IAS Toppers 2012-13 Talk To You
Competition Success Review Is Definitely Very Popular Among IAS Aspirants And It Undoubtedly Provides A Very Comprehensive View Of All The Current Topics
—Ms. Apurva Dubey, IAS Topper 2012-13 (19th Position)
Ms. Apurva Dubey, a graduate from Delhi University, has achieved the 19th Position in the 2012-13 Civil Services Examination. We publish here an exclusive interview she gave to Competition Success Review.
Q. Which newspapers and journals have you been reading for the General Studies and other papers ?
A. I have been a regular reader of The Hindu, and so- far as journals are concerned, I read Competition Success Review regularly.
Q. Competition Success Review has been extremely helpful because…
A. It provides a comprehensive overview of all the current topics. So it helps a lot in focussing over the current topics, and thus keeps you updated.
Q. How did your parents, family and friends contribute to your success ?
A. Everybody supported me in every way that was possible. My father imbued in me great confidence and my mother and sister were a source of emotional support. And my friends wished well for me and helped me in many ways. Particularly, Shalabh, Rishi and Sharad.
Q. How do you visualise your success ?
A. When I look at it as a student, I think it is certainly a success. But more than that I am happy that it is the beginning of a new phase where I will be able to be a part of public service, a dream which I always cherished.
Q. What are your strong points which enabled you to achieve spectacular success in the Civil Services Examination ?
A. As far as strong points are concerned, I have been focussed and hard-working. So, with everyone’s support I could carry on with my work and that has finally paid off.
Q. What were your Optionals at the Civil Services Examination ?
A. Law and Public Administration.
Q. How many attempts had you made earlier before you got selected ?
A This was my second attempt. In my first attempt, I could not clear the Mains.
Q. What was your criterion for the selection of the Optional subjects ?
A. Law was something I was pursuing from the Delhi University Law Faculty, and so I chose this subject.
And I opted for Public Administration because of its general nature.
Q. How did you prepare for your compulsory papers ?
A. For Law I mostly referred to printed material of Ambition Law Institute. For the Constitution part in specific, I referred to a few other books also. For Public Administration, I read Mohit Bhattacharya, Synergy material and Fadia.
Q. Competition Success Review is the largest read youth magazine in English. How do you visualise the role of this magazine in moulding the careers of the youth ?
A. CSR is definitely very popular among IAS aspirants and it undoubtedly provides a very comprehensive view of all the current topics. Regular reading of it will surely help aspirants in brushing up on the current happenings all around.
Q. How did CSR help you in your preparation for the interview ?
A. I read the tips and guides for interview. It instilled confidence in me by giving tips about many normal things that I tend to skip.
Q. How do you look upon the publication of CSR in Hindi ? Do you think that the mindset and basic approach of Knglish medium students are fundamentally different from those of the Hindi medium students ?
A. I think it was much needed. There is a paucity of materials in Hindi and Hindi medium students are really benefited by the publication of CSR in Hindi.
Q. What is your opinion about Competition Success Review?
A. CSR is a must-read for UPSC exams. It is very lucid in its presentation.
Q. Since when have you been reading Competition Success Review ?
A. I have been reading CSRsince 2010 when I first planned to take this exam.
Q. Did your father and/or mother also read Competition Success Review when they were of your age ? If so, who read and when ?
A. My father has been a reader of this magazine. He still reads it.
Q. What is your opinion about General Knowledge Today?
A. General Knowledge Todayfocusses more on understanding and less on factual data. It is expansive, so reading it with understanding helps a lot.
CSR : Thank you. CJR wishes you all the best in life.
Source: CSR.
