TOP 5 Civil service Topper IAS 2014

Final result of UPSC-CSE 2014 (4th July 2015)

10 Amazingly Dedicated Indian Civil Servants You Will Be Proud To Know

With the sudden demise of the beloved bureaucrat D.K. Ravi, the entire country is in state of shock and is wondering whether there is a place for an honest and dedicated man like him in India. As we continue to grieve this huge loss to the nation, here are 10 other such amazing bureaucrats we wish to salute, who have been doing amazing work like Ravi and giving us hope that even a few good men can change the course of a nation 

1. Narendra Kumar

IPS Narendra Kumar started his career in Bihar in 2009, and since then he had shown great courage and commitment towards his work and then he joined office in Morena, Madhya Pradesh. He was famous for his active work in trying to stop illegally mined stones and spent a large amount of time in fighting the mining mafia. In 2012, this brave officer was allegedly killed by the members of the same mining mafia at the young age of 30. When he saw a tractor carrying illegally mined stones, he tried to stop it, and when the driver did not slow down, he stood in front of it to bring it to a halt. But the driver did not stop and ran over Kumar, crushing him to death. His wife is an IAS officer in Gwalior.

2. Ajit Doval

Doval is already a known name and is famous for his commendable work during his tenure as an IPS officer from the batch of 1968. He played an active role in insurgencies operations in Mizoram, Punjab and Kashmir. He managed to turn militants and persuade them to assist Indian forces against the terrorists. Along with his exceptional work in these states, he has done a commendable job in the termination of all 15 hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971-1999. He also stayed in Pakistan as an undercover agent in a high-risk assignment. He later joined the intelligence bureau and is currently holding the position of National Security Advicer to PM Narendra Modi.

3. B. Chandrakala

This feisty District Magistrate of Bulandhshahar is famous for taking tough stands against illegal practices. She has always spoken against corrupt officers and even got transferred from her earlier posting because she refused to accept the wrong doings going on. She never hesitates in publicly exposing those people who are not doing justice to their jobs. Thanks to her intervention, three corrupt contractors were booked, one of them being the brother of a member of the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. 

4. Satyendra Dubey

Another name that stands out for commendable dedication and work ethics is Satyendra Dubey. An Indian Engineering Services officer, he was Project Director in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at Koderma in Jharkhand where he was working on the Golden Quadrilateral Project. He showed extra ordinary courage in exposing serious financial irregularities and exposed many corrupt practices in the industry. He also made many contractors rebuild the poor quality roads. He wrote a letter to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee exposing the corruption and financial irregularities in the project. When he wrote the letter he suggested to keep his identity hidden, as it had several big names involved, but his name was somehow revealed and he pad to pay the price for that. After a few months, he was shot dead in Gaya, Bihar and the country lost yet another competent and sincere bureaucrat.

5. Armstrong Pame

Not many know about this exceptional young IAS officer from Manipur. His passion and dedication towards the betterment of the society was so strong that he built a 100 km long road in a remote hill of Manipur without the government’s help. People came forward and supported him in large numbers and gave shape to the “people’s road” which connects the hill to the rest of the state. He used his own savings and turned to social networking sites to raise funds for the project and is fondly called “miracle man” by the villagers.

6. Shanmugam Manjunath

This brave officer worked as a sales manager for Indian Oil Corporation and worked actively to stop selling of adulterated fuel. His courageous nature and honesty made him one of the most commendable officers the country has seen. But he too paid the price for being an honest man, while he was on his way to exposing two petrol pumps selling adulterated fuel in Lucknow. He ordered to seal them, and when they started working again, he conducted a surprise raid. He was shot dead the same night and his body with six bullets was found in his own car’s backseat. That was a day the entire country hung its head in shame and despair.

7. Shivdeep Waman Lande

This IPS officer of 2006 batch has been constantly in the news for all the good reasons. He has arrested many criminals, worked towards women safety and took on the pharmaceutical mafia, and under his tenure, the crime rate of Patna dropped drastically. He took strong action against eve teasers and has been very easily accessible to the people. It is said that he receives hundreds of messages everyday and he makes sure that each message is attended to. He played an important role in eliminating illegal wine shops in his jurisdiction. When he was transferred to Araria from Patna, many people turned to the streets and held candle light protests against the government’s decision. He allegedly donates 70 percent of his salary to social causes which include marriages of poor girls and building hostels for poor students.

8. U. Sagayam

This civil servant from Tamil Nadu has been transferred around 20 times in the 20 years of his service. He is famous for fighting against corruption wherever he goes. He was also the first IAS officer to make his assets public. His extensive research on illegal granite-mining in Madurai led to charges against many known politicians and businessmen. He also confiscated over 5,000 subsidized gas cylinders intended for domestic use which were being illegally used by restaurants. He investigated and raised his voice against vote-buying. When he was transferred from the post of Madurai Collector to the post of MD of Co-optex, many people came out and protested against the government decision.

9. V. V. Lakshminarayana

Lakshminarayana is the quintessential common man who often takes the bus to work. He stayed humble but worked on some of the most talked about cases and exposed many corrupt officers. He became the Joint Director of Central Bureau of Investigation and handled over 19 high profile cases including the Satyam scandal, Gali Janardhana Reddy’s illegal mining case of Obulapuram Mining Company, Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy ‘s disproportinate assets case and Sohrabuddin Sheikh’s fake encounter case. He is also known for arresting Jagan Mohan Reddy and giving amazing, high impact speeches.

10. S.R. Sankaran

This former IAS officer was commonly known as “an ideal people’s IAS officer”. He played a crucial role in creating pro-poor policies and was the man behind the abolition of bonded labour, the creation of the special component plan for SCs & STs and the assigning of resources for marginalised communities in the rural development programmes. He remained unmarried so that he could serve the society and also contributed to the education of over 500 poor students. He died due to illness in 2010 but he will always be remembered as a “people’s man”.

We pay our respects to all of these amazing officers who inspire us every single day and help us believe that there is good in the world. It may be a small force at present, but if we all stand together, it has infinite potential to wipe out all evil.

UPSC Civil Services Exam 2013 Topper (Rank 1) Gaurav Agrawal’s Marks

Gaurav Agrawal from Rajastan topped UPSC Civil Services Exam 2013. Gaurav did his graduation from IIT and post graduation from IIM. He got IPS in his first chance before securing All India Rank 1 this year. We have already shared Gaurav Agrawal’s UPSC interview transcript. In this post, we shall analyze how should one score to become an All India Topper and clear IAS! This post also examines the subjective nature in the present pattern of UPSC exam, especially the interview/personality test.

How well should you score to clear IAS with AIR 1?

As you all might be aware, there cannot be any generalizations. We have already done an analysis on UPSC mains marks cut-offs and have shown that the competition is getting tougher and the mains exam is becoming low scoring. Let’s have a quick look at AIR 1, Gaurav Agrawal’s total marks, which is 975/2025. This comes around 48.15 percentage, around 3 percent less than last year topper Haritha V. Kumar’s total. The decrease in percentage can be attributed to the reduction in number of optional papers and increase in general studies papers, with tight valuation. But the point here is : You just need around 48% marks to become All India Topper! And to clear IAS which has around 180 seats this year including reservation, the percentage needed is again less! However, things are not that easy! Let’s see.

Gaurav Agrawal’s UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam Marks

• General Studies Paper 1 (GS): 121.34 / 200
• General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT): 182.50 / 200
• Total: 304 / 400

PS : Marks of UPSC Preliminary Exam is not counted for final ranking. For 2013, the cut-off mark for general category was 241, OBC – 222, SC -207, ST-201, PH1 -199, PH2 – 184 and PH3 – 163.

It can be seen that Gaurav was way above the cut-off, even for Prelims. A high score in CSAT, can naturally be attributed to his IIT+IIM brain, but the score of 120+ in GS shows his command over the general studies paper too.

A good command over GS paper even at the time of Prelims would naturally give an edge to the candidate for Mains, as he/she already know many of the general studies topics. And a 300+ score for Prelims is just awesome! 

Motivational quote from the topper for those who start late:

If you are confident enough in paper 2 (CSAT) , prelims specific preparation can be done in last 1-2 months itself.

Gaurav Agrawal’s UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam Marks

Thanks to Gaurav for sharing his detailed marks-break up.

1. Essay: 135 / 250
2. GS 1: 85 / 250
3. GS 2: 63 / 250
4. GS 3: 88 / 250
5. GS 4: 102 / 250
6. Economics 1: 134 / 250
7. Economics 2: 162 / 250

• Total GS: 338 / 1000 (33.8%)
• Total Economics Optional : 296 / 500  (59.2%)
• Mains (written) total = 769 / 1750 (43.94%)

PS : Mains cut-off for general category was 564, and Gaurav had scored 205 marks above that minimum qualifying mark. 

Gaurav Agrawal’s UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam Marks

• Interview (Dr. Kilemsungla board): 206 / 275
• Total: 975 / 2025
• Rank 1.

PS : After interview, Gaurav was 200 marks above the last recommended candidate in general category. (517th candidate)

All India Topper’s Mark for Mains and Interview : An Analysis

As per our analysis, there are three crucial areas which determines a mains qualified candidate his/her final rank, after the changed pattern.

1. Essay Paper (250 marks).
2. Optional Paper (500 marks).
3. Interview (275 marks.)

You might be surprised why we didn’t include General Studies Paper in this list. Of-course, General Studies is also a factor, but in 2013, it was not a very crucial element, as there was no very big difference in the mark range even when the total General Studies weigtage was out of 1000 marks. Reason : GS1, GS2 and G3 papers had 25 questions each while GS4 had 14 questions. So the 1000 marks were divided among 89 main questions and 20+ sub questions. That will reduce the subjective elements and variations to a great extent. Analyze this break-up, in contrast to a single essay question worth 250 marks!

Subjectivity in the Essay Paper

Gaurav Agrawal scored 135 in essay paper, which is a very high score for essay this year. Yes, there are candidates who scored, 145 for essay, but the difference between the 145 and 135 is not that really big. But those who got only 50 or 60 mark in essay, are lagging behind the topper by near 80+ marks soon after the first paper itself! This is not a small difference to neglect. A single essay worth 250 marks can always lead to mark variations like this. Unless the next year essay paper contains 2-3 essays, the volatility of essay marks will remain.

Subjectivity in the Optional Paper

Gaurav Scored 296 marks in economics optional which is exceptional! Here also, there might be other candidates who scored higher for other optionals, but 296/500 is never a mean achievement. Gaurav said that it was his optional marks which secured him the first rank. We would only partly agree. He performed really well across sections  .

But again, who much is the marks range in optional paper? If Gaurav’s total was 296/500, there are also candidates who made it to the final list with less than 180/500 as optional paper mark. That means a big difference of 120+ marks is possible for optionals.

PS : The wide variation of marks between optional papers is well known. This has nothing to do with number of questions in each paper, but is often associated with the scaling process for equating marks between different optional papers. There are also unfortunate candidates with such low marks 3-11 in certain optional papers, after writing for 3 hour each (who of-course didn’t qualify) probably due to the scaling process for that optional paper!

Subjectivity in the UPSC Interview/Personality Test

Now let’s see how a candidate’s life and years of preparation can be drastically ruined in half an hour. For 2013 interview, there were as high marks as 210+ and low marks as 90 also. This means 120+ marks difference was possible in 30 minutes, which as per our analysis is the most life changing one. Even if you were 120+ marks above mains cut-off (mains = the stage which checks your knowledge and analytical abilities, with a weightage of 1750 marks ), a very low mark like 90 or less in the UPSC interview/personality test can spoil your chances.

PS : There are many instances of candidates securing very low marks like 90 or 100 one year crossing 200+ when he attends the UPSC board next year. It can be the reverse also. There are many who wonder how the personality of a candidate rise or fall so much in one year. This just point outs the subjectivity in a 30 minute interview. There are many who wonder if the personality of candidate can be judged at all in 30 minutes.

Gaurav scored 206 for interview, which is again very high marks. His GS score of 338/1000, though not exceptional, corresponds to around 85 marks per each paper out of 250, which is well above the average.

Conclusion :

To conclude our analysis on UPSC Civil Services mains+interview, it is worrysome to note that the high range of marks existing in a 20-30 minute subjective process like interview. The subjective nature also exists in the valuation of a single essay worth 250 marks. Again, scaling in optional papers has been a matter of debate by lot of unfortunate candidates for many years. UPSC had made some reforms in exam pattern and syllabus in last 2-3 years, but still there is definite scope for improvement in the whole exam process, and we strongly suggest reducing the ‘range of marks’ that can be awarded for interview and essay. The difference between top and bottom marks should be a maximum 50. Except under exceptional circumstances, this rule should not be violated. Either remove the optional paper completely or bring more transparency to the scaling process for optional paper. Many successful and unsuccessful candidates associate the ‘luck element’ with the subjective and impulsive nature of awarding marks. The selection of the top bureaucrats who steer the governance and future of India, can never be left to any luck element, but should always be on the basis of merit.

And for Gaurav Agrawal, a consistent high scoring in all papers of mains and interview fetched him the top slot. He might not be the topper in individual papers, but he remained consistently high across all papers with exceptional performance in Economics optional. We are happy that his hard-work is finally rewarded, in-spite of the uncertainties existing in the system and exam process. A truly deserving candidate who crossed all hurdles, after being a little short the first time. All the very best to him! 

How to choose optional subjects for civil services exam

Selecting Right Optional Subject for Civil Services Exam

Through this article, I would like to interact with Civil Services Aspirants about the strategy for the IAS examination.

Friends, the foremost important thing is the duration of preparing this examination, Ideally the time to start the preparation is 10-12 months before the exam. Selecting optional subject is most important part of the civil services examination which most of the candidates ignore. Generally, "A college student asks whether I should start preparing when I am studying in college itself."

Actually; I would suggest them that "Have Civil Services in back of your mind and just start preparing from Daily important news from various news papers like The Hindu, Indian Express, Economic Times, related magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, Frontline for in-depth analysis of current issues and events in India & World,  and think about selecting your Optional Subject". Optional subjects are those which you have to study for couple of years during your preparation for this exam. So, if you don't like the optional subjects, or if you have selected the subject only for scoring purpose, you won't be comfortable in studying them.

Selection of Right Optional Subject

Remember, When you select the right optional you are halfway through in this examination. First before choosing the subject you have to see the entire syllabuses of the all the optional subjects ranging from subjects like Agriculture to Russian Literature, there are many optional subjects given by the UPSC. Students must visit UPSC official website and see the list of available optional subject and go through the syllabus. Students with optional subjects as their graduation subjects like History, Geography or Political Science have the option to choose their graduation subjects itself as their optional subjects in IAS exam.

For Students with engineering like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, there are also optional subjects available in UPSC. But they are not most preferred subjects. I am not discouraging students from engineering background to take subjects from their graduation or even Physics, Chemistry which they studied in School and liking. But as I said that the optional subjects like Engineering are not preferred by most of the people and you may loose the option of  "Law of Averages". Because other subjects like Sociology, Psychology, Public Administration etcetera are recommended by the most students, which gives and edge over them in writing the Main examination.

So, when you select an optional subject, it is like marrying a person. We have to live with it for few years when you going through the UPSC examination, and during the course of the preparation you should not realise that we should have selected a better optional. So when you select the optional subject, Be Clear & Go Through the Syllabus.

If the syllabus is to your liking, you have to select the subject. Also go through the previous years question papers, and when you feel comfortable with the subject, start reading and analysing NCERT Books related to that subject.

There are many myths about the Civil Services Examination which I would like to clear here;
First, many students think that lot of intelligence and intelligence quotient (IQ) is required to clear this exam. But fact is that "UPSC is looking for They are looking for very ordinary people who can understand the pulse of the people in country. Administrators who can look after the people and implement their development work in a proper way which is comfortable to them, UPSC is not looking for Ph.D. students, Scientist who are going to work in NASA. So, Intelligence and IQ is not necessary.

If you look at the list of successful candidates, you will be glad to know that most of the candidates are from rural background with very ordinary schooling and college education. Not all students who clear the UPSC are from IIT or Medicine background.

Next, aspirant think that lots of hard work is required to clear this UPSC exam, but it is not true. Because, Smart work is most important than hard work! 
What not to read is most important than What to read.

First thing which we need to look at before we choose books for the particular subject or even for General Studies paper preparation. Its not that we have to read books from cover to cover, some books have important chapters which we need to look at. We should not look at in a particular book. So, when you selecting the optional subject and also for GS, we have to think about the right books which you knew to choose and the right topics in those books.

In the name of Hard Work, lot of students actually pain themselves in hasty study and it is not required.
Look, time duration of daily study is not important, How you study and what you study is more important than the time of study. I am telling this because whenever new students come to us and ask "How many hours you put everyday for IAS exam preparation?"

REMEMBER: What and How you study is going to matter.

Study Oriented Points to Keep in Mind

Writing practice is very important or I must say "Recommended" in Civil Services examination, Because, even if you know lot about the subject and if you are not able to complete the paper, it is not going to work. So, instead of reading more actually you have to Write & Practice more, and this is the Key of Success in Main examination. By writing more you improve your language, you learn time management and you also improve you handwriting if your handwriting is not good.

Few Tips for IAS Main Essay Paper

• For Essay paper there are no definite set of topics and books to prepare, but we can just predict some areas from the essay topics which are going to come. To prepare this paper, we have to Read Newspaper Regularly, stay updated about the Current Affairsand think & discuss about hot topics/events.
• More than reading we have to introspect on important topics. Remember! Be Clear about your ideas and thought process which you are going to present in essay. Get some previous years questions.

Reference: P. Aravindhan (IPS), AIR: 164 CSE 2009

Ms. Manisha Khatri, IAS Topper (35th Rank)

Ms. Manisha Khatri belongs to Sonepat, Haryana and holds an L.L.B.(Hons) degree along with a degree in B.Com. An alumnus of the prestigious Gujarat National Law University, she worked for some time as a Legal Manager in ICICI Bank in Mumbai. She preferred Law as her Optional subject in the Civil Services Main 'Examination and cracked the CSE in her very first attempt. By virtue of her immense interest in the subject and deep understanding, she was able to achieve the 35th Rank in the overall list of successful candidates in the Civil Services Examination 2013-14. She says that hard work with diligence and perseverance ultimately paid off and she succeeded in getting into the services which had been her dream since her childhood To her mind, it takes one only one year to prepare for this examination.

An avid reader of Current affairs Books since her school days, she gives the credit for shaping her knowledge in a better way to it. Current affairs Books also helped her keep tabs on all recent issues during her preparation for the Personality Test. To her mind, General Knowledge Today is also a very nice magazine, because it presents Current Affairs in a concise manner.

Here, we publish an exclusive interview which she gave to Competition Success Review.

Current affairs Books: Congratulations, Ms. Manisha Khatri for your 35th Rank in the Civil Services Examination 2013-14 ! What is the secret of your success in this examination ?

Ms. Manisha Khatri : Hard work with diligence and perseverance is the secret of my success.

Q. How much time do you think one requires for serious preparations for this examination ?

 A. Time is not an important factor, but the whole process till Mains requires one year.

Q. Which newspapers and journals have you been reading for the General Studies and other papers?

A. Apart from Competition Success 'Review, and General Knowledge Today, I read The Hindu, Yojana and Kurukshetra.

Q. Do you remember any remarkable incident of your life that motivated or prompted you to go for a career in the Civil Services ?

A. Being an IAS officer was my childhood dream. Throughout my career I had this idea in my mind.

Q. Competition Success Review, the largest selling youth magazine in English, has been extremely helpful because

A. Current affairs Books was very helpful in my preparation. It kept me abreast of Current Affairs in a concise manner.

Q. How did your parents, family and friends contribute to your success ?

A. My parents and family members always supported me in my efforts by providing continuous support.

Q. Had you not been selected in the Civil Services Examination, what would have been your reaction ? Which other service/career would you have gone in/opted for ?

A. I was confident from start about getting into Civil Services. If I had failed, I would have again prepared.

Q. How do you visualise your success ?

A. I believe that my success has come with a lot of responsibility to manage societal problems and serve the public.

Q. What are your strong points which enabled you to achieve spectacular success in the Civil Services Examination ?

A. My strong points were my strength in my Optional subject and ability to retain the originality of what I study.

Q. What was your Optional at the Civil Services Examination ?

A. Law.

Q. How many attempts had you made earlier before you got selected ?

A. It was my first attempt.

Q. What was your criterion for the selection of the Optional subject?

A. I had graduated in Law from GNLU. Having studied Law for 5 years I had immense interest and clarity in this subject.

Q. How did you prepare for your compulsory papers?

A. Reading newspapers helped the most in General Studies papers.

Q. What is your impression about the Interview Board ?

A. Interview Board was very cordial and friendly. They made me feel very comfortable.

Q. Current affairs Books 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. Current affairs Books has been my companion since my schooldays. It guided me to shape my knowledge of current affairs in a better way.

Q. How did Current affairs Books help you in your preparation for the interview ?

A. During interview preparation, it was made very easy by Current affairs Books to keep tabs on all recent issues and form my own opinion on these issues.

Q. How do you look upon the publication of Current affairs Books magazine in Hindi ? Do you think that the mindset and basic approach of English medium students are fundamentally different from those of the Hindi medium students ?

A. I believe that there is not much difference between Hindi and English medium students. I believe that it is hard work common to both which is responsible for their success.

Q. What is your opinion about Current affairs Books?

A. Current affairs Books is a very good magazine for students to read.

Q. Since when have you been reading Current affairs Books?

A, I have been reading Current affairs Books since my schooldays.

Q. Since when has Current affairs Books been coming to your home ?

A. Current affairs Books has been coming to my home for the last 10 years.

BIO DATA —

Name : Ms. Manisha Khatri

Educational Qualification :

B.Com, LLB (Hons.)

School : Hindu Vidya Peeth

University : Gujarat National Law University

Any Award, Gold Medals and Scholarship Won : 1st Prize in IPR Research Paper Gold Medal Competition; 2nd Prize in Essay Competition on Corruption.

Experience : 5 months : Legal Manager in ICICI Bank, Mumbai

Q. Did your father and/or mother also read Current affairs Books when they were of your age ? If so, who read and when ?

A. No.

Q. What is your opinion about General Knowledge Today ?

A. General Knowledge Today is also a very nice magazine to read Current Affairs in a concise way.

Q. What is your opinion about Current affairs Books Books ?

A. Current affairs Books books have been very helpful.

Q. What do you think is a better way of preparation between selective intensive study and wide extensive study ?

A. I believe that it has to be a balanced approach between selective intensive study and wide extensive study for getting good results.

Q. Is this pattern of the examination appropriate for selection ? Would you recommend any other improvement ?

A. Yes, the pattern is appropriate to test the aptitude of a candidate. The pattern is not based on the memory of students, but on their understanding

Q. Do you feel that there should be no restriction on the number of attempts?

A. I believe that attempts should be limited.

Q. We have been publishing essays every month under Current Issues and Current affairs Books Essay Contests and Current affairs Books Super Brain Youth Contest by adding eight more pages to encourage our readers not only to write better, but also to know what the top competitors could be writing. Besides, we offer tickets to and from Singapore, Current affairs Books Gold Medal & Trophy to the winners of the Current affairs Books Super Brain Youth Contest. Is this focus-oriented approach helpful for the IAS aspirants ?

A. Yes, this focus-oriented approach is very helpful to guide students.

Q. To what extent, you think, model test papers can be useful for the aspirants of the Civil Services ?

A. Model Test Papers are useful to stimulate the students in an exam- oriented environment.

Q. How do you think Current affairs Books could be more useful to the candidates appearing in the Civil Services and various other competitive examinations ?

A. Current affairs Books provides all information on Current Affairs in a concise way.

Q. Do you think that the UPSC needs to be more transparent in its examination and evaluation ?

A. I think the UPSC is already very transparent in examination and evaluation.

Q. What is your advice to the future aspirants ?

A. My advice to future aspirants is that they should focus hard on studies, as there is no substitute to hard work.

Current affairs Books : Thank you. We wishes you all the best in life.

IAS Topper 2013 Munish Sharma Shares his strategy for IAS Prelims Exam

AS Topper 2013 Munish Sharma who got the 2^nd Rank in the most coveted Civil Service Examination 2013, talked to Rachit Kumar Saxena about his plan and strategy he followed for the IAS Prelims Exam.

Civil Services was his dream since childhood. He got this grand success in his second attempt. He expressed his desires to serve the people and make long lasting contribution to society and nation per se. He indeed provided valuable tips for the IAS Prelims Exam. He also shared his strategy for the IAS Prelims Exam.

Dos and Don’ts

While elaborating the Dos and Don’ts for the IAS Prelims Exam, he cautioned against blindly following the different blogs and people. He said grapevine and hearsay must be avoided to save time. Further, he advised to follow standard books and try to avoid too many books. While expressing his views on mushrooming magazines, he suggested reading only standard magazines.

Changed IAS Prelims Exam Pattern

He said that changed pattern has streamlined the things. He sought to tone down the fear about the CSAT Paper-2. He said that simple questions from Mathematics, Aptitude and Comprehension have been asked in IAS Prelims CSAT Paper -2. So candidates should not fear that CSAT is comparable to CAT and GRE. Optimum effort and proper time management can bring desirable result.

Importance of Coaching

He did not criticize the importance of coaching centres. Instead, he said that coaching centre can provide right direction. Candidate must not reply fully on coaching centres. He suggested that candidates who have written CAT and other related exams can manage the IAS Prelims General Studies Paper II - CSAT without going for coaching. He emphasized the importance of writing mock test. Further he elaborated on importance of group discussion. Candidate must indulge in group discussion whenever they feel the need. Discussion should be relevant and no need to indulge regularly.

Strategy for General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II

He emphasized on getting maximum marks in General Studies II - CSAT and said that the candidates must make target of getting more than the 100 marks in General Studies I. Further, he said that making notes out of newspapers could be beneficial in IAS Prelims Exam. He suggested basic NCERT Books for History and Geography for the preparation of IAS Prelims Exam. While pointing out the importance of Constitution of India, he emphasized on standard books since NCERT book on Polity is not sufficient. He cited the importance of newspapers for Environment, Ecology and Science and Technology.

Suggestions for future IAS Aspirants

While sharing his thought on spiraling IAS Prelims Exam cut-offs marks, he emphasized the need to play on the strengths and work on weaknesses. He said that candidates should not lose the heart if they fail in IAS Prelims Exams. Further he cited examples where many candidates were figured in top 50 who even could not clear IAS Prelims in their first attempts.