Bharat SainiLast Updated on September 5, 2017 by Bharat Saini
“Dedicated hard work and patience are the secrets of my success”
-Anuj Malik
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Ms. Anuj Malik who has been selected in Civil Services Examination 2016. She deserves high appreciation and our heartiest congratulations on her splendid success. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
PD—Heartiest congratulations on your brilliant success in the CS Exam.
Ms. Anuj—Thank you very much.
PD—As you are aware, on the great demand from lakhs of aspiring youths like you, PD English was launched on 1st June, 2006. Now that you have tasted the sweetness of success, so please tell us :
(i) What difference could it have made if you had got PD English while you were preparing for CS Exam. ?
(ii) What special feature/features would you like to see in PD English ?
Ms. Anuj—(i) The English edition of PD helps to get a complete knowledge of current and international affairs.
(ii) The coverage of science, technology and ecology would provide an extra edge to PD.
PD—Were you confident of your success ? How did you react to this special news of your success ?
Ms. Anuj—I expected my name in merit list, but Rank 16 was a source of great excitement for me.
PD—Before knowing your own result, what was your perception about toppers ?
Ms. Anuj—I perceived toppers as extremely hardworking and tried to follow their strategies.
PD—Was only Civil Services your ultimate goal or were you preparing for other career opportunities as well simultaneously ?
Ms. Anuj—Since college, I had civil services as my only goal in life.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ? How do you visualise your previous attempts ? What preference in services have you opted for ?
Ms. Anuj—I achieved success in my first attempt. I had followed a disciplined strategy for one year period of my preparation. I have opted for IAS as my first preference.
PD—With newer and more lucrative opportunities available in private sector and the number of posts decreasing/remaining static in Civil Services, how do you express your feelings in this regard ?
Ms. Anuj—The private sector is growing at a very large pace, but the platform which civil service provides is much larger. Thus, achieving success in civil services is very overwhelming.
PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as writing examination papers. What did you do to manage time ?
Ms. Anuj—I divided my preparation into two parts i.e., study of basic subjects and current affairs. Alongwith this, I followed a time-table and made short goals for myself.
PD—What was your optional ? What was the criterion of your subjects selection ?
Ms. Anuj—Optionals Subject : Psychology. My general interest towards the subject motivated me to take psychology as my optional subject.
| Bio-data |
| Name—Anuj Malik
Father’s Name—Shri J.S. Malik Mother’s Name—Mrs. Rajesh Devi Age—23 years Educational Qualifications—B.Tech in Electronics and Communica-tion. |
PD—What were the ingredients of your strategy in preparation for Prelims, Mains and Interview ?
Ms. Anuj—Prelims : I studied basic NCERTS alongwith current affairs. Along with it, I practised mock test papers.
Mains : I focussed on my optional subject and essay. For GS, I prepared each subject in subparts. Answer writing practice was my main focus during preparation.
Interview : I prepared each and every area of my detailed application form. Further I focussed on current economic and international issues. The mock interviews at coaching centre helped me to improve my performance during the final interview.
PD—How did you prepare for Essay Paper ? On which topics did you write essays this time and what was the basis of your choosing them ?
Ms. Anuj—For essay I prepared few current affairs like women empowerment. I chose topics which I was familiar with and had large content to write in the mains examination.
PD—List some of the Magazines, Newspapers, Books etc. which you consulted for the preparation of ‘General Studies’ papers.
Ms. Anuj—Prelims : NCERTs, GC Leong, History : Bipin Chandra, Current Affairs, The Hindu and EPW.
Mains : Standard Books as above. Magazines—Yojana, EPW and the Indian Express.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? When did it take place and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?
Ms. Anuj—I prepared for interview by focussing on my DAF. The date of my interview was on 24.3.2017. I was asked about skill development, road rage, air pollution and traffic management.
Questions were also asked on historical details of my home state i.e., Delhi.
Few questions were also asked on my graduation subjects such as working of sensor systems.
PD—In your opinion at which level of education should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ?
Ms. Anuj—One can start the preparation for civil services when he/she has made up his mind. A minimum of 6 months to 1 year of preparation is required.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than the subjects in Humanities ?
Ms. Anuj—Any optional subject has equal scope. Preparation in right direction, alongwith writing practice can fetch good marks.
PD—What is the importance of medium of expression in the exams like CSE ?
Ms. Anuj—Any medium whether Hindi or English can give good marks, if right preparation is done.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on his/her preparations ?
Ms. Anuj—No, it does not matter; only hardwork in right direction and under right guidance matter.
| Personal Qualities |
| Favourite Person—My mother and Mahatma Gandhi.
Your Strong Point—My writing skills and language competence. Weak Point—Striving for perfec-tion in every sphere of academics. Hobbies—Cycling, watching TV etc. |
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Ms. Anuj—Various competition magazines give an overview about the current affairs, provide focus on news of importance. Especially magazines such as PD.
PD—What, in your considered opinion, should be the qualities of a standard magazine for competitive examinations ?
Ms. Anuj—
(1) Extensive coverage of current affairs.
(2) Background of issues should be covered.
(3) Model test papers should also be provided.
PD—Pratiyogita Darpan is the largest read Career and Competition Magazine in India. How do you rate Pratiyogita Darpan and in what way can this magazine be made more useful for CSE aspirants ?
Ms. Anuj—Pratiyogita Darpan is a very good magazine. It makes preparation very simple. Present structure of PD is completely upto the mark.
PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issue Series on ‘General Studies’ and a few Optionals ?
Ms. Anuj—PD extra issues especially the one on economics is very good. It gives complete overview of latest events in a comprehensive and standardised manner.
PD—Did you see our latest publication : Pratiyogita Darpan—Year Book ? What is your opinion about the contents, size and the timing of launch (Mid April—just before Prelims) ?
Ms. Anuj—This year book is a good alternative to cover all the current affairs at national and international level at a single source.
PD—How would you rate the contents of Pratiyogita Darpan on the scale of quality ? What more do you expect from Pratiyogita Darpan ? (Kindly specify separately for : Regular Issues, Extra Issues, Year Book.)
Ms. Anuj—The quality of PD is very good. From regular issues, more coverage should be given to science and technology and ecology part of syllabus.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Ms. Anuj—Hardwork with dedication is the secret of my success.
PD—Did you join any coaching institute at any stage of the preparation ? If yes, then what is your opinion about the role of these institutes in the preparation for Civil Services Examinations ?
Ms. Anuj—In my belief self-study is the key to success in this exam. But for direction in GS I referred to class notes of Vajirao and Reddy coaching institute.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Ms. Anuj—I would give the credit of my success to my parents and brother.
PD—After your success in the preliminary examination, did you feel you could have scored better by introducing some changes in your method of preparation ?
Ms. Anuj—I performed upto the mark in the preliminary examination. But for improvisation I would have focussed more on general studies.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Ms. Anuj—Always stay motivated. Never lose self confidence. Patience along with hardwork is the key to clear this examination.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for a bright future.
Ms. Anuj—Thank you very much.
