1. Biodata
  2. Essay
  3. Working-professionals
  4. Physical Test-Tips?
  5. CPF Interview Questions
  6. Career Backup
  7. Message to Aspirants
  8. The bogus marketing propoganda

Q. Tell us something about yourself. When and why did you enter in the competitive exam field?

I find stagnancy boring and thats the reason I keep changing profession (latest passion is of being a cop). Entering into IIT was a high school dream and since them I’m in the field of competitive exams.

BioData

Name Dharmendra Singh
Exam Central Police Forces (Asst.Commandant)-2011
Rank 25
Age 25
City Hazaribagh, Jharkhand
Schooling (Medium) English
Graduation /PG B.Tech., Metallurgical Engg.,IIT(BHU) Varanasi
Are you a working professional? (yes/no) Yes
Details of other competitive exams that you appeared in? CAT’2011 (Final selection IIM L,I,K)
Details of coaching for any competitive exam (if joined)
  1. 1 month crash course for Pub Ad at Samkalp, Delhi
  2. 1 month crash course for Socio at Vision IAS, Delhi
  1. GS course at ALS, Delhi
Hobbies, Extra Curricular Activities, Achievements etc. Hobbies: Playing and watching cricket & footballAchievements:

  1. AIR 3431- IIT JEE’2005
  2. AIR 16 – NDA & NA’2005
  3. AIR 15 – SCRA’2005
  4. FINAL SELECTION IIM L,I,K (CAT’2011)
  5. PMRDF’2012
Do you have any NCC ā€˜B’ or ā€˜C’ Certificates? Yes/No No

Q. List of Essential books/ tips for success in the CPF written exam?

At the time of CAPF’11 I was to appear at CSE Mains’11 and that helped in my preparation for GS and essay. Books I referred for GS at CSE mains were:

  1. History – A brief history of modern India – spectrum
  2. Geography – Geograhy of India – Spectrum
  3. Polity – D.D. Basu + Class notes (ALS) + PM Bakshi(Bare act) + the hindu notes (for pub ad paper II)
  4. Economics – Mrunal’s blog + Indian Economy (upkar publication, by sanjeev verma) + the hindu notes
  5. Art & culture – spectrum
  6. International relations – ALS class notes + the hindu notes
  7. Sci tech – the hindu notes
  8. 8. India year book

Essay

Q. How did you prepare for the essay? What Essay did you write in the CPF-2011 exam. Provide the keypoint/summery/gist of your essay.

  • Got important tips in a short essay at ALS. Basically organizing all random thoughts is da key together with a ‘solid conclusion’.
  • I make it a point to start every essay with a quote and end with a philosohical or moral conclusion.
  • CAPF’11 essay: Can laws only tackle coruption – was asked in the context of Lokpal bill agitation
  • Conclusion – fight against corruption has to begin from self…..blah blah

Q.how did you manage the mood, motivation, tempo, momentum during this journey?

  • I was prepapring while working so concentration was a real big issue where I failed miserably. Although duringĀ  short (two month stints twice) stints at Delhi it was not an issue.

Working-professionals

Q. TimeĀ  Management Tips for the working professionals?

  • Using short breaks(like 20 – 30 min breaks) is the key for working professionals together with tricky use of internet. To switch between study and work in short intervals is very important.

Physical Test-Tips?

Q. To pass Physical Efficiency Tests (PET), what preparation did you do at home? How hard is the fitness test?

I have been a regular member of school and college football and cricket teams so it was easy. Anybody involved in field sports would find it a cakewalk. Although I saw most aspirants failing in long jump which was merely coz of not being familiar with technique.

CPF Interview Questions

Q. How did you prepare for the CPF-interview: Please Provide the list of questions asked (and if possible, the answers as well). And any tips for future aspirants.

Just before the interview IĀ  had a month long training at TISS for PMRDF which involved detailed discussion about policy issues which helped a lot. Also I dropped in at my friend’s (Niraj, Ordinance service) place at Delhi who was about to write his mains’2012 and used his notes.

I prepared ques from my cv and in detail about internl security and police reforms.

List of questions asked:

1. Why cpf when serving corporate with good profile (Project Manager at Tata Steel)?

Ans: made a correction regarding my current position as PMRDF (explained my current work)

2. When already serving society thru PMRDF then why police services(i talked about my interest in IPS)?

Ans: special interest in police coz of personal experiences and gives me oportunity to directly most downtrodden…..blah …blah

3.questions on hobby – cricket and football- reason for plight of football – basic terminologies

4.questions on police –

  • Who is leading police reforms in India?
  • ii.IED?
  • Favourite cop and why?
  • iv.what is the reason for police’s atrocity?
  • v.fake encounters?

5. Questions related to academics

  • What is fatigue
  • acid rain

Q. How was interview: normal, stress, mixed?

Normal

Q. if you’ve received the marksheet, please share it.

Not published yet

Q. When you look back in past, what do you think was the secret ingredient for this success- particulalry the All India 25th Rank.

Preparation for CSE mains (mains prearation help in tackling MCQs) and good academic background and profile.

Q. What was your service preference order (CRPF>CISF>SSB etc) and why did you pick up the particular order?

CISF>BSF>SSB>ITBP>CRPF….CISF coz of its techno-managerial role which matches my profile + good interaction with state police.

Career Backup

Q. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?

Would have continued with PMRDF but CSE prearation would have been tough though.

Message to Aspirants

Q. Through this journey, what wisdom have you gained about competition and life?

For any competitive exam there is a fixed set of methods and rules to be followed which requires huge amount of DISCIPLINE.Same goes for life – PLANNING and DISCIPLINE.

Q. Behind every topper are many people who stood by him/her during those uncertain times when he/she was merely an ā€˜aspirant’. Would you like to tell the world, who were those people in your case? Any specific incidence that you would like to share with the readers?

  • Since I am a working professional I have been heavily dependent on my friends(especially Niraj) preparing in Delhi for their ready made materials.
  • And Ravi who taught me the lession of rationality – that nobody is a superman everybody has to work hard.
  • And my friends Khush, Baba, Ari (for essays on internal security), Shraddha, Shashi.

The (bogus) marketingĀ propaganda

Q. You’re well aware of the golden and the most sacred rule of conducting Topper’s interview. Last question has to be about bogus marketing propoganda. So, Did you use Mrunal.org Ā for your preparation and if yes, how did it help you?Ā  And you can even reply “No”. I’ll publish your answer as it is. (Unlike certain Competitive magazines who distort the answers after taking the Toppers’ interview hahaha.)

  • I personally believe economics is the key to any UPSC MCQ exam as it is concept based and generally has a good number.
  • But to achieve perfection is also toughest as compared to other sections. Thats where ‘Economics for newbies’ at Mrunal’s blog is extremely useful.
  • I started following it for CSE’11 pre and now follow it for other sections also.