{"id":64142,"date":"2020-08-26T15:00:23","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T09:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=64142"},"modified":"2020-08-26T15:15:53","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T09:45:53","slug":"do-not-carry-any-baggage-from-past-rank-79-divya-shakti-ias-from-muzaffarpur-bihar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/do-not-carry-any-baggage-from-past-rank-79-divya-shakti-ias-from-muzaffarpur-bihar\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Do not carry any baggage from past&#8221; &#8211; Rank 79 : Divya Shakti, IAS , from Muzaffarpur, Bihar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello everyone,\u00a0 I am Divya Shakti. I have secured Rank 79 in the Civil Services Examination 2019. I am from Muzaffarpur, Bihar. I have done my schooling from DAV Muzaffarpur till 10th and 12th from DPS Bokaro. I have done my engineering from BITS Pilani. I am B.E. in Computer Science.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">My father is a doctor by profession, my mother is aa home maker and I have an elder brother and sister.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I am An engineer who loves travelling and long distance running. I was attracted to civil services because of the job profile and its ability to impact the lives of general public.<\/p>\n<p>I was working before I left my job, and decided to prepare full time. I came to know about ForumIAS through one of my friends, who was appearing for the exam from sometime. At that time, I was in a dilemma wheather to join Forum or any other institute for my Mains Preparation. I am glad I chose ForumIAS for Mains &amp; Interview Preparation.<\/p>\n<h2>Personality\/Profile:<\/h2>\n<div class=\"content-box-blue\">\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Your Name:\u00a0 Divya Shakti\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Place of Birth:\u00a0 Muzaffarpur<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">How old are you? : <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">27 years<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Schooling done from Name and City and score?: Till 10th from DAV Muzaffarpur, +2 from DPS Bokaro<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">College from which City and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Gpa: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0BITS Pilani, Pilani, Rajasthan, 7.3<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">PG (if Any): I had a dual degree with Msc. in Economics align with B.E. in Computer Science<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">Did you write any other exam? I qualified Forest Pre and Mains to reach up to the interview level.<\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Who else is there in your family?: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0My father who is a doctor by profession, my mother a homemaker and elder brother and sister.<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Work-experience (if any):<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Two years from 2016-2018 in an investment bank<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Optional: Geography<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let us first see what she has to say about ForumIAS \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>THANK YOU NOTE BY DIVYASHAKTI<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-64755 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=750%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=1024%2C786&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=300%2C230&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=150%2C115&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=768%2C589&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?resize=1200%2C921&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-08-14-at-2.20.36-PM.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>ForumIAS\u00a0 \u2665\u00a0 Divyashakti<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Preliminary examination<\/h2>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">Please mention your strategy and books\/notes did you\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">referred<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0to for General Studies and CSAT?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">STRATEGY<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I\u00a0did entire GS preparation on my own\u00a0through self\u00a0study without any\u00a0coaching.\u00a0However wrote\u00a0mains test at <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>ForumIAS<\/strong><\/span> itself.\u00a0 Before\u00a0starting one\u2019s\u00a0preparation for GS, one must by heart the\u00a0syllabus. Then\u00a0try\u00a0reading each and every topic from the syllabus, follow and consolidate current\u00a0affairs\u00a0related\u00a0to it\u00a0and\u00a0prepare short notes for mains.<\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">BOOKLIST:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 109.5%;\" data-tablestyle=\"MsoNormalTable\" data-tablelook=\"1184\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Topic<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Resource<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:1440,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">History Ancient<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">Old ncert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">History Medieval<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">TN board<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">History Modern (Freedom Struggle)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">Spectrum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Culture<\/span> <b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">NCERT , Nitin\u00a0Singhania book selected chapters on\u00a0Buddhism and\u00a0Jainism, intangible heritage and paintings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Polity (<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">static<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0+\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">current affairs<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">\u00a0Laxmikant and The Hindu, Googled important topics and read them to understand the background.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Economy (<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">static<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0+\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">current affairs<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">Static: Mrunal and Curent affairs from The Hindu.\u00a0Googled important topics and read them to\u00a0understand the\u00a0background.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Science (<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">static<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0+\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">current affairs<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">\u00a0The Hindu,\u00a0pib, year review of Ministry of Science and Technology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Environment (<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">static<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0+\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">current affairs<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">Read Shankar IAS once for static portion. Current affairs from The Hindu, pib, year review of Ministry of Environment. Also referred to the websites of major Conventions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">G<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">eography<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">(<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Physical +<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Indian+World<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">I had geography optional so didn\u2019t study specifically for GS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 44.8678%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Current affairs<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 64.4655%;\" data-celllook=\"69905\">The\u00a0Hindu was my main and most important source\u00a0Up to\u00a0prelims. Post\u00a0prelims\u00a0I\u00a0followed The Indian Express. I prepared pre and mains\u00a0related handwritten notes for current affarirs. Followed it up by daily current affairs of one coaching site.\u00a0Didn\u2019t refer\u00a0to any monthly\u00a0compilation or PT 365s.<\/p>\n<p>I also googled any topic in news from PIB. This helped me get relevant news from\u00a0government\u2019s authentic sources.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How Many qu<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">es<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">tions did you attempt in GS? How<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0many did you get right?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>In\u00a0mains\u00a0I attempted all questions in GS, in\u00a0pre my attempts were somewhere around 78-80. However\u00a0I scored 116 and managed to get\u00a0through IFoS cutoff as well.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What do you think is the optimal number of questions to attempt in prelims? Do you advise accuracy or maximum attempts?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I believe the optimal number of attempts should be\u00a0around 80. But this is not a hard and fast\u00a0rule.\u00a0One must analyse her accuracy through\u00a0mocks to reach\u00a0upon individual optimal\u00a0number of attempts.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">If you had to prepare again would you change your strategy in any\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">way?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>For\u00a0prelims,\u00a0no. For mains\u00a0GS, no. But\u00a0I would improve my\u00a0optional. I\u00a0couldn\u2019t give much time to optional between pre and mains and\u00a0I think it would\u00a0have\u00a0definitely impacted\u00a0my score.<\/p>\n<h2>Mains Examination<\/h2>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How did you prepare GS\/GK<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>By heart the syllabus.<\/p>\n<p>Prepare static portion from basic books.<\/p>\n<p>Prepare one A4 sheet note on related current affairs, mostly in answer format I.e.\u00a0 relevant stats, committees, articles, reports and also positives and negatives along with a way forward. I revised these sheets multiple times to by heart it before mains exam.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How did you prepare English?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span>No\u00a0dedicated\u00a0preparation.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How did you cover Current Affairs <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">for Mains?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Followed the Indian express to identify syllabus related current affairs.\u00a0 Watched Rajya Sabha tv\u2019s The Big Picture regularly. It is really helpful as it gives both sides of a story along with a way forward.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What\u2019s your optional subjects and why? <\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Geography because I had an interest in the subject also because of its overlap with the GS papers.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">Please share your strategy and booklist for each of the optional?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Optional Paper 1:<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">STRATEGY:<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>I referred to my coaching\u00a0notes to prepare basic foundation for\u00a0both paper 1 and paper 2.<\/p>\n<p>Then\u00a0I picked up syllabus and took up each topic one by one.<\/p>\n<p>Used internet extensively to prepare A4 sheet for each topic.<\/p>\n<p>I made sure\u00a0I knew theories, geographers\u2019 names and diagrams related to each topic.<\/p>\n<p>Also focussed on\u00a0contemporary examples for each topic. For example\u00a0let\u2019s say, urban\u00a0conurbation,\u00a0I\u00a0gathered examples\u00a0related to India, world, recent conventions etc and used them\u00a0appropriately in paper 1 and 2.<\/p>\n<p>Also made sure each\u00a0page\u00a0had both maps and\u00a0diagrams while writing\u00a0answers. I could not give tests for my optional but tried\u00a0practising previous year question papers from each\u00a0unit.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">BOOKLIST:<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559731&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Basic material:<\/p>\n<p>Shabbir sir notes<\/p>\n<p>NCERT<\/p>\n<p>Reference material:<\/p>\n<p>Rupa Physical Geography<\/p>\n<p>Rupa Economic and Social Geography<\/p>\n<p>Geomorphology by Savindra Singh<\/p>\n<p>R D Dixit<\/p>\n<p>Optional 2<\/p>\n<p>Basic material, Shabbir sir notes<\/p>\n<p>DR Khullar, For paper 2, I used a lot of current affairs from GS paper 3. And completed topics like Culture etc from current affairs plus extensive use of internet and prepared one-pagers for even those fringe topics.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How important is answer writing?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0What was your style of answer writing?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Answer writing is of course critical for mains as no matter how much you know you must be able to present relevant content in your answer in limited time.<\/p>\n<p>My answer had\u00a0introduction, body, conclusion format. I mostly wrote in\u00a0pointwise format and used maps(since I had\u00a0geography\u00a0optional,\u00a0I used them extensively in IR, geography etc related answers).<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How many questions did you attempt? What strategy did you follow for mains examination in the examination hall?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I attempted all questions. I attempted the 15 markers\u00a0first in\u00a0around 1hr 45 mins to come back to 10\u00a0markers.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t use\u00a0blog and community as such\u00a0but\u00a0I DID\u00a0regularly\u00a0read <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/author\/neyawn\/\">Neyawn\u2019s<\/a> article. They are really motivating as they present a bigger picture of life beyond UPSC and are beautifully written. You can get strategy in many places, you can get technical stuff at other places, but the right mindset that is needed for the exam, I think the articles very well do that.<\/p>\n<h2>Interview<\/h2>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How did you prepare for the interview?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Did you attend any mocks?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I focused on building my understanding and opinion on ongoing issues. The next focus was on expressing my views in an organized and precise manner.\u00a0 I was a part of the online Group Mocks at Forum, and I remember online sessions taken by Forum very well.\u00a0 This was critical given that after lockdown mock sessions were not easily available.<\/p>\n<p>In the group sessions that we had, we were asked for forming groups among ourselves, and I religiously followed that.<\/p>\n<p>I formed a group with two other people. We used to discuss daily and held mock interviews on every alternate day. This really helped me a lot. I think candidates must develop the quality of forbearance before their personality tests.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">Which Interview\u202fBoard\u202fdid you face?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Smita\u00a0Nagaraj Mam<\/p>\n<p>I will share the detailed transcript on my website. But almost all the questions were on expected lines that is based on my DAF. There were questions from my state, my name,my hobbies and geography, which was my optional.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What qualities do you think are being tested in the Interview? Some strict Do\u2019s and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Don\u2019ts<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0for the Interview for aspirants and Interview candidates?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Read through the syllabus\u00a0of\u00a0personality test\u00a0thoroughly, it mentions\u00a0all the\u00a0qualities that the board intends\u00a0to test. I think forbearance is an\u00a0important quality too. Be\u00a0respectful, even if you\u00a0disagree, disagree\u00a0respectfully.\u00a0Don\u2019t bluff.\u00a0Don\u2019t hesitate to say\u00a0I don\u2019t\u00a0know. And most\u00a0importantly listen\u00a0before speaking.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">Do\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">you thing<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0marks in school or college and the job experience can impact one\u2019s score in the Interview?<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Ummm\u00a0..\u00a0I really\u00a0don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How was the interview experience? Was it predictable? How much did your preparation help?<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p>The board was extremely cordial. Almost all the questions were on\u00a0expected lines.\u00a0My preparation\u00a0definitely helped a lot.<\/p>\n<h2><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">Miscellaneous<\/span><\/h2>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How much internet did you use for your preparation? How much value did it\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">add?<\/span><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Since I\u00a0didn\u2019t take any coaching for my GS,\u00a0I\u00a0relied\u00a0heavily\u00a0on internet for my\u00a0preparation. It was my main source for GS prep apart from the\u00a0basic books.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">How did you balance so much resources and data? What Smart techniques did you use to manage your preparation in a better manner?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>As far as my\u00a0possible\u00a0I tried to keep my resources limited.\u00a0 I\u00a0referred\u00a0only to basic books.\u00a0Even while referring to the internet for any topic, I used\u00a0to\u00a0consolidate all the material gathered on a single A4 sheet\u00a0and revise that sheet\u00a0only.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What do you think is the most essential quality\/qualities needed to clear this exam?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>1. Clarity of purpose. I think this is the most important thing. It should not be due to peer or parental pressure. If one is not clear with purpose , she might give up at the very first hint of difficulty in the preparation journey.<\/p>\n<p>2. Do not carry any baggage from past. Make a routine, try you 100% to adhere to it, but in case you can\u2019t, don\u2019t fret over it for too long. This is the most common tendency among aspirants. Improvise, pivot and restart.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What is your advice to the young aspirants<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0who look up to you<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Please refer to the qualities I mentioned above. Apart from them staying focussed and NOT participating in random chai stall type gossip. Keep your circle limited and if possible, stay away from social media.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What is the best advice that you have received?<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>You cannot ensure that you will get through the exam but you can ensure that you put your 200% in it. Just do that.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What did all\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">hurdles<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> you face while preparing for it? And how did you tackle them?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I underwent many emotional ups and downs , like other\u00a0participants. But my\u00a0mother stood\u00a0beside me as my most\u00a0important pillar of support. My two friends Naincy and Nikky were\u00a0extremely supportive and ALWAYS available to\u00a0listen to me and boost me up.<\/p>\n<h4><span data-contrast=\"none\">What role did\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Forumias<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0play in your preparation? Do you have any suggestions for us<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>It\u00a0played a very\u00a0important role in\u00a0mains\u00a0preparation as\u00a0I wrote all\u00a0my mains tests here. For interview prep,\u00a0I\u00a0found\u00a0a group of two other\u00a0people\u00a0through a forum\u00a0IAS group\u00a0discussion\u00a0only.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/divya-shakti-ias-rank-79-forumias-student-download-mgp-copies\/\">Click here to download MGP Copies of Divya Shakti\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello everyone,\u00a0 I am Divya Shakti. I have secured Rank 79 in the Civil Services Examination 2019. I am from Muzaffarpur, Bihar. I have done my schooling from DAV Muzaffarpur till 10th and 12th from DPS Bokaro. I have done my engineering from BITS Pilani. I am B.E. in Computer Science. My father is a&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/do-not-carry-any-baggage-from-past-rank-79-divya-shakti-ias-from-muzaffarpur-bihar\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;Do not carry any baggage from past&#8221; &#8211; Rank 79 : Divya Shakti, IAS , from Muzaffarpur, Bihar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":64824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[1209,1212,1213,1211,1214,1210],"class_list":["post-64142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-public","category-toppers-story","tag-divya-shakti","tag-divya-shakti-ias","tag-divya-shakti-strategy","tag-divya-shakti-upsc","tag-divya-shakti-upsc-strategy","tag-ias-rank-79-divya-shakti","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Prelims-Last-Moment.png?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","views":{"total":23687,"cached_at":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}