upsc first ranker gaurav agrawal gives preparation tips

motivation (http://mrunal.org/category/motivation) / 10 months Ago /503 Comments (http://mrunal.org/2014/07/ias-topper-rank-1-gaurav-agrawal-ips-iit-iim-economics-optional.html#comments)(http://www.flipkart.com/india-2015-english/p/itme3yz8rvpuhgky?pid=9788123019789&affid=mrunalrugm)

1. Topper Profile2. Education3. Electronic Vs Paper material4. Tempo and style5. Struggle of a Senior player6. Prelims (CSAT) General studies7. Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude8. Prelim accuracy9. Mains: Compulsory language paper

10. Mains: Essay11. General Studies (Mains) paper 112. General studies (Mains) paper 213. General studies (Mains) Paper 314. General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude15. GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains 201316. Mains answer-writing?17. Mains Optional Subject18. Before the interview19. During the interview20. CSE-2013 Marksheet21. Career Backup22. Views on UPSC reforms23. Insecurity about profile24. Wisdom25. Credit: Friends/family26. BOGUS Marketing Propaganda

IAS Topper Rank 1: Gaurav Agrawal, Economics Optional, also clearedIIT, IIM & IPS

Mrunal (http://mrunal.org/)

Topper Prole

Name Gaurav Agrawal

Rank in CSE-2013 1

Roll No. 249085

Age 29

Total attempts in CSE 2

Optional Subject Economics

Medium chosen for Mainsanswers English

Schooling medium English

College medium English

Home town/city Jaipur

Work-experience if any 3.5 years in Investment Banking. Presently in IPS.

Details of other competitiveexams, includingsuccess/failures

AIR 45, IITJEE 2001CAT 2005 percentile 99.80

Details of coaching, mocktests, postal material for anycompetitive exam (if used)

Vision IAS and Synergy test series useful.Baliyan history optional classroom coaching useful, butdont rely solely on it.Attended mock interviews at various places and foundthem useful.Attended classroom coaching at Vajiram, Sriram,Lalwanis Axiom and found them to be a total waste ofmy time and left soon / didnt attend classes.

service preference #1, 2 and 3 IAS > IPS > IRS

state cadre preference (top3) Rajasthan > MP > Gujarat

Education

fill the details here

% in class 10 88.2

% in class 12 85.6

Schooling (Medium) English

Graduation course and % Computer Sc. & Engg. 6.8/10. Multiple Fs and degreeExtended.

Name of college, city, passing outyear IIT Kanpur, 2005

Post-graduation IIM Lucknow, MBA in Finance 9.25 / 10. Gold Medal

Any other professional courses

Hobbies & Extra curricular1. Blogging2. Following macroeconomy3. Jogging

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/97816112@N02/14668247972)

Electronic Vs Paper material

Q. In recent times, there is spur in electronic material- blogs, sites, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Manyaspirants feel bogged down by this information overload. So, how much do you rely onelectronic material and how much on the paper material (Books, newspapers)?

More than 60% of preparation today has to come from internet. Role of books is decreasing.Hindu is of prime importance now. No typical day. I maintain notes.

Tempo and style

Q. People know what books and syllabus points are to be prepared. But most of themlack consistency in their preparation. So, how do you keep study momentum going on?How do you fight against the mood swings and distractions?

Inner strengths.

Struggle of a Senior player

Q1. Whatre your words of wisdom to other senior players? If any specific inspirationalincident(s), please share.

Only one thing. While preparing for the next attempt, dont begin in blind and just repeat whatyou did earlier, because that obviously failed. Instead, sit down, analyze, find your weaknessesand work to improve those weaknesses mainly.

Q2. What went wrong in your previous attempt? What changes did you make in thiscurrent attempt?

Ive written a detailed article about it. click me(http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/upsc-gs-mains-how-to-improve-answer-writing/)

Prelims (CSAT) General studies

Topic strategy/booklist/comment

History Ancient I had history optional last year.

History Medieval I had history optional last year.

History Modern(Freedom Struggle) Shekhar Bandopadhyay and Bipin Chandra books

Culture society I had history optional last year.

Polity (theory + current) DD Basu

Economy (theory +current) I had economics optional.

Science (theory +current) 9 and 10 class NCERT and Vajiram notes.

Environment (theory + Please read my blog post for this. click me(http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/culture-

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current) snt-envt/)

geography physical 11 and 12 class NCERT, Goh Che Leong, Vajiram notes.

geography India 11 and 12 class NCERT, Goh Che Leong, Vajiram notes.

geography world 11 and 12 class NCERT, Goh Che Leong, Vajiram notes.

othernational/internationalcurrent affairs

Newspaper and internet.

Schemes, Policy & FillerStuff Newspaper and internet.

Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude

Topic strategy / booklist

Maths Didnt prepare.

reasoning Didnt prepare.

comprehension Didnt prepare.

Decision Making Didnt prepare.

Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS Aptitude 2013 paper.

Cant comment here as didnt prepare for this.

Prelim accuracy

Q1. Did you attend any mock tests? do you think theyre necessary for success?

Yes. Yes absolutely necessary.

Q2. Approximate no. of attempted answers vs. correct answers. in CSAT-2013

Dont remember as didnt analyze this years paper after coming back.

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Q3. Your score in prelim?

General studies 121.34

aptitude 182.50

total 304

Mains: Compulsory language paper

Compulsory language paper Your preparation strategy / booklist?

English paper None

your regional language None

Q2.other observations / tips / comments on the length / difficulty level of compulsorylanguage papers in CSE-2013

None

Mains: Essay

Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?

Analyzed my mistakes from previous year and improved upon them. Details can be found here.click me (http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/improving-essay-writing/)

Q2. Which among the following essay did you write? What key points did you include in it?

1. Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)2. Is the Colonial mentality hindering Indias Success?3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the

right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country4. Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.

Attempted the Essay on S&T. Key points can be found here. click me

General Studies (Mains) paper 1

Please note that while reading the coaching material, we will find that 90% of the topics arerepetitive and useless if we have read the books. So skip those 90% and quickly read theremaining useful 10% only.

Topic How did you prepare?

cultureMultiple sources, mentioned here click me(http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/culture-snt-envt/)

Indian history Shekhar Bandopadhyay From Plassey to Partition, Bipin Chandra (bothfreedom struggle and since independence)

world history Baliyans history optional classnotes. Also read Europe Since Napoleonfor history optional last year.

post-independenceIndia

Mentioned above. Most of the questions asked were common knowledgewhich we develop from school time via newspapers and stories.

Indian society Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

role of women,poverty etc. Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

globalization onIndian society Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

communalism,regionalism,secularism

Everybody knows everything. Skipped.

world geophysical

Had some basic idea. Got some coaching notes of Baliyan and Vajiram.Read some topics from Savinder Singhs book. Prepared cyclones fromIMD website.

resourcedistribution Skipped.

factors forindustriallocation

Skipped. Most of it is common sense.

earthquaketsunami etc NCERT, Savinder Singh.

impact on flora-fauna Skipped.

General studies (Mains) paper 2

Topic How Did You Prepare?

IndianConstitution,devolution,dispute redressaletc.

DD Basu

comparingConstitution withworld

Basic comparison everybody knows. So skipped.

parliament, stateLegislatures DD Basu, Puncchi Commission and 2 ARC reports.

executive-judiciary DD Basu and also current issues.

ministriesdepartments Skipped

pressure group,informal asso. 2 ARC report. But too general a topic, everybody knows everything.

Representation ofpeoples act Current issues (SC rulings had come on this issue)

various bodies:Constitutional,statutory..

Internet based study, Wikipedia, expert opinion. Basically find thecomposition etc. of the body. Powers, functions etc. mostly same.Weaknesses and strengths also mostly same. Refer to my notes here.

NGO, SHG etc Everybody knows everything. Still studied 2 ARC report for core issues.

welfare schemes,bodies Vajiram came out with a public pdf analyzing various schemes.

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social sector,health, edu, HRD

Follow current issues

governance,transparency,accountability

2 ARC report

e-governance 2 ARC report

role of civilservice 2 ARC report

India & neighbors Newspapers and internet

bilateral/globalgrouping Newspapers and internet

effect of foreigncountry policieson Indian interest

Newspapers and internet

diaspora Newspapers and internet

internationalbodies- structuremandate

Newspapers and internet

General studies (Mains) Paper 3


Indianeconomy,resourcemobilization

Everything under the sun comes under it. What to prepare.

inclusivegrowth Everybody knows everything.

budgeting

I read 2 ARC report on Financial Management. But obviously questionasked was from somewhere else and I had no idea. But still one should readit to cover basic stock issues in the topic like accrual budgeting, other typesof budget etc. Additionally I think one should read the budget carefully andwatch out for any interesting term in it.

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major crops,irrigation

Report titled State of Indian Agriculture presented in parliament in March /April 2012.

agro produce storage,marketing

APMC Acts, direct marketing, e-marketing initiatives, FDI in retail, schemesof the ministry, Mega food park scheme, National Food Processing Missinetc. All this can be found on internet.

e-technologyfor famers Internet.

farmsubsidies,MSP

From economics optional background. Understand what are the issues withfarm subsidies and MSPs. See what leading economists are saying aboutthese. Read a few papers from CACP website.

PDS, buffer,food security CACP website, FSB, internet based study totally.

technologymission Internet.

animal rearingeconomics

Couldnt prepare except for whatever is given in State of Indian AgricultureReport, 2012.

foodprocessing Mentioned above in storage, marketing topic.

land reforms Prepared it as a part of economics optional. You can see my notes. Bhoodanand Gramdan I saw from Mrunal.

liberalization Internet, newspapers

Infra Internet, newspapers

investmentmodels Internet, newspapers

science-techday to day life Coaching material, but all of it was useless.

Indianachievementsin sci-tech

Skipped

awareness inIT, space,

biotech, nano,IPR

Tried to follow current developments. For all effective purposes, skipped.

environmentalimpactassessment

Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

DisasterManagement 2 ARC report. CAG report on the topic.

non stateactors,internalsecurity

2 ARC and Puncchi Commission reports covering tribal councils, 5 and6 schedule issues, PESA, FRA etc.

internalsecurity roleof media,socialnetworkingsite

Too general, everybody knows everything. Just keep following currentissues.

cyber security Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

moneylaundering Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

borderManagement Skipped. Everybody knows everything.

organizedcrime,terrorism

Skipped mostly. Read some discussion on anti-terror law in 2 ARC report.Everybody knows everything.

securityagencies-structuremandate

Some Wikipedia based study, but mostly skipped. Everybody knowseverything.

General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude


ethics and interface, Too general topics. Everybody knows everything about these topics.

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family, society and allthe hathodaa topics

Most important question in this topic is what is the role of family /society in framing morality / ethics.

attitude, moralinfluence etc.

Sriram, Baliyan and Vajiram material available in photocopy shopsfor basic definitions.

civil service: integrity,impartiality, toleranceto weak etc

Vajiram and Baliyan material available in photocopy shops. Nolancommittee report. 2 ARC report.

emotional intelligence,its use in governance

Sriram material for basic definitions. Too general topic, everybodyknows everything about it. One important question is role of EI inadministration.

moral thinkers of Indiaand world

How many thinkers did you prepare? Mostly skipped it. Tried toremember a few thinkers from Baliyans and Srirams notes butfound it couldnt be done.

ethics in pub.ad,accountability, laws,rules etc.

2 ARC report. Everybody knows everything.

corporate governanceImportant topics I thought here were recent Company law, Sebirecommendations. But they didnt ask these. Otherwise this is toogeneral a topic and everybody knows everything.

probity in governance,work culture Everybody knows everything.

citizen charter, ethicscode, work culture etc. 2 ARC reports on ethics and governance.

challenges ofcorruption 2 ARC report on ethics.

case studies on abovetopics Bring it on approach.

Any other comments, word of wisdom after going through the mains-2013.

In case studies, I always tried to analyze each option from a theoretical perspective. I used totake an option and see what the 4-5 school of ethics say about it and then try to come to anacceptable ethical decision.

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GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains 2013

Q. in GS4 ethics papers, please give a sketchy overview of your case study answers:

Sorry dont remember. But my vision ias mock tests where I attempted such case studies can beseen here click me (http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/upsc-ias-prep-vision-ias-answer-scripts-gaurav-agrawal/)

Case your approach/keypoints

1: RTI: To hide or not to hide

2: Engineer: Bogus flyover vs deadline

3: Child Labourers in Sivakasi

4: Nepotism in Job recruitment

5: Leaking information

6: Narrate one incident in your life when you were faced with such crisis ofconscience and how you resolved the same.

Mains answer-writing?

Q. How was your experience with the fixed space answer sheet?

Its a trap. Dont fall to the temptation of filling the entire space.

Q. Did you write answers in bullet points or in paragraphs? Some players (who clearedmains and got interview call letter) were claiming that they wrote entire paper in bulletpoints, so it doesnt matter.whether examiner is asking examine, comment, discuss orxyz.simply write in bullets and points.

Bullet points with proper headings, sub headings, underlining. And who says we cant comment/ discuss in points or while analyzing cant present our thoughts in points. In comment / discuss/ analyze kind of questions, simply give all positive points, then given all negative points and

then give way forward. Or say take up an issue as a point sub heading, do its pros and consanalysis and then move on to next point sub heading. Bottom line is, use your own brain andcommunicate in a way you feel to be the best. Dont rely blindly on coachingwallahs.

Q. Did you follow the introduction-body-conclusion format? because some mains-qualified candidates claim they simply wrote the points they could recall within the time,instead of bothering with proper introduction and conclusion.

Yes. I too wrote almost all my answers in points but still I gave a proper introduction, properheadings and sub-headings and then a conclusion. The main bulk of the answer was in points. Idont think why the tradeoff mentioned in the second half of your question should arise.

Q. In GS papers, Since UPSC came with those 100 and 200 words questions. What was yourapproach in the exam (I wrote all, I only focused on the questions where I could answerperfectly, I just not to high quality points to reach the word limit etc.)

Extremes in public life are mostly bad and one has to do a balancing act. Same applies to yourquestion above. I would only say, have faith in your judgment, apply your mind, and rely onintuition on what to attempt and what not. Exam condition is so dynamic, cant apply any rigidformula there. I simply attempted questions I felt I should attempt.

Q. How many marks worth questions did you skip/couldnt finish in the GS papers?

GS (Mains paper) Couldnt finish /attempt

GS1 10 marks

GS2 10 marks

GS3 60 marks

GS4 10 marks

Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your answers?

No

Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography)

No, wanted to but couldnt

Q7. If yes, Did you draw diagrams with pencil or pen?

NA

Q8. Did you use ruler to draw the lines in diagram? Or did you just make it by hand?

NA

Q9. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black pen?

Blue gel pen

(Mrunal since readers keep mailing such queries, therefore Im asking the topper to clear allthe air haha.)

Mains Optional Subject

Q1. First the essential book/resource list. (Also mention which one is the Base book forcovering the theory? + Whatever comments youve for a particular book e.g. my seniorssaid read xyz book but I found that ABC book was better. xyz topic not given properlyin this book, so prepare from xyz website or book OR and so on.)

Economics was my optional. Please read my blog post on this where I have covered this in greatdetail. click me (http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/eco_optional/)

This is a list of reading material arrived after a lot of painstaking trial and errors.

There are many topics which required study of many research papers and internet articles. Soobviously cant mention a single source for them. But I used to take whatever I found usefulfrom there and make my own notes which can be found here. click me(http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/upscnotesgauravagrawal/)

Q2. How much of internet-research / current affairs is necessary for this optional? OR canone simply rely on the books and be done with this subject?

Paper 1 can be done mostly by books. Paper 2 is 80% internet based.

Q3. How many months did it take to finish the core optional syllabus?

3 months for the first time where I could study the other optional as well as GS along withEconomics.

Q4. How many days/ weeks before the exam, you started answer writing practice?

Around 2 months.

Q5. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of optional? In which format- electronic orpaper?

Yes, electronic. All uploaded on my blog.

Q6. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2013 mains vs previous papers. Andwhat precautions / rectifications are necessary in the future strategy for given optionalsubject?

I think there was a quantum jump in the difficulty level from previous mains. There was aquestion in paper 1. I still cant even understand to this day. But thankfully, the system ofchoices saved me. Precautions etc. I have mentioned in my blog post on economics.

Q7.How much did you skip OR couldnt answer properly, in the optional paper?

optional paper Couldnt finish __ mark

Paper I Around 14 marks

paper II Around 8 marks

Before the interview

Q1. How did you prepare for the interview? Particularly college graduation subjectsrelated questions?

First, would like to clarify the myth that UPSC interview is only of 275 marks i.e. 10-15%. The realweight of the interview is at least 40%. The reasons are: a) UPSC has developed a habit of givingvery less marks in mains. This is a relative exam and only difference of marks between us andothers matters. Naturally if low marks are given in written, then difference of marks from otherswhich we can have by performing well in written will be less. b) Only candidates clearing mainscan give interview. So whatever little difference in marks was there in mains gets reduced evenfurther (as the difference in marks among the mains successful candidates would be less thanthe difference in the entire set). On the other hand, interview marks come only after this mainscutoff stage and there is a full range of marks given in interviews. So the difference in marksarising out of interview can be great leading to its increased effective weight.

So neglect interview only at your own peril! And also unlike what many say interview is notpurely luck based. Barring few exceptional cases, most of the interviews contain questions 90%of which can be predicted and prepared well in advance! Wait for my blog post on interviews.

Subject: College graduation subject (Computer Sc.) didnt have much relevance for me as I haddone a lot of things after college. So I had done only very basic preparation of IT currenthappenings and some theoretical aspects. My main field was economics which was runningthrough my entire DAF (in hobby, job related to eco, optional eco, MBA done in finance mostpeople relate finance with economics). And economics is a subject where unless we meet aneconomist in the panel, the interview would be on current economic issues only. So decided toskip the theoretical portions and prepare only the current macroeconomic issues. We werefacing high inflation and low growth, stalled projects, land acquisition issues etc. And a newgovernment was there. So it was natural to expect questions on it and so I prepared theseissues. Since economics was my main area, so I had to speak like an economist. Nothing lesswas expected. So remembered some key data related to IIP, WPI, CPI, GDP numbers etc.Developed mind maps containing 6-7 points on Why high inflation and Why low growth. Thething is in such issues everybody knows everything, but I had to speak like an economist. Sofrom the first sentence itself, my understanding should be visible. This is possible only when we

prepare these questions beforehand and not think about them for the first time in the interviewitself. I have these mind maps on paper, so will upload scanned images on my blog post so thatreaders can get a clearer idea of what I am talking about.

Home state: Had prepared it last year as well, so this year mostly revised it and preparedsome current issues (like refinery, jaipur metro, drug trafficking, socio economic scenario).Mostly internet based study particularly Wikipedia. For Rajput and modern history, read a bookused in RAS history optional apart from internet.

Home district: I was brought up in Jaipur so prepared a few aspects of Jaipur (tourism places,economic activities, present problems etc.). But I was born in Bharatpur. In the summary sheet,only place of birth comes, so preparing place of birth is more important than preparing homedistrict. I prepared Bharatpur history, economy, tourism places, Keoladeo park, Salim Ali,ornithology etc. Mostly Wikipedia based study.

Job: I was trading financial derivatives at Citi. Most important thing for me was naturallyfinancial crisis. I know a great deal about financial crisis naturally having seen it from the middleof it all, but when it comes to explaining it in 2-3 sentences, prior preparation is needed. So Iprepared it and it was asked in the beginning questions itself last year. Then I also preparedhistory of Citi and its mergers, Salomon Brothers, John Meriwether, LTCM etc. Some preparationrelated to Vikram Pandit and Corbatt.

IPS: Had to study a lot about this topic this year as it was completely new. Prepared policereforms (studied all commissions setup since British era, watched Aamir Khans show, readmany articles on internet) then prepared mind maps of 5-6 points to speak on various possiblequestions on police and bureaucracy reforms. Basically in such topics everybody knowseverything. What matters is how we speak in first 2-3 sentences. However, they couldnt find outI was already into IPS (as it was there in the DAF but not summary sheet from where they wereasking), so no questions asked. Will upload the scanned copies of these mind maps in myblogpost.

Why IAS after IPS, IIM, IIT, Investment Banking: Spent a lot of time preparing this. Prepared itfrom all possible angles I could think. Came up with realistic answers. In both interviews, thiswas the first question asked.

Other DAF things: Prepared everything mentioned in the DAF. Will cover these in the blog postwhere I will upload my DAF and cover each issue.

Current affairs: Current affairs preparation for interview is different from preparation formains. Basically people who are taking our interview are not preparing themselves. So they willonly remember masala news and not the boring committees and legislations etc. So have tocover masala news for interview and develop our own opinion on all such news items.

Q2. Did you attend any mock interviews by coaching classes? How were they similar /different than official interview? Do you believe it is necessary to attend such mockinterviews?

Yes. They were very helpful for me as I was cutout for private sector interviews, not UPSCinterview. UPSC interview requires different kind of mannerisms and body language and this iswhat I learnt from mocks. Then I also got to know my weakness areas on which I worked.However, dont rely blindly on whatever they say, apply your own mind before changing /preparing something.

Q3. What did you wear? Some experts say coat is must, some say tie is must, and somesay black shoes must. What attire did you pick up?

The sole purpose of the attire should be that it doesnt get noticed. I wore a shirt, trousers and atie. Black shoes, clean shaved.

Q4. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friends home ) and whatbooks/material did you bring for the revision before interview?

My friends place. Revised some of my online notes and mind maps.

During the interview

Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?

Dr. Kilemsungla

Q2. How long was the interview?

May be around 20-25 mins

Q3. Please narrate your entire interview- what questions did they ask and what did youreply and other pleasant or uncomfortable experiences during the interview. (Earliersome toppers only tell me their question but not their answer. I would appreciate if yougive both Question + your original answers)

click me (http://thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/upsc-interview-2014/) for Fulltranscript of my interview by UPSC panel.

Q5. Was your interview on the expected lines of what you had prepared or did they askyou totally unexpected questions? Was it a stress interview, did they ask anyuncomfortable questions? If yes, how did you handle it?

Most of it was expected.

Q6. Any side details about technicalities like make sure you bring xyz document or doxyz thing, or youll face problem?

None

Q7. Any word of wisdom / observations about medical checkup?

None

CSE-2013 Marksheet

SUBJECTS MARKS

ESSAY (PAPER-I) 135

GENRAL STUDIES -I (PAPER-II) 85

GENRAL STUDIES -II (PAPER-III) 63

GENRAL STUDIES -III (PAPER-IV) 88

GENRAL STUDIES -IV (PAPER-V) 102

OPTIONAL-I (Economics) (PAPER-VI) 134

OPTIONAL-II (Economics) (PAPER-VII) 162

WRITTEN TOTAL 769

PERSONALITY TEST 206

FINAL TOTAL 975

Q2. After looking at the marksheet, suppose you had to prepare again next time, whatchanges will you make in your studies?

Would sit down and try to figure out how to score more in GS. Would consult few more people,also join test series to seek feedback.

Career Backup

Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career backup plan?

Continued with IPS, Rajasthan cadre.

Q2. when were you going to execute that backup plan? (e.g. after __ failed attempts/after I cross __ age/after dad retires/ etc.)

After the result.

Views on UPSC reforms

What are your views on following issues?

Q. Despite what UPSC has done in recent years, it has failed to curb the nuisance ofDelhis coaching factories. In fact its increased under the new syllabus in 2013. Lets faceit, most toppers have relied on (authentic OR Xeroxed) coaching notes because there washardly any time left to prepare so many topics in such short time. This system workagainst an individual preparing from far-away area, without any financial resources,high-speed internet or contacts in Delhi.

Dont agree with this. Coachingwallahs thrive when question papers are static and same thingsare repeated year after year. UPSC, on the other hand, has made their paper very dynamic inlast 2-3 years. Now the bookish questions have reduced greatly and analyze types haveincreased. No longer are they asking questions where information is the key determinant (evenin the prelims). What matters is ones opinion and analysis. This cannot be found in any singleplace / book and internet has to be referred to. Most coachingwallahs are stagnant and oldand are unwilling to change with times. Classroom coachings have become a waste of time.Only 10% of what they teach is perhaps relevant. Instead of attending their classes and wastingtime on that 90% useless thing, better to just buy their notes from photocopy shops andstudy the 10%. Coachings take 6 months to teach what one can study in 2 months and are ofinferior quality.

Mrunal comments: thanks, your reply will help clear the negative vibes among some newplayers that Delhi coaching is essential for success in UPSC.

Q. Optional subjects should be removed altogether. The present stalemate is helping no-one, except coaching-owners, book publishers.

I dont subscribe to the so called level playing field theory that removing optional ensures levelplaying field. How can it be a level playing field when you force an engineer to study history aswell as a history student to study history? Is this level playing field or the scenario wheneverybody can study his/her strength?

Q. UPSC should disclose official prelim answerkey and cutoffs, immediately after prelim isover, instead of postponing it till interview phase is over.

Yes. In fact should also reveal individuals marks along with his / her prelims result.

Q. UPSC should be conducted online like IBPS and CAT exam to shorten the duration ofexam.

Invariably that is the direction one has to move in. But people are not ready for it presently.

Q. If you are made the UPSC chairman, what other reforms would you initiate for the civilservice exam?

Transparency Related Matters

Provide scanned copies of answer sheets.Release all marks of each candidate at each stage.Give a tentative window of result declaration beforehand.

Quality of Exam

Divide GS into more papers and ensure that only a historian is checking history answers,geographer is checking geography answers, foreign policy experts are checking IR answers andso on. In the present system, a single person is checking entire GS paper which has 3-4 subjectsand this hampers quality of examination seriously.

Insecurity about prole

Q. Many candidates prepare sincerely but constantly live under fear about profileinsecurity. Im not from a big college, Im not from English medium, and I dont havework-experience. What if they ask some stressful questions in the interview about this?Did you suffer from such insecurities? What is your message to these candidates?

No such insecurities. On the other hand, I suffered from the insecurity that given my exceptionalbackground, the interview board may take me as arrogant and confused even before theinterview begins.

Wisdom

Q. Through this struggle and success, what have your learned? What is the wisdom of lifeand competition? What is Your message to the new aspirants?

Learnt that there are always conflicting perspectives of things and one has to appreciate both.Also life is not like sciences, but social sciences. 2 + 2 may not be equal to 4. One has to acceptwhat it is and move on.

Q. Many hardworking candidates have failed in Mains/Interview of CSE-2013. Theyrefeeling dejected- what is your message to them?

Of course tighten your seat belts and get going. But dont just blindly repeat what you didbecause obviously it didnt work. See where your mistakes might have been and improve them.

Credit: Friends/family

Q. Behind every topper are many people who stood by during those uncertain timeswhen he/she was merely an aspirant. Would you like to tell the world, who were thosepeople in your case? Any specific incidence that you would like to share with the readers?

I dedicate this success to my family.

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Q. You are well aware of the sacred rule the last question must be about self-marketing.So, Did you use Mrunal.org for your preparation and if yes, how did it help you? And youcan even reply No. Ill still publish your answer without tempering, unlike thosecompetitive magazines.

Yes, in fact question on Bhoodan movement I had read from your article(http://mrunal.org/2013/11/land-reforms-bhodan-gramdan-jan-satyagraha-2012-other-non-governmental-movements-achievements-obstacles-limitations.html) only. But not a regularfollower as its not a user friendly site. Please make it structured and easy to read. I have tried toread it many times but always find it difficult to see.

Mrunal comments: In 2014, I shifted to a new theme (http://mrunal.org/2014/02/troubleshoot-site-themelayout-problems-solutions-just-clear-temp-cache-files-browser-ssc-extends-deadline-cgl-2014-applications.html). But Yes, there are still lot of issue with the site, but as they say inPublic Administration- routine activities taking away the time necessary to bring out long termreforms! Anyways, great interacting with you, especially the Delhi coaching factories part. Wishyou the best for the long career ahead, keep in touch.

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So far 503 Comments posted

[CAPF Topper] Mohit Kumar Yadav Rank 283: B.Sc., Kanpur, first attempt(http://mrunal.org/2014/09/capf-2013-topper-283-mohit-kumar-yadav-rank-283-bsc-kanpur-first-attempt.html)

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R E P L Y ( / 2 0 1 4 / 0 7 / I A S - T O P P E R - R A N K - 1 - G A U R A V - A G R A W A L - I P S - I I T - I I M - E C O N O M I C S -O P T I O N A L . H T M L ? R E P L Y T O C O M = 3 2 7 1 1 7 # R E S P O N D )

vishal charanHello sir..Im just completed my B.A in English medium .Subjects- history ,political sci.,English literature. My dream to became IPSand I want your guidance sir from bottom from starting , so plz.sir giveme starting tips best for preparation.age 20. Thanks.


fyxai want to know how to solve this question???_______+______+_______=30options(1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15)


vilkas budaniasir , now i m appearing in 12th class ( non medical) and i want to becamea ias . so plz tell me which subject i choose.


Shreya deyHow to prepare for ias after doing bsc in maths? Is math really helpful inias exams?What are the other subjects and topics I should prepare for ias?


Rajesh PatelHI ,How are you Mr. Gaurav.I heard about you and i got one question which you solved in UPSC finalexam , we try many times but couldnt successed so please help us.

++=30 ( fill the box with 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15) you can also repet thenumber . this is the question so please reply us, we waiting for yourfeedback.


Emandi Siva Jyothi11+3!+3=30

R E P L Y ( / 2 0 1 4 / 0 7 / I A S - T O P P E R - R A N K - 1 - G A U R A V - A G R A W A L - I P S - I I T - I I M -E C O N O M I C S - O P T I O N A L . H T M L ? R E P L Y T O C O M = 3 2 8 6 6 0 # R E S P O N D )

Emandi Siva Jyothisorry 11+9+1+3+3!


KAUSHAL TAILOR3! + 13 + 11 = 30

3! means 3*2*1it means 6

now 6+13+11=30


Ajaya KumarDear Sir,

I need the answer of below question?Please answer-+-+-=30Options are (13,5,7,9,11,13,15)


jaswanth

15+11+(5-1)


sandeephi frnd 15-1+15-5+15-9=30is corct in my campus interview i got this and answered corectly


sandeep15-1+15-5+15-9=30


ANUP KUMAR BHATTACHARJEEsir, i am a student of Tripura university (A Central University) undergoingmy graduation and post graduation I.M.D. Planing for U.P.S.C. civilservice examination.


AmarjotSir im student of bba my .12 passout arts i m joining upsc can u adviceme paper exam

R E P L Y ( / 2 0 1 4 / 0 7 / I A S - T O P P E R - R A N K - 1 - G A U R A V - A G R A W A L - I P S - I I T - I I M - E C O N O M I C S -

O P T I O N A L . H T M L ? R E P L Y T O C O M = 3 2 9 0 0 9 # R E S P O N D )

Saurabh thakurHy , Sir m in Bsc final year and I want to Be an IPS Officer . But i dnt knwhow to prepare nd which books to prefer nd please give me informationin fuly detail. M too obliged to you..!


konarkIas and ips are not fools.. They know that.. it is impossible to add 3 oddnumbers to get a even number


RAVI SHEKHARsir, i am doing graduation in economics and i want to make it myoptional subject in upsc please suggest me books in economics.


aparna jagtapHy, sir i am commers student prepare in IAS exam please suggest meoptional subject


atul singh

Sir, I want to become an IAS officer .But my parents want to see me as an engenier How can I understandthem..PLZ HELP ME.


jayki kumarDear sir,i am currently study in AMIE and i want to preparation for upsc exam ami eligible for upsc exam if yes then give some tips.


Ronak N PrajapatiBetter good job Gauruv sir day to day readying for suggestion thank you


aasia khanI did a btech..i want to brcome ias officer and i dont knoww from where istart itt..plzz give me a suggestion.


mohd uwaisi want make a ias officer like you, thankyou sir for giving this knowledge.,


Nabarun KarmakarSir,I am a BA student with history major.I have a optional subjet onInternational Relations,which is quite interesting to me.Which subject doyou prefer between these as optional?


Uttreshwar BikkadHi sir,i am studied in 2nd yr Basic Bsc Nursing ..i want your guidance sir ,please tell me which sub. choose and tips for how to study


Anil ChaudhariHello sir, i am study in final year Automobile eng. And How to StartIAS/IPS preparation.


Anil ChaudhariHello sir. I study in final year Automobile eng. and how preparing start inIPS/IAS


shahnawaz

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(http://mrunal.org/2014/07/ias-topper-rank-1-gaurav-agrawal-ips-iit-iim-economics-optional.html/comment-page-1#comments) 4 (http://mrunal.org/2014/07/ias-

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iim-economics-optional.html/comment-page-5#comments) 6

Sir give me answer of this question( )+( )+( )=30What will come in brekets(1;3;5;7;9;11;13;15)Please sir me solution


hemant kushwah()+(15)+(15)=30


monu sikarwarMujhe koe achchi tips do Gaurav Sir upsc ki preparation chal rahi haimeri


sunny vermajay hind and i am comming

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upsc first ranker gaurav agrawal gives preparation tips

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