“Strong Motivation, perseverance and hardwork are the secrets of my success”
-Rachit Rawat
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Rachit Rawat, who has been selected in Civil Service Examination 2015, conducted by Union Public Service Commission. He deserves all admiration 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 Rachit—Thank you so much, Sir !
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Rachit—My preferences were IAS, IFS, IRS (IT), IRS (CCE), IPS. These were based on my inclination towards these Services. I have been allotted IFS and I am super satisfied and excited.
PD—‘Success is sweet’ were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Rachit—The exam went well. But in a competitive environment like this, no one can be sure of a top rank until it is officially out. I was very happy after hearing the news and within minutes, the house had a flood of people – friends, relatives and neighbours.
PD—Today, IAS Toppers are icons and lots of media coverage makes them popular. Before your success, what was your opinion about these toppers ?
Shri Rachit—It depends on which side one is on ! Before starting the preparation, toppers seemed worth emulating, and as an aspirant, I also used to read about their strategies and stories. Having cleared the exam myself, I believe, one should learn by his/her own mistakes and compete with one’s former self. No doubt the exam is tough. It is however, not invincible. Strong sense of conviction in one’s abilities and hard work could help one sail through.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Rachit—I have interacted with a lot of seasoned bureaucrats in the past. Their voice carried weight. However, having seen the impact of a DM’s field visit, first hand, made me realize the power and prestige held by the position. Similarly, I have seen and read about IFS officers tilting the game in India’s favour at several instances.
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Bio-Data |
| Name—Rachit Rawat
Father’s Name—Dr. Madan Lal Gupta Mother’s Name—Sheela Gupta Date of Birth—May 5, 1992 Educational Qualifications : 10th—2007-08, CBSE, MSMSV, Jaipur (92%) 12th—2009-10, CBSE MSMSV, Jaipur (95%) B.Com (H)—2010-13, Delhi Univer-sity, SRCC (81·29%) Previous Selections—1st attempt (CSE 2014) : Indian Postal Service. |
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Shri Rachit—My decision got affirmed when I was in the second year of my graduation, especially after having done a couple of internships in the corporate sector.
PD—Was CSE a planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Shri Rachit—Parents have always given me a free hand with respect to career choices. They have offered their valuable insights for sure. However, ultimate call was mine.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Shri Rachit—No.
PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers, be it Prelims or Main Examination. How did you manage things ?
Shri Rachit—Time is one of the most important determinants. Therefore, it needs to be managed. I used to set short-term targets and endeavoured to attain them. Preparing notes across different subjects and writing mock papers really helped me.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Shri Rachit—Aspirant needs to have an inclination towards it. And if the subject does have common syllabus points with GS, that is even better (however this should not be the only reason for selection/rejection).
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Shri Rachit—Public Administration.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Shri Rachit—One’s inclination towards the subject and availability of the reading material. One should see the previous years’ papers and syllabus before jumping to conclusions.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success?
Shri Rachit—2.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Shri Rachit—I did get a Service in the first attempt. I wrote well too, although the core body of my answers lacked diversity. I had to improve my scores to better my rank in the second attempt. This I did by analyzing my answers and trying to improve them. Writing practice is a must for Mains.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice ?
Shri Rachit—Agreed ! Initial hesitation coupled with lack of clarity regarding subjects and reading material does bother. Friends and seniors from my college helped me a lot. Once these things are decided, one should not look back !
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) during Preliminary Examination preparation ?
Shri Rachit—Being a student with Non-Arts background, I concentrated on brushing up my basics through NCERTs and tried to make notes in my own language. I did not buy more books, I focused on revising and re-revising. Also, Current Affairs from daily newspaper reading helped me face some of the questions.
PD—Was there any change in plan for General Studies Paper II (Aptitude Test) being qualifying in Preliminary Examination ?
CSAT was my comfortable area. I did solve papers in the first attempt. However, second attempt did not require any extra effort.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Shri Rachit—Solving MCQs is an art and it can be mastered by solving mocks only. I solved as many questions as possible in the last month and tried to improve my mock scores with each paper.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Shri Rachit—Most of the reading had already been done in the first attempt. Second attempt required finesse and more answer writing practice. Revision + Writing properly structured answers is the simple reply.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for ESSAY Paper ?
Shri Rachit—Yes ! Essay scores play a pivotal role in determination of one’s rank. I practiced 6-8 full-fledged essays on diverse topics and got them reviewed by multiple friends.
I chose “Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole” (Section A) and “Can Capitalism bring Inclusive Growth ?” (Section B) as my Essay topics. This was because I felt more comfortable in essays where my Economics knowledge could be used along with suitable cases/examples.
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