my sixth Semester at IIT Kanpur. Then comes the stage as to what is required to be done. Start the practise of regular reading of a newspaper. I was regular with The Hindu and I found it fairly useful. Also the choice of the optional is very crucial. You can decide about it based on your own interests, aptitude, graduation study, consulting the previous years’ question papers, etc. it need not necessarily be the popular choice. I had Maths and Chemistry as my optionals. The criteria to choose Chemistry as against Physics was entirely based on my self-analysis because I have more liking for the subject plus by better scoring abilities in it. So despite the fact that there was hardly any guidance available for chemistry as against Physics, I decided about it. Also because I was getting more number of days in between G.S. -Maths and then Math- Chemistry papers (atleast 10 days break in between), this also was favourable and encouraging which did later prove beneficial - for I got sufficient time for last-minute revision.

After the self-convincing choice of optional, the collection of the reading material becomes crucial. The study of the previous years’ Test Papers together with solution is very useful to understand the trend and type of questions set and how to answer them.
Apart from this, the university level books are consulted for they match the style of the Paper. By September ’98, I started on with some optional subject study - taking one topic at a time but main emphasis was on General Studies especially Polity and Modern History. Due to the demanding B.Tech study, I was not able to give a lot of time exclusively for this Exam. But still, I was single-mindedly concentrating on my goal. At times I had to compromise with my B.Tech studies. I used to make a time schedule and a work schedule for the next day and also note down my time analysis and work progress if that particular day and introspect my shortcomings and possible improvements. This went on till April ’98 When I gave my Final Semester exams. In between, I managed to devote the Whole one month just to study Indian Polity - the subject I feared the most in GS and its in-depth study instilled self-confidence in me for an otherwise tough subject for me. I started on for Prelims from mid-March. I just studied the Notes on Maths and read the NCERT books on History, Geography and Spectrum Guide for Current Affairs. I got the previous years’ solved Test of Mathematics to develop a good speed and maintain it as well.

Generally, my tendency during the Practise Test was to complete the paper 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time (Duration: 2 hours) for in the Exam Hall, in the Hot Summers, one can never be sure of the comfortable conditions. Also signing the Attendance sheets and certain few announcements being made by the invigilators at intervals may be distracting and time-consuming. Prelim is just a qualifying Exam, so my eyes were always directed on the Mains. Still I devoted one full month of May exclusively for it to avoid any risk so that later I can prepare comfortably for the Mains without having any apprehensions about my clearing the first stage. The generally accepted strategy for this Exam is that one must have studied the whole syllabus for the Mains before the Prelims or at least before its result is out, i.e. by July end. But I must admit that it wasn’t the case with me.

After my Prelims - taking a 3.4 days’ rest break, I prepared a work plan for the next 5 months. I knew that revision is very important, still it was only by August end that I could finish off my syllabus once. With just two months before the Exam,. This was a bit demoralising and at times. I felt that I was out of the race. But keeping my expectations low, still I was determined not to let my spirits go down (Swami Vivekananda quotations and anecdotes never let me down), and sustained my consistency and without letting any negative thoughts overpower my mind, I worked mechanically till the last.

The next two months, I divided into three slots of 20days, each for the three subjects. At first, I revised Maths wholly followed by Chemistry and then GS till the General Studies paper on 30th October. I couldn’t do any special study for the Essay paper. However, the high caliber essays for Civil Services published by CSR proved immensely useful in giving me an insight of the methodology to attempt the next 15 days for Math Paper exclusively and then the next 10 days for the Chemistry Paper. So a sufficient gap in between the Exam proved really beneficial to me.
During the crucial six months duration after the Prelims, I feel that you must have a very systematic approach, be disciplines and sincere, be consistent and work zealously. (Each day I would aim at attainable limits of 10-12 hours of study time, maintain a diary, go for some physical work-out for 30-40 minutes in the evening to refreshing myself.) be calm and positive. You should be so dedicated that no external coaxing should be needed to sit and study for long hours have faith in yourself and the Almighty and your concentrated sincere effort will never betray you.

The execution step is the last but the most cautious one. you must take light diet during the Exam days. Have good sleep. The night before the Exam for two papers during a day can be very exhausting and during the second exam, there may be a tendency of lethargy creeping in quite unwittingly. Be calm and positive. Dress comfortably. Reach the Exam centre well in time, so some deep breathing to maintain your cool and be charming during the interview. The work limit prescribes for the GS paper should be largely conformed with, for it helps in good time management as well. Work out the time plan for the Exam beforehand for the Exam pattern is very well known.

For the Essay paper about 45 minutes can be given for planning out, then two hours of writing (on 200 words) and later 15 minutes of overhauling. Interview preparation is not just a matter of a few days - your whole personality counts. Still you must acquaint yourself with your home State, district your college, your hobbies, general concepts of Public Administration, etc. also you can brush up the Mains GS material like Polity, Economy, History, etc.

Interview is more of a psychological test than just content based. But along with good communication skills and self-confidence, good knowledge base gives you an upper hand. Here again, reading certain articles like, "Facing the Interview Board" published by the Competition Success Review helps prepare oneself accordingly. I solely relied on this important feature in Competition Success Review. Group Discussions and Mock Interviews are equally important. However, I myself could not make a group and go for any mock interview but I think this may prove helpful especially to those who feel less self-confident and have some difficulty in communication. I did not join any Academy either.

On the whole, I feel that the first attempt should not be taken lightly for the enthusiasm and the dedication for the first time may be difficult t sustain on for the next time. Also one must keep his options open while going in for this exam - for with the decreasing number of the seats each year and increasing competition, an alternative job security can give one more self-confidence and thus a wholehearted effort is possible.

With good wishes and good luck to all future aspirants of this coveted service. End.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

"Self-Confident, Planning And Systematic Study : Stepping Stones To Success"
- Amit Negi, IAS Topper 1999 (2nd Rank)

To achieve glorious success in the Civil Services Examination, proper approach and excellent guidelines are indispensable. Your Optionals are the things which can make all the difference. This single decision has the potential to alter your life. Choose your Optionals carefully and with due care. Try to choose subjects in which you have some background knowledge. Only choose those subjects which are scoring and also with which you are comfortable.

Remember you’ll have to do both intensive and extensive study of Optionals. So it is imperative that you must have interest also in your Optionals. Always keep an open-mind. Information from any source relevant to your goal is always welcome. Discuss with your friends, talk to them and listen to their views. This will expand your knowledge base and also expose you to different views. This is important as this will enable you to view things in a balanced perspective and avoid taking extremes. Make it a habit to go through magazines and newspapers regularly and read as many as possible.

The syllabus in the Civil Services is very hazy and vast with no clearly-defined boundaries. So, it might happen that you end up reading things which are connected with the syllabus but are practically irrelevant from your preparation point of view. So it is necessary that you get a feel of what the examiner expects from you. For this keep a copy of syllabus and side by side keep the previous year’ papers. Compare them and see what types of questions are repeated every year. Try to have a feel as to what constitutes important portions of the syllabus and what is irrelevant. Try to from boundaries of the syllabus.

This analysis will give you an in-depth insight into the paper and the examiner’s mind. This will make you understand which topics need intensive study. This will also enable you to identify unnecessary portions, which are not important from the point of view of examination, so that you may avoid them and save your precious time and energy.

It is always useful to maintain a note-book to jot down all important developments happening in the National and the International scene. Also if possible one should make short notes for Optional Paper as well as General Studies. For example, in Mathematics and Physics one can make a formula note-book in which one should write all the important formulae and their derivations. Besides making it easier to remember, such notes are also very useful and handy during revision stages and save a lot of time.

Always do a planned and systematic study. Work out your study schedules in a planned and orderly manner. Maintain a daily routine of studying in a manner suited to you and stick to it; no matter what happens. Plan your whole preparation well. I think this whole preparation should last about 12-15 months. So plan your preparation in such a manner that before the prelims you should have completed your both Optionals and General Studies right up to the Mains level. This will ensure that you have sufficient time to revise. So planning at every stage of the examinations important. Also do a very systematic study.

Work out your syllabus and finish it in an ordered manner. Some time when you are free, try to write an essay on post topics covered in the Civil Services. This will expose you to your lacunae as well as make you understand the things involved: writing a good essay. Not only the easy you should also attempt previous years’ Optionals Papers and General Studies Papers. This will expose your weaknesses and give you an idea about the extent of your preparation, your knowledge base, your speed and accuracy. Thus you can develop your writing skills and make sure that you can cover lengthy papers, especially GS Paper-1, in time.

Remember in the Civil Services, writing skills matter a lot. Most of the people appearing for Mains Examinations have a lot of knowledge, some of them have been preparing for the last three or four years, even then such candidates are not selected sometimes. One of the reasons for their failure is their writing skills. They are not able to present all the information present in their mind in a coherent and logical manner as expected by the examiner. So, you should develop your writing skills. The attitude that I will write directly in the Examination should be done away with.

Remember hours do not count. Don’t go by the claims of other persons who say that they study more than 18 hours a day. Do not get depressed if you are unable to achieve their targets.

Remember, it is your preparation, you are the one who will appear in the examination, you know yourself better, so do your study according to your needs. Quality of hours put in is more important than quantity. You should use your energy an time in an efficient and effective manner.

Take due care of your health. You might go in for a walk in the evenings. also maintain a hobby which relaxes you during your preparation like listening to music etc. take sleep as required by your body and mind. It is always better to do study when one’s mind and body are fresh, this helps in easy grasping of things a swell as in retaining them. Remember that without a good health, you will not be able to concentrate on your studies and your whole idea of the Civil services will go haywire.

It is always better to peak at the time of Examination. So channelise your preparation in such a manner that you don’t burn yourself out before the Examination. Build up reserves of energy in yourself. You will need this energy at the time of your Examination. Do not worry much about the compulsory Hindi and English language papers. You will coolly pass them, and you don’t need to waste your time preparing for them.

For Interview, from a group of friends who have offered the same Optionals. Remember, Interview is of a personality test. The Board will check certain traits in your personality such as your honesty and integrity, your mental alertness, your acumen, your response to some situations, your views on varied topics and also your knowledge base. So, for Interview read as many newspapers and as many magazine as possible. Discuss with your friends. Take mock-interviews. Try to find loop-holes in your arguments and plug them. Form your views on various subjects in a very logical and rational manner supported by data whenever necessary. Do not get nervous whenever necessary. Do not get nervous before the Interviews. Improve your communications skills by giving mock-interviews.

These will also open you up. Ask your friends to grill you, so that you can face pressure from the Board easily. Always pause a bit before answering even if you know the answer. Do not give a hasty reply. Answer in an orderly and logical fashion an always look into the eyes of the interviewer while answering. Be polite and courteous. Don’t be too much argumentative. Be consistent in your views, i.e. just don’t change your views because of the fact that the Board is differing with you. Remember that they are only testing you and often even try to provoke you. Give balanced answers and avoid taking extremes.

Alongwith your preparation for the Civil services Examination, the following four elements are the pre-requisites for success in the examination:
(1) Hard Work - Remember that there is no substitute for hard work. No genie is coming to help you. You have to finish the whole course by yourself.
(2) Dedication - Dedication towards your duty always pays in life. Be totally dedicated towards your study. You will have to sacrifice something like movies, parties, etc. at this stage of your life to achieve bigger things. Just work day and night and go on and on.
(3) Patience - As the civil Services Emanation spans a whole one year right from Preliminary stage to the Interview stage, it requires a lot of patience to maintain your tempo. At times you may feel tired and sick of further studying during the course of your preparation, but don’t throw the towel as yet. Maintain your cool and patience and go on. To take out your anger and frustration, talk to friends and parents. They’ll provide you with the much-neede emotional support.
(4) Self- confidence- your self-confidence can make the whole difference. If you don’t believe in yourself and your capacity to achieve then no matter how hard you try. You will end up in failure. So your self-confidence should be at a very high level. I don’t intend to say that you should become over-confident, but a good self-esteem matters. So to pep up your confidence level say t yourself everyday in front of the mirror that you can do it and you will do it. You should be in the surroundings of the people who could constantly motivate you and inspire you. Keep a group of close friends with you who are as determined t make it to the Civil Services as you are. This will make sure that if you are facing some problems in any subject then you can approach some one. Also while talking and discussing with them you’ll be exposed to different views. This will also ensure that you can vent out your frustration by talking to some one. Besides, good friends are always a source of inspiration and motivation. End.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)

"Motivation And Confidence
Secrets Of My Success"
- Deepak Tayal, IAS Topper 1993 (3rd Rank)

The first and the foremost step to achieve success in the Civil Services Examination is to aim high and have a belief in oneself. Once that is done, one is prepared to give it a go. The first step involves a suitable choice of the Optional subject for the Preliminary Examination and the Mains.
I think that the choice subject be based on interest and comfort level rather than how scoring they are. One should rather than how scoring they are. One should have a natural inclination and aptitude towards these subjects. It always helps if the choice of Optionals for the prelims is one of the subjects chosen for the Mains.

After this, it depends on the Particular individual as to what he feels about the method best suited to him and his instincts. But in general preparation can be broadly classified as long-term or short time depending on the available time for preparation.

For a long term, one should begin with one of the Optional for the Mains and try to finish as much as possible until about 15 days to 2 months depending on the comfort level for the Optional chosen for Prelims and whether one began with the same subject or not. This should be followed by preparation for the prelims. In the prelims, there is no need to give undue emphasis to the General Studies and to waste time in order to attempt to cover everything. A quick study of different areas of the General Studies is enough if one has prepared thoroughly for the Optional in which attempt should be made to score more than 225 marks.

Preparation for Mains should begin soon after the Prelims is over and one should not waste time waiting for the Interview. Here again the major thrust should be on preparing for optional subject more thoroughly and give them more time. The preparation for General Studies can be highly selective and one can easily see that there is a similar pattern in the questions asked in different years. Of course, there is no feels that there is a lot of available time. On the other hand, if one is following short-term preparation either because of lack of time available for studies or because he feels more comfortable with it, there are some suggestions for books from my side, based on what I did. For History & Indian Polity, selected portions of Unique’s Guide and for Current Affairs, Economy & Science and Technology, Spectrum’s current affairs are good enough to score more than 325 marks if one has the ability to grasp them quickly. It helps if one has read magazines and newspapers regularly but if he is unable to do so, there is no cause for panic and one can do without them.

A major part of the preparation should go towards the Optional. The most important thing to know about the Interview is that it is not a question-answer session and what they are looking out for is different aspects of one’s personality. As far as possible, the answer given should reveal a particular aspect of one’s personality and attempts should not be made to present a make-up appearance or politically correct answers. There is no harm in taking extreme views if one is able to justify them.

One need not get carried away by the flood of books and coaching institute. If one feels that he is confident enough to take his own, he can do without them. Most of the questions asked in the Interview are opinion-based. For such questions, it always helps if one already such questions…. it always helps if one already has some views on the issue and he can present them spontaneously. If it is a relatively new issue, the best approach is to think there and also to be seen thinking. If the candidate seems to be applying his mind in an effort towards reaching the solution, it is the best thing that can happen in an Interview.

For the knowledge-based questions, the presentation of the answer becomes more important. One should not make himself appear as having crammed be presented in a conversational manner. There is no need to panic for the Interview and even " I don’t know, Sir" should be said with confidence and cheerfulness. One is not expected to know everything under the sun. Finally, whatever the stage might be, one has to have faith and confidence in himself. An individual should be the best judge of what he thinks as the best way to prepare. He should not follow the crowd if it doesn’t suit his instinct. Once that happens, he is bound to success and excel. End.

(Career Quest General Studies Notes for Prelims and mains www.studykit.blogspot.com)