Kanika Jain Topper – Delhi Judicial Services Examination, 2018 (88th Rank)
Interview with Kanika Jain Judicial Services Topper – Delhi Judicial Services Examination 2018 achieved 88th Rank
Patience, self-motivation, and immersing myself in preparation are the secrets of my success.
“Pratiyogita Darpan” arranged an exclusive interview with Ms. Kanika Jain who has been selected for Delhi Judicial Services Examination, 2018. She deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on her glorious achievement. This important, thought-provoking, and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.
PD—Achieving the top slot in the DJS-2018 Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.
Ms. Kanika—Thank you very much.
PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this?
Ms. Kanika—After my preliminary examination result, I was confident that I was proceeding in the right direction. After my mains result, I was confident enough to clear the interview but one can’t be completely sure in competitive exams. I was not 100% sure that I could get selected
When I saw my result I felt very happy; that was the happiest moment of my life.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success?
Ms. Kanika—This was my second attempt. Previously, I had given DJS in May 2018 but I had just started the preparation then only. I gave that attempt just for the experience.
PD—You must have read Judicial services toppers’ interviews in newspapers/magazines; what inspired you the most? Is any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result?
Ms. Kanika—The main thing which inspired me the most was the hard work. What matters most is perseverance and self-confidence and learning from failures.
PD—What was your approach towards Preliminary and mains exam preparation? How long time and how much effort did you divide on the different papers?
Ms. Kanika—It took me around 9 months to complete my syllabus for the exam. I prepared for preliminary and mains simultaneously. The first and the foremost things required for this exam are the bare acts. I thoroughly read the bare acts of all the subjects. Along with that, I read the important books and I used to make notes from them. For the preliminary exam, each and every provision of bare act is important but for the mains, one can skip certain topics and focus on the important ones after analyzing the previous years’ papers. For my preliminary exam., I solved previous years’ Mcqs of other states’ questions repeatedly. It helped me a lot in revising my concepts and to understand the nature of the exam. pattern. For the mains examination, firstly I went through the past papers to understand what they are asking in the papers and I planned my strategy accordingly. I prepared all the important topics and constantly revised them.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims?
Ms. Kanika—In the DJS exam there is one-third negative marking. So one has to be cautious while marking the answer. Therefore, first of all, I attempted all the questions in which I was pretty much sure. Then I took the risk only in those questions in which I was able to eliminate 2 options and could make a guess between 2 other options.
PD—The first step is the most difficult; how to prepare? What to read ? How much to read ? Many such questions come to your mind when you really get serious about Judicial Services Examination? From where did you get the right advice?
Ms. Kanika—When l decided to prepare for the services I was very much confused about how to start my preparation. I had decided to prepare it by myself and not to take coaching. I consulted some of my seniors who are already serving as judges in Delhi and other states. They helped me a lot to start the preparation. With their guidance, I was able to choose good books and materials. Then gradually, during my preparation, I learnt the art of what to study and what to leave and which areas to focus. Previous papers also helped me a lot to design my strategy for the exam.
PD—What was your strategy for Mains (Written)?
Ms. Kanika—In Delhi mains exam consists of 4 papers. First is current and language paper, second is criminal laws and the 3rd and 4th are civil laws 1 and 2 respectively. As I said earlier even for the mains examination bare acts are the most important. They are the bible of the judicial services exam. One can’t expect to clear the exam without reading them. In Delhi’s mains examination, they are more concerned about checking the concepts of law by asking application bases questions. Bare acts are provided in mains in Delhi. So one needs not to worry about memorizing the important sections. All that is needed is the conceptual understanding so that one can apply the law to the questions asked. Therefore, I focussed more on concepts for the mains so that I could apply the law there. For the current paper, I read all the important recent land-mark judgments of the Supreme court and the Delhi high court. For this, I referred to live the law. For the other current part, I read The Hindu daily and current magazines. For the essay, I had prepared some important topics mostly related to law which I thought could be asked in the exam and I prepared some points on those topics. I practiced previous years’ law papers of Delhi itself and I focussed on judgement writing in those papers.
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper? Which topic did you pick up this time for the essay ?
Ms. Kanika—Essay carries important weightage in Delhi. We have to write 2 essays out of 5 options given. So one can’t take it lightly. For the essay, I selected some important topics which I thought could be asked after analyzing the previous years and current scenario. I prepared short notes on those topics so that in case the topic asked was related to them, I had certain points in mind which I could write in the essay. I practiced at least 20 essays before the mains.
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?
Ms. Kanika—Definitely, time is very important while preparing and completing the syllabus and to complete the paper as well. When I started my preparation, I used to make my time table on a daily basis and tried to stick to that. I did not make a very hectic schedule. I tried to complete my syllabus according to time table only. Before the exam when I practiced mocks I did that according to time fixed for the exam. So that I could complete my paper well in time in the actual exam. In this preliminary exam many students face time issue as we have to complete 200 questions in 2 hours. That is really challenging. Therefore previous practice as per the time is very important. Now coming to mains of DJS, all the 4 papers are very lengthy and to complete the entire paper is itself a big challenge. Therefore, time-management is very much needed in the mains. I had to leave one question each in civil and criminal laws papers due to the time constraint. If one writes only what is asked in the question one can complete the paper well in time.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? When and which Board did you face ? How did your interview go on, how long did it last and what were the questions asked ?
Ms. Kanika I had no experience of any interview prior to this since this was my first interview. I attended mock interview classes for my interview. Firstly I divided my inter-view into 3 parts; first part is personal questions. For that I prepared about myself, my family and my educational background.
Second is the law based questions; for this I revised all the important concepts of law and the landmark cases. I focussed more on constitutional law and procedural law.
Third is the current affairs based questions. For this part I focussed on newspapers, magazines and internet for the current topics and I practiced them. There was only one Board for the interview for all the students. Interview Board consisted of three Delhi High Court judges, one Law Secretary and Secretary of Delhi. My interview lasted for about 5-6 minutes. Firstly they asked me about myself and my law college and mostly personal questions. Then they asked 3-4 situation based questions and lastly they asked me about some qualities and characteristics of a judge and related questions.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Judicial Services Exams ?
Ms. Kanika—After completing my law degree, I started my prepara-tion for judicial services only. So I was not looking for any other career options.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards judicial services ?
Ms. Kanika—These days job opportunities are increasing which offer good salaries also. But what I think is the most important thing in life is the inner satisfaction and the mental peace that I could get in judicial services. You take your work seriously and not as a burden and you not only feel good about yourself but also you can make a difference in people’s lives which is a very important aspect of judicial services.
PD—In your opinion what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Judicial Services Examinations ?
Ms. Kanika—According to me when someone starts the preparation for judiciary, it takes around 9–12 months to prepare the whole syllabus and to get familiar with the exam pattern. After that the most important thing required is the constant revision. One can only keep in mind the legal principles by repeatedly revising them.
PD—Was this your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Ms. Kanika—Truly speaking, it was both. It was my parents’ wish from the very beginning that I could get into a respectable government service and when I joined my law college my father always encouraged me to prepare for judicial services and, later on, I also realised its importance and started to prepare for it.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Judicial Services ?
Ms. Kanika—Competitive magazines play a very crucial role during the preparation for judicial services. They keep us updated of all the important current events happening around us.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Ms. Kanika—I find Pratiyogita Darpan very helpful during my preparation. It helped me to prepare my current affairs well for the exam. Whenever, I missed to read the newspapers, I referred to Pratiyogita Darpan for the current topics. I always read the toppers’ column which inspired me during my journey and kept me motivated whenever I felt depressed and frustrated during my preparation.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Ms. Kanika—First of all to my parents and my family. My parents always encouraged me whenever I faced any difficulty. Next I would say that I was blessed with good teachers and some of my friends who helped and guided me during my preparation and helped me to fight all the odds.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants
Ms. Kanika—I would say that the rate of success in life is directly proportional to perseverance and patience. Never lose hope in yourself. Just keep on doing. Success may come at a later date for some persons. But it will come definitely. Hard work and patience are the two important keys for getting success in any competitive exam.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.