This was my third attempt. In my first attempt I could reach till mains stage while in my second attempt I got 269th rank and was allotted IRS (IT).

During prelims I gave more time for GS since chemistry wasn’t my optional for mains however this shouldn’t be done by candidates with common prelims & mains optional subject, inevitably division of time depends upon the relative comfort / weakness that a candidate has in GS and his optional.

For mains stage candidates should enroll into some test series and then should improve answers based upon feedback from teachers. Try to tap multiple sources via topic wise preparation based upon UPSC syllabus.

Often fine points such as underlining, clean handwriting and diagrams make the difference between average and good marks.

Chemistry

Geography & Public Administration

I chose chemistry because of the comfort level with the subject since my school days, however for mains I was not comfortable with it hence I chose Geography and Public Administration because I liked pointing map entries and due to the relevance in daily work later respectively.

For interview a comprehensive preparation is needed that must include knowledge acquisition of graduation subjects, bio data and current affairs. I focused on these specific areas.

I appeared in Purushottam Aggarwal sir’s panel, the interview lasted around 20 minutes.

My interview involved discussions on social issues, E-Governance, secularism and judicial review.

Work hard and have faith in god who’ll carry you through tough times. Also try to remain humble and work oriented once you get selected in this exam.

Passion for Career in IAS

It was during engineering that I realized that a corporate job won’t be able to satisfy my desire of bringing about wide-reaching development and I also thought it would be better to apply knowledge of IT acquired in Engineering for national needs via E-Governance.

Yes such doubts are natural in the initial stages, I got information from the internet through social networking sites such as orkut where toppers share their experiences.