IAS 2009 Topper Interview

- Anupama T V (All India Rank 4)

Aim high and work hard She wanted to be a part of the administrative machinery of the country which she thought, would help in channelizing her potential for the service of the nation and its citizens. Meet Anupama TV in a heart-to-heart talk with Competition Wizard. Q. A. To whom and to what do you credit your success? To the Almighty first of all. To my mother, ncle, sister, grandmother, rest of my family for being the pillars of support for me! my best friend for boosting my morale and instilling confidence! my friends at "#TS! my teachers at school, A$S, %erala State &ivil Service Academy, 'ala &ivil Service #nstitute and 'rof. (a)ashekharan for their timely guidance. Why did you choose Civil Services as a career? # wanted to be a part of the administrative machinery of our country which # thought, would help me to channelize my potential for the service of the nation and its citizens. # also had a keen interest in government service. How should one assess onesel !e ore deciding to opt or Civil Services as a career? *ne+s longing for this service can be the sole guiding factor when one pursues this goal. Therefore, passion and determination are very important. *ne should make up one+s mind to put ade,uate efforts as demanded by this e-amination. When did you consciously start your preparation or this e"amination? After having done enough homework on the choice of the *ptionals, coaching institute, preparation of study-plan, and basic reading by the end of my graduation, # started preparation in .une, /001. When should one ideally start the preparation process? #t could vary from person to person. "ut 2/-21 months should be sufficient. # started 22 months before 'reliminary which worked in my case.

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#t is said that the Civil Services e"amination is one o the toughest nuts to crack$ #t re%uires constant and sustained hard work$ How did you keep yoursel constantly motivated? What was your source o inspiration? My passion was my greatest inspiration. My family and friends had immense trust in my ability and their support helped me to remain focused. #n your opinion& how crucial is the selection o 'ptionals or success in the e"amination? #t is the most important step to the success in this e-amination. What should !e the criteria or selecting them and how should one go a!out it? Should one opt or the su!(ects studied at college or go or new ones? *ne+s interest should be the sole criterion. # used 3&4(T books, 'S& syllabus and Main+s previous years+ ,uestion papers to make by choice. Sub)ects studied at graduation would help to save time in learning the concepts and collecting the books. How should one prepare or )relim& *ain and #nterview? *ne should integrate his5her preparation for all the 6 stages. This will produce better answers which are balanced in terms of facts and analysis. Prelim: 7on+t overdo things here. 8or 9S, find out the areas of your strength and prepare thoroughly. :# studied geography, polity, mental ability, current affairs and biology;. 8or *ptional, focus on concepts first and then take up facts. *ne should also keep in mind Main+s patter here. Main: 'repare notes and revise, 'ractice answer-writing. 8or *ptionals, use standard te-t books, plan your answer beforehand. 8or 9S, list out the probable topics and prepare thoroughly. nlike 'relim, try not to leave out any area. Interview: 7evelop balanced opinion about the current events. Take the help of newspaper editorials and multiple magazines here. 'repare bio-data thoroughly. "e truthful while filling up the bio-data form.

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How can one score well in +ssay& ,S and #nterview? Essay< 'reparation for *ptionals and 9S will supplement essay preparation. (ead thoroughly about contemporary events and develop opinion about them.

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=hile writing, plan the essay in the # st hour. "e creative, but don+t be too imaginative. Analyze the topic well. &oncentrate on intro and conclusion. Maintain the logical relation between paragraphs. General Studies< 9ive attention to both conventional part and current topics. se standard te-t books for the conventional topics. Make use of )ournals, editorials and prepare notes for the current affairs. =hile answering, attend to the positive and negative, >for+ and >against+ aspects of everything. Analysis is more important than facts. Interview< There is nothing to be scared about the interview board. "e confident. Maintain a smile always. 7on+t hesitate to say ># don+t know+ when you are clueless. .oin the discussions with interview board rather than following >answer to the ,uestion+ approach. Admit your mistakes in case you make any. Q. A. Q. A. What are the areas in ,S )aper # and ## in the *ain e"amination in which the candidate can score marks easily? 'olity, geography, statistics and economics. -id you commit any mistake during your preparations? 7ue to paucity of time, # couldn+t prepare well on the events in the last 2-/ months before the 'relim, because of which # had to leave out a few /-markers in the 9S paper. This must have affected my 9S marks slightly. *ther than that, # don+t remember having committed any ma)or mistake. How many hours should one devote or the preparations regularly? # studied for 26-2? hours regularly from .uly /001 to *ctober /00@. Could you please give the aspirants a list o re erence essay.,S.'ptional #.'ptional ## and #nterview? Essay< Ao)ana, %urukshetra, editorials of >The Bindu+ and >Times of #ndia+. or

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General Studies< The Bindu, 8rontline, =izard #ndian 'olity and &onstitution, =izard #ndian 'olity and &onstitution, =izard 9eography for 9S, Modern #ndia :3&4(T; and Statistics :3&4(T;. Geography Optional< 'hysical 9eography C Savindra Singh, Strahler & Strahler! &limatology- D.S. Lal, #ndian 9eography- hullar! "hardwa#! Models in
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9eography- Ma#id $ussain! 9eographical Thoughts- S. %dhi&ari! =orld 9eography- 'i&&a("ali(Shei&hon! Buman 9eography- Ma#id $ussain! 3&4(T te-t books, G ) Leong! latest 3 reports! &ensus of #ndia! Atlas- *rient $ongman and *-ford. Interview< Same as that for 9S and 4ssay. Q. A. Q. A$ /esides te"t !ooks what newspapers& magazines& novels and !ooks o general interest should one read? (ead the available regional newspaper and magazine too. How one should read newspaper? *ne should read newspaper as a source to, 2. 8acts for 'relim and /. 7evelopment of opinion about the events and issues. 8ocus on editorial, #nternational and national events, economy, environment and science and technology. How did the Competition Wizard helps you in the preparation o the Civil Services e"amination? # had been reading &ompetition =izard since .une /001. #t supplemented to my current affairs preparation at each level of e-am and acted as a guide to reading newspaper when # started my preparation. # scanned through every issue to prepare for /-markers in particular when # was running short of time. What is more important or this e"am& intelligence or hard work? Bard work becomes important in preparation and intelligence comes into play in the presentation of what you learnt. -o candidates with a technical !ackground have an advantage over general students? # don+t feel if such an advantage e-ists. Where did you prepare or the e"amination 0at what place1? -oes the place o preparation matter? # stayed at 7elhi and Trivandrum while attending the coaching classes but preferred to stay at home during revision. The place of preparation should pose a

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favorable atmosphere to study and have the necessary books and material readily available. Q. #n the course o preparation one is aced with many pro!lems& %ueries and di iculties$ Where should one go or help& especially the students staying in remote areas? # obtained the help of professors, seniors in the relevant field, libraries and media. -o coaching institutes help? # yes& how should one select& when there are so many o them? &oaching helps especially when one takes up a new sub)ect as an optional. See the track-records and talk to the seniors to select the right institute. Also see if the institute focuses on mock tests and fre,uent evaluation. #n which stage should one ideally opt or coaching? # feel one should be done with the coaching before he5she starts e-clusive preparation for 'relim. *ne can also go for mock tests /-6 months before the e-am. Why did you choose A2S in the irst place? #ts reputation and meticulous planning especially for 9eography as an optional made me choose A$S. #t was suggested to me by my seniors. Also, the duration and timing of the classes matched e-actly with what # had in mind. The fre,uency of tests also attracted me. What is so special a!out A2S? >At A$S things go as per plan+ C this is something not so common nowadays. Syllabus was thoroughly covered in time and ade,uate numbers of tests were conducted. Teachers were always available to everyone for feedbacks and clearing doubts. Moreover, the way they simplified things and motivated us gave me the feeling that ># can make it+, in the very first month of classes at A$S. -o you think that with increasing levels o competition& the preparation or Civil Services is getting too e"pensive? Aes, it is. Could you suggest some ways o cutting down on e"penses?

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# depended a lot on libraries and internet for my preparation which saved me a huge sum on books. Seeing the sti ness o the competition& is this e"am meant or everyone who takes it? Anybody who has the willingness to work now and serve later can make it. #s 3)SC really unpredicta!le? 'roper planning can reduce the level of unpredictability. Surprises are possible but not everywhere. So one has to find out one+s strong areas and prepare them thoroughly. What all do you think is needed to make it to the top? 7etermination, hardwork, strong desire for service and proper planning. How would you rate luck as ar as success in Civil Services is concerned? $uck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. How was the atmosphere during your #nterview? #t was very cordial. # didn+t realize # finished half an hour inside the room. What do you think is the right way to ace #nterview /oard con idently? *ne must understand that it+s okay even if you can+t answer every ,uestion. Also, prepare bio-data thoroughly and be sure about your opinion about ma)or events. What types o %uestions did the /oard ask? Fuestions were mostly from bio-data and my places of stay. *pinions about a few general things around were also asked. What is the most important thing one should keep in mind while acing the #nterview /oard? The panel is there to evaluate you on the basis of the ,ualities you posses and not the level of knowledge. -uring the #nterview& did the !oard mem!er0s1 ask you any tricky %uestion0s1? 3o.

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How do you oresee your uture as an administrator? As an officer who perceives his5her career as a service to the nation and its citizens rather than a profession. Would you have a inal word or the student community? There+s no end to what you can achieve. Aim high and work hard. #f # could do it, each one of you can 'lan properly and start offG

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*4 )2A5 '6 )7+)A7AT#'5 Took coaching for the second optional during the graduation time. Started e-clusive preparation 22 months before the 'relim. Attended Main classes for 9eneral Studies and 9eography :2 st optional;. 7evoted /0 days for the second optional in between. Started 'relim preparation in .anuary /00@. Took model tests from 8ebruary to April. May(%ugust< 'repared notes for both *ptionals and finished first round of revision. Also kept aside 2-/ hours a day to prepare current affairs and issues of national and international importance. %ugust(Septem*er< 9S H (evision of *ptionals. Septem*er-O+to*er< *nly revision. ,ovem*er--anuary< 'relim preparation H 9eneral reading. .e*ruary(Mar+h< #nterview preparation H Mock interviews.

*4 #5T+78#+W9 My interview was in the afternoon session on April 2. # went in as the / nd candidate to be interviewed by 'urushottam Agarwal+s "oard. The candidate before me was a friend of mine :got 2D th rank; and the smile on her face when she came out gave me enough confidence to enter and greet everyone pleasantly. # wore a formally stitched lavender churidar and black shoes. .ust opposite to what # e-pected, # got no ,uestion regarding the reasons to choose the career, shift from engineering to civil service or choice of optional.

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They first asked me regarding the languages, 39*s and social issues of 9oa, where # did my graduation. Fuestions regarding tourism industry in #ndia followed. *ne or two detailed ,uestions from day+s news baffled me and had to say ># don+t know+ a couple of times. Fuestions regarding economic growth were ne-t in line. # got a big chain of ,uestions about it and was asked to narrate the implications of a higher growth rate and to relate the plight of different sectors of economy with current growth rate. Fuestions about literature and dancing :my hobbies;, blood donation camps and 39* work :my activities; followed. Fuestions were also from environmental protection Act, air pollution, legal education, ignorance of law, ice-melt, electronic voting machines etc. They also asked a few ,uestions regarding my home state. 7uring the interview, # was appreciated a couple of times for my answers.

*4 ST'74 S' 6A7::$$ # started nurturing my civil service dream from my school days when my uncle :Mr. 3andakumar; told me about this career and # got opportunity to read about the same. An academic life at "#TS would only give me better e-posure, # thought. 4ven when # entered "#TS, # was sure about the path # had to take.

My 2st step into civil service preparation was in /00I when during my vacation, # attended classes for my /nd optional :Malayalam literature;. After # graduated in .une /001, # went over to attend Main+s classes at A$S. # came to %erala in 7ecember. 8rom .anuary # started 'relim preparation and took mock tests from a professor at Trivandrum. After 'relim, # resumed my Main preparation and was at home until results were out. # prepared detailed notes as well as synopsis and finished optional by August. Thereafter, # went to
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Trivandrum and )oined the adoption batch at %erala State &ivil Service Academy.

After the Main, # took a short break with a few books of my interest, movies and trips. Thereafter # prepared simultaneously for 'relim and #nterview. $ater # )oined the adoption batch at the Academy for interview classes. After the results, # took E mock interviews there and started off for 'S&. The result came on May ?th, /020G ourte!"# Competition Wizard& ;uly <=>=

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