“Incomparable hard work and excellent guidance are the secrets of my success”
-Harshvardhan Agarwalla
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Harshvardhan Agarwalla, who is selected in Civil Services Examination 2015. He deserves all appreciation and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid success. 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.
Shri Harshvardhan—Thank you.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I had opted for IAS and IPS as my first and second preference respectively. It reflects my desire to serve in an All-India Service. I had not opted for IFS as my second preference since I wanted to stay in India and serve the public.
PD—‘Success is sweet’ were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Harshvardhan—My optional paper (for Commerce and Accountancy) went well. When I got a call for the interview I had a feeling that I could make it to the list. When the results were out I was delighted to secure a high rank.
PD—Before your success, what was your opinion about IAS toppers ?
Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Not just the toppers but IAS as a service itself is inspiring. I was too attracted to it. But by the time you reach the end of the ‘UPSC cycle’, you realize that any service is worthwhile if you make it so.
I was inspired by IAS Armstrong Pame (Manipur Cadre). Despite all odds he was successful to build an important road from the plains to the hill area.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I spoke to one of my seniors, who is serving as an IAS officer, regarding the work of the government. I realized two things. First, there is a lot of work to be done within the government administration. Second, a single decision can affect a large population.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Shri Harshvardhan—During my graduation at Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi.
PD—Was CSE a planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Shri Harshvardhan—It was my grandfather’s wish but it was not forced onto me. I had planned it.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Shri Harshvardhan—There was no such time-frame or number of attempts that I had thought of. I had just one thing at the back of my mind that my first attempt will be my best attempt.
PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor. How did you manage things ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Truly speaking I was not that well in managing time. While preparing I used to consider two things. First, read what is more important at that time (newspaper was of utmost importance so I read it daily). Second, read with quality not with quantity.
While writing the exams I had some sort of basic timeframe. For Prelims, I would try to complete my first reading in 60-70 minutes (to attempt sure-shot questions) and then go for second and third reading (to attempt questions with more than 50% probability). For Mains, my strategy was to complete the paper and attempt all the questions. I would
allot 7 – 7\f(1,2) minutes to each question.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Your optional subject is your lifeline which will decide whether you will find your name in the list or not. UPSC expects one to specialize in their optional and so the questions are rather analytical and not straight-forward. Therefore, a subject where an aspirant has spent a good amount of time (like your graduation subject) and gained sufficient knowledge, should be one’s choice for optional.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Commerce and Accountancy.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I had done my graduation in Commerce and was pretty confident with it.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Shri Harshvardhan—It was my first attempt.
| Bio-data |
| Name—Harshvardhan Agarwalla
Father’s Name—Shri Niranjan Lal Agarwalla Mother’s Name—Smt. Asha Agar-walla Date of Birth—September 20, 1992 Educational Qualifications : 10th—2008, ICSE, St. Patrick’s School, Asansol (86%) 12th—2010, A.G. Church School, Sodepur (96·5%) B.Com (H)—2013, Delhi Univer-sity, SRCC (81%) |
PD—The first step is the most difficult. From where did you get the right advice?
Shri Harshvardhan—Seniors, friends and my study circle were helpful in this regard.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) during Preliminary Examination preparation?
Shri Harshvardhan—1. Read one topic from a single source only, 2. Revision, 3. Current affairs notes, 4. Past papers, 5. Focus on important topics like rivers of India, international conventions.
PD—Was there any change in plan for General Studies Paper II (Aptitude Test) being qualifying in Preliminary Examination ?
Shri Harshvardhan—With Paper-II being made qualifying, my focus shifted more towards Paper-I. Test series were enough for Paper-II then.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Initially, I had thought to attempt only 65 questions in Paper-I, but considering the ‘negative marking’ aspect I ended up attempting 75 questions.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Since Mains is more about analyzing and giving your opinion, I focused more on newspapers, specially the editorial section.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for ESSAY Paper ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I had practiced some essays along with my friend. We used to cross-check. While choosing the topics for writing essays, I considered those on which I could write simple and good points (even if those essays were common among most of the candidates).
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I had enrolled for a few mock interviews and used to discuss various topics with my father and friends to get their opinion.
My interview was scheduled on forenoon of the 14th of March with Mr. D.K. Dewan’s Board. My interview was fairly good where I was asked questions from diverse topics like Sati, Accounting, softwares, Cess, Culture, etc. I was able to answer some 70% of the questions. It lasted for about 25 minutes.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Shri Harshvardhan—No.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Shri Harshvardhan—No other service can give you such high-held positions at a young age. Your decision directly affects the public at large.
| Personal Qualities |
| Favourite Person—My father.
Strong Point—Perseverance. Weak Point—Restlessness. Hobbies—Playing football |
PD—In your opinion at which Educational Level shozices and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Preparing from your final year of graduation is apt. One year of dedicated study will suffice.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ?
Shri Harshvardhan—It is a myth. Since there are diverse topics/ areas to be covered, some have edge in some areas over the other. Ultimately everyone has to put in efforts in all the areas.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Shri Harshvardhan—UPSC is fair enough to consider all the media of examination as equal.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Shri Harshvardhan—In this era of information technology, such factors are not a limitation.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Shri Harshvardhan—Sometimes the study pressure increases. Here such magazines come as a boon. They provide vital information in a concise manner.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Shri Harshvardhan—PD is a good magazine to refer. It is one of those magazines which is available throughtout the country and also helps in various other exams other than UPSC.
PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issues Series on ‘General Studies’ particularly ‘Indian Economy’ and a few Optional Subjects ?
Shri Harshvardhan—I had read the economy issue. I personally like the ‘International Organisations’ section in it.
PD—Being a reader of Pratiyogita Darpan, how did you find the articles written by Atul Kapoor specifically for Civil Services Examination preparation?
Shri Harshvardhan—It gives a deep insight about CSE.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Shri Harshvardhan—The constant guidance from my father and my perseverance, dedication and hard work.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Shri Harshvardhan—My father, mother and friend Rishabh Singh.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Harshvardhan—There are different strategies to crack this exam. Choose one and then stick to it till the end.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
Leave a Reply