- Candidate – Profile
- Education
- Introduction
- Electronic Vs Paper material
- Typical day in your Online life?
- Style of Preparation and notes making
- Prelims (CSAT) Paper-1: General studies
- Prelims (CSAT): Paper-2: Aptitude
- Prelim accuracy
- Mains: Compulsory language paper
- Mains: Essay
- General Studies (Mains) paper 1
- eneral 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-2017 Marksheet
- Career Backup
- Views on UPSC reforms
- Insecurity about profile
- Struggle of a Senior player
- Grand wisdom
- Credit: Friends/family
- BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
Candidate – Profile
| Q. | Details |
| Name | Arpit Upadhyaya |
| Rank in CSE-2017 | 94 |
| Roll No. | 0009507 |
| Age | 28 |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Total attempts in CSE (including this one) | 4 |
| Optional Subject | Anthropology ( In previous 3 attempts it was PSIR) |
| Schooling Medium | English |
| College Medium | English |
| Medium chosen for Mains answers | English |
| Medium chosen for Interview | English |
| Home town/city | Delhi |
| Work-experience if any | HPCL- 2 years as Sales Officer |
| Details of other competitive exams, including success/failures | Gave no other exam |
| Details of coaching, mock tests, postal material for any competitive exam (if used) |
|
| Service preferences (Top-5) | IAS>IPS>IFS>IRS(IT)>IRS (C&CE) |
| Preference for the first states in top-3 zonal cadres. | Haryana>U.P>M.P |
| Contact for any doubts | Feel free to ask anything I haven’t answered satisfactorily here.
|
Education
| Education | fill the details here |
| % in class 10 | 94.6 |
| % in class 12 | 84.4 |
| Graduation course and % | Mechanical Engineering & 76% |
| Name of college, city, passing out year | Delhi College of Engineering, 2012 |
| Post-graduation | – |
| Any other professional courses | no |
| Hobbies & Extracurricular achievements | – |
Introduction
Q. Tell us something about yourself, your family, when and why did you enter in this field of competitive exams?
Hi everyone, I am Arpit Upadhyaya, a mechanical engineer from DCE. My father is in govt. service and my mother is a homemaker, elder sister is a Chartered Accountant and younger brother is doing Actuarial Science. After graduation I joined HPCL as sales officer of Pathankot and Gurdaspur Districts in Punjab for 2 years (2012-2014). As sales officer I met DC-Gurdaspur in some official meetings and then my interest developed to go for UPSC.I used to talk with many local people,farmers,dealers,industry fellows etc and I realized that a DM/DC can play a very crucial role in improving the lives of people. Everyone looks towards this office with much respect and they expect justice from this office. These were the factors that motivated me to leave the job and also during preparation these thoughts kept me motivated.
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 do you balance this i.e. electronic material vs. paper material (Books, newspapers)
Electronic material is an indispensable part of your preparation and one can’t afford to prepare without it. But it should be used only to compliment your overall plan of study. I regularly followed mrunal, livemint articles, some RSTV debates and editorials by insights. I also used net for preparing notes for Anthropology and some GS topics.
Typical day in your Online life?
| Online life | Answer |
| Daily hrs spent on online platforms for predicting cutoff / syllabus change / age-attempt limit change and other “peripheral-bolbachchan“ related to civil services. | 0 |
| Daily hrs spent on whatsapp and telegram studygroups | 0 |
| Daily hrs spent on online for exam prep. | Around 40min |
| Primary Device for online study: desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile | Mobile,laptop |
Q. Any other things that you wish to elaborate on above table:
I did not use whatsapp, telegram etc during my preparation phase. I tried to limit time spent on social media. Regarding online study material, before going through any material first think how you are going to use that information in your answers. Don’t just start studying any material because everyone else is doing so.
Style of Preparation and notes making
Q. What is your style of preparation and notes making? (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, I use xyz software etc.)
As I have prepared GS without any coaching and so most of my preparation was through standard books. I made notes only in following cases:
- Thoroughly for my optional, point wise and strictly as per the syllabus
- For Physical Geography – mrunal videos
- If topic is to studied from multiple sources
- I prepared notes on some topics mentioned in our GS syllabus. Very short and concise and then kept on adding current events to these notes. For eg in GS I- prepared briefly on urbanization basics and then later added smart cities, SBA,AMRUT etc to it.
Notes should be in your own words and leave some margin to add inputs later. Highlight keywords and during revision focus only on these keywords. While practicing mains answer writing try to use these inputs.
Prelims (CSAT) Paper-1: General studies
| Topic | strategy/booklist/comment |
| History Ancient | NCERT/TN book |
| History Medieval | NCERT/TN book |
| History Modern (Freedom Struggle) | Spectrum |
| Culture and society | Nitin Singhania notes |
| Polity (theory + current) | Laxmikant +PT 365 |
| Economy (theory + current) | K sankarganesh+Mrunal Videos+PT365 |
| Science (theory + current) | Only Current Affairs material |
| Environment (theory + current) | Shankar IAS book + PT365 |
| geography physical | Mrunal notes, NCERT,G.C. leong |
| geography India | NCERT, Geography through maps |
| geography world | Left it |
| other national/international current affairs | Mostly coaching material compilation |
| Schemes, Policy & Filler Stuff | Coaching materials |
Q. Candidates are complaining that compared to earlier years, Prelim 2017 GS paper was very tougher, Tickmasters’ 90+ strategy (and its perverted & populist version known as Guessmaster-giri) and E-learning materials had limited utility. What are you views and wisdom on all these?
I felt that paper was tougher this time and the option statements were quite tricky due to which negative marks were higher. Don’t just attempt questions only for the sake of attempting 90+ questions,you will definitely lower your total score. Do guesswork but only smartly.
Q. Suppose, If you had to prepare for Prelims-2018, then after going through this 2017 paper, what changes would you make in your preparation?
I had planned to study current affairs especially the schemes part more comprehensively this time. I would have studied static part carefully especially the standard textbooks.Also don’t go with any preconceived notions regarding the paper like current affairs would be more or that I have to attempt at least 90 questions etc etc
Prelims (CSAT): Paper-2: Aptitude
I had not studied anything for this paper as I was always comfortable with it. But going by last year’s paper I had planned to do 2-3 practice papers.
Q. In the recent two prelims (2016 and 2017), the comprehension portion becoming quite tough and lengthy. Candidates struggle even to finish the paper-II. Kindly provide some words of wisdom:
I don’t think I can help here as I didn’t find any such difficulty.
Prelim accuracy
Q1. Did you attend any ‘mock tests’? do you think they’re necessary for success?
I used to do papers of VisionIAS and CL. They help in evaluating your preparation. For evaluation use following approach: Suppose you have studied any particular topic lets say Fundamental Rights,then questions from this chapter should be done correctly.If there are 20 questions from FR chapter then your atleast 18questions must be correct.
Q2. Approximate no. of attempted answers vs. correct answers. in Prelim-2017
| attempted Q. | correct (Expected) | Official score | |
| GS | 86 | 65 | 108 |
| aptitude | 129 |
Mains: Compulsory language paper
| Compulsory language paper | Your preparation strategy / booklist? |
| English paper | |
| your regional language | Hindi. |
Q. other observations / tips / comments on the length / difficulty level of compulsory language papers in CSE-2017
There is sufficient time to complete the paper. Study some précis writing
Mains: Essay
Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?
In CSE 2015 I wrote my first essay directly in exam and got 135 marks which was a good score that year. In CSE 2016 I got 145 and this year I got 141 marks. I did not prepare specifically for essay but I regularly followed Yojana articles and tried to emulate that language and writing style. I briefly focused on following points:
- Choose topic on which you have a more comprehensive understanding
- Use simple language,I deliberately avoided ornamental/journalistic language.
- The body of your essay should be well structured,logical
- I gave a lot of examples
Q2. Which two essays did you write and What key points did you include in it?
Essay-1 Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India
Started with Farming history from Indus valley civilization to present times. I took this essay in debate form, first part of essay focused on why people say that farming has lost its charms(Discussed present issues here) and next part focused on how this is not true(included what needs to be done,NITI aayog reports etc).As the topic says about majority of farmers so I focused on small and medium farmers throughout the essay.
Essay-2 Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth
In starting I explained what I mean by New woman in India and then again in debate form – Why it is a myth and Why it is not and concluded with the reality of new woman in India. Included all points of women empowerment and articulated them as per the topic.
General Studies (Mains) paper 1
| Topic | How did you prepare? |
| Culture | Nitin Singhania notes. |
| Indian history | Spectrum,Mostly NCERT |
| world history | VisionIAS material. Didn’t study everything in the material.Only read important topics. |
| post-independence India | NCERT |
| Indian society | NCERT textbooks. These books only provide a general overview , add current affairs from Vision Mains 365 material |
| role of women, poverty etc. | Prepared notes from some newspaper articles. |
| globalization on Indian society | NCERT sociology book. Didn’t study it separately |
| communalism, regionalism, secularism | Pol Sc notes |
| world geo physical | Mrunal Videos/notes |
| resource distribution | Mrunal material |
| factors for industrial location | Mrunal material |
| earthquake tsunami etc | Mrunal videos/notes |
| impact on flora-fauna | Didn’t study separately |
eneral studies (Mains) paper 2
| Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
| Indian Constitution, devolution, dispute redressal etc. | Pol Sc notes |
| comparing Constitution with world | Pol Sc notes |
| parliament, state Legislatures | Pol Sc notes |
| executive-judiciary | Pol Sc notes |
| ministries departments | Pol Sc notes |
| pressure group, informal asso. | Pol Sc notes |
| Representation of people’s act | Didn’t study separately |
| various bodies: Constitutional, statutory.. | Didn’t study separately |
| NGO, SHG etc | Pol Sc notes |
| welfare schemes, bodies | Current affairs material Mains365 |
| social sector, health, edu, HRD | Prepared notes on these topics from newspapers and Yojana |
| governance, transparency, accountability | Studied from friend’s notes |
| e-governance | Yojana |
| role of civil service | Mrunal video notes |
| India & neighbors | Pol sc notes,current affairs articles |
| bilateral/global grouping | Pol sc notes,current affairs articles |
| effect of foreign country policies on Indian interest | Pol sc notes,current affairs articles |
| Diaspora | Studied from friend’s notes |
| international bodies- structure mandate | Pol sc notes,current affairs articles |
General studies (Mains) Paper 3
| Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
| Indian economy, resource mobilization | Insights articles |
| inclusive growth | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| Budgeting | |
| major crops, irrigation | Yojana |
| agro produce – storage, marketing | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| e-technology for famers | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| farm subsidies, MSP | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| PDS, buffer, food security | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| technology mission | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| animal rearing economics | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| food processing | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| land reforms | Prepared notes from Wikipedia |
| Liberalization | Prepared notes from news articles,coaching material |
| Infra | Prepared notes from Yojana |
| investment models | Left it |
| science-tech day to day life | Mains365 |
| Indian achievements in sci-tech | Mains365 |
| awareness in IT, space, biotech, nano, IPR | Mains365 |
| environmental impact assessment | Left it |
| Disaster Management | Notes from Unacademy video ,Yojana |
| non state actors, internal security | IDSA articles, ForumIAS current affairs |
| internal security – role of media, social networking site | ForumIAS current affairs |
| cyber security | Mains 365 |
| money laundering | Left it |
| border Management | |
| organized crime, terrorism | IDSA articles, ForumIAS current affairs |
| security agencies- structure mandate | Left it |
General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
| Topic | How Did You Prepare? |
| ethics and interface, family, society and all the hathodaa topics | Friend’s notes,Lexicon. Lexicon only for definitions.I tried to understand these concepts with examples and so used them in answer writing |
| attitude, moral influence etc. | Friend’s notes |
| civil service: integrity, impartiality, tolerance to weak etc | Lexicon |
| emotional intelligence, its use in governance | Lexicon |
| moral thinkers of India and world | How many thinkers did you prepare? Whatever is mentioned in Lexicon.Pol Sc notes helped a lot in these topics |
| ethics in pub.ad, accountability, laws, rules etc. | Lexicon |
| corporate governance | lexicon |
| probity in governance, work culture | Lexicon |
| citizen charter, ethics code, work culture etc. | lexicon |
| challenges of corruption | |
| case studies on above topics | Just understood the writing style from Lexicon. |
Q. In ethics, Most of the serious candidates (both topper and non-toppers) have received marks in similar ranges. What are your observations and tips for future aspirants regarding preparation of this paper?
Ethics is the most important GS exam and one can score very high marks with comparatively less efforts. There is no standard book here. I studied lexicon and Reddy book. The Reddy book is quite bulky and very theoretical so I dropped it. My friend made some notes from Vajiram class and Lexicon. Whatever you study try to relate them with current events. Use lot of examples in answers. Write simple answers.
For case studies,don’t waste time in studying each and every case study material in market instead just learn how to write case study answer .While writing exam paper think from the perspective of all the stakeholders.For eg this year’s case study on building collapse, while giving measures think from perspective of all stakeholders- workers,builders,neighbours,district administration,authorities etc.Such an approach will give a more comprehensive answer . Always remember values enshrined in our Constitution and try to answer from that perspective. I prepared a list where I kept on adding examples from current affairs that I used in my answers.
Mains answer-writing?
Q. What was your approach in the exam (I wrote all, I only focused on the questions where I could answer perfectly, I just not to high quality points to reach the word limit etc.) Because the UPSC aspirant Community is divided over what counts as a ‘good’ paper. Some experts claim you should attempt all- even if it involves “making up” an answer with filler lines, some claim attempt only those questions you know perfectly. Where do you stand on this? [Based on your experience and of your seniors/buddies]
In 2015 and 2016 mains I answered only those questions which I knew answers,I got 372 and 415 respectively. This year I attempted almost all the questions and got 454 marks.My approach this time was to answer those questions first of which I knew answers and then if time permits think on rest of the questions. Don’t try to answer a question unnecessarily .
Q. How was your experience with the ‘fixed space’ answer sheet?
I think space provided is more than sufficient and had no issues with fixed space 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.
Those answers of which I was confident, I wrote in bullet points and underlined keywords. Others I wrote in paragraphs. I think it’s a matter of personal choice , just write answers the way you are comfortable in expressing yourself.
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.
In earlier attempts I followed this approach strictly but I wasn’t able to complete my paper. This year I wrote only 1line intro and in some questions I skipped the intro part and directly answered the question. I did not write intro in 10marker questions. I gave single line conclusion in most of the questions.
I don’t like asking following rudimentary questions, but these are the most frequently asked questions by new aspirants.
| Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your answers? | No |
| Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography) | Not in GS but a lot of diagrams in Anthro paper |
| Q7. If yes, Did you draw diagrams with pencil or pen? | pencil |
| Q8. Did you use ruler to draw the lines in diagram? Or did you just make it by hand? | No, just by hand |
| Q9. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black pen? | Blue uni-ball |
Mains Optional Subject
Q. What’s your optional subject and why did you chose it and not something else?
I chose Pol Sc earlier nut his time I changed my optional to Anthropology.Even after studying Pol sc so much I wasn’t getting good marks and so I changed it. I took anthropology as its syllabus is less. If one can draw diagrams easily then you can easily write a good answer.
Q. If a new player wants to pick your subject, would you advice for it or against it?
Yes definitely. First go through the syllabus and if you find it interesting then go for it.
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.)
- Cultural Part – Vaid sir’s book
- For theories- https://anthropology.ua.edu/cultures/cultures.php. Then refer to abovementioned book
- Physical – Pnath and Braintree material
- Rest of the topics of Paper1 – Braintree material
Paper-2
- Indian Anthropology by Nadeem Hasnain
- Prehistory – D.K Bhattacharya. The book is too bulky and very detailed. Don’t read it word by word.
- Tribal part-XAXA report, tribal India by nadeem hasnain,Vaid sir notes
Along with these I also used E-PG pathshala http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ahl.php?csrno=1 .It contains all the topics and easy to understand.Use this material only to refer topics and while making notes.
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?
Paper-2 tribal development part requires internet research/current affairs.Also, if any major development takes place in applications of Anthropology like genetics or any new discovery then it has to be prepared.
Q. How many months did it take to finish the core optional syllabus?
3-4 months. Giving 6 hours daily.
Q. How many days/ weeks before the exam, you started answer writing practice?
Immediately after prelims result.
Q. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of optional? In which format- electronic or paper?
Yes. Paper format.
Q. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2017 mains vs previous papers. And what precautions / rectifications are necessary in the future strategy for given optional subject?
Paper 1 was easier this time but I found paper2 a bit difficult. For paper 2 don’t neglect sub- topics mentioned in the syllabus.
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?
Mostly internet research. Newspapers- Times of India,Economic times,Hindustan Times
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?
Yes, I took mock interviews. They were no where near to UPSC interview in my case. I don’t hink they are necessary but it does help interacting with other candidates. More important is to self evaluate yourself in front of a mirror and not to repeat mistakes in mock.
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 live in Delhi
Q5. Describe the formal-dress worn by you in interview.
A navy blue suit with white shirt.
During the interview
Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?
Ms Smita Nagaraj Mam
Q2. How long was the interview?
Around 30 minutes
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?]
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]
Board-Smita Nagaraj Mam
Ch- What are you doing nowadays? Looking for job?
Me- Yes Mam, I have applied in some consultancy services companies.
Ch-Is it a technical Job?
Me- No mam, I would prefer to work in a non-technical job( I emphasized here to avoid any further questions on my engg)
Ch- But consultants are like middle man and in India middle man is not appreciated.
Me- Mam that depends on the role played by him.
Ch – Give one example each of good role and bad role played by middle man.
Me- Good role in Marriages( Here everyone laughed and mam said I knew you would say this) and bad role in real estate and APMC.
Ch- Why do students take so much pressure of exams, where are we wrong in our system?
Me- Mam , our education system is very boring and therefore we have to make it more enjoyable.
Ch- Do you think that many productive years are wasted during preparation of CSE?
Me- Yes Mam its true( Here I think I should have said No )
Then she passed on to other members.
M1- Why does shares of HPCL fell after PM launched Ujjwala yojana even though GOI gives subsidy for these schemes.
I explained it.
M1- coming back to middleman and then some questions on Lobbying,Presuure Groups etc
There were some more questions on previous job which I’m not able to recall.
M2- What is Lutyen’s Bungalow Zone?How many bungalows are there?
Me- explained the zone , No I didn’t know.
M2- What is graphology?(My hobby).
M2-How many mocks have you given before coming here? answer frankly.
Me-( i was kinda startled here) I said four.
M3- Coming again to middlemen, What will you do in case of Defence procurement.
and then some questions on Career counseling and education reforms.
M4- U said earlier that we have to make education enjoyable. How can we do it?
Me- By taking students out of classrooms. ( They again smiled)
M4- Elaborate on this.
Me- we should prepare students for life outside classroom. For eg if we are teaching Maths then take students for shopping in a marketplace where they will use maths. Similarly take them to banks and ask them to fill out some forms etc
M4- why brain drain takes place ?
M4- Why craze for govt jobs?
Biggest relief was that no question was asked on Engg( even though I prepared this time). It went very easily without any stress moment . Surprisingly I was enjoying the conversation. This time I got 173 marks which is a decent score( much better that 135 of 2016).
https://www.quora.com/How-was-your-civil-services-interview-in-2018/answer/Arpit-Upadhyay-23
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?
It was on unexpected lines but it was quite cordial. There was no moment when it became uncomfortable.
Q6. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?
Make sure to bring 2 photographs ( I forgot to bring ).
Q7. Any word of wisdom / observations about medical checkup?
Don’t eat anything that day before medical.
Bring attendance sheet – 3 copies and carry more than 5 photographs
CSE-2017 Marksheet
Q1. Please provide both prelim and final mark sheet:
| Prelims Paper-1 | 108 |
| Prelims Paper-2 | 129.18 |
| Mains Subjects | Marks |
| Essay | 141 |
| GSM1 | 106 |
| GSM2 | 115 |
| GSM3 | 133 |
| GSM4 | 100 |
| Optional Paper-1 | 144 |
| Optional Paper-2 | 140 |
| Written Total | 879 |
| Interview | 173 |
| Final | 1052 |
Career Backup
Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?
I was looking for a job in my engineering field.Then I would have given attempts with my job.
Views on UPSC reforms
Q. Optional subjects should be removed altogether. The present stalemate is helping no-one, except coaching-owners, book publishers.
True, I firmly believe in this.
Q. Your views on the decision to make CSAT paper 33% qualifying?
I feel its marks should be added when deciding cutoff. Regarding issue of one particular background of students getting benefit, the paper could have been reformed suitably.
Q. UPSC should disclose official prelim answerkey and cutoffs, immediately after prelim is over, instead of postponing it till interview phase is over.
I believe this should be done.
Q. UPSC should disclose the evaluated mains- answer sheets like some StatePCS are doing.
If this can be done then it would be very helpful.
Q. Half-merger of IFoS with CSE is a bad move because it has raised the cutoffs for players who’re solely dedicated to IFoS only (and not to IAS/IPS). Adding salt to the wounds, many who had applied for both jobs, cleared the prelims- they did not even bother to appear in all the papers of Mains-IFoS.
Yes, this has happened. UPSC should look into this.
Q. If you are made the UPSC chairman, what other reforms would you initiate for the civil service exam?
Eliminate optional subject.
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 did not suffer from any such insecurity and I also believe that such profile hardly makes a difference. In past many candidates with a humble background have cleared with good ranks.
Struggle of a Senior player
(Answer only if you’re a senior player.)
Q1. How did you survive through this mental prison of UPSC and what’re your words of wisdom to other senior players? If any specific inspirational incident(s), please share.
Whenever you feel this thing just remember why you want to be an IAS.The answer of this why provides you motivation and gives you strength. Try not to focus on results instead always look for improving your strategy.
Q2. What went wrong in your previous attempt? What changes did you make in this current attempt?
In my first attempt I wasn’t able to study all the topics of GS. I corrected this thing and made very brief topic wise introductory notes on all topics. In 2016, I wasn’t able to attempt all the questions and due to some medical issues I left my optional paper 1 ( around 100marks left).
In 2017, I attempted full paper by shortening my answers.I reduced intro part of answer. I changed my optional this time.
Grand wisdom
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 used to plan everything and properly manage time. You should know your strengths and weaknesses and then study accordingly. Don’t overstretch yourself . I used to take a day off weekly ( normally Sundays) and watched movies,TV Series etc on Sunday.
Don’t study when you feel saturated. Take frequent short breaks while studying continuously for long hours.
I used to keep a writing pad/paper near my study table. Whatever distracting thoughts came to my mind, I would write them on that sheet and look it afterwards. This will reduce distractions.
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?
Set big goals in life , so big that you can’t achieve them until you grow into someone who achieves it. This process of growing is something which is your lifetime treasure. We don’t know what we can achieve until we try it. Before coming to this field I never imagined myself working so hard with such strict discipline in life .
Originality and simplicity in all spheres of life is something which can help you achieve your goals.
For new aspirants I would like to congratulate them for taking such a good decision .Enjoy this process as much as you can. These are some of the most productive years of our life so make the best use of this opportunity to learn and continuously improve yourself.
Q. Many hardworking candidates have failed in Mains/Interview of CSE-2017. They’re feeling cynical, hopeless and depressed- what is your message to them?
Accept your mistakes and identify the areas which need improvement. If your one eye is focused on results then you have only one eye left to focus on your studies. The most practical approach is to focus on your preparation and stop thinking about those things which we can’t control. Success is bound to come this way.
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 parents, my sister and my brother were these people who constantly motivated me, inspired me and helped me in taking some big decisions like leaving job.My sister was first to tell me to leave HPCL job and look for bigger goal of being an IAS. During preparation I was lucky to have some very good friends, I would like to mention my friend Digant Anand IPS whose support I can’t be simply describe in words .I used to have very detailed conversations with him on overall preparation especially on Internal Security and Intl.Relations .
I also had a very good friend whose notes I used in GS-@ and GS-4 papers and to prepare for Anthropology.I would say to my fellow aspirants to make friends very carefully while preparing.
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 regularly used mrunal.org for preparation. I referred to geography videos particularly as a standard material. As I did GS without any coaching so these videos helped me a lot . I also referred Eco survey and budget videos.
![[Topper’s Interview] Akarshi Jain (Rank-140/UPSC-2019): Law Optional, 4th Attempt, LLB from NLU-Jodhpur](https://mrunal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Topper-CSE19-140-Akarshi-c-500x383.jpg)
![[Topper’s Interview] Deepak Kumar (Rank-684/UPSC-2019) Public Administration, 3rd Attempt, Bihar](https://mrunal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/c-topper-thumbnail-500x383.png)
I follow every new article of mrunal.org from last one year . If i crack this exam will mention in all my interviews about the importance of mrunal.org for sure
Salaam hai aapko Sir,aapki bichardhara air soch bahut achi lagi , always respect your words. Thanks again.(Adhikari from Bihaguri).Kaash humse ho paata.