mrunal ias rank 50_ nima arora shares her strategy for gs & public administration

7/8/2014 Mrunal IAS Rank 50: Nima Arora shares her strategy for GS & Public Administration

http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-nima-arora-cse-2013air-50-b-tech-public-administration-also-cleared-ssc-auditor-bankpo-acio.html/print/ 1/15

[Topper's Interview] Nima Arora (UPSC-2013/AIR-50): B.Tech, PublicAdministration, also cleared SSC auditor, BankPO & the ACIO

1. Candidate Profile

2. Education

3. Introduction

4. Electronic Vs Paper material

5. Tempo and style

6. Prelims (CSAT) General studies

7. Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude

8. Prelim accuracy

9. Mains: Compulsory language paper

10. Mains: Essay

11. General Studies (Mains) paper 1

12. General studies (Mains) paper 2

13. General studies (Mains) Paper 3

14. General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude

15. Mains answer-writing?

16. Public Administration Optional Subject

17. Before the interview

18. During the interview

19. CSE-2013 Marksheet

20. Career Backup

21. Insecurity about profile

22. Wisdom

Candidate Profile

Name Nima Arora

Rank in CSE-2013 50

Roll No. 85294

Age 25

Total attempts in CSE 2

Optional Subject Pub. Ad.

Medium chosen for Mains answers English

Schooling medium English

College medium English

Home town/city New Delhi

Work-experience if any Nil

http://mrunal.org/



Details of other competitive exams, includingsuccess/failures

1. SSC Grade C post ofAuditor 2012

2. Bank PO by IBPS 20123. SBI (failed to clear) 20134. RBI 2013 (failed to clear)5. IB ACIO 2013

Details of coaching, mock tests, postal materialfor any competitive exam (if used)

1. Pub Ad: Vajiram (June2011)

2. Prelims 2012: Srirams(Oct 2011)

* Could not qualify prelims inmy I attempt

3. Mains Test Series:Synergy (Aug 2013)

4. Interview: Samkalp andVajiram

5. GKT Online Programmefor Pre/Mains 2013

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

state cadre preference (top3)Rajasthan, Gujarat, MadhyaPradesh

Education

fill the details here

% in class 10 93.2

% in class 12 87.2

Schooling (Medium) English

Graduation course and % B.Tech (CSE) 86.02

Name of college, city, passingout year

MSIT, Indrapratha University, Delhi 2011

Post-graduationM.A. Public Administration IGNOU (GoldMedalist)

Any other professional courses Nil

Hobbies & Extra curricularPlaying Badminton, Teaching (have experiencewith an NGO)

Introduction



Q. Tell us something about yourself, your family, when and why did you enter inthis field of competitive exams?

I belong to a middle class family with liberal parents. Have been staying in Delhi forthe past 25 years. I have 2 elder sisters and no one in government sector. It was a verynew venture for me. It was during the end of third year of my college while discussingwith my friend I decided to try for civil services. Being risky, I sat for every other govpaper which in turn boosted my confidence level especially during the phase afterfailing in prelims 2012.

Electronic Vs Paper material

Q. In recent times, there is spur in electronic material- blogs, sites, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Many aspirants feel bogged down by this information overload. So, howmuch do you rely on electronic material and how much on the paper material(Books, newspapers)? If possible narrate a typical day in your studylife. What isyour style of preparation.

I guess with changing times and move towards e-services, Internet is acting as animportant resource for collecting information. I relied on electronic material morethan the theoretical static books. The following are the sites I used to visit -

1. Mrunal.org (I have read all economics articles written by you 2009 onwards..first to last)

2. InsightsOnIndia – I used to write, practice and read the style of answer writing

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97816112@N02/14272010939



there.3. Orkut and Forumias (It is a good informal platform for discussions)4. Did not like pib. Instead I made notes from newspaper (TOI) and frontline. Did

not pile up magazines. Only wrote down imp pointers/issues.5. As mentioned earlier, I had enrolled myself with the online module of GKT. It

helped me save time as pdfs were delivered on each topic specified in thesyllabus. Used to read it once and highlight the imp issues only for futurereference.

Regarding notes, I would suggest everyone to learn the habit of reading more andwriting less. It is not necessary to prepare notes on every topic. I hardly made anynotes except some current affairs that would enrich my answers in the mains exam andnotes on IR.

My style of preparation – Do not count the number of hours you study. Qualitymatters. Even if you are able to devote only 4 hours per day, it is sufficient iff and onlyif you understand what CSE demands. More than knowledge, it is the way you expressand present your answers. If one feels that this trait is lacking, focus more on answerwriting and evaluate it yourself or from friends.

Tempo and style

Q. People know what books and syllabus points are to be prepared. But most ofthem lack consistency in their preparation. So, how do you keep studymomentum going on? How do you fight against the mood swings anddistractions?

I had many ups and downs during my preparation. But unlike others, I was very activewith my college friends. Though they were not preparing with me, talking to themeased my tension to a great extent.

Q. What went wrong in your previous attempt? What changes did you make inthis current attempt?

I was under-confident. This was the biggest reason why I failed in prelims. I got 206and cutoff was 209. Later, I tried taking other government exams and gained the lostconfidence.

Prelims (CSAT) General studies

Topic strategy/booklist/comment

History AncientAlmost Left (some printed notes I referred but overallI am very bad at history)

History Medieval Again not a high scoring area. Almost left.

History Modern (FreedomStruggle)

Spectrum + NCERT + Bipin Chandra (selected)



Culture society Srirams Notes

Polity (theory + current) Lakshmikanth/ Srirams Polity Notes

Economy (theory + current) Srirams Notes

Science (theory + current) Did not deal specifically

Environment (theory +current)

GKT modules

geography physicalNCERT XI XII + GC Leong + coaching notes onClimate (hand written)

geography India NCERT

geography world NCERT

other national/internationalcurrent affairs

Newspaper+frontline+ GKT modules

Schemes, Policy & FillerStuff

GKT

Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude

Topic strategy / booklist

Maths R S Agarwal + sample mock papers

reasoning R S Agarwal + sample mock papers

comprehension Rcprep.com and previous year papers + mocks

Decision Making Nil

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

Be prepared for anything. The paper may have more Comprehensions or more maths.Just prepare yourself for the worst. I have succumbed to failure once so am aware ofthe necessity of having grip of maths, reasoning and English.

Prelim accuracy

Q1. Did you attend any ‘mock tests’? do you think they’re necessary for success?

Yes, I had enrolled to GKToday for prelims test series on GS paper 1. It helped methis time.

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

attempted Q. correct Q. (Expected) official score

GS 85 55 ( not able to recall accurately) 88

aptitude 78 64 (not able to recall accurately) 160

total 249

Mains: Compulsory language paper

Compulsory language paper Your preparation strategy / booklist?



English paper Previous Year Papers

your regional language Hindi (Previous Year Papers)

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

Did not face any difficulty

Mains: Essay

Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?

I did not try/practice any essay before Mains. I did refer InsightsOnIndia to understandthe pointers one needs to keep in mind while writing an essay. One should try and haveholistic approach wherein all dimensions – history, geography, economics, sociologyand psychology should be included in seperate paragraphs.

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

Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)

To make my essay unique, I started off with a story in the beginning. It was a small onepage conversation between mother and child. One should make sure that the beginningand the conclusion should be very catchy.

General Studies (Mains) paper 1

Topic How did you prepare?

culture Almost left this portion

Indian history NCERT + Spectrum

world history Stardust notes (pdf version) from forumias

post-independence India GKT material

Indian society Newspapers (current events) + GKT

role of women, povertyetc.

GKT

globalization on Indiansociety

GKT

communalism,regionalism, secularism

GKT

world geo physical NCERT

resource distributionNCERT + Mrunal +learnt drawing maps of India, World in20 secs for marking of resources

factors for industriallocation

Geography Instt. Notes (CBT ect) + Mrunal

earthquake tsunami etc NCERT + Newspape



impact on flora-fauna Nil

General studies (Mains) paper 2

Topic How Did You Prepare?

Indian Constitution, devolution,dispute redressal etc.

Srirams Polity Notes

comparing Constitution withworld

GKT

parliament, state Legislatures Srirams Polity Notes

executive-judiciary Srirams Polity Notes

ministries departments India Year Book

pressure group, informal asso. Pub Ad Optional; no specific material needed

Representation of people’s act Internet ppts

various bodies: Constitutional,statutory..

Lakshmikanth

NGO, SHG etc Pub Ad Optional + Yojana

welfare schemes, bodies GKT

social sector, health, edu, HRD India Year Book

governance, transparency,accountability

Pub Ad Optional

e-governance Pub Ad Optional

role of civil service Pub Ad Optional

India & neighborsUsed to make current affiairs based notes on IR +Map of India with border countries

bilateral/global groupingInternet. Had a seperate register for IR. Crisp,ready to read material.

effect of foreign countrypolicies on Indian interest

Nil

diaspora Last year Questions

international bodies- structuremandate

Made 6-7 pages on International Institutions.

General studies (Mains) Paper 3

Topic How Did You Prepare?

Indian economy,resource mobilization

Srirams Eco Notes + Mrunal articles on economy from thestart. I was zero in economics but this blog helped mebecome an aware citizen.

inclusive growth No specifc preparation (Budget may suffice)

budgeting Pub Ad Notes on budget types

major crops, irrigation Mrunal articles

agro produce –storage, marketing Mrunal articles



e-technology forfamers

Yojana

farm subsidies, MSP Mrunal articles + GKT

PDS, buffer, foodsecurity

Mrunal articles

technology mission Nil

animal rearingeconomics

Mrunal articles

food processing GKT

land reforms Mrunal articles

liberalization Nil

infra Mrunal articles

investment models Nil

science-tech day today life

Newspapers (did not spend much time on S&T)

Indian achievements insci-tech

Nil

awareness in IT, space,biotech, nano, IPR

Newspapers

environmental impactassessment

Just read the basics from government websites + frommonthly competition conducted by mrunal

Disaster Management Ignou Material (pub ad) + GKT

non state actors,internal security

GKT + Internet

internal security – roleof media, socialnetworking site

Nil

cyber security Internet

money laundering Nil

border Management MHA website ( a pdf on border management)

organized crime,terrorism

GKT

security agencies-structure mandate

India Year Book + GKT

General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude

For GS Paper IV, I referred GKT modules (around 100 pages) to understand thebasic concepts. Along with that, I referred Ignou material on egyankosh andNIOS material available online. I had joined Synergy test series which helped mecollecting notes on around 20 philosophers from the questions. Added to it, Itried to answer some case study based questions on InsightsOnIndia by thepseudo-name Dusky. It helped me a lot in understanding where I needed



improvement.Suggestion: I believe in the upcoming Mains Examination, the difficulty level ofthis paper would increase. There were no direct questions on philosophers thistime but the aspirants should prepare themselves for such questions.For my approach for the case study based questions, I may try to give a sketchhere.From the question, highlight the situation where you need to respond.Understand the facts available and then in point format write down the optionsyou have (1,2,3,4). Then for each option (course of action), analyse theadvantage and disadvantage. For most of the questions I attempted, option 4 wasvery idealistic but option 3 – pragmatic and doable. Option 1 and 2 were againstone’s ethical stand. Thus, on properly weighing, I chose the third option as myfinal course of action.

Mains answer-writing?

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

I was happy with the change of mains pattern this year. It discourages rote learning andis more logical to attempt. The fixed space available is plenty and does not getcompleted mostly because of the time constraints. I remember that I wrote at maxcomplete 2 pages for every answer for the sake of completing the paper rather thanwasting time on introduction and conclusion (Except GS paper 1 which came as ashocker to everyone. Attempted all Geography questions in that paper but left almost70 marks history questions).

Q. Did you write answers in bullet points or in paragraphs? Some players (whocleared mains and got interview call letter) were claiming that they wroteentire paper in bullet points, so it doesn’t matter….whether examiner is asking‘examine, comment, discuss or xyz’….simply write in bullets and points.

I tried to write more in point format because of the time constraints. For the questionswhich according to me were vague, I tried to write in paragraphs.

Q. Did you follow the “introduction-body-conclusion” format? because somemains-qualified candidates claim they simply wrote the points they could recallwithin the time, instead of bothering with proper introduction and conclusion.

No, I did not follow that format in-toto. Definitely, the starting 5 questions, I tried towrite in proper segments, but later on, I switched to points in most cases.

Q. In GS papers, Since UPSC came with those 100 and 200 words questions.What was your approach in the exam??

1. GS I : Attempted full Questions 15 to 25. Then came to the start (my history isweak) and tried completing as many questions I can (Total attempt: 180)

2. GS II : Attempted full paper (Polity and IR are my favourite subjects). Did not



find any problem but at max wrote 2 pages for each question3. GS III : Attempted 210 marks paper. Left those questions for which I had no clue

at all. Could not bluff those4. GS IV: Attempted full paper

As of now, I am not sure as to how well this approach worked. But in the end, I wassatisfied.

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

No. Only Blue Butterflow Pen.Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g. in GS1 Geography)

Yes. Map of India for Shale reserves; Climate based questions I approached with thehelp of diagrams.

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

Pen

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

No. Free hand.

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

Blue Pen

Public Administration Optional Subject

Q1. First the essential book/resource list and strategy

Vajiram Notes on Public Administration (paper 1 and 2) – These the the basics neededto understand the subject. In my opinion, it may also suffice the demand of theexamination if one reads religiously. I had joined coaching for pub ad, so did not findany difficulty reading the hand written class notes.

1. Mohit Bhattacharya

2. Arora and goyal

3. Super50 by Shubra Saxena

4. 2nd ARC Report5. Yojana.

Though I have done MA in Pub Ad from IGNOU and the material given is also verygood to read, I did not have time to go through that during the exam days.

http://www.flipkart.com/new-horizons-public-administration/p/itmdyu7mah7ggcyf?pid=9788173610660&affid=mrunalrugm

http://www.flipkart.com/indian-public-admin-institutions-issues-3-ed/p/itmddrfshywux4ba?pid=9788122434460&affid=mrunalrugm



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

One may simply rely on books but for recent examples, current affairs and yojana canbe beneficial.

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

3 months approximately

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

It is continuous as I had joined test series and did some practice at home as well.

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

Did not prepare many notes. It was only for current affairs and IR + some issues withwhich I had difficulty. Otherwise, I had kept one folder at my desktop which had all thepdfs I wanted to read before examination.

Q6. Your observation about the difficultly level of 2013 mains vs previouspapers.

I think that with the current pattern, the papers are easier to approach if one isanalytical and not a crammer. We must understand the concept rather than learning it.

Q7.How much did you skip OR couldn’t answer properly, in the optionalpaper?

optional paper Couldn’t finish __ mark. + comments on any weird questions

Paper I 10 marks (did not know)

paper II 10 marks (did not know)

Q8. would you advice any interested party (new player) to pick this optional?Nowadays wind seems to be flowing towards sociology and political science.Some senior players advice new players not to pick them given the scaling andodd questions. What’s your take on this?

Take up the optional subject which you find interesting. Rest leave everything to God.

Before the interview

Q1. How did you prepare for the interview? Particularly college graduationsubjects related questions?



Seriously read the newspapers every day and prepared around 100 questions based onmy DAF. Added to it, tried to be slow while conversing so that I do not stammer andspeak out right words. Tried to be calm while answering. As I had completed MA in2013, I knew I had to prepare the practical application of Pub Ad in detail.

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

I had joined a Telegram group for Interview Mentoring started by a senior IAS Officer.It really helped me in understanding how one may answer the questions being raised.We were guided by many civil servants in that group. It was a very interactiveexperience.

Also, I attended mock interviews by Samkalp and Vajiram. They were helpful in givingme confidence while speaking.

Q3. What did you wear?

A simple sky blue colored cotton Sari.

Q4. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel / friend’s home …) and whatbooks/material did you bring for the ‘revision before interview’?

As I reside in Delhi, I stayed at my home which is around 20 mins away from UPSC.

During the interview

Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview board?

Mr. Vinay Mittal

Q2. How long was the interview?

Around 35 mins

Q3. Why do you want to join civil service?

Civil Service provides me the platform to work for the society with legal authority.

Q4. Please narrate your entire interview- what questions did they ask and whatdid you reply and other pleasant or uncomfortable experiences during theinterview.

I will try and write in detail about my interview experience soon. Right now, I onlyhave the sets of questions raised by the panel members. These are as follows:

Questions were all related to DAF and my subsequent answers. Board was very cordial



and it was a comfortable session.

Chairman: Why a shift from engg to Pub ad? (I told that it was in 4th year that I decidedto go for civil services) Was it a planned decision? (Yes.. and then I added about mygold medal) What is public administration? (state and society work in tandem toachieve societal goals) More questions on community involvement, constitutionalmandate regarding community models (PRIs and ULBs), How to make it effective (Iincluded ICT, creating awareness and efficient communication here), more talks onhow to get the people involved. Questions based on teaching and my volunteering inBal Sahyog. Do you still teach and whom?

M1: How to improve health facilities in urban area say Delhi? Sewage treatment? Howpolio is spread (instead of faecal matter I said Foetus.. then corrected myself)Difference between IPV and OPV? A few more questions were there.. I answeredthem.

M2 (lady): You talked of sustainable development. What is it? (I told that there is adifference between need and greed.. Gave example of air conditioners we use and howthe energy can be saved there) Any other example from Delhi? (I could not think ofany.. I said I can recall SEWA model from Gujarat and explained SHGs and peopleparticipation) But there are many loopholes in that model, are you aware of that? (Noma’am)

M3: (I did not give appropriate answers to his questions) Questions on Lokpal, CBI,CVC ( I said CVC heads CBI and that was wrong) Questions on Badminton and lack ofsports in our country (Answered these but overall was not satisfied) M4: You talkedabout people being happy and content, can you name the country which focuses onhappiness index? (Bhutan) What can India learn from it? (Environmental protection,added Kerala Model and how tree plantation per person a day is important for futuresustainability) Delhi Nirbhaya case and present situation? How as the head of police indistrict you would have handled it? (Talked about raising women force) Do you knowthe state where women police are more? (No Sir) I guess it is Tamil Nadu.. Anothermember added Kerala too. I thanked both of them.

Then in the end, Chairman asked me one final question. You talked about RWAs inBhagidari Model but you see people are less concerned to get involved and we blamethe authorities. Can you suggest me a way to solve the problem? (Yes Sir. The simplestand cost effective way – Ethical Hoardings stating what a resident should do as anaware citizen)

Interview Over. I thanked everyone. I was satisfied when I moved out and was happyhow the last question ended.

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



My interview was totally based on my DAF and the answers I gave. So it was not astress interview. The panel members were very cordial. I was cheerful, pleasant andcomposed.

Q6. Any side details about technicalities like “make sure you bring xyzdocument or do xyz thing, or you’ll face problem”?

Everything is mentioned in that call letter. Nothing to worry.

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

Nothing to be afraid of. It is a normal routine check up. Those with eye nos. shouldcome up with prescription on that day.

CSE-2013 Marksheet

Essay 130

GS1 55

GS2 67

GS3 88

GS4 112

Pub.Ad Paper 1 110

Pub.Ad Paper 2 86

Written Total 648

Interview 206

Final total 854

Rank 50

Mrunal : three digit score in any paper of Public Administration equals *RESPECT*.

Career Backup

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

Since it was my second attempt, I would have definitely joined a government job andtried to take another attempt while working.

Q2. when were you going to “execute” that backup plan?

Just after this attempt. I was already exhausted.

Insecurity about profile

Q. Many candidates prepare sincerely but constantly live under fear about‘profile insecurity’. I’m not from a big college, I’m not from English medium,and I don’t have work-experience. What if they ask some stressful questions in



the interview about this? Did you suffer from such insecurities? What is yourmessage to these candidates?

It was because of my lack of confidence in myself that I was not able to qualifyprelims exam in 2012. I tried to overcome this by appearing in many other exams. Itreally helped me in this attempt.

Wisdom

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

Learning – Nishkaam Karma (Do your best, do not await results)

Wisdom – Enjoy life. Be sincere not serious.

Message to new aspirants – Work on your dreams but do not get attached to them.Becoming an IAS is not the end of the world, many other opportunities knock ourdoors. One should welcome those as well.

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 ithelp you? And you can even reply “No”. I’ll still publish your answer withouttempering, unlike those competitive magazines.

Yes. Your site has helped me immensely. I have subscribed to it and am a regularvisitor. You’re are doing a wonderful job.

Mrunal: Thanks a lot Ms. Nima for your sharing your journey and success with us.We wish you the best for your service allocation and state cadre allocation. Keep intouch.

URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-nima-arora-cse-2013air-50-b-tech-public-administration-also-cleared-ssc-auditor-bankpo-acio.html

Posted By Mrunal On 19/06/2014 @ 19:14 In the category motivation

mrunal ias rank 50_ nima arora shares her strategy for gs & public administration

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