Bharat SainiLast Updated on April 11, 2022 by Bharat Saini
Strong will – power, continuos hard work and matchless guidance are the secrets of my success.
Pratiyogita Darpan” arranged an exclusive interview with Ms. Apoorva Yadav who has been selected in Uttar Pradesh PCS Exam 2017. She deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on her glorious achievement. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
PD—Achieving top slot in the coveted Civil Services Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.
Ms. Apoorva—Thank You so much.
PD—Medium for writing in the examination.
Ms. Apoorva—English
PD—Medium for Personality Test.
Ms. Apoorva— English.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Ms. Apoorva—It was my fourth attempt.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Ms. Apoorva—My earlier attempts were learning experience for me. As past is the key to present, I learnt from my past mistakes and corrected them.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Ms. Apoorva—Optional Subject : Philosophy and History.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Ms. Apoorva—Personal interest in the subject that you can read for long hours without getting tired.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Ms. Apoorva—Keen interest of learning new things from that subject should be the basis to select optional.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Ms. Apoorva—My first preference was Deputy Collector. Nature of job to mingle with people, and solve their problems were the motivating factors behind this choice.
PD—‘Success is sweet’—Were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Ms. Apoorva—No one is completely confident in these exams. Since I was giving UPSC also, I did not have much time to prepare for UPPCS 2016. But, I gave my attempt with all the positivity with whatever knowledge I had. When results came, I was extremely happy and satisfied.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Ms. Apoorva—No, I just wanted to clear this exam. I did not think of any such things.
PD—‘Time-Management’ is a key factor. How did you manage things ?
Ms. Apoorva—Since in UPSC we write 20 questions in 3 hours, so it helped in UPPCS to write 15 questions within the same time.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice ?
Ms. Apoorva—I would say that the first step is the easiest today when we have huge study material available on internet. After sometime during preparation we feel the pressure to maintain consistency.
Initially, I joined coaching for UPSC for guidance, but did not join specific coaching for UPPCS.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Preliminary Examination preparation ?
Ms. Apoorva—For Preliminary Examination, rather than NCERTs and standard text-books like Laxmikanth and Spectrum, one should focus on three main things in UPPCS i.e. Previous years’ papers, contemporary issues and annual compilation of current affairs.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Ms. Apoorva—Generally with increased level of competition, I preferred attempting more questions, but prior practice with mocks is necessary.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Ms. Apoorva—For Main Examination, I tried to improve my score in Hindi and optional subjects.
For optionals, I kept the sources minimum and solved previous years’ papers.
Tried to attempt all questions with reasonable quality, drew diagrams, charts etc.
For History, I used Baliyan Sir’s class notes and for Philosophy, I was immensely benefited with printed class notes of Patanjali IAS and Mitra IAS.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ?
Ms. Apoorva—I just collected points, diagrams and quotes for general topics like women, education, farmers etc. One should write on the topic one is familiar with.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ?
Ms. Apoorva—I revised my optional subjects alongwith current affairs. Mock Interviews helped a lot in this.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Ms. Apoorva—I was preparing for UPSC alongwith UPPCS.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Ms. Apoorva—I wanted to work with people and do something for the society. Civil Services suited my criteria.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ?
Ms. Apoorva—No, it is not like that. Marks depend on the level of preparation and command over subjects. People get equally good marks with Philosophy, Sociology as well as Mathematics and Physics.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ?
Ms. Apoorva—Pratiyogita Darpan’s Indian Economy is really helpful in these exams. It helps to solve many questions.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Ms. Apoorva—Be fearless and courageous in these examinations irrespective of level of preparation. Attempt exam with full confidence; for me practicing Mocks/Test Series before exams helped a lot.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Ms. Apoorva—My family, my friends and teachers for their support and faith.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Ms. Apoorva—Have faith in yourself. Keep going even if you are scared. Do not fear in attempting questions.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
