Shri Sagar, attained 6th Rank in 3rd attempt Civil Services Examination, 2017
“Deep study and its serious analysis , staying calm and incomparable guidance are the secrets of my success.”
-Sagar kumar
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Sagar Kumar who has been selected in Civil Services Examination 2017, conducted by UPSC. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his outstanding 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 Sagar—Thank you so much.
PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news ?
Shri Sagar—I was confident that I would be making into top 200 of the list. But the kind of rank I got did take me by surprise.
PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ?
Shri Sagar—I have chosen IPS because I have always been attracted towards uniformed services. There is a sense of honour and dignity attached to uniform services.
PD—What was your optional subject ?
Shri Sagar—Optional Subject : Mathematics.
PD—I how many attempts have you achieved this success ?
Shri Sagar—3 (Three).
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 Sagar—I have been motivated by Dr. Shah Faesal, IAS, Dr. Roman Saini, IAS etc. Nothing in particular.
PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper-II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims Preparation ? How long time and how much effort did you divide for each ?
Shri Sagar—I was confident about CSAT (Paper-II) due to my engineering background. Hence, I devoted my entire time to GS Paper-I. I read standard books, revised them regularly and attempted test series.
PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ?
Shri Sagar—By giving test papers in test series, I came to know about my optional attempt. I attempted only those questions in which I was either 100% sure or had confusion in two options.
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 Sagar—I did a lot of self analysis and I took time to analyse my strengths and weaknesses. I had interest in Mathematics. Hence, chose the same for optional.
I started reading newspapers daily. It was the most important pillar of my preparation. I read less content, revised & attempted tests regularly.
I took advice from Pawan Kumar Institute for GS IV, gave mock interview at Vajirao & Reddy Institute.
PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?
Shri Sagar—In my previous attempts, though I read a lot of content yet I did not solve enough mock test papers. Hence, I could not clear prelims in my 1st two attempts.
PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what’s important and what’s not ?
Shri Sagar—It is important to take optional subject based on one’s interest. It is also important to consider resource. It is also important to consider resource availability, guidance available etc. One must not consider one optional as scoring over others.
PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ?
Shri Sagar—The parameters for selecting optional subject include interest in the subject, background, resource and availability of guidance.
PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Mains (Written) ?
Shri Sagar—I cleared Mains (Written) in my 1st attempt. I prepared a 200 words content on each Word of the GS Syllabus, revised multiple times, attempted mock tests strictly as per schedule. Reading newspapers on a regular basis helped me in writing beautiful answers in Mains GS papers. I attended answer writing classes at Vajirao & Reddy Institute.
| Bio-data |
| Name—Sagar Kumar
Father’s Name—Shri Mihir Kumar Jha Mother’s Name—Mrs. Savita Devi Date of Birth—26 February, 1994 Educational Qualifications— 10th—2009, CBSE (96%) 12th—2011, CBSE (93%) B.Tech—2011-15, IIT BHU (8·82) Previous Selections—AIR UPSC CAPF (ACs) Exam., 2016. AIR 135 SSC-CGLE 2016. |
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 Sagar—I did not take coaching or test series for essay paper. I wrote 5-6 essays at home and
got evaluated by freinds. I picked up an essay on farming and women empowerment. I picked them because I had content on both the topics.
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 Sagar—I allocated time for regular revision and for attempting mock tests. I gave equal time for GS and Optional. I also ensured that I gave enough time for practising answer writing.
PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? When and which Board did you face ? How did your interview go on, how much time did it last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?
Shri Sagar—I prepared a list of probable questions from DAF and prepared model answers for each and practised them. I gave 7-8 mock interviews at Vajiram, Sankalp, Next IAS, Vajirao Reddy, Chanakya etc.
I faced the Board of Dr. P.K. Joshi Sir. The interview went on for 25-30 minutes. The questions ranged from my home state, optional subject, work experience, current affairs, case studies based questions etc.
| Personal Qualities |
| Favourite person—My mother
Strong Point—Will Power, Laborious Weak Point—Haphazard at times in approach Hobbies—Teaching, Blogging, Jogging. |
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ?
Shri Sagar—I gave UPSC CAPF (Assistant Commandant) Exam. in which I Secured AIR 1 in 2016.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ?
Shri Sagar—I, previously, had worked with Samsung Research Institute, Bangalore, where I was earning a handsome salary. But, there I realised that money was not the sole motivating factor for me.
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 Examination ?
Shri Sagar—I think that during the final year of graduation, one should start preparation for Civil Services. Although it is important to score good in graduation, it takes a minimum of 1 year preparation to clear this examinaiton with a good rank
PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ?
Shri Sagar—I think that one can score equally good in both the streams. It is a matter of personal choice based on one’s inclination towards the subject.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ?
Shri Sagar—Again, medium does play a role, as online content availability is limited in English. But content availability online cannot stop a candidate from clearing the exam as ample resources for Hindi also are available online.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ?
Shri Sagar—I worked on a project called Manthan wherein I did a lot of study on women safety. Hence, I wanted to join Civil Services to implement those steps on ground.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Shri Sagar—I made up my mind to go for building a Career in ‘Civil Services’, while I was working in Samsung Research Institute, Bangalore.
PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?
Shri Sagar—I had no such time-frame in mind. Though I had appeared in other examinations, I always wanted to get into Civil Services.
PD—Was CSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?
Shri Sagar—It was kind of both—my own career choice as well as my parents’ wish.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Shri Sagar—It has an impact, but only to a limited extent. Nowadays, so much of relevant content is available online.
PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ?
Shri Sagar—I think they help a lot. It has a good collection of articles that are relevant from the examination point of view.
PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ?
Shri Sagar—Pratiyogita Darpan is a wonderful magazine, geared towards various competitive exams, including IAS. It covers current affairs extensively. It also covers toppers’ interviews which motivate aspirants.
PD—Please give your comments on the PD Extra Issues Series on ‘General Studies’ and a few Optional Subjects ?
Shri Sagar—PD Extra Issues Series is focussed towards the changing patterns of Civil Services . It has updated facts & figures which can be exclusively used for writing better answers.
PD—Did you refer to Pratiyogita Darpan–Year Book ? What is your opinion about the contents, size and the time of publishing ?
Shri Sagar—Yes, partly. It is good for crisp learning. It is a good handbook for state and Union Civil Services. More than 700 Q at the end is very helpful. But, needs updation at places.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Shri Sagar—Newspaper reading, Scientific revision, fast handwriting etc. are the secrets of my success.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Shri Sagar—I would like to give the credit of my success to my family, friends, institutes like Pawan IAS, Next IAS, Vajirao Reddy, Chanakya etc. for providing me guidance.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Sagar—Be strong, humble and hardworking. Prepare with full confidence. Don’t count on luck.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.