IAS Topper Rank 138 - VP Gautham From Tamilnadu (2013)

7/9/2014 IAS Topper Rank 138: VP Gautham from Tamilnadu (2013)
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-vp-gautham-ias-2013rank-138-first-attempt-309-prelims-geography-optional-ifos-rank-3-tamilnadu.html#323 1/51
Mrunal
w $ motivation | Q 41
2 weeks ago
[Topper's Interview]
VP Gautham (UPSC-
2013/Rank-138): First attempt, 309 in
prelims, Geography optional, IFOS Rank-
3, Tamilnadu,

1. Candi date Profi l e
2. Educati on
3. Introducti on
4. Why hi ndu i s i mportant
5. El ectroni c Vs Paper materi al
6. Tempo and styl e
7. Prel i ms (CSAT) General studi es
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RAVINARAYAN { HI
rambler... one of my friend
joined 1st batch(7th july-
5th sep) shivapuri....is that
they r conducting 2
batches simultaneously?
bcoz as u said 1st week
of... } [ACIO] Resul t for
ACIO 2013 exam
decl ared, ...
RUCHI GUPTA { kya
aap mujhe apna study time
table bata sakte ho how u
covering syllabus }
[Current]MayW2/P2:
Pol i ty- Form20, EVM
Total i zer, Pramati
Judgement, ...
RUCHI GUPTA { Hi
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Arti cl es
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Toppers
Forum
Q
8. Prel i ms (CSAT) Apti tude
9. Prel i m accuracy
10. Mai ns: Compul sory l anguage paper
11. Mai ns: Essay
12. General Studi es (Mai ns) paper 1
13. General studi es (Mai ns) paper 2
14. General studi es (Mai ns) Paper 3
15. General Studi es 4: Ethi cs, Integri ty,
apti tude
16. GS4 Ethi cs case study answers i n
Mai ns 2013
17. Mai ns answer-wri ti ng?
18. Mai ns Opti onal Subj ect
19. Before the i ntervi ew
20. Duri ng the i ntervi ew
21. CSE-2013 Marksheet
22. Career Backup
23. Vi ews on UPSC reforms
24. Insecuri ty about profi l e
25. Wi sdom
26. Credi t: Fri ends/fami l y
27. BOGUS Marketi ng Propaganda
Candidate Prof ile
Name V P GAUTHAM
Rank in CSE-2013 138
Roll No. 118745
Age 23
Total attempts in CSE 1
Optional Subject GEOGRAPHY
vrushali kya aap mujhe
apna study time table bata
sakte ho how u covering
syllabus }
[Current]MayW2/P2:
Pol i ty- Form20, EVM
Total i zer, Pramati
Judgement, ...
RAVINARAYAN { hi
sruzan thanks for ur
valuable information....me
n one of my frnd from a.p
has got done with
verification on same date
but he joined... } [ACIO]
Resul t for ACIO 2013
exam decl ared, ...
SANJAY KALYAN { @
Sruzan are you sure the
batch is for 2 months?
Because last year it was for
75 days } [ACIO] Resul t
for ACIO 2013 exam
decl ared, ...
J AGNI P { thank u
buddy } [ACIO] Resul t
for ACIO 2013 exam
decl ared, ...
RAM { than you sir .i
havent attaneded any
coaching classes.your
guidance is valuable to
persons like me.thank you
fro providing all the
relevant materials in one...
} [Yearbook] Indi a
2014: Sci ence Tech,
Bi otech, Space...
RAM { no buddy. visibilty
4Top
Medium chosen for Mains
answers
ENGLISH
Schooling medium ENGLISH
College medium ENGLISH
Home town/city
Oddanchatram,
Dindigul district, Tamil
Nadu;
Work-experience if any Nil
Details of other competitive
exams, including
success/failures
1. SBI PO(declined)
2. IFoS-2013, Rank-
3
Details of coaching, mock
tests, postal (if used)
Shankar IAS academy,
Chennai
service preference #1, 2 and
3
IAS, IPS, IFS
state cadre preference (top3)
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Andhra(erstwhile
united)
Education
% in class 10 96
% in class 12 97
Schooling
(Medium)
English
Graduation
course and %
BE(ECE); 93%
Name of college,
city, passing out
College of Engineering
cant be called as optical
illusion.optical illusion is
the phenomenon where
due to refraction or
reflction or through other
ways of light... }
[Answerkey] CSAT 2013
GS: Sci ence: Physi cs,
Bi ol ogy...
RAM { eliminate the
wrong options and you
would get the same
answer.there is no other
way } [Answerkey]
CSAT 2013 GS: Sci ence:
Physi cs, Bi ol ogy...
RAM { mrunal should
consider blocking people
like you.MORON, }
[Answerkey] CSAT 2013
GS: Sci ence: Physi cs,
Bi ol ogy...
BALRAM SHARMA {
Thnx a lot bro.. } [ACIO]
Resul t for ACIO 2013
exam decl ared, ...
MEHUL GANDHI { if
any one know about when
syndicate bank recruit with
list candidate of clerk
inform me on
mehulgandhi90@gmai.co
m } [IBPS] fi nal l y
Resul t of both Bank
PO/MT...
SPIRITBREAKER {
lol....now tat was one heck
of a correction... } UPSC
upl oads Marksheet of
year Guindy,Chennai; 2012
Post-graduation Nil
Any other
professional
courses
Nil
Hobbies & Extra
curricular
Deriving inspiration from
sports;Coordinating and
organizing events;
I ntroduction
Q. Tel l us somethi ng about yoursel f, your
fami l y, when and why di d you enter i n thi s
fi el d of competi ti ve exams?
I hail from a small town called Oddanchatram in
CSAT Prel i ms and...
SPIRITBREAKER {
dude check ur
email...inbox,trash,spam
everywhere....u might find
confirmation report of
upsc where u might get ur
register number. Or check
ur hardisk. maybe in
downloads... } UPSC
upl oads Marksheet of
CSAT Prel i ms and...
SANTOSH { Dear
Manish,I will suggest you
one thing,if you have time
then go to UPSC portal and
download "civil service
mentor" magazine(from
aug-13 to aug-140 and... }
[Current] May W2/P3-
Cul ture: Buddhi st Rock
Cut Caves, ...
SANTOSH { Its not like
that nitish,now the
meaning of an optional
subject got changed,and
GS scope was widened,so
irrespective of taglines--
>"Optional","Important"
one should read everything
according... } [Current]
May W2/P3-Cul ture:
Buddhi st Rock Cut
Caves, ...
RECRUITMENT
Hal l t i c k et s
Upl oaded?
SSC 2013 Re-exam:Yes
central Tamil Nadu. But, I managed to get good
quality education, thanks to my parents and my
school(Christian Matriculation school,
Oddanchatram). I studied in the same school till
my 12th standard. My father V.Palanichamy is an
advocate(a former government pleader and a
public prosecutor) and my mother R.Kasthuri is a
teacher in a government school. My little brother
V.P.Cibi is doing his eleventh standard. He is one
awesome loving fellow, who cherishes my
achievements. I am extremely happy that this
time around, he was with me when I first saw the
results(During my IFS results, I was away from
home). It was just awesome to be with family
when I first came to know that I would be getting
IAS. My father was the one who inspired me to
take up the civil services. He gave me immense
liberty, which allowed me to develop as a free
thinking and an independent individual. My dad
was always keen to share things with me, but not
enforce things on me. He is my friend,
philosopher and guide. My mother was the one
who backed me during setbacks.
I am one person who always love to come
forward and do things. I loved assuming
leadership roles in all aspects of life. I was the
President of the student union of my
college(College of Engineering Guindy). I learnt a
lot in this position and I feel that these lessons
would help me in my future roles. So, it was not
one event which made me enter this career. I
think the various events in my life, my fathers
inspiration and my innate desire to be a leader
made me enter the field. I started full fledged
CAPF-2014: Yes
CSAT-2014: Not Yet
Bank i ng Sec t or
20-Jul : SI DBI
asst .Manager(80)
21-Jul : RBI asst.(only SPORTS
quota)
09-Jul : IBPS RRB 2014
On 2 0 1 3 RRB s c or e
16-Jul : Haryana Gramin
11-Jul : Jharkhand Gramin
11-Jul : Puducherry Gramin
on Mani pal Cer t i .
16-Jul : BoB PO
12-Jul : I DBI PO
I T/ Comput er
30-Aug: IITD Delhi system
admin(3)
25-Jul : programmer Lucknow
Med.Uni.
25-Jul : programmer Lucknow
Med.Uni.
17-Jul : IT jobs NIHFW
15-Jul : System Op.Raebareli
10-Jul : Karnataka PC
operators
08-Jul : Ludhiana PC operator
06-Jul : IT engg. in CRIS (need
GATE2014)
Engi neer s
01-Aug: MECL:
Asst .manager
23-Jul : MNIT Jaipur Tech.asst.
17-Jul : Light house
15-Jul : ONGC Western
Tech.asst.
11-Jul : Freight Corridor
11-Jul : Powergrid Sr.Engg
11-Jul : NBBC Engineers
preparations after finishing my U.G. in 2012.
Why hindu is important
Though I attended coaching at Shankar IAS
academy, I never preferred handmade
coaching class notes(neither from my
academy nor from Delhi). I just listened to the
classes and made my own notes and value
added to them. I had an aversion to coaching
class materials. I rather preferred original
sources and standard books, both for my GS
and optional. But the classes helped me in
giving valuable info and also initiated good
chains of thought through classroom
interactions (both with the faculty and co-
aspirants).
My best all-in-all source for GS was The
Hindu. There is nothing in the world like a
newspaper, as it throws light on multiple
subjects simultaneous which allows inter-
subject connection in the mindmap. When we
are thorough with the basic concepts and
information in each subject, then reading
newspapers will be an awesome experience as
most articles appear very familiar to us. This
will help in gaining a familiarity over an area
and will act as a valuable revision tool. For
example, when I read a news item on a
supreme court judgement(esp. in
constitutional cases), I used to connect its
arguments with the various articles in the
constitution. This helped in revision of the
articles as well as developing understanding
of them..
09-Jul : I I T-K
09-Jul : OIL Drilling Engg.12
07-Jul : VI ZAG Jr.Trainee
Pol i c e/ Def enc e/ I nt el .
31-Aug: Army Dent al
05-Aug: Navy UES
02-Aug: CI SF
const ables(1203)
21-Jul : NDS(II) 2014
14-Jul : BSF Para-
Medic,Pharma
14-Jul : BSF Motor transport
07-Jul : BSF ASI/H.Constables
06-Jul : Doctors in BSF
Spec i al i s t
BCom/ HR/ MBA
30-Aug: Accountant NIFFT
Ranchi
15-Jul : ONGC accountants(2)
11-Jul : Freight Corridor(34)
11-Jul : HR officers,NBBC
09-Jul : I I T-K account s
09-Jul : HR Officers BEL
Medi c al / Al l i ed
09-Aug: SAI L Doct ors
09-Aug: SAI L Paramedics
28-Jul : Chandigarh
Paramedics
18-Jul : Doctors in HAL
14-Jul : BSF Para-
Medic,Pharma
07-Jul : Haryana Doctors
06-Jul : Doctors in BSF
L egal
22-Jul : At t orney,
Kuru.Univ.
07-Jul : Haryana Attorney
Sc i enc e/ Agr i . Gr ads .
Moreover, newspapers are a treasury of
information. Reading them helped me garner
many fodder points which I could use for any
question(especially those questions or areas
for which we havent prepared specifically) in
the examination. This made me confident in
GS and I had the mentality to face any
question whatsoever, since I could generate at
least 2 or 3 points from what I had read in
newspaper in the past 2 years. I feel being
accomplished in newspaper reading was a
great boon to me and that alone resulted in
my high GS scores. All aspirants all over India
prepare from almost similar sources but this
clear newspaper reading(along with writing
newspaper notes and revising them) would
take you places. I, for one, used to spend 3-4
hours for newspaper reading (+of course
writing down notes)alone.
Now, many students rely on various
websites(like gktoday.in) for current affairs
notes. Though these sites may help slightly
when there is lack of time, they will never
match the usefulness of a newspaper. And
while reading newspaper, try to connect it with
the conventional areas. For economics and
international affairs, The Hindu was my most
important source. I tried reading 2-3
newspapers(like Indian express , Times of
India, in addition to The Hindu) but I found
this to be a futile exercise and hence stuck
with The Hindu.
Mrunal : yes Mr.Gautham, this a very crucial
suggestion that every aspirant should implement.
30-Aug: Lab Attendent NIFFT
Ranchi
25-Jul : Himachal
Tech.Assistants
18-Jul : Delhi Vet erinary
14-Jul : IHBT Himachal
10-Jul : Karnataka lab
assistant
10-Jul : Karnataka Horti.Field
Asst.
10-Jul : Scientist MP
Spec . Ot her s
17-Jul : Labor invest igat or
17-Jul : Mineral Economist
07-Jul : Haryana Town planner
Mi s c . Des k j obs
30-Aug: clerks NIFFT Ranchi
01-Aug: MECL:
foremen,driver,mechanic(99
)
31-Jul : NGT
Secretary,Steno,Translators
21-Jul : NIT Warangal asst.
10-Jul : NIT Patna Asst.
15-Jul : NIFT,Gandhinagar
15-Jul : Raebareli Deskjobs
07-Jul : Drivers AMU
F ac ul t y J obs
22-Jul : Mat hs Asst .Prof
22-Jul : Cut t ak Univ.
18-Jul : Jammu Univ
18-Jul : Haryana Science
18-Jul : NI T Manglore
14-Jul : Gorakhpur
10-Jul : SI UPA Haryana
07-Jul : AMU
War ni ng
DONOT wai t ti l l l ast
date. Onl i ne Form Part1
Electronic Vs Paper material
Q. In recent ti mes, there i s spur i n el ectroni c
materi al - bl ogs, si tes, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Many
aspi rants feel bogged down by thi s
i nformati on overl oad. So, how much do you
rel y on el ectroni c materi al and how much on
the paper materi al (Books, newspapers)? If
possi bl e narrate a typi cal day i n your
studyl i fe.
I prefer conventional books, not the market
materials or e-materials. Original conventional
books are more readable and they help you in
shaping opinions on your own. If you start
searching for market material(both paper and
electronic), it becomes very complex. In this
information era, the most difficult thing is to pick
out the necessary information from the huge
chunk of data available. It is better to restrict your
time on internet. Stick to a few sites like
mrunal.org, prs(for overview on legislations),
idsa(for selected foreign policy and strategic
policy articles). I would suggest not to spend more
than 1-2 hours on internet, on a daily basis.
Internet is an ocean where you can get lost.
One kind advice. Never depend on market
materials, especially for current affairs. Read The
Hindu daily. I would suggest preparing your own
notes from the Hindu. Surf the net only for those
areas where you need more background
information about a news item. You can spend at
least 3-4 hours for newspaper. Link the news
items with all the core subjects(eg; link the news
stops worki ng few days
b4 deadl i ne.
DONOT forget/mi spl ace
reg.i d, Rol l number.
items on Supreme Court judgements with the
polity topics that you have studied) that are a part
of our syllabus. This would help in remembering
the subjects and also in making the news more
relevant to you.
Tempo and style
Q. Peopl e know what books and syl l abus
poi nts are to be prepared. But most of them
l ack consi stency i n thei r preparati on. So,
how do you keep study momentum goi ng
on? How do you fi ght agai nst the mood
swi ngs and di stracti ons?
I think our mood is kind of a sine wave which
keeps fluctuating. This is common for aspirants
all over the country. But, the students should
make sure that they should maintain the
minimum required tempo(at least put in 4-5 hours
of work ; do the minimum necessary things like
reading newspaper, etc.) even during the worst
phases. It requires the highest amount of mental
courage during the tough phases. Any person
might feel stress and pressure during the course
of preparation. Even when you are fully equipped
to face the exam, you may feel short on
confidence and self doubts may appear. If we are
able to cross these momentary stints of self
doubts, then success is not far off.
For me, the best way to fight bad moods was to
write CSAT(paper-II) mock tests(during my prelims
preparation) and to read current affairs(during
mains prep). These areas made me feel good and
helped me ward off the bad emotions. So, during
times when you feel low,I suggest taking up a
subject which you really love.
Prelims (CSAT) General studies
Topic strategy/booklist/comment
History Ancient NCERT(old)
History Medieval NCERT(old)
History Modern
(Freedom Struggle)
NCERT(old); Bipan chandra s
struggle for independence;
Culture society
Culture:crt.gov.inSociety:
NCERT(1.Indian society;
2.Development and changes
in Indian society;)+Since
Sociology was my other
optional, I didnt concentrate
much
Polity (theory +
current)
Indian polity:
Lakshmikanth;Current: The
Hindu, EPW(Economic and
Political Weekly)
Economy (theory +
current)
Shankar IAS book on core
concepts;Current: The Hindu,
Economic Survey, EPW
Science (theory +
current)
NCERT (8
th
,9
th
,10
th
);
nobelprize.org(popular
summary of the past 5 years
nobel prize winning
achievements); The Hindu;
mrunal.org
Environment (theory
Shankar IAS book on
+ current) environment;
The Hindu
geography physical
Geography was my optional;
so this part was not given
much stress by me; good
reads are Certificate physical
geography by Go Cheng
Leong and NCERT:
Fundamentals of physical
geography
geography India
NCERT: India:physical setting;
India: people and resources
geography world
Distribution of resources and
industries mrunal.org
other
national/international
current affairs
The Hindu; EPW;
Schemes, Policy &
Filler Stuff
Not laid exclusive attention;
with an in-depth reading of
The Hindu, we can manage
most of these areas
Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
Topic strategy / booklist
Maths
Just pick out the areas from
which arithmetic questions are
asked; Some prime
Areas are time-work,distance-
speed-time, seating
arrangements, HCF-LCM, trai
problems, relative velocity,etc.
Strengthen your basics and
problem solving abilities in
these areas.
reasoning Practice alone helps
comprehension
Not to be considered as an exclusive
area of Paper II. Instead, as and
when you prepare for Paper I or
when you read newspaper, just
make sure that you understand
each word verbatim and youre able
to grasp the core matter better.
Such a practice while reading The
Hindu editorials will really help.
Decision
Making
Practice
Q. Any observati on / comments / ti ps about
GS Apti tude 2013 paper.
I felt the paper was very easy, even having the
scope for a 200/200 score. I think the UPSC aimed
to lift the spirits of people with non engineering or
rural background. But, I personally felt the
comprehension questions should have been
more competitive.
Prelim accuracy
Q1. Di d you attend any mock tests ? do you
thi nk they re necessary for success?
I did and I did a lot many. I deem it to be
absolutely necessary for a sureshot success.
Especially for paper II, mock tests are a key part of
the preparation. I think I did at least 50 mock tests
for P-II.
Q2. Your score i n prel i m (when UPSC
upl oads i t pl ease mai l me your score)
125.33+183.33=309
Mains: Compulsory language paper
Compulsory
language
paper
Your preparation strategy / booklist?
English
paper
Practised the previous years UPSC
English Q Papers
your
regional
language
Just read a few Tamil newspaper
editorials to remind myself of some
socio-politico-economic jargons(like the
Tamil words for Parliament,
Constitution, globalization,etc.) ;
Practised writing some random Tamil
passages, especially in the last one week
leading to the exams. Practised the
previous years UPSC English Q Papers
Q2.other observati ons / ti ps / comments on
the l ength / di ffi cul ty l evel of compul sory
l anguage papers i n CSE-2013
The language papers were of a very good quality. I
especially liked the competitiveness of the
regional language paper. Though it was just a
qualifying paper, writing it was a very satisfactory
experience thanks to the quality of the questions.
I would suggest my mates not to ignore this paper
and dedicate at least some minimum preparation
and brushing up. And make sure you complete
these papers.
Mains: Essay
Q1. How di d you prepare for the essay
paper?
I wrote quite a few essays from previous year CSE
question papers for practice. This helped in
making sure that we are able to write at least 15
pages on a given topic. Fodder points from The
Hindu(especially the centre page lead article and
Oped articles) really helped.This practice is
essential to ensure that you dont run out of
points during the exam.
Q2. Whi ch among the fol l owi ng essay di d
you wri te? What key poi nts di d you i ncl ude
i n i t?
1. Be the change you want to see in others
(Gandhi)
2. Is the Colonial mentality hindering Indias
Success?
3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH
(Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the
right indices for judging the wellbeing of a
country
4. Science and technology is the panacea for the
growth and security of the nation.
I wrote essay about the COLONIAL MENTALITY. My
key points were:
What is colonial mentality
Who has colonial mentality:
citizens(submissive attitude, an inferiority
complex); leaders( an arrogant approach to
the citizens; )
In some fields, colonial mentality is hindering
the progress of our nation.
Political: crackdowns on legitimate
protests(learnt from our British rulers);
Economic: An anti-West attitude(owing to a
perennial fear of colonisation);eg:-anti FDI
protests;
Security: lack of strategic culture(since our
Armed forces were headed and operated by
the British commandoes, we did not have
much indigenous strategic thought and this
continues)
How to remove this colonial mentality and
ensure development..
General Studies (Mains) paper 1
Topic How did you prepare?
Culture
CCRT website. But I have not heard of
a comprehensive resource for
Culture. This is quite a huge portion
but I did a selective study of CCRT,
some culture related current affairs,
PIB features on culture, etc.
Modern India NCERT;
Bipan Chandra- India s
Struggle for independence ;
This book is very important to
gain a proper perspective and
hence I recommend it.
Indian history Many of my friends read
Spectrum-Modern India but I
found it somewhat boring. So,
stopped reading it. I would
suggest reading original books
rather than compiled guide like
stuff.
world history
Arjun Dev NCERT; I also prepared
answers for around 100 world history
questions given by Shankar sir.
post-
independence
India
Bipan Chandra- India since
independence ; This book has
better exam related stuff than
Guha s India after Gandhi
which is more like a novel.
Though I really liked Guhas book,
I found the Bipan Chandra to be
more useful for the exam.
NCERT-politics in India since
independence-a must read; got
some questions in the exam
directly from this.
Personalities- Prepare some
short note for all the leading
figures of the past 60 years of
independent India..
Indian society
NCERT-Indian society;News items and
articles on social issues;EPW
role of
women,
poverty etc.
These are my optional areas. Hence
did not concentrate much for GS. I
prepared for Geography and Socio
but retained Geography when the
notification came.
globalization
on Indian
society
did not concentrate much for GS.
communalism,
regionalism,
secularism
world geo
physical
resource
distribution
Mrunal.org/Geography
factors for
industrial
location
Mrunal.org/Geography
NCERT:India-people and
resources
Models and theories-Majid
Hussain. for Webers industry
location theory, isodopane
concepts, labour cost contours,
etc.
earthquake
tsunami etc
NCERT: Fundamentals of Physical
geography;Physical Geography:
Savindra Singh- just give a light read
on certain topics for GS
impact on
flora-fauna
44 report by NAPCC(GoI);
IPCC summary;
Newspaper articles
General studies (Mains) paper 2
Topic How Did You Prepare?
Indian
Constitution,
devolution,
dispute
redressal etc.
Lakshmikanth;Constitution of India
android app for articles verbatim; Id
recommend the aspirants to exactly
remember at least the first 50
articles(upto DPSP) and other
important articles(given in the back
of Lakshmikanth); You can use them
while answering essays and other
questions;
comparing
Constitution
with world
Shankar sirs class(comparison
with US,UK,French, South
African, Swiss constitutions);
NCERT-Constitution at work-
Boxes articles highlighting the
best features of some
constitutions;
parliament,
state
Legislatures
Lakshmikanth
executive-
judiciary
Lakshmikanth;
ministries
departments
I read some annual reports of some
ministries; But I think it is like
searching for a needle in a haystack;
After reading through 100 pages,
you would find only 10 good points;
Maybe, you can share this work
among your friends;
pressure
group,
informal asso.
Representation
of peoples act
Newspaper(Supreme Court
verdicts);Election commission of
India- website(for model code of
conduct);PIB releases on elections;
various bodies:
Constitutional,
statutory..
Lakshmikanth
NGO, SHG etc Shankar class notes
welfare
schemes,
bodies
Economic survey
social sector,
health, edu,
HRD
Economic survey;
governance,
transparency,
accountability
e-governance
role of civil
service
India &
neighbors
Challenges and strategy:
Rethinking Indias foreign policy
by Rajiv Sikri; This book is a very
nice and I would recommend it
strongly to understand the basis
of Indias foreign policy;
India and its world: A talkshow
on Rajya Sabha TV- This explains
recent international issues very
clearly;
International news in The
Hindu;
bilateral/global
grouping
Shankar material on
International organisations;
Official Websites of various
groupings;
effect of
foreign country
policies on
Indian interest
News articles
Diaspora
international
bodies-
structure
mandate
Shankar class notes;
General studies (Mains) Paper 3
Since this paper is mainly a current affairs
oriented paper, I did not do a lot of specific
preparation for each topic. Hence, I am unable to
quote a lot of sources for this paper. I mostly
relied on The Hindu
Indian
economy,
resource
mobilization
Newspaper
inclusive
growth
budgeting Shankar sir classes
major crops,
irrigation
Optional area; Shankar sirs classes
agro produce
storage,
marketing
e-technology
for famers
Info from various sources- govt
websites, news articles
farm
subsidies,
MSP
PDS, buffer,
food security
technology
mission
animal rearing
economics
food
processing
PIB features
land reforms
Bipan Chandra s India since
independence . Land acquisition
problems. The new legislation.
liberalization
Some points from Gurcharan Das s
India Unbound
infra
investment
models
science-tech
day to day life
The hindu, mrunal.org
Indian
achievements
in sci-tech
awareness in
IT, space,
biotech, nano,
IPR
environmental
impact
assessment
Shankar material
Disaster
Management
SECURITY: non
state actors,
internal
security
This entire area was taken last year
by Mr.Suresh(2013 AIR 305). His
classes helped immensely. A lot of
questions appeared directly from the
areas he had covered..
internal
security role
of media,
social
networking
site
cyber security
money
laundering
border
Management
organized
crime,
terrorism
security
agencies-
structure
mandate
General Studies 4: Ethics, I ntegrity,
aptitude
ethics and
interface,
family, society
and all the
hathodaa
topics
attitude,
moral
influence etc.
Joseph(Officers IAS academy) sirs
classes;
civil service:
integrity,
impartiality,
tolerance to
weak etc
emotional
intelligence,
its use in
governance
KM Pathys notes; His blog musings:
reflections of a social nomad helped;
moral
thinkers of
India and
How many thinkers did you prepare?
Mitra Pal sirs classes and his material
from DoPT website(I dont know the
exact URL)helped a lot in this
paper.Around 10; India- Tagore,
world Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma
Gandhi,World: Aristotle, Plato,
Socrates, John Rawls, JS Mill
ethics in
pub.ad,
accountability,
laws, rules etc.
corporate
governance
probity in
governance,
work culture
citizen
charter, ethics
code, work
culture etc.
challenges of
corruption
case studies
on above
topics
Mrunal.org/ethics
The questions in the exam were
almost similar to what mrunal
had given in his blog;
We worked out a lot of his cases
and it really helped. But, I would
suggest you to use his questions
and write your entire answer(for
2 pages) without initially refering
to Mrunals answers;
Any other comments, word of wi sdom after
goi ng through the mai ns-2013.
For me, the toughest phase in this entire exam
was the mains(written). Since it is subjective, I
couldnt be as confident of my performance as I
was during my prelims. There was always a
glimmer of doubt, though all my family, friends
and teachers firmly believed in my ability to come
out on top. And, there is always this myth in civil
services circles about the unpredictability of these
exams(UPSC is often dubbed the Unpredictable
Public Service Commission). But, I want to make it
clear that it is definitely possible to clear the CSE
exams, with the right amount of hard work, focus
and aptitude. Sometimes, certain
factors(commonly called luck) may play a 0.1%
role(either in appositive or a negative way). But,
such factors can be won and overcome with more
and more hard and smart work.
GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains
2013
Q. i n GS4 ethi cs papers, pl ease gi ve a
sketchy overvi ew of your case study
answers:
Case your approach/ keypoints
1: RTI: To hide or not
to hide
Ill share my answers on a
future date, after taking some
time off to read the questions
and recollect my
answers.Mrunal comments:
sure thing, look forward to it.
2: Engineer: Bogus
flyover vs deadline
3: Child Labourers in
Sivakasi
4: Nepotism in Job
recruitment
5: Leaking
information
6: Narrate one
incident in your life
when you were faced
with such crisis of
conscience and how
you resolved the
same.
Mains answer-writing?
Q. How was your experi ence wi th the fi xed
space answer sheet?
Fixed answer sheet is a boon in a way that it
makes us restrict our answers and hence saves a
lot of time. But, unlike IFS exam wherein a single
page was given for a 8 marker, in CSE 3 pages
were given for a 10 marker. I think 3 pages is too
large a space for a 10 mark question. So, I
restricted myself to 2 or 2 and a half pages. Some
students fell prey to the fixed space format since
they tried to fill the entire space which made
finishing the paper very difficult.
Q. Di d you wri te answers i n bul l et poi nts or
i n paragraphs? Some pl ayers (who cl eared
mai ns and got i ntervi ew cal l l etter) were
cl ai mi ng that they wrote enti re paper i n
bul l et poi nts, so i t doesn t matter.whether
exami ner i s aski ng exami ne, comment,
di scuss or xyz .si mpl y wri te i n bul l ets and
poi nts.
I wrote mostly in paragraphs. For a very few
questions, I wrote in bullets. Id suggest following
an appropriate format based on the nature and
type of the question..
Q. Di d you fol l ow the i ntroducti on-body-
concl usi on format? because some mai ns-
qual i fi ed candi dates cl ai m they si mpl y wrote
the poi nts they coul d recal l wi thi n the ti me,
i nstead of botheri ng wi th proper
i ntroducti on and concl usi on.
I followed the introduction-body-conclusion
format for most questions. I had the habit of
writing that way and hence followed the same in
the exams.
Q. How many marks worth questi ons di d you
ski p/coul dn t fi ni sh i n the GS papers?
GS (Mains paper) Couldnt finish __ mark
GS1 35
GS2 20
GS3 30
GS4 0
Q5. Di d you use hi ghl i ghters / sketchpens i n
your answers?
No; did not have time for all that;
Q6. Di d you draw any di agram i n any paper?
(e.g. i n GS1 Geography)
Yes; Almost very answer of mine had a diagram
Q7. If yes, Di d you draw di agrams wi th penci l
or pen?
Pen
Q8. Di d you use rul er to draw the l i nes i n
di agram? Or di d you j ust make i t by hand?
By hand;
Q9. You wrote the answer i n bl ue pen or
bl ack pen?
Blue pen; Black underline for headings;
(Mrunal since readers keep mailing such
queries, therefore Im asking the topper to clear all
the air haha.)
Mains Optional Subject
Q1. Fi rst the essenti al book/resource l i st.
will give detailed reply along with my ethics
answer.
Q2. How much of i nternet-research / current
affai rs i s necessary for thi s opti onal ? OR can
one si mpl y rel y on the books and be done
wi th thi s subj ect?
Internet can contribute upto 10% of my optional
study. I dont think internet is a must for optional.
Q3. How many months di d i t take to fi ni sh
the core opti onal syl l abus?
6 months.
Q4. How many days/ weeks before the exam,
you started answer wri ti ng practi ce?
Immediately after my prelims. We had a team and
we used to write answers for at least 2 questions
everyday and discuss the pints among ourselves.
The writing practice is essential to summon
whatever you know at the right time and right
place.
Q5. Do you mai ntai n sel f-notes for revi si on
of opti onal ? In whi ch format- el ectroni c or
paper?
I had detailed self prepared notes. I wanted to
prepare a brief notes for revision but did not have
time to. All my notes were in paper format.
Q6. Your observati on about the di ffi cul tl y
l evel of 2013 mai ns vs previ ous papers. And
what precauti ons / recti fi cati ons are
necessary i n the future strategy for gi ven
opti onal subj ect?
Q7.How much di d you ski p OR coul dn t
answer properl y, i n the opti onal paper?
optional
paper
Couldnt finish __ mark. + comments on
any weird questions
Paper I 50
paper II 0
Q8. (Onl y i f pub.ad or geography) woul d you
advi ce any i nterested party (new pl ayer) to
pi ck thi s opti onal ? Nowadays wi nd seems to
be fl owi ng towards soci ol ogy and pol i ti cal
sci ence. Some seni or pl ayers advi ce new
pl ayers not to pi ck them gi ven the scal i ng
and odd questi ons. What s your take on thi s?
Geography was y optional. Though the paper I
was really tough, I think the marks are not too low
this year of you have managed well. I feel optional
have not played a decisive role this year. So, I
Bef ore the interview
Q1. How di d you prepare for the i ntervi ew?
Parti cul arl y col l ege graduati on subj ects
rel ated questi ons?
I zeroed in on certain basic subjects of my
graduation course(B.E.-ECE). I picked 6 of my
graduation papers and read the standard books
associated with each of those papers and
prepared short notes.. I didnt go too deep(like
equations, formulae,etc.) but just glanced to
recollect the concepts. I also prepared on the
latest relating to my course(for eg; meaning of
spectrum, 2G,3G, 2G scam, LED,LCD, etc.)
Q2. Di d you attend any mock i ntervi ews by
coachi ng cl asses? How were they si mi l ar /
di fferent than offi ci al i ntervi ew? Do you
bel i eve i t i s necessary to attend such mock
i ntervi ews?
Yes! I attended quite a few interviews. Some mock
interviews were similar to the official while some
were not. Mock interviews can help you face
unexpected situations and serve as an indicator o
what type of questions might be asked to you,
especially in the bio-data area.
Maybe, at least one suck mock is necessary to
give you a look and feel of the interview
experience. I think a limited no. of mock
interviews is sufficient. The more we attend, the
more we might get confused due to contradictory
suggestions from each board. The mock interview
with Mr.Shylendra Babu IPS(ADGP Coast Guard,
Tamil Nadu) really helped, both during my IFS and
Civil services interviews.
Q3. What di d you wear? Some experts say
coat i s must, some say ti e i s must, and some
say bl ack shoes must. What atti re di d you
pi ck up?
I think we can wear any attire that is pleasant and
formal. Some say you should not wear coat
especially since it is summer. But the UPSC office
is ccompletely air conditioned and hence it will
not be uncomfortable even if you wear a coat. I
wore a white shirt, black trousers and a black coat
and black shoes.
Q4. Where di d you stay for the i ntervi ew?
(Hotel / fri end s home ) and what
books/materi al di d you bri ng for the
revi si on before i ntervi ew ?
Tamil Nadu House, New Delhi. The Govt. of Tamil
Nadu arranges low cost accommodation for civil
service interviewees. I think many other state
governments (Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka) also do
the same. SO,interviewees- pls check out this
possibility before going to Delhi. I just took with
me a couple of small notebooks which I had
prepared for the interview. Read the notebooks
whenever I felt like reading. Most of the time
when I was in Delhi, I never felt like reading. So, I
would take a walk in the Nehru Park or I would
just watch some news channel in my room.
During the interview
Q1. Who was the chai rman of you i ntervi ew
board?
Dr.David Sylmeiah
Q2. How l ong was the i ntervi ew?
25 minutes(again approximate, since no watch
inside interview hall)
Q3. Why do you want to j oi n ci vi l servi ce?
Why don t you conti nue i n your graduati on
fi el d? Soci al servi ce can be done from
pri vate sector too. [Si nce I don t know
whether they ask you thi s questi on or not.
But i f they had asked- what wi l l be your
repl y?]
They did not ask this question to me.
I entered this field because
1. I think work is not merely for monetary
purposes. As Marx says, work is an important
avenue for expression of ones personality. I
feel that IAS can offer me that chance to
express my personality. Moreover, unlike
several jobs, I, as an IAS, will clearly know for
what and for whom I work.
2. The private sector doesnt give me enough
power(=ability to influence peoples lives) as
the civil service. The amplification factor is
high in civil services and my good work will be
reflected in a positive way in the lives of
thousands of people.
3. Given that I believe in my talent, Id like to use
it where it matters the most.
Q4. Pl ease narrate your enti re i ntervi ew-
what questi ons di d they ask and what di d
you repl y and other pl easant or
uncomfortabl e experi ences duri ng the
i ntervi ew.
I had already shared my IFS interview
experience(both with questions and answers)
to Mrunal (cl i ck me) But, here, the interview
was so monotonous(mostly based on my
profile) that I dont feel itll help the people
reading this;
80% of my interview was based on my profile;
I was the students President in my
college(College of Engineering Guindy); So,
most questions were based on my presidency,
student politics, student elections, etc.
Initially, I felt that the members were not
allowing me to complete my answer. So, I
continued to talk despite the chair saying ok
implying me to stop; Then he explicitly
pronounced a stop; This was an unpleasant
experience, but fortunately it did not affect me
psychologically. I thereon started answering in
a short and concise manner.
The members were all enthusiastic and it
seemed to me that they were impressed with
what I delivered. But, the chair was
expressionless, did not ask a lot of questions
and so I did not know if he really liked my
performance.
Overall, I felt I did okay. I couldve done much
better. I also found the interview to be very
profile based, and it did not have much
diversity of questions like my IFS interview.
Q5. Was your i ntervi ew on the expected l i nes
of what you had prepared or di d they ask
you total l y unexpected questi ons? Was i t a
stress i ntervi ew, di d they ask any
uncomfortabl e questi ons? If yes, how di d
you handl e i t?
No unexpected questions; not designed to be a
stress interview.
Q6. Any si de detai l s about techni cal i ti es l i ke
make sure you bri ng xyz document or do xyz
thi ng, or you l l face probl em?
nothing to worry.
Q7. Any word of wi sdom / observati ons
about medi cal checkup?
Those wearing specs please bring your latest(not
more than 6 months old) prescriptions; Check if
your power has changed; I was called for a
remedical in IFS because my power had increased
to 3 from 2.5(in prescription).
CSE-2013 Marksheet
SUBJECTS MARKS
ESSAY (PAPER-I) 094
GENRAL STUDIES -I (PAPER-II) 075
GENRAL STUDIES -II (PAPER-III) 077
GENRAL STUDIES -III (PAPER-IV) 093
GENRAL STUDIES -IV (PAPER-V) 097
OPTIONAL-I (GEOGRAPHY) (PAPER-VI) 118
OPTIONAL-II (GEOGRAPHY) (PAPER-VII) 103
WRITTEN TOTAL 657
PERSONALITY TEST 173
FINAL TOTAL 830
Career Backup
Q1. If you were not sel ected, what was your
career backup pl an?
I did not have any backup in the mind, because I
thought that it would distract me from my main
goal. I believed in myself and so I backed myself
to achieve what I set out to.
Views on UPSC ref orms
What are your vi ews on fol l owi ng i ssues?
Q. Opti onal subj ects shoul d be removed
al together. The present stal emate i s hel pi ng
no-one, except coachi ng-owners, book
publ i shers and the candi date whose opti onal
subj ect gets favorabl e treatment under gi ven
year s scal i ng formul a.
I personally never liked the concept of optional
papers. Though I had prepared for two optional
papers by Jan 2013, I was wishing for the new
notification(March 2013) to do away with both the
optional. With this declared prejudice, I feel that
doing away with optional will result in a more
equal and subject-neutral exam. But, from the
marks of some of my friends, it seems that the
UPSC has reduced the disparity in optional and
has made it a less decisive paper. I dont think
there is any optional paper which got a beating
this year(like Pub ad last year). However I think
some papers(like Tamil literature) received some
boost.
Q. Despi te what UPSC has done i n recent
years, i t has fai l ed to curb the nui sance of
Del hi s coachi ng factori es. In fact i t s
i ncreased under the new syl l abus i n 2013.
Let s face i t, most toppers who gave have
rel i ed on (authenti c OR Xeroxed) coachi ng
notes because there was hardl y any ti me l eft
to prepare so many topi cs i n such short
ti me. Thi s system work agai nst an i ndi vi dual
prepari ng from far-away area, wi thout any
fi nanci al resources or contacts i n Del hi .
No! I think the arrival of more GS papers will
eventually lead to students who prepare on their
own. The GS papers are so dynamic that no
specific notes can help you get through unless
you have a broad knowledge and understanding.
Newspapers(The Hindu) will continue to be the
No.! coaching institute.
Q. Hal f-merger of IFoS wi th CSE i s a bad
move because i t has rai sed the cutoffs for
pl ayers who re sol el y dedi cated to IFoS onl y
(and not to IAS/IPS). Addi ng sal t to the
wounds, many who had appl i ed for both
j obs, cl eared the prel i ms- they di d not even
bother to appear i n al l the papers of Mai ns-
IFoS. (RTI reveal ed thi s).
Yes, I, as an IFoS and CSE rankholder, know this
personally. Several people who were solely
dedicated to IFoS could not get in due to the
increased competition. I think only 600 people
appeared in the IFos mains(1000 were called).
Though the partial merger was a move to attract
the best talent to IFos and also to reduce the
burden on evaluators(now thay have to correct
only 1000 papers rather than 20,000), this can lead
to a large no. of dropouts. For example, this year,
out of the 85 selected for IFos, 52 were called fro
CSE interview out of which 16 were selected. But,
Im not sure how many people will leave IFoS this
year. Many of those selected intend to reappear
for CSE 2014, which ma lead to further attrition.
There are several factors operating. Only time will
tell how this merger will work.
Q. UPSC shoul d di scl ose offi ci al prel i m
answerkey and cutoffs, i mmedi atel y after
prel i m i s over, i nstead of postponi ng i t ti l l
i ntervi ew phase i s over.
Not a burning problem, I guess. Since 95% of the
answers can be verifiably worked out, there is no
need for answer key. Also,, Cutoffs do not in
anyway help the students to improve their
preparation. Rather, most times it offends the
students psychologically in either situation- if
they are either very close to the cut off or very less
than the cut off. So, I think it is better to go ahead
with preparation without worrying about the
cutoffs.
Q. UPSC shoul d be conducted onl i ne l i ke
IBPS and CAT exam to shorten the durati on
of exam.
My personal opinion is negative. It is improbable
for the UPSC to prepare hundreds of sets of
different yet equivalent question papers(esp for
GS paper I) as they do for CAT.
Q. If you are made the UPSC chai rman, what
other reforms woul d you i ni ti ate for the ci vi l
servi ce exam?
Reduce the age limit, to pump in fresh blood;
Eliminate optional subject;
Conduct 3 interviews and calculate the
average of all the marks;
I nsecurity about prof ile
Q. Many candi dates prepare si ncerel y but
constantl y l i ve under fear about profi l e
i nsecuri ty . I m not from a bi g col l ege, I m not
from Engl i sh medi um, and I don t have work-
experi ence. What i f they ask some stressful
questi ons i n the i ntervi ew about thi s? What
i s your message to these candi dates?
Many of my friends and seniors have got into
services, even with a pretty ordinary profile or
with education in Tamil medium. Even this years
topper from Tamil Nadu (Mr. Jeyaseelan) had his
education in Tamil medium. I do not think your
profile speaks for you. Its your personality that
will speak, even during the interview. If you are
confident about yourself and if you are able to
convey what you think, then there is no problem
at all.
Wisdom
Q. Through thi s struggl e and success, what
have your l earned? What i s the wi sdom of
l i fe and competi ti on? What i s Your message
to the new aspi rants?
1. Never think of your friend or your co-aspirant
as your competitor. Always be ready to lend a
helping hand to your friends when they feel
insecure. A few motivating words can do
wonders. I have both been a giver and a
receiver in this respect. So, I know the
importance of the moral support of friends.
The most difficult thing in preparing for civil
services is to maintain your composure
throughout the preparation period. It is quite
natural if your motivation levels dip during
this period, but it is important to stick to your
goal and at least put in a few hours of study.
2. Positive belief and self confidence are
indispensables and these will come only with
hard work. Never underrate yourself. There is
nothing called inborn talent. Todays hardwork
is tomorrows talent. So, pls believe in
yourself. Youll become what you believe
yourself to be.
Q. Many hardworki ng candi dates have fai l ed
i n Mai ns/Intervi ew of CSE-2013. They re
feel i ng dej ected- what i s your message to
them?
Mates! With all you hard work and dedication, you
are going to definitely make it. It is only a matter
of time. Just try to look out for your weaknesses
and rectify them. Dont let the fear of failure affect
you. This is only a temporary setback, not a
failure. Reaching the stage you have reached is
itself a remarkable achievement. Just remember
that you are just a step away from reaching your
destination and realising your dream.
Credit: Friends/f amily
Q. Behi nd every topper are many peopl e who
stood by duri ng those uncertai n ti mes when
he/she was merel y an aspi rant . Woul d you
l i ke to tel l the worl d, who were those peopl e
i n your case? Any speci fi c i nci dence that you
woul d l i ke to share wi th the readers?
1. My friend Abinaya was one person who
strongly believed in my ability to top these
exams. She was one person who I could lean
back for support, especially during troubled
times. She always had a dream of seeing me
as an All India topper, in the pursuit of which I
have miserably failed
2. My friend Hariharan was a motivating
presence in my life. He was with me during my
prelims and He came all the way to Delhi to be
with me during my interview!!! His presence
gave me the composure required for the
interview. My friend and roommate
S.Gowtham was one awesome companion. He
actually attended the IFoS interview and CSE
main with me but he could not make it. I am
terribly sorry for him and hope he would get
through into the civil services. My friend and
ever loving junior Vishnu Prashanth was one
person who always prayed for my successes. I
would like to thank DB, Bharat and Jose for
being with me through this tough journey.
3. My senior and bro Senthil Prabhu(IFos
Rank:56) was a very good study companion
and was a very good guide. My dear
studymate and friend Nagul was instrumental
in kindling my thought process by firing one
question after another. Studying with him was
always fun. My friend Jeevitha Nair, who
motivated me when I was down.
4. Shankar IAS academy was one place which I
just loved to be in. Shankar sir was my chief
mentor. Whenever I was doubtful about my
performances, I would just approach him. His
very words gave me all the rejuvenating
energy. But, sorry sir for not having fulfilled
your wish. Chandru sir was always very
approachable and gave us the required
comfort. Karthikeyan sir, my IFoS mentor, was
a great well wisher of mine.
5. And finally, there was this team of mates-
Dinesh, Arun Vignesh, Akta(AIR 136), KS
Gowtham, Janakan- whose synergy helped
each other. The discussions, debates,
interactions and interviews with this study
group are unforgettable. I cherish them and I
miss them.
6. And, to hundreds of other people- my friends,
acquaintances and well wishers- all your
positive belief was behind my success. And,
thanks to the hundreds of good hearts who
have called me from all over Tamil Nadu and
expressed hope in me to contribute to the
good of the nation.
7. All these people believed in my abilities even
more than I did. I would like to thank all these
people from the greatest depth of my heart.
Without you guys, it would have been almost
impossible! My success is not mine, but ours!!!
BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
Q. You are wel l aware of the sacred rul e
the l ast questi on must be about sel f-
marketi ng. So, Di d you use Mrunal .org for
your preparati on and i f yes, how di d i t hel p
you? And you can even repl y No. I l l sti l l
publ i sh your answer wi thout temperi ng,
unl i ke those competi ti ve magazi nes.
Yes! I am a regular follower of Mrunal.org. This
site was introduced to me by one of my
seniors, when I had just started my
preparations. Mrunal.org wass especially
useful in understanding complex economic
concepts. For example, I still remember the
beautiful examples given by Mrunal to explain
the concept of VAT. It also helped me in
science and tech and in personalities areas.
FLI PKART & ARI HANT
Thanks to mrunal.org, I was able to score at
least 10-15 marks more in my
optional(Geography paper I-
resource&industry distribution: I studied this
topic from mrunal.org for the GS part, but
fortunately it helped me in optional.)
You are doing a really amazing job,
Mr.Mrunal!!! Kudos to your selfless work! Hope
youll help create hundreds of success stories.
Only a small suggeston. I think the contents
can be organized in a better manner. Some
first timers told me that it was difficult for
them to initially find out what they wanted.
Mrunal comments: of course, Im in process of
weeding out old junk and classying the Archives in
better organized manner, but as they say in Public
Administration routine tasks eat away all the
time which is necessary to bring out long term
reforms! Anyways, very nice interacting with you
Mr.Gautham, we wish you the best for the service
and cadre allocation ahead. Keep in touch.
Pr evi ousl y i n t hi s
cat egor y
[Topper's
Intervi ew]
Dr.Arpi t Jai n
(UPSC-
2013/Rank-
194):
Anthropol o
gy Opti onal ,
Madhya
Pradesh
[Topper's
Intervi ew]
Vi nay G.M.
(UPSC-
2013/Rank
459) Publ i c
Admi ni strat
i on 226
marks,
B.E.Comput
er, Shi moga
[Topper's
Intervi ew]
Raj arshi Raj
Varma
(UPSC-2013
/ Rank-351):
Fi rst
Attempt,
Publ i c
Admi ni strat
i on, Ranchi ,
XIM-
Bhubanesw
ar
[Topper's Intervi ew] Praveen
Chaudhary (UPSC-2013 /Rank 222)
Fi rst Attempt, IIT Madras, Publ i c
Admi ni strati on, Di dwana
[Topper's Intervi ew] Sakshi Sawhney
(IAS-2013/ Rank-6): BA LLB, Second
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Tags: Optional-Geography Topper-CSE-2013
41
among gi rl toppers, Law opti onal
Mohit
27/06/2014 at 00:46
Reply
Inspiring
especially for aspirants from medium other than
english
ashish
27/06/2014 at 00:47
Reply
why these south indian are too too too much
intelligent.. ?? 90+ in b tech .. halwa hai kya ??? yaha
80 bhi dhikayee nhi dete door door tak aur idher 90+
laye jaa rahe hai
Vejay
27/06/2014 at 01:31
Reply
We are in state board syllabus.Not CBSE.So
getting 90+ is not that much tough.
aa
27/06/2014 at 23:14
Reply
No state board or CBSE in B.Tech
courses.Please give the guy some
respect instead of blaming state
bords.He has cracket IAS in first attempt.
Vix
27/06/2014 at 02:03
Reply
Bhai humari aadat bigdi hui hai. hum ek rat
Padhkr 80 late hai, vo bhut sari rate kali krte hai
90 k chakkar me jo k humse na ho Payega. ;)
SUNIEL
27/06/2014 at 00:51
Reply
at present scenario politicians are 100 times better than
academicians.at least they have given 2 fair
chances.GOD BLESS PEOPLE WHEN THIS GUY BECOMES
UPSC CHAIRMAN OR ANY POLICY INFLUENCING
POSTS.LIKEWISE MRUNAL SAID ABOUT THE NIGAVEKAR
REPORT ONE THING WILL BE BENEFICIAL THAT AGE FOR
AVAILING SENIOR CITIZENS BENEFIT S WILL BE
LOWERED.25 OR 30 WILL SUFFICE TO AVAIL VARIOUS
BENEFITS.WITH GODS BLESSING HE GOT CLEARED.BUT
IN LIFE MAY GOOD HAPPEN TO ALL AND BEST HAPPENS
TO ME IS MORE BETTER THAN MAY BEST HAPPEN TO ME
ONLY.
AKHANGAL
27/06/2014 at 08:01
Reply
Hii Sir plz let us know the strategy and books
regarding ur optional subject:: GEOGRAPHY
ARUN
27/06/2014 at 08:45
Reply
mrunal sir.plz publish one interview details with a
person who started prepare for civil service exams very
late and still cracked (i mean after the age of 30).i
didnt see such an interview.may be many of the old
players would be thankful if u publish such an
interview..
swathi ananth
28/06/2014 at 18:40
Reply
heydont worry about age..the more u grow
the more u become wise aw2013 topper
gaurav , 1st AIR is aged 29.
So chill n just concentrate in what u need from
this life
Rishabh
27/06/2014 at 09:53
Congrats Mr. Gautham for your success and thanks for
such a nice explanation of preparation strategy
specially for The Hindu. Actually I too have a habit of
spending more than 2 hrs in the Hindu hence I believe
that its not only a source of current affairs but also
improve ones analytical ability and help in RC for CSAT 2
. Kindly share your optional subject strategy as soon as
possible.
Reply
Thanks a lot to Mrunal Sir also for his restless efforts.
toddler
27/06/2014 at 10:12
Reply
Reduce the age limit, to pump in fresh blood
27 saal me hamara khoon maila ho gaya kya?
harsh
27/06/2014 at 11:17
Reply
i agree with toddler. i think abolishing quota
system would be a good move not reducing
age and i think this vp gautham fellow has a
some kind of quota. correct me if i am
wrong
harsh
27/06/2014 at 11:20
Reply
i agree with toddler. i think abolishing quota system
would be a good move not reducing age and i think
this vp gautham fellow has a some kind of quota.
correct me if i am wrong
Anirudh
27/06/2014 at 11:52
Reply
1 Basic doubt .. Since we give options for our cadre as
IAS ,IPS ,IRS etc etc till what rank do they give IAS posting
from what i heard it was till 100-150..so for who gets
more then that there chances are bleak?? say for a
500th rank guy..MRUNAL SIR/ANYBODY to ANSWER.
Terminator
27/06/2014 at 12:16
Reply
Depends on the category you belong to. Quota
hai bhai. Cadre allocation mein bhi
Anirudh
30/06/2014 at 13:42
Reply
Well i am from General Category, thanks
to MEHUL RAHUL & Terminator
Mehul
27/06/2014 at 12:22
Anirudh suppose 180 IAS vacancies then 50%
reservation meaning 90 for General category.
then positions filled up according to
Reply
categorywise rank and service preference given
by candidate.
rahul
27/06/2014 at 12:55
Reply
2102- 94 seats -IAS for general Last General
IAS 116
vishal kumar
27/06/2014 at 12:17
Reply
thanks sir and congrats gautam sir.
Neha
27/06/2014 at 12:43
Reply
Sorry, not at all inspiring.
RAJIV
30/06/2014 at 00:41
Reply
congratulations Gautam and thanks for your
kind advise. agreed with you neha.
swaroop
27/06/2014 at 13:28
Reply
Congragulations can you pls give some assistence on
how to go with geography paper I. I hve got 110 in paper
II but performed poorly in first paper with just 50 marks.
Pls it would be of grt help to receive any kind of help in
this regard. Thk u
sindhuri
27/06/2014 at 13:35
Reply
i would like to know where he took his csat paper 2
mock tests from
Chander kant
27/06/2014 at 14:49
Reply
is there any forestry or zoology student ..
Chander kant
27/06/2014 at 14:51
Reply
is there any forestry or zoology student.preparing
for IFS
vivek
27/06/2014 at 16:24
Reply
its good to see mrunals effort to bring the strategy of
successful candidates . but personally , i am not getting
any benefit from reading this . no booklist mentioned
for optional or for prelims . no clear cut answer from
toppers regarding how to prepare ethics etc . just
reADING EXCERPTS of shiv kheras motivational
thoughts . no offence .
shravani
27/06/2014 at 16:54
Reply
Congratulations Gautam sir
Pls upload geo 1 and 2 answer ppr.118 in geo 1 is really
tough to score.
Rafiul Islam
27/06/2014 at 17:58
Reply
This is interview is very helpful to have the tempo
continue. Than you Mrunal ji.
Akshay
27/06/2014 at 20:03
Reply
Why would you not publish my previous comment? It is
a very valid doubt. I see too many people having
parents in professions that make them creamy layer
but yet get service as a OBC- non creamy person. I just
want my doubts clarified by other forums members
here.
pankaj
27/06/2014 at 20:46
Reply
Now i got the point y none of our technical university is
in the top 200 list.but any have engineers have proved
that they r well ahead and superior than the students
from arts background (students who have completed
their gradutaion just in 3000_-5000rupee,other than
spending lakhs of money)
navneet
27/06/2014 at 21:57
Reply
gautham if it is possible then plz share the notes which
u have prepared for famous personalities @
506sec3@gmail.com
Sandra
28/06/2014 at 11:15
Reply
Does anyone know where can we get Shankar IAS
academy geography notes?
Naresh Kurapati
28/06/2014 at 12:41
Reply
I would like to take online mock up tests for CSAT paper
II. Anyone knows any good website?
Praveen
28/06/2014 at 13:00
Reply
mrunal can you upload interviews of toppers having
political science and IR as optional?
Aam Aadmi
28/06/2014 at 16:45
Reply
Another inspiring interview
AMAN
28/06/2014 at 18:01
Reply
I would like to preparation CSAT paper 1. please give
write way and mock test.
vivek
28/06/2014 at 21:44
Reply
mrunal sir please change the theme . it is not loading on
ie browser . thanks
nileshkumar raut
29/06/2014 at 18:05
Reply
@ Mrunal sir,
Many coaching classes sirs in pune are of the opinion
that those who give upsc in regional languages do not
get selected. I find studying in english very difficult.
plz tell me whether I should give upsc in regional
language or English?
Jeba Joselin J
29/06/2014 at 23:34
Reply
Congrats Gautham Sir , Really a great inspiring
interview, the best read ever . May God Bless You !
bhavesh
04/07/2014 at 08:30
sir plz rply stretegy or book list for geography optional
that u opt
Reply
dhiraj
27/06/2014 at 04:41
Reply
check here last year cadre allocation-
http://persmin.gov.in/AIS1/ProcCA.asp?YearCSE=2012
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