{"id":364,"date":"2020-06-22T08:04:29","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T08:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/?p=364"},"modified":"2020-06-22T08:04:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T08:04:29","slug":"competition-success-review-can-be-considered-to-be-a-one-stop-shop-giving-an-all-round-coverage-of-various-topics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/2020\/06\/22\/competition-success-review-can-be-considered-to-be-a-one-stop-shop-giving-an-all-round-coverage-of-various-topics\/","title":{"rendered":"Competition Success Review Can Be Considered To Be A One-Stop-Shop Giving An All-Round Coverage Of Various Topics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"

\u2014Rahul Gupta, IAS Topper 2016-17 (20th Rank)<\/strong>
Mr. Rahul Gupta has secured the 20th Rank in the 2016-17 Civil Services Examination (CSE).
He made it into the prestigious IAS in his fourth attempt. Mr.\u00a0Gupta is a B.Tech. (Electrical Engineering) from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, Punjab. He did his schooling from Ryan International School, Rohini, Delhi.\u00a0 Mr. Gupta is of the strong belief that the secret to his success lay in his \u201cpersistence\u201d, this being his fourth attempt. He credits hard as well as smart work behind making it to the 20th Rank in the CSE 2016-17. He said that Competition Success Review was invaluable while preparing for the interview. It helped provide an overall coverage of important topics that helped him prepare for the interview. His advice to future aspirants is that they should never lose hope since\u00a0 nobody ever knows what lies in the future and what destiny has in store. <\/strong>
Here, we publish an exclusive interview which he gave to Competition Success Review.<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CSR\n: What is the secret of your success in the Civil Services Examination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr.\nRahul Gupta : <\/strong>I believe that the secret to my\nsuccess lies in the persistence that I showed, this being my fourth attempt.\nAgain hard and a smart work has paid off. Also, an indirect support by the\nfamily and my friends just removed all the indirect barriers that could have\nbeen there if they did not lend their helping hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow much time do you think one requires for serious preparations for this\nexamination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>There is no specific time that can be fixed for\nthe preparation of Civil Services Examination. It totally depends on the\ncapability of the individual and the time management one can do. My only mantra\nis that how an effective study can be done i.e. whenever you study, you do it\nwith full concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Which\njournals have you been reading for the General Studies and other papers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.<\/strong>\nApart from Competition Success Review, General Knowledge Today<\/em> and CSR\nYear Book,<\/em>I mainly referred to government sources. The magazines\nlike Yojana<\/em> etc., were my prime source for General Studies syllabus. I\nalso referred to newspapers like
\nThe Hindu<\/em>. I even referred to online resources like Economics and\nPolitical Weekly<\/em>, Down to Earth<\/em> magazines etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Do\nyou remember any remarkable incident in your life that motivated or prompted\nyou to go for a career in the Civil Services?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>There was no sporadic incident in my life that\nmotivated me to go for Civil Services. There was a persistent motivation by my\nparents to pursue this career. Therefore, it was not a one-off incident but a\nconstant motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Competition\nSuccess Review, the largest selling youth magazine in English for 35 years, has\nbeen extremely helpful because<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>The Preliminary paper has been changing in\ncharacter since the new pattern of examination has set in. With a greater focus\non facts and concept-based questions together, the Competition Success Review\nmagazine has become all the more relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow did your parents, family and friends contribute to your success?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Parents, family and friends are the intangible\nsupport that can only be felt but might not be directly seen through the naked\neye. They are the power engines that act as a constant motivator to any\ncandidate who prepares for the Civil Services Examination. Therefore success is\nthe combined result of the individual efforts and the close acquaintances\u2019\nsupport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHad you not been selected in the Civil Services Examination, what would have\nbeen your reaction? Which other service\/career would you have gone in\/opted\nfor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>There was no back up option as such for me other\nthan clearing the Civil Services Examination. \nBut if I was not so blessed and would have not cleared the Civil\nServices Examination, then I would have reverted back to my strengths and would\nhave become an engineer and tried to serve the country in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow do you visualise your success?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I am the only person in the Top 20 with Delhi as\nmy home town. My success has come after a long time interval. I have waited for\nthis day for quite some time. I believe that my success is a result of hard\nwork and some smart moves that I adopted in the last attempt. Therefore,\nalthough it came after a long period, but my success has made me forget all the\nwoes that I encountered during the preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat were your strong points which enabled you to achieve spectacular success\nin  the Civil Services Examination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>My strong points I believe were my never losing\npatience, attitude and my focus on doing work and not caring about the result.\nCivil Services Examination is not an examination but a process of personality\ndevelopment. Therefore you should not focus on the result but should focus on\nhow to develop and change your personality in course of time of the Civil\nServices Examination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat was your optional at the Civil Services Examination?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I chose Electrical Engineering as my optional\nwhich was also the subject of my graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow many attempts had you made earlier before you got selected?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.<\/strong> I made three attempts before I got selected in my fourth attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat was your criterion for the selection of the optional subject?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>The determining parameter that I thought of, to\nselect my optional was that I should have an interest towards this subject.\nApart from this, a greater familiarity with the Electrical Engineering optional\n(that being my graduation subject) led me to pursue this optional for Civil\nServices Examination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow did you prepare for your compulsory papers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>The strategy for preparation for compulsory\npapers was simple\u2014I focussed more on current affairs and correlated the current\naffairs with the syllabus of the compulsory papers. This gave me the overall\nperspective of the examination.  Apart\nfrom this, I also covered the static part of the compulsory papers from the relevant\nNCERTs and also some coaching material that was readily available in the\nmarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat is your impression about the Interview Board?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I was given the Interview Board of Air Marshal\nAjit Shankarrao Bhonsle. It is mostly perceived that the UPSC Interview Board\nis very hostile and is ready to pounce upon any candidate viciously as soon as\nany candidate enters. But generally the Board members as a whole are very\ncordial. My Board members too had a very calm demeanour and asked the relevant\nquestions according to my Detailed Application Form. Also some questions\npertained to my work experience and some current affairs of that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nCompetition Success Review has been the largest selling ABC-certified magazine\nin English since 1981. How do you visualise the role of this magazine in\nmoulding the careers of the youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Competition Success Review<\/em> has been a guiding light to many aspirants from time immemorial.\nInitially it was the only magazine which gave aspirants a complete guide book\nfor the preparation for Civil Services. In changing times, it has also modified\nitself and has proportionately changed according to the needs of the examination\nand the aspirants. CSR is not only helpful for Civil Services Examination, but\nfor other competitive examinations as well like Staff Selection Commission,\nBanking, State Civil Services etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow did Competition Success Review help you in your preparation for the\ninterview?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Competition Success Review<\/em> apprised me of the facts and figures that are sometimes relevant to\nthe interview. It gave an overall coverage of important topics that were\nrelevant from the debate point of view and which were also a part of the\ninterview. Apart from that, the experience of the past candidates enriched my\nattitude towards the interview and prepared me beforehand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow do you look upon the publication of CSR magazine in Hindi? Do you think\nthat the mindset and basic approach of English medium students are\nfundamentally different from those of the Hindi medium students ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>CSR publication in Hindi is a great initiative\nas it creates a level playing field between the candidates writing the
\nexams in English and the Hindi medium. It is a myth that Hindi medium is\ndifficult to crack this exam. I believe that mindset and the basic approach of\nthe candidates is similar irrespective of the medium of answering the paper.\nThis exam is only about expressing your ideas and those do not fundamentally\nchange if you express them in Hindi or English or even in any other regional\nlanguage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat is your opinion about Competition Success Review? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Competition Success Review<\/em> is a great magazine that helps to cover the length, breadth and\ndepth of the general knowledge occurring in the day-to-day life. It is a great\nmonthly magazine to cover the gist of issues and remove the hassles of\nanalysing the different aspects of current affairs in different books. Also it\ncovers various issues related to strategies of the past toppers and their\nexperience that helps a candidate to attune himself in that manner only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nSince when have you been reading Competition Success Review ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Competition Success Review<\/em> was my first GK magazine and was given to me by my mother during my\nschool stages when I decided to become a civil servant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nDid your father and\/or mother also read Competition Success Review when they\nwere of your age ? If so, who read and when ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>My mother had appeared for UPSC exam at her age\nand Competition Success Review<\/em> was the magazine which became her source\nof knowledge for the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat is your opinion about General Knowledge Today ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>General Knowledge Today<\/em> is also a compact and portable guide to issues of current affairs.\nIt provides remarkable and absolute coverage of issues combined with the Competition\nSuccess Review<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nTo prepare for this Civil Services Examination, did you join any Coaching\nInstitute(s)? If so, name them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>For the preparation of Civil Services General\nStudies, I joined a coaching institute called Vajiram and Ravi in my first\nattempt. In the later attempts I did not feel the need to join any coaching\ninstitute and prepared on my own. I did not join any coaching institute for my\noptional Electrical Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat do you think is a better way of preparation between selective intensive\nstudy and wide extensive study?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I believe that the examination has transformed\nitself in such a way that you need to create a balance between the two\u2014doing a\nwide and extensive study for your optional and having a selective intensive\nstudy for the general knowledge issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHave you been studying alone or in a group ? If you were studying in a group,\nhave your other friends also succeeded ? If so, name them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I usually studied alone. But in case of issues\nwhich needed to be debated and the issues which needed other’s opinion as well,\nI studied in groups too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. Is\nthis pattern of the exam appropriate for selection? Would you recommend any\nother improvement?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I believe that the current pattern of\nexamination is both appropriate and also in a need for a change. If we talk of\nPrelims, then it has become the most uncertain part of the exam where about\n15,000 candidates are selected on the basis of only 100 questions. In my\nopinion this pattern should be changed by introducing alternatives like having\ntwo General Studies papers. Apart from that I believe that other parts of the\nexamination are fairly appropriate and in my opinion do not require any change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nDo you feel that there should be no restriction on the number of\nattempts ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I believe that the current practice of\nrestrictions on the number of attempts is appropriate. I believe that UPSC\ngives enough chances to the candidates to prove themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWe have been awarding CSR Gold Medal to top 50 Rank Holders of CSE who have\nbeen our readers. Do you think that our gesture has been a source of\ninspiration for the Civil Services aspirants?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>I believe that CSR Gold Medal initiative can be\na source of incentive for an individual. An aspirant is motivated by it by the\nfact that he\/she might be felicitated one day when he tastes success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWe have been publishing essays every month under Current Issues and CSR Essay\nContests and CSR Super Brain Youth Contest by adding eight more pages to\nencourage our readers not only to write better, but also to know what the top\ncompetitors could be writing. Besides, we offer CSR Gold Medal & Trophy to\nthe winners of the CSR Super Brain Youth Contest. Is this focus-oriented\napproach helpful for the IAS aspirants?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Civil Services aspirants today need greater\nexposure and practice towards their preparation. Therefore the focus-oriented\napproach of the CSR is a good initiative in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWe have been publishing Mock Tests in every issue prepared by India’s Top IAS\nCoaching Institutes as IAS Special Supplements in Competition Success Review to\nhelp aspirants in CSE preparation. Were these helpful to you ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>Mock tests give a practice before actually\ngiving the exams. Therefore they give a great exposure to the aspirants and in\nthat way I believe these also helped me to get ready towards the final\nexamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nHow do you think Competition \nSuccess  Review  could be more useful to the candidates\nappearing in the Civil Services and various other competitive examinations ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>CSR<\/em> is a very\nuseful magazine. The only thing I believe that can make it more useful is that\nthis magazines can be published in various regional languages so that each and\nevery aspirant belonging to various backgrounds can be equated on a level\nplaying field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nDo you think that the UPSC needs to be more transparent in its examination and\nevaluation ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\n<\/strong>UPSC Civil Services Examination and evaluation\nhave also been perceived to be clouded in secrecy. But I believe that the\nreason for this is also because of the level of the examination and also its\nsubjectiveness in terms of various General Studies papers. UPSC also gives\nrelevant information towards evaluation that is fair in character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.\nWhat is your advice to the future aspirants?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. <\/strong>My\nadvice to the future aspirants is that they should never lose hope because one\nnever knows what lies in the future and what destiny awaits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CSR : What is the secret of your success in the Civil Services Examination? Mr. Rahul Gupta : I believe that the secret to my success lies in the persistence that I showed, this being my fourth attempt. Again hard and a smart work has paid off. Also, an indirect support by the family and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions\/366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.competitionreview.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}