Toppers Talking

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Sorabh Babu Maheshwari - IAS Topper 2000

The path to the coveted Civil Services is full of ups and downs and is a highly uneven track to

traverse. Before taking a decision about Civil Services as your career, it is expedient to check up oneself

and remain determined after wards. The first and foremost thing to decide while aspiring for Civil Services

is the judicious choice subjects for the Prelims and the Mains. This is the most important and first step of

your journey and should be accomplished most carefully as coming things hinge on it and a wrong decision

may prove to be disastrous. Careful analysis of syllabus, previous years’ papers, your calibre, requirement

of subject (Visionary, Numerical, and Theoretical), comfort level with the subject and past trends should be

done. Advice from seniors and fellow candidates should also be sought. To avoid dithering in choice at

later stage, initial deep thinking and consultations are a must. Having decided the subject, it is advisable to

stick to your choice even if the perception of others about it is not favourable.

Preparation for General Studies can be done hand in hand while preparing for Optional papers.

Good mix of study hours for General Studies and optionals makes study enjoyable and it becomes easy to

sustain for long hours without losing interest and enthusiasm. Before Prelims result, one Optional can be

exhaustively prepared so as to have an edge during study for the Mains and also to ease out burden during

these busy days. General Studies, though does not have any limits, yet syllabus as outlined by UPSC gives

quite good understanding of the question paper. General tendency about General Studies paper is to devote

much more time on unproductive readings which, in reality yields little returns. Concentrate on what is

more probable, followed by probable, then less probable if time permits. Even if you do not cover less

probable ones, you are not at much of loss.

So, be secure and study systematically. Being a regular reader of newspapers and magazines gives

good command and writing skill, hence, this should be made a habit. Trend now-a-days has shifted more

towards current issues; hence a thorough awareness of recent happenings is mandatory. Once you achieve

the threshold in General Studies, more efforts should be put on optionals (Especially in Prelims) as it is

more scoring and is the hub of success. For Mains, syllabus is quite beautifully elaborated and we know

before hand the study topics. Ready reference material as published in some magazines is of great help. I

believe that the preambles of UPSC Question Paper are the instructions on the front page of the paper. Give

some time in reading the instructions and follow them. By doing this, you are averting a possible source of

error which could creep in if you do not read them. Follow the world-limit as prescribed at the end of the

question to the extent possible. Try to confine your answer within that limit, never exceed it. The art to

express many contrasting views in a confined word space comes through practice, so practise some

previous years’ question papers. Be your own while writing, never try to imitate anybody. Your expression

needs try to be limited yet comprehensive while writing General Studies paper.

In Essay paper, your imagination can reach zenith but with a purpose, never divert from the main

topic. To ensure, work out the sub-titles, rearrange them if necessary and once you are satisfied with the

rough work, elaborate are satisfied with the rough work, elaborate on this outline after wards. There is no

standard word-limit yet. What one can effectively write in 3-hour duration is good enough length. My essay

consisted of approx 2500 words. Conclusion should be drawn only at the end, take a balanced approach and

write whatever good comes to your mind at the end, take a balanced approach and write what ever goodcomes to your mind at the moment. Devote initial 40-46 minutes on preparing rough outline. Next 2 hours

for writing inflow and last 15-20 minuets for review and corrections. In addition to Competition SuccessReview and standard books, I studied History Polity of Spectrum Series books, Economics, Science &

Technology and Geography through MnM Series books which I found quite useful. Approach to Optional

paper is not universal and is individual specific, adopt such strategy which you are comfortable with and

which fits into your constraints.



Since, I am working with maruti Udyog; I did not have plenty of time as against my fellow

candidates. I have to evolve and fine tune my strategy to cover up such a huge Mechanical Engineering and

Mathematics syllabi apart from General Studies & essay. “How to write an answer” is equally vital for

Mechanical Engineering/Mathematics paper as it is for General Studies & Essay. Students sometimes

ignore basics and it costs much. Before proceeding, state all the assumptions involve and try to give minutes

plausible details, adopt step-by-step approach, see that no vital step is left in between, as these steps are the

links and missing or weak links can never ensure good strength of the answer, so be careful about it. All thissequential and systematic answering comes through a lot of practice and analysis of standard answers.

Simulate the actual examination hours at home to judge your performance and to plug any loopholes. For

the Personality Test one should better form a group of 3-4 people as the preparation for Interview cannot be

done in isolation. All would agree that personality is a life-time asset and expecting miraculous alterations

in personality in a span of a few days or weeks is not possible. Yet, efforts can be made to overcome major

deficiency and polish p views and opinions. Remember, no one is omniscient and non-awareness of

something should be admitted with politeness.

Only those people learn who have an urge to change a willing to accept new ideologies. If at any

point of time, you could show that your approach is flexible an amenable the world is yours. It is better to

say ‘No’ than to bluff around. Those interviewing are highly experienced persons and know much better

than us, therefore one should be expressed only if asked so, never start giving history of an issue, unlessasked to do so. Of the question put is not clear t you, politely ask for more information. It is not the factual

knowledge but your views which are on test. Always observe interview etiquette and be honest, polite,

convincing a modest. Arrogance, rigidity, flicking round the issue should be avoided. A lot depends upon

the Almighty, so pray often. Be self confident but not complacent, honest, motivated, have patience and be

optimistic. Work hard as there is no short-cut to success and hard work never goes unrewarded.

I would like to quote Swami Vivekananda (often my eldest brother reminds me of it): Arise awake

and rest not till the goal is achieved. There are many ups and downs during the course. It is the ‘downs’

which need to be tackled more vigorously and skillfully, it is when a person’s qualities are on test and they

emerge as winners who have these qualities. To cite my example, I was often told that it is just impossible

to think for IAS while working. I was advised sometimes even to quit the job. Yet, I managed to come out

with flying colours despite all these hiccups’ kudos to good planning, my faith in Almighty, parents’blessing, hard work and God’s grace. I have read somewhere that winners are those who manage their

hardships effectively and do learn from our mistakes makes us successful. Never feel depressed, self

confidence and inner strength are the two basic requirements for anybody to appear in this examination.

Believe in yourself. You are your own best judge and you know which areas are weak and need

reinforcement. General perceptions around the Civil Services aspirants’ regarding Mechanical Engineering

is highly discourage, yet I took it and got success. So never get carried away by others. Profound Faith in

God, Strong Will Power and Dogged Pursuit Do Bear Fruit.



Ms. Manju Rajpal, IAS Topper among Women 2000

“Winners don’t do different things, but they do the things differently” - these linesappearing in the Preface of Shiv Khera’s Book “You Can Win” touch the very fathom of success

or failure in life. There are no roses always strewn on the path of those moving towards their goal

in life; instead the thorns in the way are the biggest truth of life. I never agree with those who think failures synonymous with lick. Every sweat of your brow through hard work bears the splendor of your bright career and this ensures your Golden Tomorrow. Those who keep faith in their

capabilities, shape their future with their own deeds. We have to take exam/test at every step of

life. Therefore, whether it is a competitive exam or a sundry struggle in day-to-day life, till youhave the high aim of standing first or coming out victorious there in, the pinnacle of success

remains a distance dream. The first step towards success is to choose your goal honestly and

thereafter to make dedicated efforts backed by strong determination to achieve it. By honesty, Imean that in cases you are selecting Civil Services as your career, the first question that you should

put to yourself is: Whether you want to become the same of which you are making efforts. It is

very easy to inherit a dream, an aspiration or a goal but to muster courage to convert it into reality

is surely a difficult task. Therefore, if father desires, mother has a dream or it is a pressure fromyour social circle or family that you have to be a shining star in the firmament of civil Services but

you are planning, for your job satisfaction, quite a different a career for you, my advice to you

would be to reconsider your decision for making Civil Services as your goal. If the decision to joinCivil Services is your own, then assess your suitability in the context of your capabilities to see

whether you passes the requisite self-confidence, dedicated efforts, strong determination and

commitment; the reason being that the lack of constant and hard work leading to initial setback orfailure to achieve the desired success engulfs the whole personality into darkness. If your decision

is backed by an honest assessment of positive aspect of your capacity or capability, then proceed

towards your goal in right direction and, believe me no obstacle on the way can ever waver youfrom your path.

By right direction; I mean that if you want to ensure your success in Civil Services, then it

is desirable to make a right selection of study material. I have seen many candidates studying a lotwhich is hardly necessary. Therefore, don’t waste your energy. Take a decision on the basis of the

nature of your Optionals whether extensive or intensive study is required. Always use authentic

and dependable study material brought out by standard publishers. You must be quite serious inthe selection of your subjects. Some subjects are considered scoring and that the chances of

success therein are rated quite high. This is a wrong method of subject-selection. Subject-selection

should be always based on your interest in the subject, availability of study material and yourability to understand the nature of the subject as a first reaction, better evaluate your deficiencies in

the subject and try to remove them. In my opinion, keeping in view the moral disequilibrium and

fall in performance level as a result of such frequent change of subjects, it is better to stick to youroriginal after rectifying your drawbacks. Preparation for civil Services demands right time-management. If there is something more valuables than time, it is ‘Time’ only. Therefore, instead

of wasting the interlude between completion of prelims exam and its results, prepare at least one

Optional, assuming that you would be successful in the exam.

Then at the time for General Studies and the other Optional. At the same time, one of thecriteria for selection for Civil Service is that how for a candidate succeeds in expressing himself



through originality of thoughts; excellence and analytical presentation via effective writing. Anindepth study of the subject is desirable but there is a world of

difference between “knowing all” and “effective presentation of requisite knowledge”. Therefore,

make constant efforts to develop your expressive power. Keep your self-confidence intact whileappearing for the Prelims and the Mains, then only you can attempt the Question Paper in a

reasonably logical way. Select Questions after utmost thought and instead of making hurry inanswering the questions, it is better to understand their true content. In prelims, while it may bealright to answer objective questions on the

basis of intelligent guesswork but in the Mains, logical and fact-based and to the point answer are

desirable. In General Studies, if you do not know the answer to a particular question, it is risky to

attempt it with guess work or on the basis of wrong information. While selection topics in theEssay Paper, always be careful that it should contain not

only factual or informative data but there should also be analytical presentation. During interview,

keep in view that no Training institute can improve your personality completely although some of these Institutes provide an avenue to be helpful through

well-planned preparation and Group Discussions. During Interview, keep in mind that the

members of the Board are more experienced than you; therefore, an attempt of focus yourpersonality is to invite risk. Whatever you are, keeping faith in yourself, have a balanced

view of the questions put to you. Have faith in life and have positive outlook towards various

developments; thereby you acquire the moral prop to face difficulties To sum up:- (No materwhether you take only a few steps, Go on your chosen pathwith positive state of mind, Your

destination will reach you automatically: O grumbler with your forethought and planning, You can

even change your destiny) you will find that a stone” thrown up with right intent could make a

hole in the sky”.



Hard Work, Focused Approach and Faith in God Are Instrumental In Achieving Your Goal

Santosh Kumar Misra, IAS Topper 2000 (2nd Rank)

1. Focus on Mains : Always target the Mains Exam and make passing the Prelims a critical butincidental objective. If you always focus on Prelims result and don’t think of Mains till the Prelims

result are out, you will end up as a loser because there is hardly any time left for a thoroughpreparation. So always aim at the Mains.

2. Revision is a must : Always remember “anything you could not revise prior to the examination

is as good as not having prepared at all” So always make sure that you’re able to revise whatever

you’ve prepared just prior to the examination.

3. Practice, Practice and Practice (Especially for maths) : Go through the unsolved papers of the

previous years and solve them. Try to monitor you speed. Speed is of utmost importance in thisexamination

4. Have a Small Group : Preparing alone is extremely boring and at times frustrating. So form asmall group with your friends, and have regular discussions, e.g. in History, Polity, etc. it helps to

keep your tempo up.

5. ‘Dare-to-Bare’ Attitude for your Personality Test: Given the extremely short time (25-30

minutes) in which your personality is assessed, it is your responsibility to bring out your very best

in front of the board. This should be done in a very modest way and it should not appear as if you

are boasting. The risk in baring yourself in front of the board is that you will also be exhibitingyour weakness. So do it in a pre-planned and well-planned way.

6. General Do’s & Don’ts for the Interview:

(i) Be utmost respectful to the board. They are usually very senior and learned people.

(ii) Have no biases for any Board. Don’t go by any stories doing rounds in your campuscorridors.

(iii) Never make any sweeping statement

(iv) Accept your mistakes boldly.

7. Overall:

Be patient and maintain your pace. This examination is all about tenacity and perseverance. Don’tlose heart and work hard. Your efforts are bound to succeed.

8. Suggested study Time-Table:

Say you are appearing in Civil Services Examination, 2001. Here is how I recommend going aboutit:

(i) Start in December 2000

(ii) December 2000-February 2001: Finish your Optional (i.e., the Optional other than theone you’re taking in the Prelims.

(iii) March & April 2001) : Devote fully to the Preparation of Optional 1 (i.e., the subject

you’ll opt in the prelims) thoroughly.



(iv) May 2001 should be spent exclusively for Prelims. A selective and precise coverage of syllabus is required.

(v) For General Studies in Prelims, all you need is a collection of Competition Success

Review issues from December to May. Just go through them and try to pick as many factsas you can. Also solve the previous years’ General Studies Prelims and Model Papers

published in competition Success Review.(vi) Take a break after the Prelims for 10-15 days. Relax and re-energise yourself for thelast four months of the year-long battle.

(vii) Complete the Optional-1 where you left it at the time of Prelims. This should be

done by the middle of July.

(viii)Give second half of July and August to your Optional -2, once again.(ix) Prepare all your General Studies including current events in September and leave

October for Revision.

Time Table For The Preparation Of Civil Services Examination :2001-2002 December- 2000 January – 2001 Optional February- 2001 March - 2001

Optional 0 1 from April - 2001 Mains point of view May 2001 Optional - 1

and General Studies from June- 20001 Prelims point of view July- 2001 Optional - 2August- 2001 & September - 2001 General Studies October- 2001 Revisions During

revision or otherwise in nay spare time you should go through al the issue of magazines

like Competition Success Review (of that particular year) and it will be extremelyrewarding, I can guarantee that.

(x) After your Mains are over, take a break for say a month or so. Just keep reading

Newspaper/Magazines (Hindu & Frontline’s international events are a good combination). Youshould be in touch with magazine like Competition Success Review.

(xi) From January 2002 you should start preparing for your round two. Prepare the topics you

could not do in your lst attempt and try to cover any, new areas where you feel

you were weak. By March 2002, you should be fully prepare to tackle the Mains once again(hopefully you won’t need it, still it pays to be prepared).

(xii) In March the results come out and immediately afterwards you should start your interviewpreparation.

Interview: Interview preparation does not require one to stuff oneself with facts, ability toanalyse and to critically examine an issue is what actually counts. Facts you may not know and

there is no harm in saying so to the Board but you must be able to think laterally and analyse all

dimensions of the topic under consideration. Speak honestly, truthfully and with modesty.

Understand the questions before answering them and clarify the points if you did not understandthem. Many a time what happens is that your answer is misinterpreted, so do not hesitate in

clarifying it. Framing your own questions and answering them (especially recording them on to a

tape and listening them) is a very useful technique, if you don’t feel confident. Otherwise also it isextremely helpful in making a correct choice of words while answering a question.



Hard Work, Good Planning, positive Approach and Faith in God Ensure Success.

Vinod K.Jacob, IAS Topper 200 (5th Rank)

A civil servant is one of the most balanced and normal personalities in a country. He/sheneed not be an expert, a genius or a super-specialist, he/she has to be an average man/woman of

pleasing nature and personality with a flair for leadership and administration. This dictum shouldguide every IAS aspirant throughout the 3 stages- Prelims, Mains and Interview. A 10 to 14months programme is a must for this Exam. One should not attempt the first Prelims as a trial. The

first attempt ought to be the best

attempt. Preparation should be focussed on the Mains 3 months solely devoted to Prelims. Choice

of Optional should be the first step the choice should rest solely on aptitude and bent of mind. Thestudy should begin with understanding of the first principles and the basics. One should refer only

to the standard text-books and noted classics in the concerned subjects. Preparation for Mains

should not be on the basis of past years’ Questions papers only. First, complete the syllabus andthen one month preceding the Mains, practise with the help previous years’ papers. I feel that it is

the performance in General Studies paper that tilts the scales. My observation has been

that he candidates are extremely thorough with their Optionals and level of knowledge isimproving s the years pass by. Hence General Studies alone makes or mars one’s chances.

Likewise, one has to practice writing good essays.

Writing and presentation skills count for much. English paper and Language paper are no

easy sailing affairs. I could not succeed in my first attempt (1998) because I failed in Hindi

compulsory paper. So it is always advisable to brush up one’s grammar and vocabulary. Making

notes, keeping paper cuttings, regular map reading and group discussions are a must. Keepingfocussed is often a tall exercise but with the help of our family and few reliable friends we can

always recharge our betteries and stay on course. Prelims: A three-month exclusive preparation forPrelims is a must. For the subject paper, the whole syllabus should be thoroughly studied, revise,

re-revised and mastered. No part can be afforded to be overlooked. No part can be afforded to be

overlooked. For General Studies, one has to go through NCERT books and the Hindu andFrontline. Many of the questions can be answered through intelligent guesses. Remember, first

complete all mental ability questions and then go onto the rest. Target : 95/120 to 115/120

(Subject); 90 to 100/150 (G.S). P.S. : The subject is more important than G.S. hence, spend moretime on the subject. Mains : On an average atleast 6 to 8 hours of study a day is a must. I used to

take off and Sundays but used to spend 2 hours reading the Hindu even Sundays. All papers should

be prepared simultaneously. Equal importance should be given to all papers. One should alwaysstick to the word limit. In case of long answers, do not write more than 500 words. Never take an

aggressive stand while attempting your Essay papers. Explain all the differing and opposing

schools of thought and with logical reasoning explain your viewpoint. Target : 1150 to 1250/2000.

General Studies, I believe, makes or mars your chances. Interview : A civil servant is not

born. But he is not made one overnight. Hence, one should aim at projection an optimistic outlook.

Humility is a quality that has no peers. Our arguments should not resemble rhetoric but should bepersuasive. Taking

part in debates and extempores is a must. I even took classes in Law in my M.L. one should spend

atleast 2 hours a day in reading the newspapers. One should be



prepared for analysing any issue of current importance. But, we should never try to give ad.hoc orquick.fix solutions. Remember, stalling for time is a very good way of overcoming a problem. In

Civil Services Examination, Emotional Quotient (E. Q.) is as

important as I.Q. hence, you should stay focussed, calm, patient and in a proper frame of mind.Remember, he who rules the mind is greater than he who rules the city.



Dedication, Time Management & Hard Work: Secrets of My Success

- Ms. Bhawna Garg, IAS Topper 1999

It is indeed a pleasure to write this column which I remember to have been very particularin reading, once I decided to go for this Exam. By this column, Competition Success Review is

indeed providing an appropriate guidance to student aspiring for thecivil Services. I must candidly admit that this column has been greatly helpful in ensuring mysuccess in this premiere exam. For the Civil Services Exam, a very different kind of approach is

required. There are three stages in this Exam Preparation -Though, work,

then deed, and not anyone of them being less important than other. With the number of vacancies

dwindling each year an the competition getting tougher and at the same time, the number of aspirant increasing- this year around three lakh students has appeared, one must consider all the

pros and cons of the situation, before jumping into th fray. You have to be self-motivated. I would

like to remind the aspirants the words of Swamy Vivekananda. “Stand up, be bold and take thewhole responsibility on your shoulders and

know that you are creator of your own density. All the strength and success that you want are

within yourself.” Once having decided about going in for the exam, it must be atleast a year beforeyou ought to be appearing for the Prelims. I decided sometimes in January 97 during my sixth

Semester at IIT Kanpur. Then comes the stage as to what is required to be done. Start the practise

of regular reading of a newspaper.

I was regular with The Hindu and I found it fairly useful. Also the choice of the optional is

very crucial. You can decide about it based on your own interests, aptitude, graduation study,

consulting the previous years’ question papers, etc. it need not necessarily be t popular choice. Ihad Maths and Chemistry as my optionals. The criteria to choose Chemistry as against Physics was

entirely based on my self-analysis because I have more liking for the subject plus by better scoringabilities in it. So despite the fact that there was hardly any guidance available for chemistry as

against Physics, I decided about it. Also because I was getting more number of days in between

G.S. -Maths and then Math- Chemistry papers (atleast 10 days break in between), this also wasfavourable and encouraging which did later prove beneficial - for I got sufficient time for last-

minute revision. After the self-convincing choice of optional, the collection of the reading material

becomes crucial. Th study of the previous years’ Test Papers together with solution is very usefulto understand the trend and type of questions set and how to answer them. Here again Competition

Success Review, by publishing answer to the latest such test papers in various Competitive exams

including civil Services as a regular Feature, is way ahead of many such contemporary periodicals.Apart from this, the university level books are consulted for they match the style of the Paper. By

September ’98, I started on with some optional subject study - taking one topic at a time but main

emphasis was on General Studies especially Polity and Modern History. Due to the demanding

B.Tech study, I was not able to give a lot of time exclusively for this Exam. But still, I was single-mindedly concentrating on my goal. At times I had to compromise with my B.Tech studies. I used

to make a time schedule and a work schedule for the next day and also note down my time analysis

and work progress if that particular day and introspect my shortcomings and possibleimprovements. This went on till April ’98 When I gave my Final Semester exams. In between, I

managed to devote the Whole one month just to study Indian Polity - the subject I feared the most

in GS and its in-depth study instilled self-confidence in me for an otherwise tough subject for me. Istarted on for Prelims from mid-March. I just studied the Brilliant Notes on Maths and read the



NCERT books on History, Geography and Spectrum Guide for Current Affairs. I got the previousyears’ solved Test of Mathematics to develop a good speed and maintain it as well. Generally, my

tendency during the Practise Test was to complete the paper 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled

time (Duration: 2 hours) for in the Exam Hall, in the Hot Summers, one can never be sure of thecomfortable conditions.

Also signing the Attendance sheets and certain few announcements being made by theinvigilators at intervals may be distracting and time-consuming. Prelim is just a qualifying Exam,

so my eyes were always directed on the Mains. Still I devoted one full month of May exclusively

for it to avoid any risk so that later I can prepare comfortably for the Mains without having any

apprehensions about my clearing the first stage. The generally accepted strategy for this Exam isthat one must have studied the whole syllabus for the Mains before the Prelims or at least before its

result is out, i.e. by July end. But I must admit that it wasn’t the case with me. After my Prelims -

taking a 3.4 days’ rest break, I prepared a work plan for the next 5 months. I knew that revision isvery important, still it was only by August end that I could finish off my syllabus once. With just

two months before the Exam,. This was a bit demoralising and at times. I felt that I was out of the

race. But keeping my expectations low, still I was determined not to let my spirits go down(Swami Vivekananda quotations and anecdotes never let me down), and sustained my consistency

and without letting any negative thoughts overpower my mind, I worked mechanically till the last.

The next two months, I divided into three slots of 20days, each for the three subjects. At first, Irevised Maths wholly followed by Chemistry and then GS till the General Studies paper on 30th

October. I couldn’t do any special study for the Essay paper. However, the high caliber essays for

Civil Services published by CSR proved immensely useful in giving me an insight of the

methodology to attempt the next 15 days for Math Paper exclusively and then the next 10 days forthe Chemistry Paper. So a sufficient gap in between the Exam proved really beneficial to me.

During the crucial six months duration after the Prelims, I feel that you must have a verysystematic approach, be disciplines and sincere, be consistent and work zealously. (Each day I

would aim at attainable limits of 10-12 hours of study time, maintain a diary, go for some physical

work-out for 30-40 minutes in the evening to refreshing myself.) be calm and positive.

You should be so dedicated that no external coaxing should be needed to sit and study for

long hours have faith in yourself and the Almighty and your concentrated sincere effort will neverbetray you. The execution step is the last but he most cautious one. you must take light diet during

the Exam days. Have good sleep. The night before the Exam for two papers during a day can be

very exhausting and during the second exam, there may be a tendency of lethargy creeping in quiteunwittingly. Be calm and positive. Dress comfortably. Reach the Exam centre well in time, so

some deep breathing to maintain your cool and be charming during the interview. The work limit

prescribes for the GS paper should be largely conformed with, for it helps in good time

management as well. Work out the time plan for the Exam beforehand for the Exam pattern is verywell known. For the Essay paper about 45 minutes can be given for planning out, then two hours

of writing (on 200 words) and later 15 minutes of overhauling. Interview preparation is not just a

matter of a few days - yourwhole personality counts. Still you must acquaint yourself with your home State, district your

college, your hobbies, general concepts of Public Administration, etc. also you can brush up the

Mains GS material like Polity, Economy, History, etc. Interview is more of a psychological testthan just content based. But along with good communication skills and self-confidence, good



knowledge base gives you an upper hand. Here again, reading certain articles like, “Facing theInterview Board” published by the Competition Success Review helps prepare oneself

accordingly. I solely relied on this important feature in Competition Success Review. Group

Discussions and Mock Interviews are equally important. However, I myself could not make agroup and go for any mock interview but I think this may prove helpful especially to those who

feel less self-confident and have some difficulty in communication. I did not join any Academyeither. On the whole, I feel that the first attempt should not be taken lightly for the enthusiasm andthe dedication for the first time may be difficult t sustain on for the next time. Also one must keep

his options open while going in for this exam - for with the decreasing number of the seats

each year and increasing competition, an alternative job security can give one more self-

confidence and thus a wholehearted effort is possible. With good wishes and good luck to allfuture aspirants of this coveted service.



Self-Confident, Planning And Systematic Study : Stepping Stones To Success

– Amit Negi, IAS Topper 1999 (2nd Rank)

To achieve glorious success in the Civil Services Examination, proper approach andexcellent guidelines are indispensable. Your Optionals are the things which can make all the

difference. This single decision has the potential to alter your life. Choose your Optionals carefullyand with due care. Try to choose subjects in which you have some background knowledge. Onlychoose those subjects which are scoring and also with which you are comfortable. Remember

you’ll have to do both intensive and extensive study of Optionals. So it is imperative that you must

have interest also in your Optionals. Always keep an open-mind. Information from any source

relevant to your goal is always welcome. Discuss with your friends, talk to them and listen to theirviews. This will expand your knowledge base and also expose you to different views. This is

important as this will enable you to view things in a balanced perspective and avoid taking

extremes. Make it a habit to go through magazines (especially competition Success Review andGeneral Knowledge Today) and newspapers regularly and read as many as possible.

The syllabus in the Civil Services is very hazy and vast with no clearly-defined boundaries.So, it might happen that you end up reading things which are connected with the syllabus but are

practically irrelevant from your preparation point of view. So it is necessary that you get a feel of

what the examiner expects from you. For this keep a copy of syllabus and side by side keep theprevious year’ papers. Compare them and see what types of questions are repeated every year. Try

to have a feel as to what constitutes important portions of the syllabus and what is irrelevant. Try

to from boundaries of the syllabus. This analysis will give you an in-depth insight into the paper

and the examiner’s mind. This will make you understand which topics need intensive study. Thiswill also enable you to identify unnecessary portions, which are not important from the point of

view of examination, so that you may avoid them and save your precious time and energy. It isalways useful to maintain a note-book to jot down all important developments happening in the

National and the International scene. Also if possible one should make short notes for Optional

Paper as well as General Studies. For example, in Mathematics and Physics one can make aformula note-book in which one should write all the important formulae and their derivations.

Besides making it easier to remember, such notes are also very useful and handy during revision

stages and save a lot of time. Always do a planned and systematic study. Work out your studyschedules in a planned and orderly manner. Maintain a daily routine of studying in a manner suited

to you and stick to it; no matter what happens. Plan your whole preparation well. I think this whole

preparation should last about 12-15 months. So plan your preparation in such a manner that beforethe prelims you should have completed your both Optionals and General Studies right up to the

Mains level. This will ensure that you have sufficient time to revise.

So planning at every stage of the examinations important. Also do a very systematic study.Work out your syllabus and finish it in an ordered manner. Some time when you are free, try to

write an essay on post topics covered in the Civil Services. This will expose you to your lacunae as

well as make you understand the things involved: writing a good essay. Not only the easy youshould also attempt previous years’ Optionals Papers and General Studies Papers. This will expose

your weaknesses and give you an idea about the extent of your preparation, your knowledge base,

your speed and accuracy. Thus you can develop your writing skills and make sure that you cancover lengthy papers, especially GS Paper-1, in time. Remember in the Civil Services, writing



skills matter a lot. Most of the people appearing for Mains Examinations have a lot of knowledge,some of them have been preparing for the last three or four years, even then such candidates are

not selected sometimes. One of the reasons for their failure is their writing skills. They are not

able to present all the information present in their mind in a coherent and logical manner asexpected by the examiner. So, you should develop your writing skills. The attitude that I will write

directly in the Examination should be done away with. Remembers hours do not count. Don’t goby the claims of other persons who say that they study more than 18 hours a day. Do not getdepressed if you are unable to achieve their targets.

Remember, it is your preparation, you are the one who will appear in the examination, you

know yourself better, so do your study according to your needs. Quality of hours put in is moreimportant than quantity. You should use your energy and time in an efficient and effective manner.

Take due care of your health. You might go in for a walk in the evenings. also maintain a hobby

which relaxes you during your preparation like listening to music etc. take sleep as required byyour body and mind. It is always better to do study when one’s mind and body are fresh, this helps

in easy grasping of

things a swell as in retaining them. Remember that without a good health, you will not be able toconcentrate on your studies and your whole idea of the Civil services will go haywire. It is always

better to peak at the time of Examination. So channelise your preparation in such a manner that

you don’t burn yourself out before the Examination. Build up reserves of energy in yourself. Youwill need this energy at the time of your Examination. Do not worry much about the compulsory

Hindi and English language papers. You will coolly pass them, and you don’t need to waste your

time preparing for them. For Interview, from a group of friends who have offered the same

Optionals.Remember, Interview is of a personality test. The Board will check certain traits in your

personality such as your honesty and integrity, your mental alertness, your acumen, your responseto some situations, your views on varied topics and also your knowledge base. So, for Interview

read as many newspapers and as many magazine as possible. Discuss

with your friends.

Take mock-interviews. Try to find loop-holes in your arguments and plug them. Form your

views on various subjects in a very logical and rational manner supported by data whenevernecessary. Do not get nervous whenever necessary. Do not get nervous before the Interviews.

Improve your communications skills by giving mock-interviews. These will also open you up. Ask

your friends to grill you, so that you can face pressure from the Board easily. Always pause a bitbefore answering even if you know the answer. Do not give a hasty reply. Answer in an orderly

and logical fashion an always look into the eyes of the interviewer while answering. Be polite and

courteous. Don’t be too much argumentative. Be consistent in your views, i.e. just don’t change

your views because of the fact that the Board is differing with you. Remember that they are onlytesting you and often even try to provoke you. Give balanced answers and avoid taking extremes.

Alongwith your preparation for the Civil services Examination, the following four elementsare the pre-requisites for success in the examination:

(1) Hard Work - Remember that there is no substitute for hard work. No genie is coming to help

you. You have to finish the whole course by yourself.



(2) Dedication - Dedication towards your duty always pays in life. Be totally dedicated towardsyour study. You will have to sacrifice something like movies, parties, etc. at this stage of your life

to achieve bigger things. Just work day and night and go on and on.

(3) Patience - As the civil Services Emanation spans a whole one year right from Preliminary stageto the Interview stage, it requires a lot of patience to maintain your tempo. At times you may feel

tired and sick of further studying during the course of yourpreparation, but don’t throw the towel as yet. Maintain your cool and patience and go on. To takeout your anger and frustration, talk to friends and parents. They’ll provide you with the much-

needed emotional support.

(4) Self- confidence- your self-confidence can make the whole difference. If you don’t believe in

yourself and your capacity to achieve then no matter how hard you try. You will end up in failure.So your self-confidence should be at a very high level. I don’t intend to say that you should

become over-confident, but a good self-esteem matters.

So to pep up your confidence level say t yourself everyday in front of the mirror that you can do itand you will do it. You should be in the surroundings of the people who could constantly motivate

you and inspire you. Keep a group of close friends with you who are as determined t make it to the

Civil Services as you are. This will make sure that if you are facing some problems in any subjectthen you can approach some one. Also while talking and discussing with them you’ll be exposed to

different views. This will also

ensure that you can vent out your frustration by talking to some one. Besides, good friends arealways a source of inspiration and motivation.



Motivation And Confidence Secrets Of My Success - Deepak Tayal, IAS

Topper 1993 (3rd Rank)

The first and the foremost step to achieve success in the Civil Services Examination is toaim high and have a belief in oneself. Once that is done, one is prepared to give it a go. The first

step involves a suitable choice of the Optional subject for the Preliminary Examination and theMains. I think that the choice subject be based on interest and comfort level rather than howscoring they are. One should rather than how scoring they are. One should have a natural

inclination and aptitude towards these subjects. It always helps if the choice of Optionals for the

prelims is one of the subjects chosen for the Mains. After this, it depends on the Particular

individual as to what he feels about the method best suited to him and his instincts. But in generalpreparation can be broadly classified as long-term or short-time depending on the available time

for preparation. For a longterm, one should begin with one of the Optionals for the Mains and try

to finish as much as possible until about 15 days to 2 months depending on the comfort level forthe Optional chosen for Prelims and whether one began with the same subject or not. This should

be follolwed by preparation for the prelims. In the prelims, there is no need to give undue emphasis

to the General Studies and to waste time in order to attempt to cover everything.

A quick study of different areas of the General Studies is enough if one has prepared

thoroughly for the Optionals in which attempt should be made to score more than 225 marks.Preparation for Mains should begin soon after the Prelims is over and one should not waste time

waiting for the Interview. Here again the major thrust should be on preparing for optional subject

more thoroughly and give them more time. The preparation for General Studies can be highly

selective and one can easily see that there is a similar pattern in the questions asked in differentyears. Of course, there is no feels that there is a lot of available time. On the other hand, if one is

following short-term preparation either because of lack of time available for studies or because hefeels more comfortable with it, there are some suggestions for books from my side, based on what

I did. For History & Indian Polity, selected portions of Unique’s Guide and for Current Affairs,

Economy & Science and Technology, Spectrum’s current affairs are good enough to score morethan 325 marks if one has the ability to grasp them quickly. It helps if one has read magazines and

newspapers regularly but if he is unable to do so, there is no cause for panic and one can do

without them. A major part of the preparation should go towards the Optionals.

The most important thing to know about the Interview is that it is not a question-answer

session and what they are looking out for is different aspects of one’s personality. As far aspossible, the answer given should reveal a particular aspect of one’s personality and attempts

should not be made to present a make-up appearance or politically correct answers. There is no

harm in taking extreme views if one is able to justify them. One need not get carried away by the

flood of books and coaching institute. If one feels that he is confident enough to take his own, hecan do without them. Most of the questions asked in the Interview are opinion-based. For such

questions, it always helps if one already such questions, it always helps if one already such

questions, it always helps if one already has some views on the issue and he can present themspontaneously. If it is a relatively new issue, the best approach is to think there and also to be seen

thinking. If the candidate seems to be applying his mind in an effort towards reaching the solution,

it is the best thing that can happen in an Interview. For the knowledge-based questions, thepresentation of the answer becomes more important. One should not make himself appear as



having crammed be presented in a conversational manner. There is no need to panic for theInterview and even “I don’t know, Sir” should be said with confidence and cheerfulness. One is

not expected to know everything under the sun. Finally, whatever the stage might be, one has to

have faith and confidence in himself. An individual should be the best judge of what he thinks asthe best way to prepare. He should not follow the crowd if it doesn’t suit his instinct. Once that

happens, he is bound to success and excel.

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