Tahreem Khan, 4th Rank in her 1st attempt in U.P. Judicial Service Exam., 2015

“Diligence, determination and dedicated hard Work are the secrets of my success”

                                                                                                                 -Tahreem Khan

‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Ms. Tahreem Khan, who is selected in Uttar Pradesh Judicial Services Examination. She deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on her 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 Uttar Pradesh Judicial Services Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.

Ms. Tahreem—Thank you so much.

PD—‘Success is sweet’ were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ?

Ms. Tahreem—Yes, I was confident of my success but achieving such a good rank was something I never dreamt of. I was of course very happy and content with this achievement as I have worked really hard over the years to achieve it.

PD—The top rankers are admired by all for their accomplishment and are a source of inspiration and motivation for future aspirants. Before your success, what was your opinion about these toppers ?

Ms. Tahreem—I always held toppers in high regard because I could feel how much effort, patience and hard work they would have done to attain that position. In today’s time deciding to go for competitive exams and working towards it day and night is a difficult choice to make and if you decide to go for it and accomplish it with a top rank is indeed a great achievement to reckon with. I always used to imagine toppers as people whom you can look upto for admiration and learning but after being there myself I can say with consistent hardwork and patience any one can be on the top.

PD—Was Judicial Service your planned decision or your parents’ wish ?

Ms. Tahreem—It’s a combination of both the things. My parents never wanted me to take up campus placement or go for a career in corporate sector. My father always says that achieving things through competitive exam is gratifying.

PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?

 Ms. Tahreem—In my opinion one year of preparation after college is sufficient to appear for the examination. Usually, it takes around one to one and a half year for the entire process of judicial service examination to complete. So I had a time frame of two years for this examination and I have been lucky as I got through it in my first attempt.

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. Tahreem—Time management is one of the most essential things required for having a focussed preparation in a time bound manner. Completing the entire syllabus and revisiting it again and again before the exam is important for a comprehensive preparation. I used to divide the entire month into three slots and in each slot I tried to cover one big subject like Indian Penal Code etc. with two small subjects like law of limitation or specific relief act. I always had a time schedule of 8 hours and I used to adhere to it strictly. Time management during examination is also very important as during examination one has to perform under pressure. My focus was always on completing the entire question paper as that will give you scope of scoring in the examination. I used to divide questions according to time and focussed upon completing paper section wise.

Bio-data

Name—Tahreem Khan Father’s Name—Mr. Aftab Alam Khan Mother’s Name—Mrs. Zahida Khan Date of Birth—July 21, 1992 Educational Qualifications— 10th—2005, CBSE, St. Anthony’s School (82·6%) 12th—2007, CBSE, PMS Public School (87%) B.A. L-L.B. (Honours)—2007-2012, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow [99(9·90/10 CGPA)] L-L.M.—2014-2016, University of Lucknow (64·6%)

PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ?

Ms. Tahreem—This was my first attempt.

PD—The first step is the most difficult; From where did you get the right advice?

Ms. Tahreem—I had a judicial background so the premise for my preparation was rocksolid. I joined Rahul ias Coaching Institute in Delhi for further preparation of judicial service examination. It is this place which gave me the correct orientation and guided me in every step of the way. Classes given at Rahul ias gave an edge to my preparation and the study material provided by them was highly pertinent to the syllabus of this examination.

PD—What was your approach towards Law and General Studies paper during Preliminary Examination preparation ?

Ms. Tahreem—Prelims exam consists of law paper and general studies paper. For the law paper I focussed mainly upon bare acts and I prepared them thoroughly alongwith my class notes. For the general studies paper I concentrated equally upon the factual general knowledge and current affairs.

PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ?

Ms. Tahreem—For the main examination one has to deal with vast syllabus and paucity of time. My strategy was to channelise the entire preparation paper wise as each paper had a number of subjects. I also focussed upon writing skills as flair of expression.

PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test) ? When and which Board did you face? How did your interview go on, how long did it last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?

Ms. Tahreem—I faced the interview Board of Mr. Sanjay Yadav. My interview lasted for around 30 mins. The Board was very cordial and they asked purely legal concepts. Their focus was mainly upon constitutional laws, criminal laws, administrative laws and local laws of U.P.

Personal Qualities

Strong Point—Strong build to achieve my dreams. Weak Point—Uncompromising. Hobbies—Reading, Sports and Cooking.

PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Judicial Services ?

Ms. Tahreem—To hold a judicial post is a matter of class and dignity and I believe whatever career choice one makes should be self satisfying. Big pay packages at mammoth corporate houses or law firms may be tempting at the beginning of one’s career. Serving as a judicial officer provides me with an opportunity to serve the cause of justice.

PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ?

Ms. Tahreem—Pratiyogita Darpan is one of the most important periodicals which the aspirants carry with themselves. The magazine offers upto date matter of current affairs, general knowledge and general awareness. During the course of my preparation, I thoroughly went through monthly issues of Pratiyogita Darpan. The best feature of this magazine is that it provides extensive material in a precise manner.

PD—What is the secret of your success ?

Ms. Tahreem—Diligence, dedication and determination are the secrets of my success.

PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?

Ms. Tahreem—I am blessed that there is just not a single person behind this success but a number of people. I am thankful to Almighty for betowing upon me this success and I am also thankful to my parents, my entire family, Arif sir and Rahul sir for their unconditional support and guidance.

PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.

Ms. Tahreem—For the future aspirants, I want to say work hard and keep your spirits high.