[Topper’s Interview] Jitendra Dudi (Rank-364/CSE-2015) History, 2nd Attempt, Jaipur, Rajasthan

1. Candidate Profile
2. Education
3. Electronic Vs Paper material
4. Tempo and style
5. Struggle of a Senior player
6. Prelims (CSAT) General studies
7. Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
8. Prelim accuracy
9. Mains: Compulsory language paper
10. Mains: Essay
11. General Studies (Mains) paper 1
12. General studies (Mains) paper 2
13. General studies (Mains) Paper 3
14. General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
15. Mains answer-writing?
16. Mains Optional Subject
17. Before the interview
18. During the interview
19. CSE-2015 Marksheet
20. Career Backup
21. Views on UPSC reforms
22. Insecurity about profile
23. Wisdom
24. BOGUS Marketing Propaganda

Candidate Profile

Q.	Details
Name	Jitendra Dudi
Rank in CSE-2015	364
Roll No.	0012452
Age	26
Total attempts in CSE (including this one)	2
Optional Subject	history
Schooling Medium	english
College medium	english
Medium chosen for Mains answers	english
Medium chosen for Interview	english
Home town/city	jaipur
Work-experience if any	no
Details of coaching, mock tests, postal material for any competitive exam (if used)	History optional coaching from baliyan classes
Service preferences (Top-5)	IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS(I.T), IRS(CUSTOMS AND CENTRAL EXCISE)
state cadre preference (Top-5)	Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra

Education

% in class 10	85.8
% in class 12	81.2
Graduation course and %	63.05
Name of college, city, passing out year	Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology Management and Gramothan, Jaipur. Passed out in 2013
Post-graduation	–
Any other professional courses	–
Hobbies & Extracurricular achievements	PLAYING CRICKET, VOLLEYBALL AND KABADDI. 2. FOLLOWING EUROPEAN CLUB FOOTBALL LEAGUES. 3. WATCHING INDIAN PARALLEL CINEMA. WON MEDALS IN SPRINTS, DISCUS THROW AND SHOT PUT AT SCHOOL LEVEL. 2. WON GOLD MEDAL IN INTER SCHOOL KABADDI TOURNAMENT.

Electronic Vs Paper material

I used both electronic and printed sources depending on the quality of the content. It is advisable to make notes but it is impossible to make notes of everything. So, I used both notes making and underline method to consolidate my preparation. This was much easier way and I utilized the time saved in doing answer writing practice on a daily basis.

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?
Here you will get many good advices. So, I would keep it simple and recommend that one should develop a hobby and follow it in the same manner as you prepare the civil services exam. I have the hobby of watching football and I followed it during exams as well. This kept me going without much stress and I didn’t felt the load of study. Sometimes distractions are necessary to avoid unwanted things like mood swings, frustration, etc

Struggle of a Senior player

Q. What went wrong in your previous attempt? What changes did you make in this current attempt?
I couldn’t clear prelims in my first attempt. That was very difficult time but I considered it as a blessing in disguise and chalked out the plan for the whole year. I studied everything in details like ARC reports, made notes as much as I can and most importantly I did lots of answer writing practice. In the month of may I began the prelims preparation and studied everything 2-4 times and attempted many test papers. This helped me to identify my mistakes and ultimately it came handy during the exam time

Prelims (CSAT) General studies

Topic	strategy/booklist/comment
History Ancient	1.Old ncert written by R.S Sharma 2.a small booklet of sriram’s ias
History Medieval	1.Old ncert written by Satish Chandra 2.a small booklet of sriram’s ias
History Modern (Freedom Struggle)	1.Spectrum 2.old ncert by Bipin Chandra for events related to before 1857 period
Culture and society	Dance music and instruments through these two videos- 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRzzrekUjoE 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWTf7k4FjEs Indian folk dances and Indian paintings- 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_1ce6JDkHM 2 . http://ccrtindia.gov.in/visualarts.php 3. http://ccrtindia.gov.in/performingart.php Architecture- 1.vision ias notes 2. http://ccrtindia.gov.in/visualarts.php 3.An Introduction to Indian Art- ncert of 11th standard http://ncerttextbooks.in/book/English/Class+11/69/Fine+Art+-+An+Introduction+to+Indian+Art.html Along with these sources I also referred gk today notes for miscellaneous topics.
Polity (theory + current)	M. Laxmikanth
Economy (theory + current)	1.Zulfiqar sir notes 2. self made notes of economic survey 3. few topic from sriram’s ias notes 4. mrunal’s videos(extremely helpful- must watch)
Science (theory + current)	1.vajiram’s yellow booklets for physics and chemistry 2. biology from ncerts of 6th -10th standards (didn’t do it in much detail though)
Environment (theory + current)	Shankar ias book (a must read as many in depth questions are being asked from this part. I know this is an extremely boring and heavy book but there is no alternative)
geography physical	1.11th and 12th ncert 2. g.c. leong 3. mrunal’ video(very helpful- must watch)
geography India	1.11th and 12th ncert 2. mrunal’ video(very helpful- must watch)
geography world	1.icse board books of 6th-8th standards
other national/international current affairs	1.vision ias current affairs notes(very helpful)
Schemes, Policy & Filler Stuff	1.vision ias current affairs notes(very helpful) 2.gk today notes on government schemes Note- for this part I would suggest to visit government of india ministry’s websites. They are very informative and interactive. For example mhrd website has the videos of their schemes. Please visits these websites.

Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS prelim 2015 paper?
As I have already mentioned please visit the government of india’s various websites. They are the direct and best source of information. Along with that I would suggest that keep the photo copies of last 5 years upsc prelims papers with you all the time so that you can have the idea of what to study and what to leave.
Give as many tests as possible and don’t worry about the marks because these papers are set in such a way that u get wrong answers by applying logic while upsc wants you to arrive at the right answer by using common sense.

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-2016 (if you were going to appear)?

Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude

Topic	strategy / booklist
Maths	KSG and Career Launcher notes
reasoning	KSG and Career Launcher notes
comprehension	KSG and Career Launcher notes
Decision Making	KSG and Career Launcher notes

Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS Aptitude 2015 paper.
For aptitude paper attempt the previous year paper and if you are easily getting around 100 marks than there is no need to prepare for it separately. However if your score is around 70-80 than you should give time to this paper as well.

Prelim accuracy

Q1. Did you attend any ‘mock tests’? do you think they’re necessary for success?
No, I didn’t attend any mock tests but I solved lots of papers at home. I think one should solve as many papers as he/she can. This will not only refine your preparation but will also help you cover those topics which might have not have been prepared so far.
Q2. Approximate no. of attempted answers vs. correct answers. in CSAT-2015

	attempted Q.	correct (Expected)	Official score
GS	91	65	112
aptitude	61	53	126.58

Mains: Compulsory language paper

Compulsory language paper	Your preparation strategy / booklist?
English paper	Solved last year paper before the exam day
your regional language	Solved last year paper before the exam day and studied few topics like synonyms from some hindi book

Q. other observations / tips / comments on the length / difficulty level of compulsory language papers in CSE-2015
For this I would suggest to solve the last year papers. This will give you the confidence and the idea about the type of questions that are being asked.

Mains: Essay

Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?
For the essay paper I watched few videos on youtube in order to understand as how to build the structure, what to write in the introduction, etc. I also consulted few seniors and got some of my essays checked by them. Also I tried to follow the gaurav agarwal’s strategy(cse-2013 topper). His blog on essay writing was very helpful. And above all I wrote few essays( I should have done more on this front and I would suggest everyone to write at least 10 essays starting 2-3 months before the mains exam)

Q2. Which two essays did you write and What key points did you include in it?
1. Character of an institution is reflected in it’s leader
2. Dreams which should not let India sleep

General Studies (Mains) paper 1

Topic	How did you prepare?
Culture	Same source as that of prelims and I had history as my optional so didn’t study separately
Indian history	I had history as my optional so didn’t study separately
world history	1.I had history as my optional so didn’t study separately. Here I would suggest to study 9th and 10th old ncerts, 11th and 12th old ncerts written by arjun dev. Some topics like socialism and post world war II ear are well written in vision ias notes as well. 2. ncert notes are also there on mrunal website. You can refer them as well.
post-independence India	1.India after independence by Bipin Chandra 2.vision ias notes
Indian society	1)Referred some pdfs and vision ias notes. I have attested them with this file and I request mrunal to upload these sources. 2two ncerts of 12th standard- Indian society, social change and development in india
role of women, poverty etc.	Same as above
globalization on Indian society	Same as above
communalism, regionalism, secularism	Same as above
world geo physical	Same as prelims
resource distribution	1.Vajiram yellow booklet 2.vision ias notes 3. mrunal’s geography video lectures 4. india people and economy ncert of 12th standard
factors for industrial location	Mrunal’s  articles(no need to look anywhere else) https://mrunal.org/geography
earthquake tsunami etc	vision ias notes
impact on flora-fauna	Didn’t study it separately

General studies (Mains) paper 2

Topic	How Did You Prepare?
Indian Constitution, devolution, dispute redressal etc.	M. laxmikanth and vision ias notes
comparing Constitution with world	Vision ias notes
parliament, state Legislatures	1.M. laxmikanth 2.vision ias notes
executive-judiciary	1.M. laxmikanth 2.vision ias notes
ministries departments	1.M. laxmikanth 2.vision ias notes 3. 2nd arc report
pressure group, informal asso.	1.M. laxmikanth 2.vision ias notes
Representation of people’s act	vision ias notes
various bodies: Constitutional, statutory..	1.M. laxmikanth 2.vision ias notes 3. 2nd arc report
NGO, SHG etc	vision ias notes
welfare schemes, bodies	Current affairs notes of vision ias
social sector, health, edu, HRD	Current affairs notes of vision ias
governance, transparency, accountability	1.vision ias notes 2. 2nd arc report
e-governance	1.vision ias notes 2. 2nd arc report
role of civil service	1.vision ias notes 2. 2nd arc report
India & neighbors	1.sriram’s ias notes on international relations(they release it around 1 month before the mains exam) 2.current affairs notes of vision ias 3. pax indica by shashi tharoor 4. ministry of external affairs website
bilateral/global grouping	Same as above
effect of foreign country policies on Indian interest	Same as above
Diaspora	Vision ias notes
international bodies- structure mandate	Same as above and made notes of this topic by referring the website of respective bodies( if there is any), Wikipedia and the ministry of external affairs website

General studies (Mains) Paper 3

Topic	How Did You Prepare?
Indian economy, resource mobilization	1.economice survey self made notes 2.vision ias current affairs notes 3.sriram’s ias economics notes 4. mrunal youtube videos on economics
inclusive growth
Budgeting	Didn’t prepare it specifically . vision ias notes of this topic are available in the market.
major crops, irrigation	Pdf attached. Please refer it.
agro produce – storage, marketing	1.Mrunal articles 2.vision ias current affairs notes
e-technology for famers	1.Vision ias notes 2.vision ias current affairs notes
farm subsidies, MSP	1.notes made by one my friends 2.vision ias current affairs notes
PDS, buffer, food security	Same as above
technology mission	Pdf attached. Please refer it.
animal rearing economics	Pdf attached. Please refer it.
food processing	Mrunal articles
land reforms	Mrunal articles
Liberalization	Didn’t study it specifically
Infra	1.economice survey self made notes 2.vision ias current affairs notes
investment models	Didn’t  study it specifically . prepared only those models which were given in vision ias curret affairs notes
science-tech day to day life	Didn’t prepare it
Indian achievements in sci-tech	Didn’t prepare it
awareness in IT, space, biotech, nano, IPR	Didn’t prepare it
environmental impact assessment	Vajiram class notes
Disaster Management	1.Self made notes of the document of ministry of home affairs 2.vision ias notes
non state actors, internal security	Challenges to internal security of india by TMH  publications
internal security – role of media, social networking site	Same as above
cyber security	Same as above
money laundering	Same as above
border  Management	Same as above
organized crime, terrorism	Same as above
security agencies- structure mandate	Same as above

General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude

Topic	How Did You Prepare?
ethics and interface, family, society and all the hathodaa topics	1)IAS Mains General Studies Paper – 4: Ethics Integrity & Aptitude by Arihant Publications 2) solved vision ias test papers
attitude, moral influence etc.	Same as above
civil service: integrity, impartiality, tolerance to weak etc	Same as above
emotional intelligence, its use in governance	Same as above
moral thinkers of India and world	I had to read some thinkers like Rousseau, John Locke as a part of my optional syllabus. Didn’t prepare any other thinker separately
ethics in pub.ad, accountability, laws, rules etc.	Same as above
corporate governance	Same as above
probity in governance, work culture	Same as above
citizen charter, ethics code, work culture etc.	Same as above
challenges of corruption	Same as above
case studies on above topics	Same as above

Q. Many candidates found Mains-2015 Ethics paper very peculiar and “out of the book”. What are your observations and tips for future aspirants regarding preparation of this paper?
This is one paper which can’t be taught through books or by coaching institutes. No one can teach you what is the meaning of happiness for you. So, just read and understand the basic terms from any source and then focus more on answer writing and thinking about day to day examples that can be used in your answers. I think this approach will make your answer more honest and more realistic and this is what this paper on ethics is all about.

Mains answer-writing?

Please tell us how many marks worth attempt did you give? along with comments if any, in the following cells:

Paper	Best attempted	Average quality	namesake answer	Total attempt
GS1	9-10	7-8	0	all
GS2	7-8	7-8	1	all
GS3	10	6	2-4	all
GS4	6-7	9-10	1	all
Opt-P1	4-5	rest	0	all
Opt-P2	6-8	rest	0	all

I would suggest to attempt the entire paper but ofcourse don’t write anything unnecessary or redundant information just for the sake of writing. There will be some questions about which you will know too much. In that case don’t get over ambitious.  You can give 1-2 minutes extra for that answer but not more than that otherwise you will suffer in some other question. Just remember that every question is of same mark and thus has same importance. Finally manage you time on per answer basis rather than on hourly basis. You can cover the extra time given to a particular answer but it’s very difficult to cover the time if you have attempted less than the required number of questions in an hour.

Q. How was your experience with the ‘fixed space’ answer sheet?
There is sufficient space available in the answer sheet.
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 used both formats as per the demand of the question. For example paper 1 was mostly in bullet format while paper 2 was mostly in paragraph format. You can use any format but make sure that you give as many examples as you can. That makes your answer specific and to the point. Always remember that there is no such thing as small example or big example. For instance it is better to write that we need to reform mgnrega in order to improve rural employment than to write nothing.

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.
Yes I followed this approach because this format makes your answer look complete and sometimes if you have fewer points than introduction and conclusion can make your answer of average quality at least in some cases. As an introduction I either mentioned background or gave some statistics. As a conclusion I mostly focused on suggesting some innovative solutions

Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your answers?
no

Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography)
no

Q7. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black pen?
Blue pen

Mains Optional Subject

Q. What’s your optional subject and why did you chose it and not something else?
I had history as my optional and I chose it simply because I had interest in this subject.

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)
See, I can’t advice in taking a particular subject as the optional or advising against it because in my opinion one should choose that optional with which he/she is most comfortable with. If you have a very high interest in a particular subject than don’t worry about the pattern of previous years. You are most likely to score well in that particular optional if you justify your interest with the hard work

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.)
Paper 1
Ancient India- 1)india’s ancient past by R.S Sharma, 2)hemanth jha printed notes, 3)ignou material.(Contrary to popular opinion I didn’t study “A History of Ancient and Medieval India” Upinder Singh. I think it’s too heavy and I focused more on medieval India rather than doing research on ancient india)

Medieval India- 1) two books on the history of medieval India by Satish Chandra
2) hemanth jha printed notes
Maps- for this portion I did a lot of research and and made very comprehensive notes. There is no fix source for maps. You have to see the pattern of the last years questions so that you can limit the sites somewhere around 250.
I’ll share my map notes with mrunal. You can access them if you feel the need of it.

Paper 2
Modern India- 1)plassey to partition by shekhar bandopahyay
2)baliyan notes(this is where I learned how to write history answers)

World history- 1)9th and 10th old ncerts
2)11th and 12th old ncerts written by arjun dev
3)vision ias study material
4)baliyan notes(best source to understand the writing style of this portion)
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.
I think the above suggested sources are sufficient. For maps you can use google maps to know the exact position of a particular site(but you won’t get all the sites on the google map). Also the world history part can be better understood through documentaries and youtube videos.
Yes, one more thing there is a wonderful website to understand the world history. This is the link of that website-  https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history

Q. How many months did it take to finish the core optional syllabus?
This optional takes more time than other optionals because of it’s lengthy syllabus.  Around 5-6 months are needed to cover the core syllabus because you have to make notes otherwise you won’t be able to consolidate it in the end.

Q. How many days/ weeks before the exam, you started answer writing practice?
I had failed the prelims of my first attempt in 2014. I had lots of time and therefore i started answer writing  practice in November 2014 only and wrote atleast one answer on almost daily basis.  I request  everyone to write answer daily. Only then you can translate your knowledge into good score in mains exam.

Q. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of optional? In which format- electronic or paper?
Yes I maintained self-notes in paper format for revision of optional. I also underlined the books or other notes in such a way that I can study it in the end. Gaurav agarwal’s(cse-2013 topper)  printed notes also came in handy for those topics of which I didn’t make my own notes.
For modern india and world history if you are referring to baliyan notes then you can add extra points right there only rather making whole set of new notes.
Be smart in notes making exercise. Don’t waste time in making complete notes by yourself.  Use class notes of baliyan and printed notes hemanth jha along with topper’s notes(if available) and consolidate them in the manner that best suits you.

Q. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2015 mains vs previous papers. And what precautions / rectifications are necessary in the future strategy for given optional subject?
This year’s paper 1 was comparatively easy than 2014 and paper 2 was almost same as that of previous year.
It’s imperative to focus on answer writing. Regarding statement type questions don’t narrate the incident. Rather examine it in the form of pros and cons of that statement with little background of the event as introduction. For example there was one question on the European Union in which it’s success and failure was to be discussed but some people narrated the evolution of European Union right from 1945 which wasn’t the demand of the question

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?
This was the first interview of my life so I was very nervous about it. Fortunately my interview date was very late(3^rd may 2016) and therefore I  could prepare for it very thoroughly.
Make a group a 3-4 people and prepare your DAF word by word. Read at least two news papers( I would recommend the  Indian express and the economic times). Watch youtube videos for understanding international events(I prepared events like USA elections, brexit from youtube). Also it is very important to read transcripts. This will give you the idea that they are asking same questions again and again and thus you can consolidate your preparation as per the demand.

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 did attend the mock interview at vajiram and samkalp because I had zero experience on this front. Similarity and difference with official interview is very subjective. Some are similar while others are not. Mock interviews should be attended to enhance your confidence.
Q3. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friend’s home …) and what books/material did you bring for the ‘revision before interview’?
I stayed at my relatives and didn’t study one day before the exam. It’s necessary to keep yourself relaxed and calm before interview.

Q4. Any words of wisdom about Medical checkup?
Don’t eat too much sweets one night before the interview :P

Q5. Describe the formal-dress worn by you in interview.
Shirt, pant and tie. Some people wore blazers as well in the heat of may. I don’t understand the logic behind it.

During the interview

Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
H.C Gupta Sir
Q2. How long was the interview?
30-35 minutes
Q3. 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)
I will try to write my transcript and provide the link.
Q4. 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 the interview was mostly on the expected lines but they didn’t ask even a single opinion based question.  It was entirely factual with lots of names and dates being asked by them. I couldn’t  answer more than 50% questions of the chairman. He even said that I should know about these things and looked at me somewhat angrily. At that point it became little stressful and uncomfortable but it didn’t affect me. I kept on smiling and remained confident. I think this gave me good marks despite not answering most of the questions of the chairman and also despite fumbling 1-2 times.
Q5. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?
Upsc staff is very cordial. Even if you fail to bring some document they will give the time to submit it at a later date. So, no need to worry  about it.

Q6. Any word of wisdom / observations about interview?
Before the interview it is natural to be nervous. In order to overcome this I gave general ‘gyan’ to the person sitting next to me that its just an interview, every board is very cordial and wants the best of you and blah blah. I don’t know how much it worked for him but it settled my nerves. It’s just a psychological thing.  It worked for me and may work for you as well.

CSE-2015 Marksheet

Q1. Please attach both prelim and final marksheet
Prelims mark sheet-

Subject	Marks obtained
Paper 1	112
Paper 2	126.58

Mains mark sheet-

Subject	Marks obtained
Essay – Paper-1	115
General Studies – Paper 2	91
General Studies – Paper 3	85
General Studies – Paper 4	88
General Studies – Paper 5	97
Optional Paper – Paper-1	114
Optional Paper – Paper-2	123
Written total	713
Personality Test	179
Final Total	892

Q2. After looking at the marksheet, suppose you had to prepare again next time, what changes will you make in your studies?
I would have practiced writing more number of essays

Career Backup

Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?
I didn’t have a backup plan

Views on UPSC reforms

What are your views on following issues?
Q. Optional subjects should be removed altogether. The present stalemate is helping no-one, except coaching-owners, book publishers.
I don’t have a straight opinion on this issue. I don’t know if it is level of preparation or the optionals itself that create the uncertainity.
Q. Your views on the decision to make CSAT paper 33% qualifying?
Increase the qualifying marks to somewhere around 100-110 and resolve the translation issue.

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 Mains-syllabus in 2015. Let’s face it, most candidates who gave Mains-2015 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.
Online platforms like mrunal have the power to curb the nuisance of delhi’s coaching institutes. Such online websites are already helping the aspirants of both remote areas and major cities. Please increase your(mrunal) content so that no one has to pay heavy fees to the delhi’s coaching institutes.

Q. UPSC should disclose official prelim answerkey and cutoffs, immediately after prelim is over, instead of postponing it till interview phase is over.
Yes, upsc should disclose the answer key and cutoffs early so that students can identify their mistakes early and subsequently can work upon them.

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?
I have never been in any interview room before, I am not from a big college nor am I very fluent in English and also I have no work-experience. Still I managed to score  179 in my interview.  I think this is sufficient to clear your doubts. They are not concerned about what you did in the past. They are more interested in you potential and what you can do after you become a civil servant.

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?
There are some things in life which takes time to translate into success. Civil services exam is a long process and sometimes it may take longer than usual for you to succeed but if you have patience, belief in your abilities and desire to work hard day in day out then you are more likely to clear this exam.
Also, always remember that no exam is bigger than your life. So, keep good care of your health

BOGUS Marketing Propaganda

Q. You are well aware of the sacred rule of conducting toppers interview- 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.
I have done most part of economics and geography from mrunal along with other topics that I have already mentioned. If mrunal would have covered other topics as well life would have been much easier. Though sometimes mrunal articles get lengthy but it is worth it if you make notes of these articles.