RAHUL SANKANUR, RANK 17

Every success story is a story of great failures. I believe I am a good example for it. Let me dwell on the mistakes I did in my CSE journey:

• Rahul had a lackadaisical approach towards answers writing and always felt he was not able to ‘manage’ it in exams.His writing speed was slow and handwriting was really bad (especially towards the end of paper). In Mains, the content and quality of last 4-5 answers in every paper was very bad due to bad time management.
• He followed the same strategy that He followed for Mains. He would only read current affairs magazines instead of forming my own opinion on various issues.
• This CSE journey is going to be a challenging journey. It will have its highs and lows. But always have your goal motivate you. You will be amazed with the dedication and hard work which you will be putting in the time to come.

Prelims Strategy

• Generally, when we write mock tests, we tend to look only at our marks and our relative performance. Mocks will be more effective if we analyse the mistakes committed and identify why we made mistake. Was the mistake committed due to carelessness in reading or was in due to lack of understanding etc.
• Generally, we tend to read those subjects in which we are already good at :). It is here that we need to really identify our weaknesses and give more importance to them.
• Mantra to clear Prelims:-”Concept Clarity, Limited Sources, MULTIPLE REVISIONS”.

Mains Strategy:

• Here again, identifying our mistakes is the key. For some it may be answer writing, for some it may be basics. Some may have issue with optional and essays.
• Present trend in GS is that the UPSC is asking very generic questions. When such questions are asked, we tend to give generic answers leading to average marks. It is here that we need to become creative and mention interesting examples, facts, and figures to get those extra 1-2 marks.
• Let the answer structure be as simple as possible. You may follow the below mentioned structure:
• Introduction consisting of Definition/Interesting fact/Present Context
• Main body wherein you may write in points format. If sub-questions are asked,answer them separately.
• Conclusion may be some recommendations/some emulative models etc.

PERSONALITY TEST:

1. It took him 2 summons to UPSC Bhavan to realise that it's not an Interview but Personality Test. What they are looking for is not a candidate who is perfect in facts but an honest and compassionate aspirant.
2. The biggest issue you will face is not 'knowledge deficit' but concerns such as ‘lack of confidence, panic’.
3. It is better to introspect on one's personality, one's strengths and weaknesses than spend time mugging up facts. If one is composed in front of the panel, decent marks can be obtained.

MY SUPPORT SYSTEM

• The greatest sin is to think that you are weak.
• Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.
• Arise, Awake and stop not until the goal is achieved.