Neha Srivastava, Jharkhand girl has secured Rank 12 in the UPSC Indian Forest Service Examination 2015. She is an excellent example of consistency and patience.

Educational Background

Neha Srivastava originally comes from Hazaribag in Jharkhand. Neha did her early schooling from RK Mission, Deogarh. After completing her schooling she pursued her B.Tech in Biotechnology from Padmashree DY Patil, Mumbai.

After completing her B.Tech, Neha Srivastava wanted to get into some decent business school, become financially independent before getting into Civil Services preparation. Her plan was to go for CSE after completing her PG. So she was preparing for aptitude. Meanwhile her uncle who himself is a Civil Servant and has teaching experience of over 10 years was guiding her for GS. Neha Srivastava was motivated by him and she decided to drop her MBA plan and started her full pledged preparation 6 months before prelims.

But then Neha Srivastava decided to give Civil Services at least one try. So she gave her first Prelims in May 2013, she picked up the Hindu and NCERT books in Jan 2013. And with uncle’s guidance she was able to clear CSP 2013.

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Optional Paper

Neha Srivastava chose Zoology and Botany as her optional paper. Her major optional was zoology as many topics were similar to her graduation subject, but initially troubled her a lot. Being unconventional subject it is not very easy to gather the sources of studies. Her second optional was botany. It has many overlapping topics with zoology so she prepared them well. Her strategy for optional was to finish one section of each paper completely because ultimately we need to answer 5/8 questions.

Attempts

Neha Srivastava cracked Indian Forest Services Exam in her first attempt.

Preparation Strategy of Neha Srivastava

Neha Srivastava revealed her preparation strategy. She read the same book again and again instead of reading different books on the same topic. And it paid off, it helped her to clear Prelims in first attempt in very less time. As Prelims exam is the toughest stage to be conquered with the right strategy.

Neha Srivastava had a habit of notes making. Notes helped her to compile the topics together. It is a time consuming process but it ultimately helps a lot in revision especially for topics like economic zoology, genetics which can’t be covered using one book. As it was always easy for her to revise from notes written in her own handwriting. My strategy was to complete one section of each paper.

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Neha Srivastava was preparing for GS till prelims result came out. And when she found that she is eligible for IFS mains, then she focused on the optional paper. And reserved last 10 days for second optional.

Neha Srivastava did self-studies because she was not a kind of person who can sit and study for one hour continuously that’s why she never joined any coaching. Coaching or no coaching should be individual’s choice.

Hindu and Yojana helped her lot for Mains because no matter how hard she tried, most of the days she was not able to finish her newspaper.

Internet was like having any info at one click. Internet definitely helps a lot to clarify the concepts. Since Neha Srivastava did self-studies, she fully relied on internet mostly when she was not able to understand anything.

Tips for Young Aspirants

• One should first attempt the question which one is sure about. Then take the risk for other questions.
• If one is following news properly GS can be easily managed.
• Be honest and modest. One should never argue with the Board Members. Many times board members try to explain some concepts if we fail to answer, that time we should look interested that we are too eager to learn.
• Refer magazines/newspapers while preparing for current affairs.

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Priyanka Methani has hogged the limelight and made the people of Chandigarh proud by bagging the 59th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2014. She wished to join Indian Foreign Service as she was interested in International Relations and thus would like to serve as an IFS officer. Indian Foreign Service Priyanka Mehtani is a Chartered Accountant (CA). She is an icon and a true inspiration for the millions of Indian students and showed that nothing is impossible.

“It’s a long drawn process, not only did I had to stick to a path I had chosen for myself, I also had to avoid burn out,” says Priyanka Mehtani.

Marks Obtained

Must Read: Ruchika Katyal – CA Turned IAS with Rank 5

Family Background

Priyanka Mehtani belongs to Chandigarh. Her father Sanjay Methani is a CA and her mother is an assistant Professor of chemistry at a Government College in Chandigarh. She followed her dad Sanjay Methani’s footsteps and feels the “services always called out to her”.

Educational Background

Priyanka Mehtani is an alumnus of St Stephen’s College, New Delhi.  Priyanka has also done the three-year LLB course at Punjab University. She’s also done a short term course in Business Management (MBA) from Stanford University.

Optional Paper

Priyanka Mehtani cracked this prestigious UPSC Exam with Commerce as her optional subject. One good thing with the UPSC preparation was that she learnt to prioritise.

Attempts

Priyanka Mehtani achieved this feat in her second attempt, as she could not qualify for the Civil Services last year, but she didn’t lose faith and believed in herself.

Also Read: Topper’s Story – Apurva Dubey IAS, 2012

Preparation Strategy of Priyanka Mehtani

Priyanka Mehtani set a benchmark and focused on preparing herself in a subject for a week or a month. She studied for approximately 10 hours daily. She stayed abreast with current affairs by reading newspapers daily. She used to set weekly targets for herself and followed the schedule religiously.

Priyanka Mehtani said, “I had been working hard and preparing for the past two years. I was hoping for the best”. Though she was taking coaching for two years, she said, “Each person’s preparation strategy is unique. There is no fit formula for cracking the exam. You must know what your strengths are and prepare it accordingly.”

Priyanka Mehtani credited hard work for her achievement. She finds her inspiration in people she sees and meets on a daily basis.

Tips for Young Aspirants

• Being consistent and determined is the key to success.
• Stay updated with current affairs by reading newspapers daily.
• Go through NCERT Books to clear your basic concept.
• Don’t be engaged with other Competitive exams, just focus on one.
• There is no short-cut to success.

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Abhiram G Sankar secured the 4th rank in the 2011 Civil Services Examination, this engineering graduate has topped the Civil Services list in Kerala. And he did it in his first attempt. And the first position was occupied by S Divyadarshini, a law graduate.

Being an IAS officer gives a person an enormous opportunity and immense pleasure to work in various fields and contribute to the overall betterment of human lives.

Abhiram says, ” success in the civil service exam is not related to marks scored in school or college exams. If one is determined and ready to do hard work, then one can surely succeed in this exam. Hardwork, strong determination and well planned strategy will definitely result in success”.

Marks Obtained by Abhiram G Sankar

Family

Abhiram’s father Mr Girisankar R is a Manager at Federal Bank. His mother Mrs Meena Sankar is a homemaker and has a younger brother Akshay G Sankar is a B.Tech student.

This serious and sincere person from Kerala credits his success to his parents, teachers and God.

Must Read: 10 UPSC Questions With Explanation – 2009 IAS Exam Paper

Educational Background

Abhiram G. Sankar had his primary schooling from Sree Chithira Thirunal Residential Central School, Kunnathukal, Trivandrum. And he completed his secondary schooling 12th from Arya Central School, Trivandrum. He then did his B.Tech in Computer Science from Thangal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering, Kollam in Kerala in the year 2009.

Optional Paper

Abhiram G Sankar opted for Geography & Political Science & International Relations as his optional paper. He chose Geography because he has interest in this subject since his school days and also due to his interest in wildlife and travel. And opted Political Science as he has natural interest in International Relations.

Attempts

Abhiram G Sankar secured a Civil Service berth at the very first attempt and has brought new hopes in young aspirants of the state to fulfil their dream and achieving their goals.

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Suggestions for future Aspirants

• One should always select an optional paper based on factors like interest, availability of guidance & study material etc. It is best to go through the syllabus & previous years’ question papers before selecting.
• NCERT books & standard texts are the basic sources of information required.
• Don’t give half-hearted attempts, try to give your best in the first attempt.
• Should read newspaper regularly and “The Hindu” is the most important.
• Prepare your own notes and revise the self-made notes at least once in a month.
• Practice regular tests and go through the previous question paper. As practice makes a man perfect.

UPSC Board Interview of Abhiram G Sankar

Abhiram G Sankar entered the room, greeted the members & stood till he was offered the seat. Thanked the chairperson Rajni Razdan (RR) & sat down smiling.

RR: What’s your name?
Me: Abhiram G Sankar

M2: Born in Tamil Nadu, but staying in Kerala?
Me: yes sir, my family is settled in Kerala.

RR: So, which is the country sharing longest border with India?
Me: Bangladesh.

RR: The shortest?
Me: Afghanistan.

RR: Ok, Tell me about the McMahon Line.
Me: It’s the line dividing India & China, but not accepted by china as such. It was signed in the early 1900s by Treaty of Tibet. (I made a mistake by unintentionally mentioning the year & name of treaty.)

RR: Which treaty & year?
Me: Repeated the same, but doubtfully.

RR: It was in Shimla, in 1913. Who were the parties to the treaty?
Me: British India & Tibet.

RR: And one more?
Me: Don’t know.

RR: Myanmar.
Me: Thanked her.

RR: What is Radcliff line?
Me: Line dividing India & Pakistan.

RR: Who drew it & when?
Me: 1947 by Radcliff

RR: What are the issues between India & Pakistan?
Me: gave a list – borders, Siachen, sir creek, 26/11, water sharing, fishermen & prisoners etc.

RR: Suppose you are SDM of a district Abhiram G Sankar, and are traveling. You see an accident on the road. How will you respond? 
Me: I’ll stop on the spot, and get to know exactly what happened. Then call the ambulance or police station. If the above vehicles are not available, then take the injured in any other available vehicle.

RR: What is so special with your car that you will not take the injured in your car first? Why wait for ambulance /police? Is your prestige more important or the person’s life?
Me: (I was stunned briefly, as it did not occur to me while answering that an SDM would be traveling in his/her own car. But I quickly recovered & said,). The person’s life is most important. I should have thought of my own car first. I apologise for my mistake.

RR sat with the same emotionless expression from beginning till end of her question time. Now she signaled to another member, locked her palms together, placed them to her forehead & slept leaning on the table.

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M1: You are from Kerala. How is geography advantageous to Kerala?
Me: Another list – rich & productive coastal alluvium, water resources, blessed by monsoon, fisheries, plantation sector, forests, ports etc.

M1: What about tourism?
Me: Yes sir, that too depends on Kerala’s unique geography.

M1: Since you are a computer science graduate, tell me what is cyber crime?
Me: (Didn’t know the exact definition) It refers to the various illegal activities performed in today’s IT-linked world like phishing, hacking, fraudulent info, theft of data etc.

M1: How will you use computer science in development of India?
Me: Another list – efficient information dissemination to illiterate poor about health, agriculture etc. through audio & video, adult literacy programmes, transparency & lesser corruption.

M1: What is MIS?
Me: said don’t know after thinking.

M2: It is management information system. Don’t you people study in B.Tech.?
Me: No sir. That paper belongs to IT branch & not CS.

M2: Name some areas which you studied in B.Tech.
Me: Some programming langs like C & C++, microprocessors, assemblers & compilers, hardware etc.

M2: Name an important temple in Kerala.
Me: Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum.

M2: Others?
Me: I started with Guruvayurappan temple, but was interrupted mid-way.

M2: No, no…which temple brings in most money?
Me: Sabarimala temple.

He was happy it seemed, because he smiled graciously.

M3: What is track-2 diplomacy?
Me: Talks between countries conducted by retired officers, NGOs, activists etc. It’s very good for betterment of bilateral ties. More people to people interaction takes place through this route.

M3: what is bus diplomacy?
Me: Cross LoC bus to improve ties..by Vajpayee Govt…

M3: So what is diplomacy?
Me: It’s the art of maintaining relations among countries at international level. (Not exactly the same words, but not the exact definition also).

M3: What do you think about India’s ‘big brother attitude’ in south Asia? what are the issues with each of the neighbouring countries?
Me: India is the largest country in south Asia, and its actions are only perceived as big brotherly by neighbours. It is not true. India’s ties with its neighbors carry historical baggage with it which is the cause of today’s problems.
Again a list – partition issue with Pakistan…

M3: (Interrupted me) but partition is way back in history.
Me: but sir, our relations are based on that event. (continued above answer)… Tamil issue with Sri Lanka…

M3: no…don’t speak about all issues…one issue at a time (in fact he had asked me for listing out all issues!). let’s talk about Pakistan. How will you solve Kashmir issue with Pakistan?
Me: We need an innovative solution…

M3: (Again interrupting me)…you need to talk more…
Me: Sir, I’m coming to the point. Realistically looking at the issue, I don’t think Pakistan will hand over its part of J&K to India. Our present borders may not be changeable. It’s better to acknowledge the same without a formal announcement as our maps cannot be changed & territorial integrity can’t be sacrificed. No internationalization of the same can be allowed. At the same time, cross border links & trade have to be improved & people-to-people contacts increased with development of J&K in mind.

M3: How should India proceed on Indo-Pak talks?
Me: Sir, instead of focusing on just Kashmir, we have talk on several issues like Siachen, sir creek, cultural ties, trade, water sharing etc.

M3: We have been doing that for long. But no results have come out.
Me: Sir, the issues are not at fault. Talks broke down because of events like 26/11, 2001 parliament attacks & cross border terror. India is not responsible for the breakdowns. So it is better to continue on multiple issues.

M4: Can I also continue on Kashmir? Are you confident? (almost laughing!)
Me: Yes sir, you can.

M4: Why not conduct plebiscite & solve the issue?
Me: Sir, there are some preconditions. Complete demilitarization must take place on both borders. Kashmiri Pandits who were chased away must be allowed to return. Only if these happen, plebiscite can be allowed.

M4: You say India & Pakistan must talk about Kashmir. But where are the Kahmiris in the scene? Has their voice been neglected?
Me: Sir, we definitely need more Kashmiri opinion. It is heard very less.

M4: Do you mean they have been ignored completely or given inadequate representation?
Me: sir, definitely they were heard. India did talk with separatists like Hurriyat conference. But more needs to be done on this front. (should’ve mentioned the pm’s interlocutors at work now, but forgot).

M4: Elections are periodically held in J&K. people vote new Govts to power. can you consider this as a sort of plebiscite?
Me: Yes sir, they reaffirm peoples faith in our system.

M4: Do you think those elections are proper, free & fair?
Me: There have been allegations in the past about rigging.

M4: No. I don’t want other’s opinions. What do you think now?
Me: Sir, thanks to a strong election commission, I can confidently say that recent elections have been free & fair, not only in J&K, but also in other states of India and I am proud of this fact.

RR: Thank you. (she smiled for the only time in the whole interview!)
Me: Thanks the board & left.

The 4 male members were smiling & very attentive, unlike Ms. RR. I too tried to keep up a smiling face through out the interview. The board was cordial on the whole. Interview lasted for about 20-25 minutes.

Abhiram G Sankar came out with a smiling face.

Also Read:10 UPSC PT Geography Questions with Explained Answers

Sanskriti Jain’s strong determination led her to become an IAS officer. Becoming an IAS offficer was the result of her strong determination, true struggle and hardwork. Sanskriti Jain secured All India Rank 11th and also topped in the optional paper Philosophy with highest marks in UPSC Civil Services Exam 2014.

In Sanskriti Jain’s opinion, education, especially women’s education is close to her. Education can transform every life. It leads to social awakening of every member of our society and creates awareness. And creating awareness at a young age helps transform the society. Her main aim however, was to serve the country and its people to the best of her ability.

Marks Obtained

Must Read: Success Story of Neha Srivastava IFS

Educational Background

Sanskriti Jain was born in Srinagar. Hailing from the family background of Indian Air Force, she had been extensively travelled to most parts of the India which widen her experience and studied in six different schools in different corners of the country. Sanskriti Jain completed her senior secondary schooling from Sanskriti School, New Delhi. After that she did B. Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (Goa Campus) and M.Sc. in Biological Sciences.

Sanskriti Jain said, “my college years were one of the longest stays in one place for me. I am grateful, that I had the opportunity to attend BITS, Pilani. It really transformed me into the person that I am today”.

Previous Experience before cracking UPSC Exam

After graduation, with the will to explore diverse fields, Sanskriti Jain took up a fellowship with PRS Legislative Research as a Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament (LAMP) for a year from 2011-2012. Towards the end of 2012 she joined the Centre for Policy Research as a Research Assistant in Delhi.

Sanskriti Jain decided to take the exam ​towards the end of her LAMP fellowship. During through the course of the fellowship she had become interested in policy making in India and realized that the best platform to be a part of this was through the civil services.

During this work experience Sanskriti Jain got insights into what exactly is happening in the government , how policies are made, and associated problems, etc. She found policy making quite interesting. It was then when she realised that the best way to contribute to policy making in India was to become Civil Servant. Hence, a dream took birth!

Optional Paper

Sanskriti Jain topped in the optional paper Philosophy with highest marks apart from ranking 11th in UPSC Civil Services Exam 2014.

Sanskriti Jain started preparation from March 2011. Before 2012, it was compulsory to take two optional subjects, Sanskriti has chosen Public Administration and Philosophy. In her first attempt only, she got 611 rank. In her second attempt, she left Public Administration and continued with Philosophy as her optional subject.

Also Read: Success Story of Priyanka Mehtani – CA turned IFS

Attempts by Sanskriti Jain

Sanskriti Jain had cleared the UPSC Exam twice earlier. She finally cleared it a third attempt with the desire to join the Indian Administrative Services. It has been her hard work and dedication throughout that has helped her reach the pinnacle of success.

In her second attempt, Sanskriti Jain joined the IRS (Indian Revenue Service) and was undergoing training at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT). “This is an amazing service, as it generates funds for all government functions,” Sanskriti Jain says.

Preparation Strategy

Sanskriti Jain says, “Of course one cannot clear this exam without putting in adequate effort, but I personally do not believe that one needs to put on hold everything else in life, while preparing. The kind of preparation and hard work depends totally on the individual preparing.”

As per her opinion, Coaching classes are not substituted for hard work but they definitely add-on. It saves your lot of time and gives a good direction. She gives credit of her success to his mentor. According to her, for any topic conceptual clarity is a must as well as the practice of writing good answers in a short span of time which covers most probable aspect.

Tips for Young Aspirants

• If one has a firm grasp on the subject, then preparation requires being up to date with current affairs.
• A good grasp on concepts builds a strong foundation for all that needs to be studied.
• Reading NCERT book is essential for clearing your basics.
• Knowing the mere facts only is not sufficient

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