Koya Sree Harsha,attained 6th Rank in 1st attempt Civil Services Examination, 2017
“Proper planning, Consistent hard work, Staying Positive and focused are the secrets of my success.”
– Koya Sree Harsha
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Koya Sree Harsha who has been selected in Civil Services Examination 2017. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his glorious achievement. 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.
Sree Harsha—Thank you.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Sree Harsha—1st attempt.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Sree Harsha—Anthropology.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Sree Harsha—I would suggest following steps in selecting optional.
(1) Choose the subject based on your interest, or which you can read without getting bored.
(2) Go through the syllabus and then if possible see the types of questions that have come in earlier papers.
(3) See the availability of subject material and also the guidance available for the subject.
(4) Select the optional which has some positive marking pattern over the years.
When you do these 4 steps you might end up with 2-3 optional subjects to choose from. You can talk to subject experts, teachers or people to further finalize the optional.
Other important thing—don’t take optional based on last year scores or your friend has suggested it or the teacher has suggested it. Do it only after giving thorough thought. It is make or break subject.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Sree Harsha—IAS, IPS (I put IPS second, so that even if get IPS I can appear for exam again to get IAS), IFS.
PD—‘Success is sweet’—were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?
Sree Harsha—I wrote mains exam with Dengue and Thypoid, I got them just a week before mains, so there was no time for me to study and revise in the last minute. I went back to my home town from Delhi, and spent 3-4 days in hospital and somehow I could manage to return to Delhi in time to write exam. My target was then to complete the exam paper and attempt all questions and not to think of the lost time for preparation. I used to take some energy drink (ORS or something) and a 5 start chocolate to the exam hall. Every paper I used to think, I should sit for exam 3 hrs and complete paper nothing more than that.
I actually did well in all those exams. I felt my name would be on the list, but didn’t have any idea of the rank.
PD—Today, IAS Toppers are icons and lots of media coverage makes them popular. Before your success, what was your opinion about these toppers ?
Sree Harsha—I was self-motivated and so I didn’t find any need to see anybody for inspiration.
I didn’t see all the videos of toppers, but used to see some bits and pieces, that too related to strategy so that I could take the best part from them.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Sree Harsha—As such I didn’t have the exact moment, but I think I realized the importance of civil service for a long time. Since my parents are teachers and I have grown up in village, then saw the urban life and problems, and how they could be solved, and also had few projects abroad during job etc. all made me understand more about civil services and its importance.
PD—Was CSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Sree Harsha—This was completely my decision to come to civil services. The good thing with my parents is that they have given me complete freedom to choose career I wish.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Sree Harsha—As such I wanted to get it as early as possible. Didn’t
want this preparation to go deeper and longer. I thought I would give the attempt with best of my abilities and full commitment.
PD—Time-Management is a key factor. How did you manage things ?
Sree Harsha—Time management for preparation for one year : I roughly followed the following strategy I should complete optional syllabus and one reading before November end or December first week.
| Bio-Data |
| Name—Koya Sree Harsha
Father’s Name—Koya Nageswara Rao Mother’s Name—Ms. Duggineni Sulochana Date of Birth—14 January, 1991 Educational Qualifications— 10th—2006, Passed Out 12th—2008, Passed Out NIT—2008-12, NIT Jamshedpur, Production and Industrial Engineering (8·5) |
I should bring down the time of reading news paper from 3 hrs. to 1.5 hrs in first 3 months. December–one month for ethics basic reading. January one month for basic reading of static parts like disaster, etc..
Before Jan I targeted to complete one reading of all the subjects for prelims. From January to June I was in prelims mode, I targeted to complete entire syllabus by March once again. Then again repeated reading 2-3 times before prelims.
Test series I solved from February till Prelims.
| Personal Qualities |
| Favourite person—My mother was my inspiration.
Strong Point—I can say mental toughness. I am so strong mentally Hobbies—I watch football, I watch movies and listen songs. |
PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where did you get the right advice?
Sree Harsha—Exactly this is very important question, which most candidates face problem initially. I was fortunate to have a friend who appeared for this exam. He guided me all along the preparation. He would say which books to read, how to read and how much to read. I would call him for any doubt regarding the preparation.
Since most people might not be having friends to guide them through and through, I would suggest them to have basic research about exam before preparation. You can see toppers or seniors blogs, videos and meet teachers as well. So that they are on the right path.
Last but not least, this exam is yours to crack and you should go the extra mile to master it. Even if you don’t have any guidance or mentor, there are several ways to prepare in a better way. Understand the exam and plan well.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Preliminary Examination preparation ? How long time and how much efford did you divide for each ?
Sree Harsha—For GS Paper I (General Studies).
I was confident about paper 2, as I have seen 2-3 papers of previous years. I focused everything on Paper 1 only. So there was no idea to divide time between papers. Like I have earlier mentioned my time line for preparation is all about GS.
My daily routine would be :
7 am – 8 am – wake up and break fast
8 am – 10 am – newspaper
10 am – 1 pm – GS (with a break in middle)
2 pm – 7 pm – GS (with a break in middle)
8 pm – 12 pm – GS (with a break in middle)
For GS Paper-II (Aptitude Test)
I was rather more confident about the paper 2 part. I solved 4-5 tests papers for CSAT 15 days before the exam. I also saw 3 previous years papers and felt confident and so I didn’t put any extra focus on this paper.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Sree Harsha—As I have mentioned earlier, I solved some 75 mock tests for prelims.
This helped me to get over the problem of negative marking. After every test I used to spend 3-4 hrs, analyzing the paper. I would look into where the questions have gone wrong, which areas and subjects, I would also see how many of my guess worked and what is their success rate.
I would also see why I marked an answer correct, to see if my understanding is correct.
When I first started the mock tests, I attempted some 55-60 questions with 70-72% accuracy, in analysis I realized with 55 questions and 70% accuracy, I was going now-here, so started working on accuracy, and over next 10 tests I realized no matter whatever I did I could not push that beyond 72%. So I sat back and planned to increase the number of questions I attempted. I pushed that to 90-92 and with accuracy of 70% I could overcome the burden of negative marks. This was my approach to overcome negative marks.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?
Sree Harsha—I felt mains is more about how we present our knowledge and understanding so far in a more rational and logical way. So I focused more on presenting the answer in better way, I wrote about 45 tests for mains.
In general my approach and few suggestions in this would be :
Few suggestions here.
Take a break for 5-6 days after prelims and start fresh and rejuvenated.
Since target is more about maximizing marks. I advise you to spend more time on subjects in following order.
Optional Subject :
Essay
Ethics GS 4
GS 3
GS 1
GS 2
PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper ?
Sree Harsha—The idea was to present the essay in a more structured and rational way. So I would first do some background work on last page for 25 minute on each essay; since my writing speed was good I could cover 12-15 pages in next one hour. First I would break the topic into questions and then would address them. Next I would note down all the points that came to my mind about topic on the paper. Once I have done this I would sit for making a structure of how I would present the argument. I would number the points there. Then I would go to writing the essay with the plan I made at the back
Topic I. Impact of new economic measures on fiscal ties between union and states in India. I wrote this one as I had more content on this field. This is moreover objective; there is less subjectivity in this field.
Topic II. Social media is inherently a selfish medium. Basic idea is that I don’t want to write the same essay every one writes like the new women and all. This I wanted to be a bit different.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ?
Sree Harsha—My interview was on the 2nd day (20th Feb), so there was about 1 month time for preparation. So I focused more on understanding about myself, more about the details in the DAF. I have kept touch with current affairs issues also.
My interview overall went well, it was more about opinion based questions and lasted 30 minutes, I was comfortable and the board was pleasant.
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Sree Harsha—No, this was only one thing in my mind while preparation.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Sree Harsha—Fortunate enough, I was not raised with craving for monetary offers etc. I worked for 4 years, and had also worked abroad in Japan and Brazil so the economic lucrative career options I have already left.
So I was comfortable with offering of civil services.
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 ?
Sree Harsha—I think one can start from last year of graduation or once you finish graduation. A serious and proper planned preparation can help clear this exam in first attempt. I am a standing example of one year preparation.
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ?
Sree Harsha—The idea with science subjects is that once you complete syllabus, you can score well. Only thing is completing the syllabus.
The advantage with humanities is that it helps you in other GS preparation. But at the end of the day, it is up to us how we do in the exam. Proper planning is again the key
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Sree Harsha—My understanding of this is—we should be able to communicate our thoughts clearly to the examiner or interviewer. If we could do this any language should be fine.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation?
Sree Harsha—Well education: It should not be a problem. I believe this is about the level of colleges or degrees. But with consistent preparation and extra hard work, the candidate should be able to overcome this part.
Financial Support : is major point, because the amount for coaching and stay is going higher yearly. For people who cannot afford can get in touch with some teacher, mentor, he can do self-preparation. Other thing they can do is to use the online internet sources efficiently. This can reduce economic burden.
Demographic Status : I don’t think will not disturb the preparation in anyway.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Sree Harsha—This exam has huge syllabus with lots of current affairs linkages. We should have current affairs issues understood and updated with us. Since the vastness and limited time are constraints, the magazines provide a compilation of current affairs and issues. They help easy reference to the candidates. The challenge is how the candidate utilizes the magazines.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Sree Harsha—There is no secret of success, but few points. Consistent hard work. I sat and read on Saturdays, Sundays, on holidays, festivals, even with fever and all. No short cut to consistent hardwork.
Proper planning. Because syllabus is very vast. Only if you can manage this well, you could complete the syllabus. Staying positive and focused. So many ups and downs will be there in preparation, but the key is not to get down after hitting some road block, but to rise again and rise strong.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Sree Harsha—There are lot of people who directly and indirectly contributed to my success, I would thank and credit them. Right from the doctor who helped me recover from Dengue to that daily laborer whom I saw and got motivated to push further. I credit my success to all those.
There is song in Telugu, which starts like this—aa challani samudra garbham, dachina badabanala-mentho… Which says thank you to all those unsung heroes……
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Sree Harsha—Stay motivated and stay positive. This exam doesn’t test your knowledge only but also how strong you are mentally. Plan properly and do hard work. There is no short cuts, only hard work.
PD—Thank You very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.