- Candidate Profile
- Education
- Introduction
- Electronic Vs Paper material
- Tempo and style
- Working professional
- Prelims (CSAT) General studies
- Prelim accuracy
- Mains: Compulsory language paper
- Mains: Essay
- Mains General studies paper 1 to 4
- General Studies (Mains) paper 1
- General studies (Mains) paper 2
- General studies (Mains) Paper 3
- General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
- Mains answer-writing?
- Mains Optional Subject
- Before the interview
- During the interview
- CSE-2014 Marksheet
- Career Backup
- Views on UPSC reforms
- Insecurity about profile
- Wisdom
- Credit: Friends/family
- BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
Candidate Profile
Q. | Details |
Name | Khushaal Yadav |
Rank in CSE-2014 | 28 |
Roll No. | 168820 |
Age | 24 |
Total attempts in CSE (including this one) | 1 |
Optional Subject | Med. Sciences |
Schooling Medium | Eng. |
College medium | Eng. |
Medium chosen for Mains answers | Eng. |
Medium chosen for Interview | Eng. |
Home town/city | Rewari |
Work-experience if any | Junior Resident (Nephrology), AIIMS, ND |
Details of other competitive exams, including success/failures | AIIMS PMT /entrance-7th AIR |
Details of coaching, mock tests, postal material for any competitive exam (if used) | |
Service preferences (Top-5) | IAS>IFS>IPS |
state cadre preference (Top-5) | Haryana>Raj>AGMUT>Pb |
Education
fill the details here | |
% in class 10 | 97.8% |
% in class 12 | 90% |
Graduation course and % | MBBS, 67% |
Name of college, city, passing out year | AIIMS, ND, 2014 |
Post-graduation | – |
Any other professional courses | – |
Hobbies & Extracurricular achievements | Cryptic Crosswords, Debating, Reading, Listening to Ghazals |
Introduction
Q. Tell us something about yourself, your family, when and why did you enter in this field of competitive exams?
I got inclined towards Civil services as a career option after joining AIIMS in 2009. The limited scope of intervention by a Medical Practitioner in critical areas like Education (Awareness), Preventive and promotive health care , Sanitation and other civic amenities which all are essential for a holistic development of the human resource and the country in general; The opportunity to work and explore and to contribute to this mammoth democracy of ours; Prestige e.t.c
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 (e.g. I continue making notes no matter what I’m reading, I just read multiple times but don’t maintain notes, I make mindmaps on computer …or xyz style)
A judicious mix of both. Too much of internet can have undesirable effects. I kept an eye out on the new and ‘awesome’ stuff available on the web and utilized it to the fullest ( Getting some hard copies is my cup of tea. I love the ease with which one can personalize them- Annotate, Mark, Fold e.t.c)
Sundays are good to go fishing on the Net.
I would suggest Mrunal, Insights, ForumIAS, Youtube, AIR, Parivartan
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?
Procrastination is in our genes. Unless the fear of failure looms large, we tend to do everything to avoid any sort of effort. For me it was not a problem, coz I was perennially starting at deadlines. I could never achieve my targets. The targets were probably huge considering it was no kindergarten exam and the competition was killing. They kept piling and I grew more and more restless, thereby, avoiding any sort of complacency . That is not a monk’s way of life but it’s one way to live. As I was never happy with my preparation, I had no other option.
However, there is a workaround for people with limited concentration spans.
Mix it up!!
Newspapers, Features and Analysis and Documentaries on Youtube, Air spotlight analysis, Your optional, Then some blogs on the net, Ethics, History…
There has to be spice. The best part about the CSE preparation is that it is anything but boring. This is the key!! Realizing that every bit of info, every shade of opinion is making you smarter, and hopefully a better. The exam pattern is more and more dynamic and I believe that played a huge role in my selection. I sucked at traditional coaching stuff. But I was sound with the current affairs. That paid off.
Every aspirant will find that sometimes the stresses would peak and threaten the mental equilibrium, so necessary for a focused study. I encountered such phase in the month of December. My preparation was haywire, my targets were buried deep and under the new ‘Crisis Oriented Targets’, Optional was giving me nightmares. It was in short, SNAFU!
Then I would just go out for a jog in the middle of the night. The Endorphin rush would sooth my frayed nerves and I would tell myself “Hum hain to Jahaan bhi hai”. That worked!
Another factor that helped me stay balanced was that I had nothing to lose. It was a first attempt. I told myself that only good can come out of it. In the worst case, I would atleast have the study material and the strategy to face the war again.
Working professional
Since you’re a working professional, share some tips on how to manage studies with job
It’s tough! I was doing my Compulsory one year rotating internship at AIIMS. The nature of job fluctuated between being mundane to extremely demanding and this had spinoffs. The three months of my Rural posting in the scorching heat of April, May, June was the most excruciating period. I could not find any time/Environment to study and the helplessness was making me desperate.
After that (july) came some ‘easier’ postings , but by then Prelims was looming large. I could, as a result never do any thorough study. I did not even finish Laxmikanth. My history was hanging by a thread. All I had was snippets– current affairs related, some question in a mock, some relics of class 9,10 geography, some notes of friends.
Now, looking back, It was a time worth remembering!!
Some Workarounds for Working people–
Time Management: Get a leave if you can afford it. Even a 7-10 days leave can work wonders. It gives you the ease and comfort of studying at your own ‘leisure’. One will end up achieving more in a consolidated time span rather than a month of fragmented study.
Use time wisely: use internet on devices/ e notes/ infographics/ mindmaps/ audio books/ Radio AIR/ RSTV/Youtube at work / commute.
As Umberto Eco said,Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the universe, eliminate t Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an empty space. I work in empty spaces. While waiting for your elevator to come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article! empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my fist.
Prelims (CSAT) General studies
Topic | strategy/booklist/comment |
History Ancient | Sriram History |
History Medieval | xxx |
History Modern (Freedom Struggle) | Spectrum |
Culture and society | Nitin Singhania, Roadside notes |
Polity (theory + current) | Vision Currents, Srirams, Laxmi |
Economy (theory + current) | Vaji notes, Sriram, Sanjeev Verma |
Science (theory + current) | Insights, Vision, Vaji, XI,XII |
Environment (theory + current) | Vision Current, Vaji |
geography physical | Goh Chen Leong |
geography India | Vaji |
geography world | Vaji |
other national/international current affairs | Vision |
Schemes, Policy & Filler Stuff | Internet |
Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS prelim 2014 paper?
CSAT was a savior. GS, some questions required wise guessing. Some were way off the mark. No amount of prep can be sufficient for those.
Q. in GS-Prelims 2014, there was unusual questions from environment and agriculture portion. If you were to give the attempt again in 2015, what new strategy / books / sources would you focus?
Currents focus!!
Q. Now that Aptitude paper has become qualifying, obvious more attention needs to be paid on the GS paper so apart from the books that you already have gone through, what else would you have tried for CSE-2015 (if you were going to appear)?
only a few formulae and introductory pages of each chapter of any CSAT manual would suffice now
Prelim accuracy
Q1. Did you attend any ‘mock tests’? do you think they’re necessary for success?
Nope. Although I solved papers on my own under timed conditions.
Q2. Your score in prelim
269= 112.6+158.6
Mains: Compulsory language paper
Compulsory language paper | Your preparation strategy / booklist? |
English paper | none |
your regional language | none |
Q2.other observations / tips / comments on the length / difficulty level of compulsory language papers in CSE-2014
Translations were tough in Hindi paper, rest was cool!
Mains: Essay
Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper? and Which two essays did you write and What key points did you include in it?
I wrote two essays: Olympic glory and Competitive exam wala
My tips are given on my blog sarvebhavantusukhina.wordpress.com
Mains General studies paper 1 to 4
I’ve created a table, so you can quickly point out what you referred. Alternatively you can write a separate standalone “Strategy” article in a wordfile.
* A separate write up is possible
General Studies (Mains) paper 1
THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE. FOLLOW AT YOUR OWN RISK–
I never did topic wise study for GS. Whatever came to me I lapped it up. I missed many topics too.
Here, I would credit VISION IAS current affairs for their excellent coverage of Economy, IR, Social, Security, Environmental and other issues. I read them starting from december 2013.
The Hindu and The Indian express- repositories of awesome info
SOME USEFUL RESOURCES–
The usual suspects- RSTV, LSTV
- Akashvani AIR- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdwm5QNss1TpY_whBkql0dw
- Al jazeera English- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNye-wNBqNL5ZzHSJj3l8Bg
- Big think- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiCPv2sV_D3FqMRzzUFA2Fg
- BBC NEWS– https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC16niRr50-MSBwiO3YDb3RA
- Big History Project – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNQsm_PPL5jZhcuoowPZDQA
- Centre for strategic and international studies- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr5jq6MC_VCe1c5ciIZtk_w
- CGP grey- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C_jShtL725hvbm1arSV9w
- CNN- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCupvZG-5ko_eiXAupbDfxWw
- Council on foreign relations- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_A4jkwvKuMyToAPy3FQKQ
- Crash Course- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6b17PVsYBQ0ip5gyeme-Q
- DD news – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwucPzHZ7zCUIf7If-Wo1g
- INdian Diplomacy- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJyP-OtuzlRV-r-3vR9qQTg
- IDSA- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPchKmESOEs6XvhPYYS1s8w
- Journeyman Pictures- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM2YmsRUeIbRkqjgNm0eTGQ
- Nature video- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7c8mE90qCtu11z47U0KErg
- Nat Geo- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpVm7bg6pXKo1Pr6k5kxG9A
- Online Communication Skills Training- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Zb02pmVD2VA7lnx8mV4gw
- Online Spoken English Course- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Ue98XJi_0-sWFOwbWBkzQ
- Observer Research Foundation- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZnql2gYgsIvnc-8-7DmcQ
- PIB – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGn6a5SI8SNlj7WylmPD6GQ
- PMO India- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDS9hpqUEXsXUIcf0qDcBIA
- PRS legislative- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLz-5KdjrNZGdenYfIvt-dw
- Shashi Tharoor- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1At8WvjglVCC8TfSXit9BwTalks at Google- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbmNph6atAoGfqLoCL_duAg
- TED – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUUnT6oDeKwE6v1NGQxug
- The Economist- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0p5jTq6Xx_DosDFxVXnWaQ
- The NYT- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqnbDFdCpuN8CMEg0VuEBqA
- Compilations by Undercover group and insights are good too
- I would also walk around karol bagh for any new material and would purchase on whim any thing that would interest me. I stumbed upon some great gems. Most, as expected burned a hole in my pocket and are gathering dust.
Anyways, here starts the list:
Topic | How did you prepare? |
culture | Nitin Singhania Notes |
Indian history | Spectrum, Sriram for Ancient and Modern Summary, NO BIPIN CHANDRA |
world history | Norman Lowe |
post-independence India | Karol Bagh notes |
Indian society | Roadside notes |
role of women, poverty etc. | Rest all Current Affairs, Newspapers, vision handouts |
globalization on Indian society | “ |
communalism, regionalism, secularism | |
world geo physical | Vajiram material Geography |
resource distribution | “ |
factors for industrial location | “ |
earthquake tsunami etc | |
impact on flora-fauna |
General studies (Mains) paper 2
Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
Indian Constitution, devolution, dispute redressal etc. | Laxmikant Current affairs mostly |
comparing Constitution with world | |
parliament, state Legislatures | |
executive-judiciary | |
ministries departments | |
pressure group, informal asso. | |
Representation of people’s act | |
various bodies: Constitutional, statutory.. | |
NGO, SHG etc | |
welfare schemes, bodies | |
social sector, health, edu, HRD | |
governance, transparency, accountability | |
e-governance | Governance vaji |
role of civil service | |
India & neighbors | Rajiv Sikri, VP Dutt?** (one read) |
bilateral/global grouping | Rest currents |
effect of foreign country policies on Indian interest | |
diaspora | |
international bodies- structure mandate |
General studies (Mains) Paper 3
Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
Indian economy, resource mobilization | Current affairs, Coaching Roadside notes, Sriram |
inclusive growth | |
budgeting | |
major crops, irrigation | |
agro produce – storage, marketing | |
e-technology for famers | |
farm subsidies, MSP | |
PDS, buffer, food security | |
technology mission | |
animal rearing economics | |
food processing | |
land reforms | |
liberalization | |
infra | |
investment models | |
science-tech day to day life | Compilations on Insights |
Indian achievements in sci-tech | “ |
awareness in IT, space, biotech, nano, IPR | “ |
environmental impact assessment | Sriram environmental notes |
Disaster Management | Vision ias has some good stuff |
non state actors, internal security | Security Roadside notes |
internal security – role of media, social networking site | |
cyber security | |
money laundering | |
border Management | |
organized crime, terrorism | |
security agencies- structure mandate |
General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
- Lexicon Ethics (Lovely Text, Short And Sweet),
- Some Roadside Notes, Vaji Notes
- Ethics Integrity And Aptitiude ( Is A Good Book, But Bigger)
Mains answer-writing?
Please tell us how many marks worth attempt did you give? along with comments if any, in the following cells:
Sorry I cannot Recall
Paper | Best attempted | Average quality | namesake answer | Total attempt |
GS1 | ||||
GS2 | ||||
GS3 | ||||
GS4 | ||||
Opt-P1 | ||||
Opt-P2 |
I wanted to attempt all questions. This seems like a mistake in hindsight. I was always hard-pressed for time in all the GS papers. Sometimes I could barely do justice to questions at the end despite knowing a substantial amount because I had frittered my time away attempting answers to which I had no clue. Eg, Greco-Roman Art, Etc
In Ethics paper I had to leave 30 marks unattempted because in my effort to handle the Case Studies maximally I lost track of time. This could have been disastrous.
This is reflected in my GS score as well.
Q. How was your experience with the ‘fixed space’ answer sheet?
Loved it. You don’t need more than that. With liberal spacing 2 ½ , 1 ½ pages are enough for 3 and 2 page spaces.
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.
Depends on question. Bullets could easily be expanded into paragraphs. My Bullets/paras never went beyond 3 lines for an idea. The purpose is to showcase your grasp of the different aspects of the topic in a concise way. Time and Ink are resources , use them wisely. No point stuffing the answer with – in my opinion/ I think/ some people say (fillers of all sorts). Brief , to the point. Help yourself , help the examiner!!
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 need for hard core formats. The answers must be logical and they should be seamless. They have to follow some structure in any case for it to be rewarded generously.
Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your answers?
Highlighters sometimes, whenever I could. Understand the main purpose of highlighting- to draw attention to something sublime that might be overlooked, or to divert attention from the neighbouring filler/half baked material. Don’t over do it. Doing so will only make the exercise futile.
Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography)
Whereever relevant, and wherever remembered.
Q7. If yes, Did you draw diagrams with pencil or pen?
Inconsistent. Whatever was at hand.
Q8. Did you use ruler to draw the lines in diagram? Or did you just make it by hand?
NO
Q9. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black pen?
Blue , phew!! ( It feels like I am again in the exam hall!)
Mains Optional Subject
Q. What’s your optional subject and why did you chose it and not something else?
Medical Sciences.
- Familiarity with the syllabus.
- Availability of material ( Notes during graduation),
- Seniors Advice (Dr. Vijit Patel, IRS), (Dr. Aditya Dahiya, IAS)
- Dedicated friends’ study circle: Dr. Devansh, Dr. Navdeep, Dr. Lakes .
- Although I was not pleased with the lack of Readymade material and Test Series.
- But, better the devil you know
Q. If a new player wants to pick this subject, would you advice for it or against it? (e.g. every senior player in Public Administration seems to be advising against pub.ad)
If you have even an average knowledge of the course content it is eminently doable.
Non Medicos- please stay away!
Q. First the essential book/resource list. (Also mention which one is the “Base book” for covering the theory? + Whatever comments you’ve for a particular book e.g. “my seniors said read xyz book but I found that ABC book was better”. “xyz topic not given properly in this book, so prepare from xyz website or book…” OR and so on.)
Notes mostly. plus some Standard textbooks..no skipping Importantly, Strictly stick to the syllabus. Avoid taking a dive in the ocean. I will be uploading some scanned content.
Q. 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?
Syllabus is pretty much traditional. Some questions can be related, however, to current events. Eg, Question on gang-rape ( in previous year following the Nirbhaya incident)
Q. How many months did it take to finish the core optional syllabus?
I could not finish it all. Having realized the enormity of task at hand I analysed the last 20 years papers, made a spreadsheet to see what topics have been Ultra Imp, Imp, So-So, Slave Labour kinda. And, proportionately devoted time. I was pretty much counting on luck but seems like the gamble paid off.
I manage to score 279 in the optional. There is no short cut to a strong preparation but prioritization is the name of the game.
Q. How many days/ weeks before the exam, you started answer writing practice?
No Answer Writing for Optional. I was sure if I knew the content writing would be easy. Well, not entirely sure. I did have trouble finishing the exam. Left a 10 marker. The last 60 marker question was attempted in bare 7 minutes. Time Management during the exam was sloppy!!
Q. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of optional? In which format- electronic or paper?
Only a few. That being said, they are the bread and butter of every medical student. Hard copies only.
***I will share some scanned copies soon.
Q. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2014 mains vs previous papers. And what precautions / rectifications are necessary in the future strategy for given optional subject?
Can’t comment. I have had experience of only one paper hence not wise to compare the two. But there are a few tricky questions each time around.
This year the question mix in different sections was challenging to say the least. Earlier, A sound knowledge of physio would preclude preparing for Anatomy but not anymore!!
Before the interview
Q1. How did you prepare for the interview? – for college grad, hobbies, place of origin, current affairs at national and international level?
- Lots of MOCKS,
- Discussions with friends at AIIMS esp. Dr. Vipin,
- Internet blogs,
- FORUMIAS interview transcripts for 2014&2015,
- State books- Delhi & Haryana
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?
It helps a lot but the efficacy is limited because no radical transformation can be brought about in a couple of days. It’s advisable to have a feel of the interview atleast in feb/march. That gives time to polish your rough edges and sparkle in the interview hall
Q3. Describe the formal-dress worn by you in interview.
It was a deep blue formal suit with matte finish, conservative cut, single breasted, double slits at the back with a Cream White shirt and a Maroon tie.
If this does not make sense go to any decent tailor and ask him to stitch one for a ‘Sarkaari Interview’!
Q4. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friend’s home …) and what books/material did you bring for the ‘revision before interview’?
Hostel. Current affairs magazines, State Manuals (Delhi/Hry), My notes regarding profile, and current affairs talking points.
During the interview
Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Dr. Mrs. Kilemsungla
Q2. How long was the interview?
25 minutes. The guy before me lasted for 45 minutes. I was the last in morning session. My interview started at 1:05 pm ( at lunch hour). I was horrified. Plus, They seemed to be quite keen on getting rid of me! (Kept looking at the wall clock. ) But all is well..J
Q3. Why do you want to join civil service? Why don’t you continue in your graduation field? Social service can be done from private sector too. [Since I don’t know whether they ask you this question or not. But if they had asked- what will be your reply?]
The questions are generally posed to throw the candidate off balance. It is not Morally, Legally, Any whichway wrong on your part to switch streams/jobs. The right to practice any profession is guaranteed in the constitution. So, Relax. Just think about what factors were instrumental in guiding your career choice. Scope, Diversity (Both at Implementation and Policy formulation levels), Experiencing and knowing the Real India, Personal Satisfaction, (Prestige?influence?Public Service at grassroots) Health Sector already in bad shape, Challenging, Etc.
Then they will ask what makes you think you are suited to this job?
Again the answer has to be specific to your situation.
For technical backgrounders esp MedSc. As optional-
Things like objectivity, Rationality, Looking at the patient in toto not as sum of organs, Communication skills, Openess to get a second opinion(Very essential in policy making- there are no binaries there, need for feed back, consultations), Finally, that I understood the vital connection between poverty, education, health (At Individual and National level)
All this won’t come to you at the interview. Just a couple of points should suffice
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. (Earlier some toppers only tell me their question but not their answer. I would appreciate if you give both Question + your original answers)
Very Cordial . Madam Kilemsungla’s Board.Was the last member to walk in . Started at 1:00 pm lasted for 25 mins.
It was so sudden and surreal, it took time to set in. Questions were on predicted lines.
Why IAS?
You studies at AIIMS, toughest exams to crack. So much invested , public money, Don’t you think you have a responsibility?
What would be your comittments to medicine as an officer? ( My reply was along the lines of “Once a doctor, Always a doctor’)
Things you would do for health sector?
Democracy structural vs institutional weakness?
Safeguards for civil servants ?
Proactive media, good or bad?
Sufi history (DAF)
Earthquake , your response as DM
Asked me to solve a crossword..Couldn’t do
Asked me about Anand and his back to back defeats to carlsen.
Education reforms.. RTE. ( I blurted out RTI, was pointed out)
And Telemedicine. ( Repeat!!)
A lot pertained to health sectors and was a formal discussion
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?
Yes, totally. I was a little lost earlier on, but I found my rhythm soon enough.
Q6. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?
Nope, Seamless!
Q7. Any word of wisdom / observations about medical checkup?
Get some lunch with you. Its gonna be a long day!! J
CSE-2014 Marksheet
Prelims Marksheet
Paper1 | 112.66 |
Paper2 | 156.68 |
Total | 269 |
Mains and Interview
Subjects | Marks |
Essay (Paper-I) | 150 |
General Studies -I (Paper-Ii) | 95 |
General Studies -Ii (Paper-Iii) | 76 |
General Studies -Iii (Paper-Iv) | 91 |
General Studies -Iv (Paper-V) | 91 |
Optional-I (Medical Science) (Paper-Vi) | 134 |
Optional-II (Medical Science) (Paper-Vii) | 145 |
Written Total | 782 |
Personality Test | 201 |
Final Total | 983 |
Career Backup
Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?
There is no plan B
Q2. When were you going to “execute” that backup plan? (e.g. after __ failed attempts/ after I cross __ age/after dad retires/ after girlfriend dumps me etc.)
Haha! I don’t think that far ahead.
Views on UPSC reforms
Q. Optional subjects should be removed altogether. The present stalemate is helping no-one, except coaching-owners, book publishers.
It would be a level playing field. Is definitely doable. Will increase the credibility, for sure!
Q. Your views on the decision to make CSAT paper 33% qualifying?
Conflict of interest!
Q. Despite what UPSC has done in recent years, it has failed to curb the nuisance of Delhi’s coaching factories. In fact it’s increased under the new syllabus in 2014. Let’s face it, most candidates who gave Mains-2014 have relied on (authentic OR Xeroxed) coaching notes because there was hardly any time left to prepare so many topics in such short time. This system work against an individual preparing from far-away area, without any financial resources, high-speed internet or contacts in Delhi.
Coaching Institutes are a reality and they cannot be wished away. Who does not want that extra edge? As long as the exams are competitive (Any similar exam for that matter) people will flock to these institutes, for good or bad. They are not bad, per se. They sure cut the learning time. One does not have to reinvent the wheel, so to say. Plus, they also provide a meeting place for like minded people to share ideas, material, etcetera. However, the candidates must not rely solely on them and should exercise judgment. An analysis of the recent trend will show that the exam is moving away from fact based to analytical and conceptual areas. Candidates with a grasp on current affairs of import have done well.
Coaching can only be a supplement at best. The blooming of alternatives such as Mrunal.org, ForumIAS, INSIGHTS, parivartan equips the aspirants to make informed decisions by removing the information asymmetry, besides keeping the uptodate with the happening around the nation and globe.
Q. UPSC should disclose official prelim answerkey and cutoffs, immediately after prelim is over, instead of postponing it till interview phase is over.
It could be helpful for aspirants who couldn’t make the cut. They can, then do a smart analysis and better prepare for the next attmpet.
However, the individual marks shouldnot be disclosed as it could lead to bias
Q. UPSC should be conducted online like IBPS and CAT exam to shorten the duration of exam.
Only the prelims can be attempted online. But, here too the sheer scale (Approx. 4.5 lakh candidates writing) of the exam poses huge challenge to switch to an online version.
Q. If you are made the UPSC chairman, what other reforms would you initiate for the civil service exam?
There is plethora of reports and recommendations already. I would rather aim for a timely implementation of those reports.
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?
With so much at stake, a bit of anxiety is only natural. I will deal with these separately-
College- A degree from a reputed college is a feather in the cap. (Most of them have entrances of their own, and it an indication of your previous successes). But, that’s it. Just feather. The people at UPSC are looking for ‘meat’. Your achievements in your college matter more. ( Academic / Extra-curricular). In short, stop worrying and Play the hand you are dealt!!
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?
Fortunately, I did not have to learn it the hard way. It is a remarkably unpredictable exam. I was bracing myself for another attempt as I searched with bated breath for my name in the list. It was surreal. I thought it was another one of my dreams. Dream, an elaborate, beautiful dream. It is slowly sinking in. I knew it inside that I would do it, but when I wasn’t sure. I had my schedule ready. Was once again regular with the op-eds, but was yet to take the plunge.
Prelims, Mains, Interview,List , Rank, Service, Cadre…There are so many stages, too much perplexity. Thinking too much about it is sure to make one land in a Psych ward.
The Only Panacea- Just Do It!
Hard work, Smart work. Life will give you shocks. Be prepared.
Dream It, Deserve it!
There are a few friends of mine who had it hard this year. Intellingent people, too. There are endless areas where one can screw it up– Essay, Language paper, GS, Ethics case studies, optionals, Interviews..but on the other side, one can make up for some deficiencies in GS with optional or vice-versa.
In my opinion, aspirants do a very fractured study. Eg,
1) Ignoring Hindi paper for example.
2) With essays the approach is – “ I cannot learn to write essays/ There is not much scope anyway/ I am poor at language”
3) Interview- A couple of mocks would be enough
4) All reading, no writing.
Now, the preparation has to be wholesome. Some suggestions to avoid these lapses-
1. Attempt this exercise-—Imagine sitting for the interview and vocalizing the responses to plausible questions. The responses have to be crisp, balanced, nuanced, flawless in tone,pitch,loudness, with attention to body language. This exercise has to be repeated daily, before a mirror/camera. For example, after reading a stimulating article, one could summarise it and say it out loud.
This leads to better retention, increased confidence, and enhanced performance.
Regularly repeated, this will make the dreaded interview a walk in the park. Okay, if not exactly that, it will make interview a very ‘NORMAL’ situation and you would not lapse into a coma during a ‘tough’ interview. You would have your wits about you , and would know to make a graceful exit from cornered situations. Your each waking moment you have to be working for the interview. Newspaper/ TV/ Internet everything is in essence a preparation for the BIG DAY.
2. Read a Hindi daily/ Magazine ( for those who have only conversational knowledge of Hindi)- We all claim Hindi as our mother tongue but our vocabulary is severely limited. Know atleast basic terms such as Republic/Democracy/Socialist/Secular[UPKAR HINDI chapter] (Basically, the entire preamble—for only the night before or early morning). Remember you will be dealing mostly with hindi speaking populace, not some English spouting ‘Hot Shots’. Most of the official work in some states is done in HINDI. So, its pretty rewarding. Not to scare anybody, but the panelist might ask you to answer in Hindi (Mock panelist asked me to briefly tell about the history of Haryana in Haryanwi)
All that I know is that one has to be prepared. No matter what may come!
There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time. -Malcolm X
Q. Many hardworking candidates have failed in Mains/Interview of CSE-2014. They’re feeling cynical, hopeless and depressed- what is your message to them?
Before success comes in any man’s life, he’s sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That’s exactly what the majority of men do. – Napoleon Hill
Which one are you??
Credit: Friends/family
Q. Behind every topper are many people who stood by during those uncertain times when he/she was merely an ‘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?
My Mother and Father, Kid Brother.
My colleagues and seniors at AIIMS.
Not to forget remarkable people behind Mrunal.org, Insights(Current Affairs), Forum, Parivartan and other contributions from previous toppers.
BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
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.
Yes, it helped. I was a regular visitor to the site. I loved the hilarious ‘infographics’. Saved the images for easy revision. The Videos and PPTs are great too, but didn’t get much time to learn from them. Lastly, the regular barrage of articles is sure to keep any sincere aspirant on his toes.
Sir highly waiting lecture article & rajatnil ma’am interview
Nice interview with DR kushal yadav…many more congratulations as you cleared in your very first attempt and all d very best.
Very crisp and lucid write up.
Mrunal Sir please start with artilcles of your lectures…. or atleast notify if cant do so…..
आपको बहुत बहुत बधाई मित्र!!!
Medicos ! the coolest class of civil servants India has seen in recent years. nt to miss roman saini and now you . hats off !!!
@KHUSHAAL Did you prepare notes from newspaper?
hufff!another well qualified out of medical field..what will happen to the indian healthcare system
I like the way of Interviews in this website….Thanqqq….waiting for more.. :)
Mrunal.org is already high impact website request you to please don’t ask opinion on Should UPSC go online exam module like banks. I must say this online mode is real pathetic way of giving exam, varies center to center & the kind of system you get in exam can make a huge difference.I’ve cleared bank exams when it was paper pencil but after that I’m not able to clear it,online system is not as comfortable as paper pencil.
Hats of Dude!!
Really Inspirational.
97.8 % in class 10th!
90% in class 12th with AIIMS !
Says it all!
You are a naturally gifted person obviously!
A gifted brain and a high IQ is a must for cracking UPSC ,specially in 1st attempt!
Normal people can’t match the magic of nature by any damn amount of hard work !
No way !
All the rankers are either from IIT or AIIMS or everyone was a topper in school.Every single time with few exceptions !
Its people like you who only rule the world :D
Congratulations dude !
I wish there were more seats for general category,80 seats hoti hein IAS ki,usko to saare genetically gifted hi le jaate hein !
Normal logo ke liye kuch bachta hai to reservation le jata hai !
Hard luck !
Lols… :)
Language & CSAT are not excuses…
I don’t like maths still I want that CSAT should be there…
Local language vs. English was the biggest hurdle for me when I was in 12th…
No offense on their sucess..
Language & CSAT are not excuses…
I don’t like maths still I want that CSAT should be there…
Local language vs. English was the biggest hurdle for me when I was in 12th…
No offense on their success..
please do provide the lectures for downloading also since a great chunk of rural and suburb guys lack high speed data connections.
these videos will also act as syllabus at hand.
thank u
VERY NICE SIR ! ENCOURAGING!
Congrats…..
First of all congrats fr ur success . But the strange thing is the person who cleared his prelims on the basis of CSAT, now dont support it straight away.. read one interview yesterday also, rank 77, CSAT helped him in clearing pre n he too dint supported it.. such beauracrats, our country surely needs..
congratulation sir ji …….
Congratulations sir crack the CSE.
Thanks mrunal sir for helping us.
A humble requested to you “pls upload PIN of MAY & JUNE month. bcoz PIN is more important than current affairs.
Thanks Again…
csat is 33% qualifying now. does that also mean that csat marks wont be considered in prelims cut offs?
Kushal. Congrats bro. Can u share ur email id??
hai ! brother , nice to chat with you . thi is sulochana from A.P. my aim is to become an I.P.S officer. i want your suggestions for preparing civil services
HELLO SIR,
IAM SREE OF INTER FIRST YEAR. IAM VERY EXCITED ON KNOWING ABOUT YOU. IAM FROM KADAPA AP. I CAME FROM A POOR FAMILY. NOW IAM CONCENTRATING ON MY STUDIES. MY AIM IS TO SECURE A NICE JOB IN UPSC. PLEAASE SUGGEST ME.
dear Khusal kindly provide your contact no on my email id so that i may congrats you by deliver few words.
yadavvishnukumar@yahoo.com
Thnks sir ji i want
preparation ias so tells about your study material.