- Candidate Profile
- Education
- Introduction
- Electronic Vs Paper material
- Tempo and style
- Prelims (CSAT) General studies
- Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
- Prelim accuracy
- Mains: Compulsory language paper
- Mains: Essay
- General Studies (Mains) paper 1
- General studies (Mains) paper 2
- General studies (Mains) Paper 3
- General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
- Mains answer-writing?
- Public Administration Optional Subject
- Before the interview
- During the interview
- CSE-2013 Marksheet
- Career Backup
- Insecurity about profile
- Wisdom
Candidate Profile
| Name | Nima Arora |
| Rank in CSE-2013 | 50 |
| Roll No. | 85294 |
| Age | 25 |
| Total attempts in CSE | 2 |
| Optional Subject | Pub. Ad. |
| Medium chosen for Mains answers | English |
| Schooling medium | English |
| College medium | English |
| Home town/city | New Delhi |
| Work-experience if any | Nil |
| Details of other competitive exams, including success/failures |
|
| Details of coaching, mock tests, postal material for any competitive exam (if used) |
* Could not qualify prelims in my I attempt
|
| service preference #1, 2 and 3 | IAS, IPS, IRS |
| state cadre preference (top3) | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh |
Education
| fill the details here | |
| % in class 10 | 93.2 |
| % in class 12 | 87.2 |
| Schooling (Medium) | English |
| Graduation course and % | B.Tech (CSE) 86.02 |
| Name of college, city, passing out year | MSIT, Indrapratha University, Delhi 2011 |
| Post-graduation | M.A. Public Administration IGNOU (Gold Medalist) |
| Any other professional courses | Nil |
| Hobbies & Extra curricular | Playing Badminton, Teaching (have experience with an NGO) |
Introduction
Q. Tell us something about yourself, your family, when and why did you enter in this field of competitive exams?
I belong to a middle class family with liberal parents. Have been staying in Delhi for the past 25 years. I have 2 elder sisters and no one in government sector. It was a very new venture for me. It was during the end of third year of my college while discussing with my friend I decided to try for civil services. Being risky, I sat for every other gov paper which in turn boosted my confidence level especially during the phase after failing in prelims 2012.
Electronic Vs Paper material
Q. In recent times, there is spur in electronic material- blogs, sites, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Many aspirants feel bogged down by this information overload. So, how much do you rely on electronic material and how much on the paper material (Books, newspapers)? If possible narrate a typical day in your studylife. What is your style of preparation.
I guess with changing times and move towards e-services, Internet is acting as an important resource for collecting information. I relied on electronic material more than the theoretical static books. The following are the sites I used to visit –
- Mrunal.org (I have read all economics articles written by you 2009 onwards.. first to last)
- InsightsOnIndia – I used to write, practice and read the style of answer writing there.
- Orkut and Forumias (It is a good informal platform for discussions)
- Did not like pib. Instead I made notes from newspaper (TOI) and frontline. Did not pile up magazines. Only wrote down imp pointers/issues.
- As mentioned earlier, I had enrolled myself with the online module of GKT. It helped me save time as pdfs were delivered on each topic specified in the syllabus. Used to read it once and highlight the imp issues only for future reference.
Regarding notes, I would suggest everyone to learn the habit of reading more and writing less. It is not necessary to prepare notes on every topic. I hardly made any notes except some current affairs that would enrich my answers in the mains exam and notes on IR.
My style of preparation – Do not count the number of hours you study. Quality matters. Even if you are able to devote only 4 hours per day, it is sufficient iff and only if you understand what CSE demands. More than knowledge, it is the way you express and present your answers. If one feels that this trait is lacking, focus more on answer writing and evaluate it yourself or from friends.
Tempo and style
Q. People know what books and syllabus points are to be prepared. But most of them lack consistency in their preparation. So, how do you keep study momentum going on? How do you fight against the mood swings and distractions?
I had many ups and downs during my preparation. But unlike others, I was very active with my college friends. Though they were not preparing with me, talking to them eased my tension to a great extent.
Q. What went wrong in your previous attempt? What changes did you make in this current attempt?
I was under-confident. This was the biggest reason why I failed in prelims. I got 206 and cutoff was 209. Later, I tried taking other government exams and gained the lost confidence.
Prelims (CSAT) General studies
| Topic | strategy/booklist/comment |
| History Ancient | Almost Left (some printed notes I referred but overall I am very bad at history) |
| History Medieval | Again not a high scoring area. Almost left. |
| History Modern (Freedom Struggle) | Spectrum + NCERT + Bipin Chandra (selected) |
| Culture society | Srirams Notes |
| Polity (theory + current) | Lakshmikanth/ Srirams Polity Notes |
| Economy (theory + current) | Srirams Notes |
| Science (theory + current) | Did not deal specifically |
| Environment (theory + current) | GKT modules |
| geography physical | NCERT XI XII + GC Leong + coaching notes on Climate (hand written) |
| geography India | NCERT |
| geography world | NCERT |
| other national/international current affairs | Newspaper+frontline+ GKT modules |
| Schemes, Policy & Filler Stuff | GKT |
Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
| Topic | strategy / booklist |
| Maths | R S Agarwal + sample mock papers |
| reasoning | R S Agarwal + sample mock papers |
| comprehension | Rcprep.com and previous year papers + mocks |
| Decision Making | Nil |
Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS Aptitude 2013 paper.
Be prepared for anything. The paper may have more Comprehensions or more maths. Just prepare yourself for the worst. I have succumbed to failure once so am aware of the necessity of having grip of maths, reasoning and English.
Prelim accuracy
Q1. Did you attend any ‘mock tests’? do you think they’re necessary for success?
Yes, I had enrolled to GKToday for prelims test series on GS paper 1. It helped me this time.
Q2. Approximate no. of attempted answers vs. correct answers. in CSAT-2013
| attempted Q. | correct Q. (Expected) | official score | |
| GS | 85 | 55 ( not able to recall accurately) | 88 |
| aptitude | 78 | 64 (not able to recall accurately) | 160 |
| total | 249 |
Mains: Compulsory language paper
| Compulsory language paper | Your preparation strategy / booklist? |
| English paper | Previous Year Papers |
| your regional language | Hindi (Previous Year Papers) |
Q2.other observations / tips / comments on the length / difficulty level of compulsory language papers in CSE-2013
Did not face any difficulty
Mains: Essay
Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?
I did not try/practice any essay before Mains. I did refer InsightsOnIndia to understand the pointers one needs to keep in mind while writing an essay. One should try and have holistic approach wherein all dimensions – history, geography, economics, sociology and psychology should be included in seperate paragraphs.
Q2. Which essay did you write? What key points did you include in it?
Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)
To make my essay unique, I started off with a story in the beginning. It was a small one page conversation between mother and child. One should make sure that the beginning and the conclusion should be very catchy.
General Studies (Mains) paper 1
| Topic | How did you prepare? |
| culture | Almost left this portion |
| Indian history | NCERT + Spectrum |
| world history | Stardust notes (pdf version) from forumias |
| post-independence India | GKT material |
| Indian society | Newspapers (current events) + GKT |
| role of women, poverty etc. | GKT |
| globalization on Indian society | GKT |
| communalism, regionalism, secularism | GKT |
| world geo physical | NCERT |
| resource distribution | NCERT + Mrunal +learnt drawing maps of India, World in 20 secs for marking of resources |
| factors for industrial location | Geography Instt. Notes (CBT ect) + Mrunal |
| earthquake tsunami etc | NCERT + Newspape |
| impact on flora-fauna | Nil |
General studies (Mains) paper 2
| Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
| Indian Constitution, devolution, dispute redressal etc. | Srirams Polity Notes |
| comparing Constitution with world | GKT |
| parliament, state Legislatures | Srirams Polity Notes |
| executive-judiciary | Srirams Polity Notes |
| ministries departments | India Year Book |
| pressure group, informal asso. | Pub Ad Optional; no specific material needed |
| Representation of people’s act | Internet ppts |
| various bodies: Constitutional, statutory.. | Lakshmikanth |
| NGO, SHG etc | Pub Ad Optional + Yojana |
| welfare schemes, bodies | GKT |
| social sector, health, edu, HRD | India Year Book |
| governance, transparency, accountability | Pub Ad Optional |
| e-governance | Pub Ad Optional |
| role of civil service | Pub Ad Optional |
| India & neighbors | Used to make current affiairs based notes on IR + Map of India with border countries |
| bilateral/global grouping | Internet. Had a seperate register for IR. Crisp, ready to read material. |
| effect of foreign country policies on Indian interest | Nil |
| diaspora | Last year Questions |
| international bodies- structure mandate | Made 6-7 pages on International Institutions. |
General studies (Mains) Paper 3
| Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
| Indian economy, resource mobilization | Srirams Eco Notes + Mrunal articles on economy from the start. I was zero in economics but this blog helped me become an aware citizen. |
| inclusive growth | No specifc preparation (Budget may suffice) |
| budgeting | Pub Ad Notes on budget types |
| major crops, irrigation | Mrunal articles |
| agro produce – storage, marketing | Mrunal articles |
| e-technology for famers | Yojana |
| farm subsidies, MSP | Mrunal articles + GKT |
| PDS, buffer, food security | Mrunal articles |
| technology mission | Nil |
| animal rearing economics | Mrunal articles |
| food processing | GKT |
| land reforms | Mrunal articles |
| liberalization | Nil |
| infra | Mrunal articles |
| investment models | Nil |
| science-tech day to day life | Newspapers (did not spend much time on S&T) |
| Indian achievements in sci-tech | Nil |
| awareness in IT, space, biotech, nano, IPR | Newspapers |
| environmental impact assessment | Just read the basics from government websites + from monthly competition conducted by mrunal |
| Disaster Management | Ignou Material (pub ad) + GKT |
| non state actors, internal security | GKT + Internet |
| internal security – role of media, social networking site | Nil |
| cyber security | Internet |
| money laundering | Nil |
| border Management | MHA website ( a pdf on border management) |
| organized crime, terrorism | GKT |
| security agencies- structure mandate | India Year Book + GKT |
General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
- For GS Paper IV, I referred GKT modules (around 100 pages) to understand the basic concepts. Along with that, I referred Ignou material on egyankosh and NIOS material available online. I had joined Synergy test series which helped me collecting notes on around 20 philosophers from the questions. Added to it, I tried to answer some case study based questions on InsightsOnIndia by the pseudo-name Dusky. It helped me a lot in understanding where I needed improvement.
- Suggestion: I believe in the upcoming Mains Examination, the difficulty level of this paper would increase. There were no direct questions on philosophers this time but the aspirants should prepare themselves for such questions.
- For my approach for the case study based questions, I may try to give a sketch here.
- From the question, highlight the situation where you need to respond. Understand the facts available and then in point format write down the options you have (1,2,3,4). Then for each option (course of action), analyse the advantage and disadvantage. For most of the questions I attempted, option 4 was very idealistic but option 3 – pragmatic and doable. Option 1 and 2 were against one’s ethical stand. Thus, on properly weighing, I chose the third option as my final course of action.
Mains answer-writing?
Q. How was your experience with the ‘fixed space’ answer sheet?
I was happy with the change of mains pattern this year. It discourages rote learning and is more logical to attempt. The fixed space available is plenty and does not get completed mostly because of the time constraints. I remember that I wrote at max complete 2 pages for every answer for the sake of completing the paper rather than wasting time on introduction and conclusion (Except GS paper 1 which came as a shocker to everyone. Attempted all Geography questions in that paper but left almost 70 marks history questions).
Q. Did you write answers in bullet points or in paragraphs? Some players (who cleared mains and got interview call letter) were claiming that they wrote entire paper in bullet points, so it doesn’t matter….whether examiner is asking ‘examine, comment, discuss or xyz’….simply write in bullets and points.
I tried to write more in point format because of the time constraints. For the questions which according to me were vague, I tried to write in paragraphs.
Q. Did you follow the “introduction-body-conclusion” format? because some mains-qualified candidates claim they simply wrote the points they could recall within the time, instead of bothering with proper introduction and conclusion.
No, I did not follow that format in-toto. Definitely, the starting 5 questions, I tried to write in proper segments, but later on, I switched to points in most cases.
Q. In GS papers, Since UPSC came with those 100 and 200 words questions. What was your approach in the exam??
- GS I : Attempted full Questions 15 to 25. Then came to the start (my history is weak) and tried completing as many questions I can (Total attempt: 180)
- GS II : Attempted full paper (Polity and IR are my favourite subjects). Did not find any problem but at max wrote 2 pages for each question
- GS III : Attempted 210 marks paper. Left those questions for which I had no clue at all. Could not bluff those
- GS IV: Attempted full paper
As of now, I am not sure as to how well this approach worked. But in the end, I was satisfied.
Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your answers?
No. Only Blue Butterflow Pen.
Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography)
Yes. Map of India for Shale reserves; Climate based questions I approached with the help of diagrams.
Q7. If yes, Did you draw diagrams with pencil or pen?
Pen
Q8. Did you use ruler to draw the lines in diagram? Or did you just make it by hand?
No. Free hand.
Q9. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black pen?
Blue Pen
Public Administration Optional Subject
Q1. First the essential book/resource list and strategy
Vajiram Notes on Public Administration (paper 1 and 2) – These the the basics needed to understand the subject. In my opinion, it may also suffice the demand of the examination if one reads religiously. I had joined coaching for pub ad, so did not find any difficulty reading the hand written class notes.
- Mohit Bhattacharya
- Arora and goyal
- Super50 by Shubra Saxena
- 2nd ARC Report
- Yojana.
Though I have done MA in Pub Ad from IGNOU and the material given is also very good to read, I did not have time to go through that during the exam days.
Q2. How much of internet-research / current affairs is necessary for this optional? OR can one simply rely on the books and be done with this subject?
One may simply rely on books but for recent examples, current affairs and yojana can be beneficial.
Q3. How many months did it take to finish the core optional syllabus?
3 months approximately
Q4. How many days/ weeks before the exam, you started answer writing practice?
It is continuous as I had joined test series and did some practice at home as well.
Q5. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of optional? In which format- electronic or paper?
Did not prepare many notes. It was only for current affairs and IR + some issues with which I had difficulty. Otherwise, I had kept one folder at my desktop which had all the pdfs I wanted to read before examination.
Q6. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2013 mains vs previous papers.
I think that with the current pattern, the papers are easier to approach if one is analytical and not a crammer. We must understand the concept rather than learning it.
Q7.How much did you skip OR couldn’t answer properly, in the optional paper?
| optional paper | Couldn’t finish __ mark. + comments on any weird questions |
| Paper I | 10 marks (did not know) |
| paper II | 10 marks (did not know) |
Q8. would you advice any interested party (new player) to pick this optional? Nowadays wind seems to be flowing towards sociology and political science. Some senior players advice new players not to pick them given the scaling and odd questions. What’s your take on this?
Take up the optional subject which you find interesting. Rest leave everything to God.
Before the interview
Q1. How did you prepare for the interview? Particularly college graduation subjects related questions?
Seriously read the newspapers every day and prepared around 100 questions based on my DAF. Added to it, tried to be slow while conversing so that I do not stammer and speak out right words. Tried to be calm while answering. As I had completed MA in 2013, I knew I had to prepare the practical application of Pub Ad in detail.
Q2. Did you attend any mock interviews by coaching classes? How were they similar / different than official interview? Do you believe it is necessary to attend such mock interviews?
I had joined a Telegram group for Interview Mentoring started by a senior IAS Officer. It really helped me in understanding how one may answer the questions being raised. We were guided by many civil servants in that group. It was a very interactive experience.
Also, I attended mock interviews by Samkalp and Vajiram. They were helpful in giving me confidence while speaking.
Q3. What did you wear?
A simple sky blue colored cotton Sari.
Q4. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friend’s home …) and what books/material did you bring for the ‘revision before interview’?
As I reside in Delhi, I stayed at my home which is around 20 mins away from UPSC.
During the interview
Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Mr. Vinay Mittal
Q2. How long was the interview?
Around 35 mins
Q3. Why do you want to join civil service?
Civil Service provides me the platform to work for the society with legal authority.
Q4. Please narrate your entire interview- what questions did they ask and what did you reply and other pleasant or uncomfortable experiences during the interview.
I will try and write in detail about my interview experience soon. Right now, I only have the sets of questions raised by the panel members. These are as follows:
Questions were all related to DAF and my subsequent answers. Board was very cordial and it was a comfortable session.
Chairman: Why a shift from engg to Pub ad? (I told that it was in 4th year that I decided to go for civil services) Was it a planned decision? (Yes.. and then I added about my gold medal) What is public administration? (state and society work in tandem to achieve societal goals) More questions on community involvement, constitutional mandate regarding community models (PRIs and ULBs), How to make it effective (I included ICT, creating awareness and efficient communication here), more talks on how to get the people involved. Questions based on teaching and my volunteering in Bal Sahyog. Do you still teach and whom?
M1: How to improve health facilities in urban area say Delhi? Sewage treatment? How polio is spread (instead of faecal matter I said Foetus.. then corrected myself) Difference between IPV and OPV? A few more questions were there.. I answered them.
M2 (lady): You talked of sustainable development. What is it? (I told that there is a difference between need and greed.. Gave example of air conditioners we use and how the energy can be saved there) Any other example from Delhi? (I could not think of any.. I said I can recall SEWA model from Gujarat and explained SHGs and people participation) But there are many loopholes in that model, are you aware of that? (No ma’am)
M3: (I did not give appropriate answers to his questions) Questions on Lokpal, CBI, CVC ( I said CVC heads CBI and that was wrong) Questions on Badminton and lack of sports in our country (Answered these but overall was not satisfied) M4: You talked about people being happy and content, can you name the country which focuses on happiness index? (Bhutan) What can India learn from it? (Environmental protection, added Kerala Model and how tree plantation per person a day is important for future sustainability) Delhi Nirbhaya case and present situation? How as the head of police in district you would have handled it? (Talked about raising women force) Do you know the state where women police are more? (No Sir) I guess it is Tamil Nadu.. Another member added Kerala too. I thanked both of them.
Then in the end, Chairman asked me one final question. You talked about RWAs in Bhagidari Model but you see people are less concerned to get involved and we blame the authorities. Can you suggest me a way to solve the problem? (Yes Sir. The simplest and cost effective way – Ethical Hoardings stating what a resident should do as an aware citizen)
Interview Over. I thanked everyone. I was satisfied when I moved out and was happy how the last question ended.
Q5. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had prepared or did they ask you totally unexpected questions? Was it a stress interview, did they ask any uncomfortable questions? If yes, how did you handle it?
My interview was totally based on my DAF and the answers I gave. So it was not a stress interview. The panel members were very cordial. I was cheerful, pleasant and composed.
Q6. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?
Everything is mentioned in that call letter. Nothing to worry.
Q7. Any word of wisdom / observations about medical checkup?
Nothing to be afraid of. It is a normal routine check up. Those with eye nos. should come up with prescription on that day.
CSE-2013 Marksheet
| Essay | 130 |
| GS1 | 55 |
| GS2 | 67 |
| GS3 | 88 |
| GS4 | 112 |
| Pub.Ad Paper 1 | 110 |
| Pub.Ad Paper 2 | 86 |
| Written Total | 648 |
| Interview | 206 |
| Final total | 854 |
| Rank | 50 |
Mrunal : three digit score in any paper of Public Administration equals *RESPECT*.
Career Backup
Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?
Since it was my second attempt, I would have definitely joined a government job and tried to take another attempt while working.
Q2. when were you going to “execute” that backup plan?
Just after this attempt. I was already exhausted.
Insecurity about profile
Q. Many candidates prepare sincerely but constantly live under fear about ‘profile insecurity’. I’m not from a big college, I’m not from English medium, and I don’t have work-experience. What if they ask some stressful questions in the interview about this? Did you suffer from such insecurities? What is your message to these candidates?
It was because of my lack of confidence in myself that I was not able to qualify prelims exam in 2012. I tried to overcome this by appearing in many other exams. It really helped me in this attempt.
Wisdom
Q. Through this struggle and success, what have your learned? What is the wisdom of life and competition? What is Your message to the new aspirants?
Learning – Nishkaam Karma (Do your best, do not await results)
Wisdom – Enjoy life. Be sincere not serious.
Message to new aspirants – Work on your dreams but do not get attached to them. Becoming an IAS is not the end of the world, many other opportunities knock our doors. One should welcome those as well.
Q. You are well aware of the sacred rule – the last question must be about self-marketing. So, Did you use Mrunal.org for your preparation and if yes, how did it help you? And you can even reply “No”. I’ll still publish your answer without tempering, unlike those competitive magazines.
Yes. Your site has helped me immensely. I have subscribed to it and am a regular visitor. You’re are doing a wonderful job.
Mrunal: Thanks a lot Ms. Nima for your sharing your journey and success with us. We wish you the best for your service allocation and state cadre allocation. Keep in touch.
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Congrats mam for ur grand success ….. I am preparing from home with pub. ad optional ….I can’t join coaching classes , I want to know whether d above mentioned books for pub. ad r sufficient or should i also go for some coaching materials or some more books ….. ???
Congrats mam for ur grand success ….. I am preparing from home with pub. ad optional ….I can’t join coaching classes , I want to know whether d above mentioned books for pub. ad r sufficient or should i also go for some coaching materials or some more books….. ??? Thanks alot….
The above mentioned books are more than enough. For current updates, newspapers, opinions and yojana would suffice. All the best.
Congrats Nima !! Apart from studies one thing i noticed on this blog is that ,you tried to answer everyone’s question.This shows the greatness of the person through small things.Hats off.God bless you.
Thank you. God bless you too. :)
cograts mame fr ur great succes,+may i knw how to utalise insight becoz m frm hndi med. And select pubd, nd new paper in my area is nt avalable, nd hw much curent showd be attchd wid static portin during answ wrint in pubd,
nd wht should being done by me as a hindi med. Studentplz. Reply mame. Thanks:-)
I am not the right person for Hindi medium students. Really sorry for not being of any help. Hope you understand. Do not want to misguide in any way. All the best.!!
bahut bahut mubarak ho maam.plz upload some imp pdfs,word files material.thnx
Conngratulations madam !! Ur Journey Is very Inspiring And motivating. May God bless U Always!
ma’am could u plz give some more details of ur essay since u hv scored high in this (an approx structure,word length….)
I would suggest you to refer insightsonindia and read the essays posted there. It will be very useful :)
mam plz upload GKT notes
thank you ma’am
it’s inspiring…..and congrats ma’m
Thank you. All the very best!!
Hello Mam,
First of all many many congratulations.
Mam I am giving first time Civil Services Exam. I want to know for International Relations Current portion from where to get the material as I started late so have not made any notes from Hindu. So I request to kindly suggest me how to approach for International Relations Current Portion. Thanks.
For current portion, there is no short cut. You need to make notes soon. IR is very dynamic and involves deeper knowlegde regarding the reasons for all the happenings around the world. I would suggest you to reas newspapers regularly and make notes for each country (pros and cons) on A-4 sheets. In that way, you will have a complied booklet with the details of every important country and the events taking place. Start today itself and cover the remaining portions with the help of internet.
many many thanks mam for ur reply…………..and I have started making notes from hindu thanks
Hello ma’am,
First of all congratulations for your success. Wishing you a great career ahead !
I have some queries regarding public administration :
a) Have you supplemented your answers by case studies from current affairs? And what were the sources for such case studies.
b) While writing answers in Public Administration, can I write answers point-wise? Also, what was the general structure of your answers in Public Administration (If written in paragraph style). Is it something like introduction, content, conclusion or something else.
c) How good are test series for Public Administration? I’m not in Delhi, so will have to shift to Delhi if I want to attend the test series.
d) Have you read the 12th plan completely as well as Punchhi Commission reports. Apart from 2nd ARC and Punchhi Commission report, is there any other report that we have to read?
My apologies for too much question. This is my first attempt and I need some guidance for it.
Regards
a) not many case studies. My paper 2 did not go that well. Sources: Yojana + newspapers + Goyal&Arora
b) Yes. U can very well write in points. Its helpful for the examiner to understand.
c) I did not join any test series for Pub ad. It is not necessary to join either.
d) No. I only read ARC sumary. Nothign else.
No need of apologies. These are genuine doubts. All the best. :)
Thanks a lot !
WELL i would like to add one more congrates on my behalf…keep motivating always …frankly speaking i was amazed to notice ur comments on this page..because we can hardly notice some1 like u is keen to share its success journey openly…i m also preparing for the exam trying to match up acordingly to requirements…my query are…1.please suggest exam oriented approach to improve writting skills with quality..feels under confident for mains…2.is experience matters in interview selection 3.suggest how to distibute time to read a particular topics fr eg geo.economy.science etc comes in majority portion so invest more time in these topics while nanotechnology needs less time ….so please share how u managed this that could my solution. looking 4ward for ur reply …you will be 1st civil servant with whom i m interacting …congrates once again..
1. Daily answer writing practice (1 question also is enough)
2. Not at all. I had 0 experience. Ur personality should speak.
3. Do those topics that have high weightage first. Rest in the end. Spend more time on geography, economy, polity and history. These make up the core.
All the very best. :)
thanks a lot ……..
Hi Mam,
Congrats mam!!!!
Congrats mam 4ur gr8 achivement.mam plz tell me d strategy 2 complete d pre syllabus in 2 months.till now i have completed only d ncert books of each component of gs.mam please tell me wat to do in remaining 2 months .
Focus on paper 2 more. Fix ur attention to the basics of history, geog, polity and economy. In pre, current based questions are rare.
Many many congratulations
Miss IAS ..
Thank you!! :)
congrats ma’am.
Since you have taken coaching at both vajiram and sriram, could you please tell me which one, in your view would be more suited for GS preparation(considering large portion of dynamic questions are asked now) ?
I have replied to a similar query above. Kindly go through that. It may help you in decision making. ATB!!
Hearty congratulations ma’am and thanks for sharing everything in detail. Very inspiring.
Hii Nima,heartiest congratulations…and i would also like to thank you for replying to everyone query….that’s really helpful..my concern is that did you start writing in points right from the first line of answer…i’m still not getting the style…please help…thank you…God bless U…
Not from the first line. I used to write first 4 -5 lines in paragragh and then segmented my answers using points. You may refer my approach with the reply I have given below for that cyclone question. Would like to add that everyone has his/her unique style. Your approach might be better than mine. Just analyse it with the help of peers and teachers.
Thank you…..
Congrats…
Nice, honest and clear thoughts mentioned above.
Best thing is your marks are increasing exponentially from Paper 1 to interview :P
Just one question
I just started preparation (I am sure that will clear prelims as last time too i scored 190 in paper 2 but just 35 in paper 1 (without studying a single second).
I have 2 question
1. I will have 3 moths for mains.
–> I will join coaching for sociology and rest will be self study.
Suggest the way what to read first and what to next.
I mean just a road map to cover mains course so that I can finish the course at least once.
(suggest the easy one first to gain some confidence, easy one means topics that can be covered fast and dont need too much technical or indepth knowledge)
2. Can you email the mock test series of GKT as uploading will be copyright issue? if emailing too will be an issue then I am even ready to share my email id pwd – u can just upload on google docs. (need mock test).
*Indians have solutions for all problems – sorry copyright act :)
Thanks in Advance
Cover up Ethics and GS Paper 1 first. This is my own opinion. Reason – Ethics score makes a lot of difference and GS paper 1 is completely static. You need to read, re read and revise. Rest, optionals you will be studying along your coaching and GS paper 2 and 3 are majorly covered reading newspapers.
I cannot share those pdfs. It is considered illegal. My conscience does not allow me. I hope you understand.
Did your conscience allow you when you plundered the pirated notes of various institutes available at the photostat shops mushrooming in ORN ? Don’t tell me you never bought pirated notes or downloaded music files , softwares , ebooks in a manner what you call “illegal” .Its quite a paradox to me. I am not condoning the fact that many people (including me ) do that, at the same time I am curious to know your answer. Are ethics intemporal ? or a sporadic defense mechanism ?
Rasool, bro don’t be so much aggressive and regarding ethical questions, its individual choice (I too read Indian ethos and ethics as a course in my MBA and can understand).
2nd point, just me how will you feel when you make some good product after investing years of your life and people started making its copy and you don’t get any customer. I know Mr. Suresh since long back (I was among first 10 who visited gkt when he just started as a blog and providing free guidance with material).
I can understand your concerns about coaching notes but they don’t mind this because the more these notes will spread in market the more chances that they will get more customers (students) for their classes and they will earn more). Its good for them in some other way round.
You should praise Mr. Suresh of GKT as he provided notes for prelims online and you can go and read them. What more you want from him.
Your whole logic is absurd. You seem to define theft as only an act done to the poor, ignoring the fact that the rich can also be looted. When we talk about principles , we must stick to principles and not dilute our own argument under the shield of consequences. I was not at all trying to be rude to her and you don’t need to jealously guard her as a soldier. I was just curious to know if her idea of being upright wrt the copyright infringement is a newly founded one that came along with her success or it is something that she has always maintained ( by not downloading pirated songs , movies via torrents , ebooks from scribd etc ). She may choose not to reply as is she has chosen to till now and as is her right.
Leg pulling aside ! CONGRATS NIMA FOR THE OUTSTANDING FEAT :)
Thanks Ma’am, Will follow them same.
I can understand.
***Respect***
One more doubt for mains
ARC report complete or selective study?
Read all reports but the summarized version. It is very difficult to read complete reports available online. U may get printed version of the summarized ARC II at Rajinder Nagar photostat shop opp. Agarwal Sweets. It is compiled by Pavan Sir.
Thanks Ma’am
Ma’am,
in this year’s gap of 3 months between prelims and mains, how much ground one can expect to cover in both pub ad and gs ?
Regards.
You can very easily cover the syllabus. Do not worry. :)
Congrats mam!!
I completed my B.E(e.c) this month.
I dont visit pib ,prs.org,ministry sites or blah blah….coz they are time consuming but they r imp source.Instead i use chronicle monthly,yojna,kurukshtra and TOI…does this suffices current affair part.
Plz also ans – i use Toi shud i continue wid it??? Wat abt arc reports…1st,2nd,3rd,shud i read all of ’em…and where i would get these reprts??plzz ans and clear all my doubts…
Once again congrats ans gud luck!!fr ur future endeavors.
Yes. Ur resources are sufficient. Continue with TOI if you are comfortable with it. I found it very easy and good to read. Arc reports you may get at photostat shop, rajinder nagar opp agarwal sweets. It is prepared by Pavan Sir.
Thanxx alot mam!!!
Just one more ques to ask
A) regrding pib and prs.org
…did u studied from it????even a bit from it.??
B)And arc reports all or only arc 2 is imp.??
Feeling privileged to interact wid a prson like u :-)
Awaiting ur reply thank once again mam..
mam, i cant afford coac fee,
also i dnt hv time to go coac
on daily basis. . Just clarify
that, readng xerox of coac is
equally effective as attending coaching. . Pls clarify ths. . I am askng u coz, u attended coac as well as u were readng notes of coac. . U must hv realzd the difference. . . Waiting for your reply.
Yes. Material is more than enough. There is no need to attend coaching. It is just for the sake of building up confidence. Otherwise, it can never be a necessity. ATB!!
How answers should be written in mains gs papers?please explain it with an example
For 10 markers, start directly with what the question demands. Do not beat around the bush. Write in points. For ex. Someone asked me how I approached the naming of cyclones question. I knew the answer so directly diffrentiated between common names (cyclones, hurricanes, willy willies) and specific names. I was aware that the question is on specific names alone. I wrote in points that in USA it is named after female names and in South Asian region we have a group of countries who in cordination with IMD name these cyclones in rotation.
This is just an example to illustrate that your answer may be simple, but the presentation in segments matter a lot.
many a times in preparation u told about gkt . . . are u referring u to read frm website or some material u buy online frm gkt. . ? Pls reply. .
I am refering to the material for which I paid. Its an online program wherein you get pdfs in your mail box.
plz provide the link……….. what is the fee in which u registered ???
thanks in advance :)
can we carry digital countdown timer in preliminary exam..?
i have 2 options-
carry an analog digital watch which has a countdown timer
or
carry a separate stopwatch as used to time races etc.
I am little depressed as i got 233 in pt (85+148)..
taking countdown timer can help me solve the problem probably…
Its up to you. I believe digital watch will be enough. No need of any stop watch, it might make you more anxious. Just have confidence. You missed by a whisker. ATB!!
Thank you for replying nima and super congo.. :)
my weakness as reflected in my marks is paper 2 csat..
and i want to safeguard against getting so much involved in the question that i lose track of time.. thus a timer will help me keep track of time.. last time i did the same mistake and lost on 4 questions :(…
and also last minute pressures deteriorated my accuracy.. I have paid heavily by losing out on a year and depressed and insecure for quite a time as i cudnt figure out what to do with my prep…. i tried my level best last yr…
so i wanted to know
1) if a digital countdown timer in a digital wrist watch (in which i set time as 2 hours and it moves to zero) is allowed or not…
2) any tests beside CL… as i want to give more mocks practice for paper 2..
3) Share more light on your paper 2 prep besides the above mentioned sources..
4) did you refer India year book… ? if yes, please throw some light on them.. chapters/topics etc. etc.
5)how many points generally per answer? (as after a few immediate points, we can relate it to broader economic, social, environmental (sometimes), and other aspects..)
6) what did you do to make your answers unique.. any emphasis on intro, conclusion?
7)Answers in point/para format?
Thanks for reading/ replying… ATB for your future..! Thanks.. :)
take care..
Hope to meet you as an officer 1 day…
hey heartiest congratulations !
I too had public administration as optional. my total turned out to be 518. Pub Ad paper I (108) and paper II disatrous (20 marks) I wrote very good but dont know why such tragedy. Did you refer Vajiram classnotes or printed notes.. if you hv class hand written notes then can we find a way to share the same.. i will really appreciate the same.
Thank you.
I refered Vajiram Class notes (not the printed ones). These are available at photostat shops, Rajinder nagar. I do not my notes with me right now. Have given to someone. He will return me after some time. But you will be able to get the class notes Xerox at Rajinder Nagar.
thnx for your reply and best of luck for your bright future :)
Many many congratulaions maam!
Can you please tell me how is the Vajiram Printed notes or Synergy(Mohanty’s) Printed Notes of Pub Ad? Actually i m finding some issues in the class notes…sometimes it becomes a legibility issue and It takes too much time to go through other’s hand writing/notes. Please suggest any way(s) to overcome it.
Congratulations…
Wishing you luck & success…
i’m also pub adm student ..
so coaching hand wirrten note is enough fpr pub ad.. last 2 pub.ad exams had been tough, with less questions coming standard reference books. Even toppers received just two digit marks. so please guided me how to crack new era’s pub adm
congrats mam….this year prelims cutoffs are expected to be very high..so what should be d strategy? i got 229(86+143)..it was my third attempt n not able to qualify a single time….seems like end of a dream…but ur interview on mrunal gives a ray of hope..plz guide…
Do not lose hope. Be comfortable during the exam. Its all a test of stability. Do not get over excited or nervous. That will add to your advantage. There is nothing to lose. You are overall gaining lot of knowledge while studying for this exam. Be free and let your mind be free on worries during the exam time.
dear friend,never permit your past to rule you…..everything is possible in this world…..definitely you are going to qualify this time……there is no defeat in civil service preparation…whether we get in to list or not….if done with full honesty….we will be a good citizen if could not make it…all the best
Congratulation nima mam…thanks a lot for sharing ur exp….its realy inspiring and helpful in framing strategies,i am also having Pub ad as my optional…now i feel gud to choose it….thank u again!!!
Hello Nima Mam,
First of all congratulations for your brilliant success..
Mam in your Educational background you mentioned MA Public Administration and that too after Engineering so is it possible??
yes its possible in pub adm. except regional degree course can take pub adm
i have taken pol science as my optional in Civil service so i thought going for MA in pol science is good..though i am not aware of the details..i don’t even know how much time will it take 2 yrz or how much…so same applies for Political science..