“Focused hard work, perseverance and excellent guidance are the secrets of my success. “
-Neha Jain
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Ms. Neha Jain who is selected in Civil Services Examination 2017, conducted by UPSC. She deserves high appreciation and our heartiest congratulations on her outstanding 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. Neha—Thank you very much. I accept this with immense gratitude.
PD—Medium for writing in examination.
Ms. Neha—English.
PD— Medium for Personality Test.
Ms. Neha—English.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Ms. Neha— 2.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Ms. Neha—Optional Subject : Law.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Ms. Neha—Your interest and guidance are most important things. Stay away from following trends or toppers but believe in your own preparation strategy.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Ms. Neha—Own interest and guidance.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Ms. Neha—IAS, IPS, IAAS, IRS.
I selected the services in order of my limited understanding and interactions with my seniors as to which service would be best for fulfilling my goals in life.
PD—‘Success is sweet’ – Were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Ms. Neha—Though I was confident that I might get my name somewhere in the list but about rank 14 I was not sure at all. I was very happy and delighted on the news and instantly shared the news with my parents.
PD—Today, IAS Toppers are icons and lots of media coverage makes them popular. Before your success, what was your opinion about these toppers ?
Ms. Neha—I always thought that toppers must be extraordinary people but now I want to say to all the aspirants that toppers are normal people with just a little more perseverance and dedication. I was inspired by stories of many toppers in the last few years.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Ms. Neha—I was fortunate to practice dentistry in a govt. hospital where I used to see humongous lines of patients and subsequent delay in dispensation of services.
This prompted me to enter into administrative set up and become a part of the solution at the helm of the affairs rather than the periphery.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Ms. Neha—I made up my mind in 2016 to pursue civil services in my life.
PD—Was CSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Ms. Neha—It was purely my own decision.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Ms. Neha—I never gave thought about time-frame or attempts in my mind.
PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor. How did you manage things ?
Ms. Neha—It’s very important to cut distractions and prepare to focus. Your time tables/schedules must be realistic while respecting even the little free time you can get. The long term vision must be at the back of your head but your focus must be on the current day-to-day goal.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice ?
Ms. Neha—I got help from online initiative Iasbaba for general studies while I studied my optional subject i.e., law, at Nirvana IAS Academy, Law Ambition Institute and Lawxpertmv.
For General Studies, I used to prepare the current affairs, the mains questions and the material help from Iasbaba while for law I went a little overboard as I have no background in law and joined three institutes for it which all cumulatively helped me for my optional.
PD—What was your approach towards ?
Ms. Neha— For GS Paper.
I prepared my traditional subjects from standard books only and kept revising them again and again. I did current affairs from Iasbaba. Since my optional was law, my coaching at Nirvana IAS Academy was instrumental in polity and some current affairs too.
For GS Paper II (Aptitude Test).
I did not do any special preparation for that.
| Personal Qualities |
| Strong Point—Focused hard work.
Weak Point—Lack of smart work sometimes. Hobbies—Reading novels, writing poetry. |
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Ms. Neha—I practiced 5 questions from TLP everyday which is an initiative by IASBABA. as I realised that Mains was a test of not only knowledge but also speed. It really benefited me.
For my optional, concise notes by Nirvana IAS Academy and Law Ambition helped me as they were concise and succinct in nature.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for ESSAY Paper ?
Ms. Neha—I practised a very few essays but I made pointers for many probable topics so that my time could be effectively utilised in the exam. I believe that one should practice more essays and revise the pointers.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ?
Ms. Neha—I prepared thoroughly on my DAF and made sure that I was updated with the current affairs . For the interview I would say that one has to remember that it is precisely called the PERSONALITY TEST, not knowledge test, hence one must sharpen one’s own personality and be honest infrontof the Board members.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Ms. Neha—I was working as a dental consultant and I took break during mains preparation. Hence- my second option was dentistry only.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Ms. Neha—Though I would honestly confess that there were many lows in the journey but the constant support of my family and friends kept me motivated and confident.
PD—In your opinion at which Educational Level should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ?
Ms. Neha—One must start when one feels right rather than being a part of a rat race.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Ms. Neha—I met people of diverse backgrounds and cultures and I’m pretty sure that the CSE respects all mediums of language.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Ms. Neha—Not at all.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services?
Ms. Neha—It can give you a quick capsule of information for your current affairs which is easy to revise and remember.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Ms. Neha—It’s a very reputed magazine. Although the contents are very relevant yet I suggest that inclusion of more mock tests would be beneficial too.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Ms. Neha—Perseverance.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Ms. Neha—To my teachers, parents, family, friends and Almighty
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Ms. Neha—Stay positive and most importantly believe in yourself even when no one does.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.
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