Anmol Sher Singh Bedi 2nd Rank in his 1st attempt in Civil Service Examination, 2016
“Blessings of almighty, my grandfather and parents and hard work are the secrets of my success”
Anmol Sher Singh Bedi
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Anmol Sher Singh Bedi who has been selected in Civil Services Examination 2016, conducted by Union Public Service Commission. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid success. 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.
Shri Anmol—Thank you so much. I feel extremely fortunate that I could achieve the top slot in the Civil Services Exam. It is truly a dream come true.
PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Anmol—Since this was my Ist attempt. I was never sure of my performance in the Exam. I wanted to learn as much as possible in my 1st attempt. Therefore, the result has been a pleasant surprise to say the least.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Anmol—I have opted for Indian Diplomatic Services. It gives an opportunity to represent the country at International forums and Institutions which is a matter of great honor. Also due to globalization, the role of diplomats would become important.
PD—What were your optional subjects ?
Shri Anmol—Optional Subject : Political Science and International Relations.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Shri Anmol—1st attempt.
PD—You must have read IAS toppers’ interviews in newspapers / magazines; what inspired you the most ? Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result ?
Shri Anmol—Yes, I have read the success stories of many toppers via your Magazine. Many Civil Servants inspired me, for example, Mr. Shah Faisal, Mr. Gaurav Aggarwal.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims preparation ? How much time and effort did you divide for each ?
Shri Anmol—I formed wide extensive over intensive depth approach to make sure that I knew something about everything rather than everything about something. I had got right guidance for GS from Vajirao and Reddy Institute. Coaching in GS, gave me the right direction to clear the Exam. However self study is extremely important along with personal determination of Time management. Since, I was a student of Maths, I did not spend time for Paper II preparation.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Shri Anmol—I was always cautious of marking answers which could potentially pull down my score.
Therefore, intelligent guess work with right approximation is imporant to tackle negative marks.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; how to prepare ? Which optional subjects to pick ? What to read? How much to read? Many such questions come to your mind when you really get serious about Civil Services Examination ? From where did you get the right advice ?
Shri Anmol—I got the right advice from a number of sources.
(a) Interviews of successful Indian Civil Service toppers.
(b) Right advice from parents, family, friends & teachers.
(c) Information through internet and magazines.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Shri Anmol—This was my Ist attempt.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Shri Anmol—Interest in the subject should be given primary importance.
Overlap with G.S., availability of material and right teaching guidance are important in determination of optional.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Shri Anmol—General interest in subject. Availability of guidance resources. Overlap with G.S. Accurate Analysis of Background Knowledge
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for MAINS (written) ?
Shri Anmol—For Mains, I focussed on several aspects :
l Answer writing
l Focus on expressions of important terms
l Hand writing improvement
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ? Which topic did you pick up this time and why did you choose this particular topic ?
Shri Anmol—Using smart approach in Essay becomes important I segregated and classified all the quotes related to topics, which were general in nature.
Also, I tried to polish my writing skills by use of succinct expressions and words.
I had chosen ‘Cooperative Federalism’; If Development is not Engendered, it is endangered.
| Bio-data |
| Name—Anmol Sher Singh Bedi
Father’s Name—Mr. Sarbjit Singh Bedi Mother’s Name—Mrs. Jaspal Kaur Date of Birth—May 22, 1994 Educational Qualifications— 10th—2009-10, CBSE (90·8%) 12th—2011-12, CBSE, (91·8%) BE (Hons.)—2012-16, BITS, Pilani (9·15/10). Previous Selections—Got selected in AIEEE, BISAT |
PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers, be it Prelims or Main Examination. How did you manage things ?
Shri Anmol—Practicing Answer Writing
l Attempting Mock tests
l Giving uniform time to all questions
l Confining to word limit.
l Writing Fast
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? When and which Board did you face ? How did your interview go on, how much time it did last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?
Shri Anmol—I joined Mock Interviews at various places, especially under the guidance of Dr. S. S. Choudhary at Vajirao and Reddy Institute.
Yes, most of the background work was done by me. The work started right from the time I filled my DAF.
However, I had attended various mock interviews to sharpen my personality skills L
l I faced the Board chaired by Shri Chattar Singh. I was the last candidate in the afternoon session on 22nd March.
l My interview went in a cordial manner, questions were directly asked from my background, hobbies and interests.
l My interview lasted for 35 minutes.
l My home city.
l Theoretical Computer Science.
l Economics of Social Development.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e. Career in Civil Services ?
Shri Anmol—I was only preparing for Civil Services If I had failed in Civil Services, I would have continued my career in Computer Science.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Shri Anmol—Social status and respect.
Lifelong impact on social and economic well being of citizens of country.
Diversity of challenging career.
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 ?
Shri Anmol—During the last year of graduation.
A minimum period of 1 year is required to clear the Exam
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ?
Shri Anmol—Science subjects generally do better than Humanities. But it becomes difficult for Science optional students to do well in GS as compared to Humanities students.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Shri Anmol—Choosing a language that you have mastered and it is easy for you to interpret and communicate.
English is generally a medium of examination because there is availability of material of contest.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Anmol—There were numerous real life examples where I could see enormous role played by ‘Civil Servant not only in domestic but also in international domain.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Shri Anmol—During the last year of my graduation.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Shri Anmol—No, I was determined to put my effort in best and the way I could, irrespective of attempts and time frame.
| Bio-data |
| Favourite Person—My grand-father Sardar Gajinder Singh Bedi.
Your Strong Point—Hard work and faith in God. Weak Point—Impatience Hobbies—Quizing, Theoretical CS, Reading books |
PD—Was CSE a planned decision or your parents’ wish?
Shri Anmol—It was a planned and personal decision.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Shri Anmol—Yes, it does have an impact.
But UPSC examination has been made more democratic and is emerging as great. Right determination and focus can certainly win any potential difficulties in clearing the examination.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Shri Anmol—They are extremely integral to one’s success in clearing Civil Services Exam.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpn ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Shri Anmol—Pratiyogita Darpan is a knowledge booster and provides in-depth analysis, knowledge, opinions, views not only required for CSE but for other competitive Exams. It certainly fulfils my expectations.
PD—If a reader of PD, do you read IAS preparation related articles published in it and did you find these constructive ?
Shri Anmol—Yes, they were extremely helpful in providing right knowledge required for the examination.
PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issues Series on ‘General Studies’ and a few Optional Subjects ?
Shri Anmol—It is a great initiative by Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine. Certainly, it has helped many in clearing the exam.
PD—Did you refer to Pratiyogita Darpan – Year Book ? What is your opinion about the contents, size and the time of publishing ?
Shri Anmol—Yes.
It is a very definite and precise publication. Each page is important for CSE. It is very effective to tackle contemporary issues.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Shri Anmol—The secret of success certainly has been the blessings of Almighty God, of Grandfather. My parents continued to provide me right motivation and guidance.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Shri Anmol—Almighty God have blessed me with his kind desires.
I am grateful to my parents and sister for motivating me to do well in life.
Teachers of entire society have helped me to realise my dream of CSE.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Anmol—Always believe, that hardwork will never go” unrewarded, while success can be delayed but it can never be denied.
So have positive outlook towards life and never look back.
PD—Thank You very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.