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How I Prepared For Civil Services Exam-Mangesh Kumar

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Syskool
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mangesh kumar ips

Revision Is The Most Important Tool For Tackling The Questions Where More Than One Option May Be Correct
— Mangesh Kumar, IAS Topper 2011-12 (4th Position)

How I Prepared For Civil Services Exam

In the Preliminary Examination, the General Studies paper is a big challenge. The number of areas which the question paper covers cannot be defined. Thus, it requires an extensive approach to touch each and every section. For conventional parts like history, geography, polity, economics, science and technology, start preparing from the NCERT books. After building your concepts from the NCERT books, refer to other standard books. This will be a systematic approach.

Simultaneously, start reading newspapers and magazines like CSR, Yojana, Kuruksbetra and if you get time, note down all the facts from these sources. This time the material which you note down must be factual, short and crisp.

India Year Book, plays an important role by providing information about the Government policies as well as new schemes and helps in getting a plethora of information about different departments of the Government. This book is essential for General Studies in the Prelims. The Economic Survey and the Budget may also play a role in covering the questions from economy part in the General Studies paper.

Revision is the most important tool for tackling the questions where more than one option may be correct. Here, the elimination method may also play an important role.
Therefore, for General Studies in the Prelims one has to be equipped with conventional areas as well as the current happenings around himself/ herself.

Read Topper’s Story – Debasweta Banik IAS

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Syskool
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debasweta banik ias

Debasweta Banik, a 22 year old girl became one of the youngest candidate to pass the Civil Services Exam. She fetched 14th rank by clearing UPSC Examination.

Debasweta Banik says, “she would begin her day by studying three out of seven English language dailies. Her staples were The Indian Express, Hindustan Times and The Hindu, but she would also dip into others. She used to make cuttings  articles, commentaries and news stories  which interested her. These were her notes.”

Reading newspapers was like reading Bible for her. That was her lifeline.

Marks Obtained

 Total Marks  Marks Obtained
Total (Written)  2000 865
 Interview 300  222
 Total  2300  1087 (47.26%)

Family Background

Debasweta Banik comes from Noida. Her father K. S. Debasweta is an engineer at Noida and her mother Sujata Debasweta is a house maker. She has one elder sister Subhasweta, a gold Medalist in M.Sc. in Anthropology from Delhi University.

Must Read: Success Story of K Nandakumar IAS – A Lorry Driver’s Son

Educational Qualifications

Debasweta Banik completed her schooling from Delhi Public School, Noida. After that in 2o11 she did her B.A. Economics (H) from Miranda House, University of Delhi.

Debasweta Banik decided to put herself forward for the Indian Civil Service Exams only in the final year of college, when she actively began debating about governance and policy making in competitions.

Debasweta Banik said “She thought to herself one day, ‘she can change policies we’re debating today. Why not stop talking and start changing?’ That’s when she made up her mind for UPSC Exam”.

Optional Paper

Debasweta Banik chose Anthropology and Psychology as her optional subjects. She felt that both these subjects were substantially correlated with each other, and would also be of immense use to her in administration since both deal with the study of human beings; above all she had keen interest in them. Moreover, she did not wish to depend on any external help for her preparation. Her elder sister, who’s a Gold Medalist in M.Sc. Anthropology from Delhi University, guided her best in these subjects and this was a major factor behind choosing them.

Attempts

At the age of 21 years, Debasweta Banik appeared for the Civil Services Examination, 2012 and cleared it in her first attempt with all India 14th rank.

Also Read: Aboli Naravane IAS Tops in Maharashtra

Preparation Strategy of Debasweta Banik

Debasweta Banik had decided before-hand that she would not take any coaching during her preparation and this decision helped her save a lot of time and energy. She went strictly by the syllabus given by UPSC for the Mains examination, and collected good quality standard text-books in all the areas and started reading them.

She focused on basics during her exam preparation and in the examination hall speed and accuracy were her hallmarks. Revision and constantly brushing up your basics is key to success in Prelims Exam. She turned to newspapers to brush up on current affairs and learn to frame her essays better.

Sincerity, focus, intelligent hard work and the unwavering support of her family were the most important ingredients of success in the Civil Services examination. She thoroughly enjoyed this entire process of learning and that kept her motivated and in a positive frame of mind throughout.

She have been reading Interviews of toppers and each one of them has been a source of inspiration. It gave her an opportunity to get to know their varied styles of preparation which aided her to customize a method of study which suited her best.

She did not take any coaching for the exam and focused on self study instead by gaining conceptual clarity in the conventional areas. Her elder sister has been her mentor and guide throughout her preparation.

Credit of Success

Her father, mother and elder sister deserves all the credit. They were the wind beneath her wings. They  inspired her, by examples, to give her best in everything she do in life. Above all, she is grateful to God Almighty for converting her endeavors into a good result. Thus, she feels humbled and determined to make the best of this opportunity given to her to serve the country.

Advice for Young Aspirants

  • Stay positive and have faith in yourself.
  • There are no short¬cuts to success and sincere, honest and intelligent preparation is sure to bear fruit.
  • Coaching centers are not indispensable and self study can compensate adequately.
  • Read NCERT books thoroughly. It helps a lot while solving the Prelims GS paper. Following the textbook can make you rigid.
  • Candidates who couldn’t clear Prelims Exam should regain their confidence and not to be bogged down by the negativity.

Don’t Miss: Topper’s Story – Patna Girl Neha Prakash, IAS

Vijayalakshmi Bidari IAS, UPSC Topper of 2001

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Syskool
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ias topper vijayalakshmi bidari

Vijayalakshmi Bidari secured All India first Rank in the Civil Services Examination and became IAS Topper for the year 2001 . Her dedication to work, and the support from her family, instilled her the confidence to learn lot of things in her career.

There is a saying in which Vijayalakshmi believes “Shoot for the moon, and even if you fail you will land among the stars.” It’s always important to keep high goals for ourselves in our personal and professional lives, so that we can bring out the best possible in ourselves.

Family Background of Vijayalakshmi Bidari

Vijayalakshmi Bidari’s family has a distinction of having five civil servants from a single family of six members. Her husband Mallikarjuna Prasanna, an IPS officer in Mumbai. Vijayalakshmi’s father Shankar Mahadev Bidari,  was also an Indian Police Service officer of 1978 batch. Her mother Umadevi, is a doctor by profession, is the only non-IAS and non-IPS person in the family. Her brother Vijayendra Bidari, an IPS officer. His wife Rohini P Bhajibhakare, too is an IAS officer.

Must Read: Sweta Mohanty, IAS Topper Rank 2 of 2011

Educational Background of IAS Topper

Due to her father’s frequent transfers in ten years of schooling were spread over eleven places. Her schooling was at small places, in State board and mostly Missionary schools. After her class tenth she choose science for her secondary schooling and opted for Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology.

After her 12th she got a merit seat in the RV College of Engineering. She chose Computer Science and proved to be independent as she had two jobs in hand even before leaving college. She went through campus selections in BFL Software as a project trainee, with HPCL Calcutta as a management trainee, and a dozen other companies. She finished her Engineering in March 1999.

Attempts

In her first attempt, she prepared very well and secured 107th rank and was selected for the Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, missing the Indian Administrative Service by 35 marks.

Again she went ahead preparing for second attempt and had topped in the list of successful candidates. It was a little tough to motivate herself because she was already in a service. At this point her friends and her mother made sure that she puts a lot of effort, telling her that “she deserved the best and should aim for the best”.

Also Read: Meet IAS Topper S Divyadharshini – A law graduate got 1st Rank in 2010

Optional Paper

Vijayalakshmi’s optional subjects were Kannada literature and Political Science and International Relations.

Strategy of Success

Vijayalakshmi Bidari undertook her studies systematically by reading topics one by one; making notes, revising, trying test papers within the allotted time and getting them corrected and trying to improve on her mistakes. She worked eight hours a day to achieve her goal. Consistent hard work has yielded the results she wanted.

Vijayalakshmi Bidari have the honour of being the first person from Karnataka to top the Civil Service Examination in the history of the Civil Services in India (including the ICS). She was also the first woman from South India to top the exams. It was a celebrity status achieved in my moment of glory.

Don’t Miss: Meet IAS Topper Vandana Rao, Rank 4 of 2015

Tips for future UPSC Aspirants

  • Be in a life-long ambition and work hard unless it is fulfilled.
  • Parents and friends encouragement is necessary to stand.
  • Combined studies with the more serious students makes studying a pleasure.
  • Learn to be a good listener.
  • Always be motivated towards your goal.

Also Read: Meet Renu Raj IAS Topper – A doctor got rank 2 in first attempt

Ravi Dhawan Rank 6, CSE 2010

By
Syskool
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0
RAVI DHAWAN
IAS Topper Rank: 6
Exam: Civil Services Examination
IAS Topper Year: 2010
Marks Obtained
Total Marks Marks Obtained
Essay 200 108
General Studies 600 277 (148 + 129)
Commerce & Accountancy 600 377 (187 + 190)
Public Administration 600 343 (187 + 156)
Total (Written) 2000 1105
Interview 300 210
Total 2300 131557.17 %
Optional Subjects
Commerce & Accountancy, Public Administration
Success Plan
IAS – AGMUT Cadre

 

Ravi Dhawan Rank 6, CSE 2010
> Proper weekly and daily time table to complete the syllabus on a day-to-day basis and weekly target.
> Be tension free and cool and relaxed always. Do not hammer your brain with any wrong thoughts or self denial etc. Avoid filling your mind with lots of books and material Just read selected material 2-3 times. Buy something only if it has anything very new and important and relevant.
> He is a film fan and even 3-4 weeks before exams he watched movie but at home not in hall, in order to save time of travelling. He again insisted to keep mind free from any tension or burden, so he liked to watch movies.
> He see daily news on TV and also some important discussions / debates on channels like Times Now and NDTV.
> Have a discussion with friends on course topics, group study benefitted a lot but before exams for revision 1-2 week prior exam revise alone but be in touch with friends.
> For last 60 days make a daily + weekly time table and stick to it.
> For rest of the time period he studied from Monday to Friday then movie on Saturday and long sleep on Sunday and Sunday evening with friends or family and same schedule from coming Monday again. He adjusted time as per classes and class test times.
> Two newspapers one like Hindu and TOI plus one business n.paper like Economic times of Business Line etc. But focus mainly on editorial and important articles not the entire newspaper. Also he don’t read sports from newspaper and instead read it from monthly magazine like Chronicle.
> Magazine- 1st choice – Civil Services Times; 2nd – Chronicle and Yojana.
> He prepared Summary notes out of important articles of Chronicle and News paper editorials and kept it in separate file. Also he used method of ticking with pencil the number of time article or note he revised. For newspaper articles and notes and edits, he also downloaded them and saved them in a separate folder instead of keeping the cuttings and studied them before mains exams.
> He took classes in final year of B.Com. For GS he took classes at Vajiram & Ravi; For Commerce – Rankers Classes at GTB nagar, and Pub Ad at Pawan Kumar Sir. Ask more and more questions in class room and clear all your doubts Ask even silliest of the question.
> For optional, he preferred his class notes for Pub Ad and Commerce both. For GS mains he already completed usual NCERT books, notes of Crack IAS, VajiRam and current affairs magazines published in last months of two three different classes, for history he read only for modern history from history book from spectrum publication and left for ancient and medieval, Geography – Indian Geog and Economic Geog, for international relations – notes of Vajiram and book named Contemporary relations of India with world from Civil services times special issue, Polity – class notes + vajiram material + DD Basu (2 times), economics – class notes, economic times, NCERT books.
> Make sure to revise hand written notes 3-4 times.
> Success mantra is to link 3-4 topics in same answer but be brief and content oriented. You need not to put over professional language but simple language will work.
> Writing practice – he did not dedicated much time for that apart from usual class note writing and some writings on certain topics at home.
> Time management inside exam hall is most important. For any answer first take 2 mins in mind then frame and proper structure of answer from Intro till conclusion, then write with readable writing. Avoid using 2 inks to save time. Answer should be brief; to the point with relevant example as far as possible.
> Attempt all questions and do not leave any question Just write 2-3 para on each question of whatever you know about that question because it will fetch 3-4 marks and no negative marking will be attracted.
> For interview – Just be yourself, do not give wrong answer instead politely say that I do not know that particular item, but it will be a blunder that you do not know something that’s related with your optionals, also familiarize yourself well with your exam bio data that you would have filled for mains exam, answer should be brief and do not gave example otherwise interviewers will dig more and more in those examples and it will become difficult to answer their questions as was his experience.

Meet UPSC Topper T.V. Anupama IAS, AIR – 4, 2010

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Syskool
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T.V. Anupama

T.V. Anupama did the entire Kerala proud by secured AIR 4th in the Civil Services Examination 2010. Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest nuts to crack which requires constant and sustained hard work. With a well-defined strategy she achieved her dream goal, that inspired thousands of students.

T.V. Anupama wanted to be a part of the Administrative machinery of the country which she thought, would help her to channelize her potential for the service of the nation and its citizens as she had set her mind on finding better ways and means of helping society.

Family Background

T.V. Anupama comes from Maranchery, near Ponnani, in Malappuram district, Kerala. She is the elder daughter of Late Mr. Balasubrahmanyam and Mrs. Ramani. She has one younger sister Nisha. Her family and friends had immense trust in her ability and their support helped her to remain focused.

Educational Background

T.V. Anupama did her schooling from Vijayamatha Convent High School, Ponnani, in 2002 and St. Clair’s Higher Secondary School, Thrissur, in 2004 respectively. After completing her schooling she did BE (Hons) in Electronics Engineering, from BITS, Pilani’s Goa campus, one of the premier engineering institutions in the country in 2008. And she scored 92 per cent marks in her BE (Hons).

T.V. Anupama dreamed to enter the Indian Administrative Service right from her school days. In achieving that aim with glory, she has done Kerala proud. Soon after finishing her BE (Hons), she started off with Civil Services preparations — 11 months before the Preliminary Examinations.

Read Also: Success Story of Mihir Patel IAS, 2015

Optional Paper of T.V. Anupama

T.V. Anupama opted for Geography and Malayalam as her optional subjects for the Civil Services Examination which have surprised many of them. But her strategy paid dividends when she cracked the IAS with ease and elan. According to T.V. Anupama, taking engineering or science subjects for the examinations is like gambling. But no subject will help you unless you have a genuine interest in it.

Attempts

T.V. Anupama cracked Civil Services Exam in her first attempt. She says, “one’s longing for this service can be the sole guiding factor when one pursues this goal. Therefore, passion and determination are very important. One should make up one’s mind to put adequate efforts as demanded by this examination”.

Preparation Strategy of T.V. Anupama

T.V. Anupama started preparing for the examinations in earnest from June 2008. Her preparation was focussed and intensive. She started preparing for the Mains Exam first. Because that is where you need to strengthen your concepts. During the 11 months of her preparation, Ms. Anupama used to spend 13 to 16 hours a day with books and journals. She slept six hours without break, and used to take a 10- or 15-minute nap during studies.

T.V. Anupama depended on magazines for preparing for the general studies paper in Mains, particularly Frontline. Apart from taking a glimpse at the local newspapers, she used to go through The Hindu from front to back. Since 2004, she used to spend a lot of time with The Hindu and The Times of India.

Also Read: Meet IAS Topper S Divyadharshini – A law graduate got 1st Rank in 2010

Strategy for Prelims, Mains and Interview

Prelim: Don’t overdo things here. For GS, find out the areas of your strength and prepare thoroughly (T.V. Anupama studied geography, polity, mental ability, current affairs and biology). For Optional, focus on concepts first and then take up facts. One should also keep in mind Main’s patter here.

Main: Prepare notes and revise, Practice answer-writing. For Optionals, use standard text books, plan your answer beforehand. For GS, list out the probable topics and prepare thoroughly. Unlike Prelim, try not to leave out any answer.

Interview: Develop balanced opinion about the current events. Take the help of newspaper editorials and multiple magazines here. Prepare bio-data thoroughly. Be truthful while filling up the bio-data form.

Advice for UPSC Aspirants

  • Never opt for a subject without an interest in it. You won’t be able to study for a year unless you have an interest.
  • Keep yourself constantly motivated.
  • You don’t need to mug up everything for Prelims. Your preparations for the Mains will automatically help you for the Prelims.
  • Knowing facts are not just enough. You must read the comments, opinions and analyses. Then only you will be able to analyse the issues. What you need is depth, particularly when you aim high.
  • One should read newspaper as a source to, Facts for Prelim and Development of opinion about the events and issues. Focus on editorial, International and national events, economy, environment and science and technology.

Don’t Miss: Success Story of K Nandakumar IAS – A Lorry Driver’s Son

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