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2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras

from Kerala - Mrunal


http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 1/45
Mrunal
w $ motivation | Q 34
1 month ago
[Topper's Interview]
Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-
63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS
ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from
Kerala
CSAT

1. Candidate Profile
2. Education
3. Disclaimer about this interview
4. Introduction
5. Electronic Vs Paper material
6. Tempo and style
7. Working professional
8. Prelims (CSAT) General studies
9. Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
10. Prelim accuracy
11. Mains: Compulsory language paper
12. Mains: Essay

days
24

hrs
11

mins
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35
4What's New? ?
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Mrunal Sir, plz say sth.. y r
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uploads hallticket for CSAT-
2014, No change...
PREETI { I want to
downloada utube video
but in audio format not in
video. anybody plz help
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2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
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13. General studies (Mains) paper 1
14. General studies (Mains) paper 2
15. General studies (Mains) Paper 3 (Mrunal
rocks here!!!)
16. General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity,
aptitude
17. GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains
2013
18. Mains answer-writing?
19. Mains Optional Subject
20. Before the interview
21. During the interview
22. CSE-2013 Marksheet
23. Career Backup
24. Views on UPSC reforms
25. Insecurity about profile
26. Wisdom
27. Credit: Friends/family
28. BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
Candidate Profile
Name AKASH P
Rank in CSE-
2013
63
Roll No. 086809
Age 22
Total attempts
in CSE
1
Optional
Subject
MATHEMATICS
me how I can do it }
[ACIO] Result for ACIO
2013 exam declared,...
NARESH KURAPATI
{ Hi Mrunal, Can you go
over what chapters should
one selectively select for
reading from "Spectrum
Geography" ? Thanks for
your time. Naresh }
[Mains Answerkey] GS1-
Geography-2013 (part 1/3):
Analysis, booklist...
VARINDER { did
jogging for 2.5 kilometers
in the morning and
evening, along with that
severe dieting only juice
and salad, nothing else,
really and practiced
sprint... } [CAPF Topper]
Varinder Kataria Rank 94:
B....
VARINDER { thanx a
lottttttttttttttttttttt.......... }
[CAPF Topper] Varinder
Kataria Rank 94: B....
AKHANGAL { grrr,,
missed capf by 7 marks... }
UPSC uploads hallticket
for CSAT-2014, No
change...
VARINDER { I don't
know but from what i have
read on CRPF website the
training schedule is quite
hectic, so i don't think it
would be... } [CAPF
Topper] Varinder Kataria
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 3/45
Medium chosen
for Mains
answers
ENGLISH
Schooling
medium
ENGLISH
College
medium
ENGLISH
Home town/city Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Work-
experience if
any
NIL
competitive
exams,
including
success/failures
1. NSOs(National Science
Olympiad),
2. NMOs(Mathematical Olympiad)
occasionally cleared first rounds
but lost in finals;
3. NTS Scholar (2007);
4. KVPY (2008) passed aptitude
test but failed in the interview ;
5. IIT JEE (2009)-Rank 866;
6. Kerala Engg Entrance Rank 2;
7. AIEEE AIR 960 and State Rank 15;
8. CAT(2012) Exam failure -72
percentile!
9. Indian Forest Service (IFoS) 2013
Rank 27.)
Details of
CSAT mock test series by TIME for
paper-II. Nothing for paper-I. Joined
Kerala State Civil Service Academy in
August 2013 after prelims results
were out. Attended GS class for one
Rank 94: B....
SAURAV { Mrunal is
right when he says ""UPSC
is the biggest THUG of
south asia "" upsc has the
history of making a small
disease into... } UPSC
uploads hallticket for CSAT-
2014, No change...
{ Thanks } UPSC
uploads hallticket for CSAT-
2014, No change...
ABHAY { Darjano? Please
refer the passage theme
and i will get to know. i
would be glad to see some
of the mistakes. And Even
one... } UPSC uploads
hallticket for CSAT-2014,
No change...
MANASH { When are
you expecting committee's
report Guys? any idea.. }
UPSC uploads hallticket for
CSAT-2014, No change...
BALRAM SHARMA {
Hard luck preeti...and even
the selected candidates
don't know their marks...i
don't think there is any
provision in IB through
which u can see ur... }
[ACIO] Result for ACIO
2013 exam declared,...
DEEPALI { plz.mujhe
sanskrit bhi ati h, nd hindi
is not just tatsam wrds,it
has much more.atleast uski
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 4/45
coaching, mock
tests, postal
material for any
competitive
exam (if used)
month till the realization dawned
that GS is not something that can be
crammed inside any classroom!
Attended optional class-
mathematics- till November. So the
contribution of class room coaching
to my result is to be estimated by
the reader in their own judgment.
service
preference #1,
2 and 3
IAS, IRS (IT) & IRS (C&CE).
state cadre
preference
(top3)
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
Education
% in class 10 95.xx
% in class 12 96.xx
Schooling (Medium) ENGLISH
Graduation course and %
B-Tech Engg Physics,
CGPA 8.24
Name of college, city,
passing out year
IIT MADRAS, 2013
Post-graduation NIL
Any other professional
courses
NIL
Hobbies & Extra curricular
Reading, Teaching,
Puzzles etc.
language literature jaisi ya
kam se kam technical
subjects... } UPSC
uploads hallticket for CSAT-
2014, No change...
DEEPALI { oh come
on,agr equality ki hi baat h
to atleast gs ka hr que 2.5
mrks ka to hona
chahiye.kya lower
standard,? jo xm me... }
UPSC uploads hallticket for
CSAT-2014, No change...
SPIRITBREAKER {
really abhay????? pure
hindi????? steel plant= lohe
ki ped laptop= godh sur.....
if this is pure hindi then
why dont u come to
mukerjee ngara... } UPSC
uploads hallticket for CSAT-
2014, No change...
KRISHNA BHUSHAN
{ Mrunal Sir, When will u
upload rest of Eco. Survey-
2014????I m disparately
waiting 4 ur rest of lecture
class......... } [Lecture]
Economic survey Chapter
5, 6 &...
RECRUITMENT
Exam Dates
IBPS:11 Oct to 2 Nov
SSC-CGL 2014:19 & 26 Oct
CAT:16 & 22 Nov
CDS:26 Oct
MAT: 7 & 13 Sep
Hal l t i ckets upl oaded?
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 5/45
Disclaimer about this interview
The answers to the questions posed are plainly
and honestly stated. You are free to read the
interview or not. If you believe that toppers
interviews are useless dont read. If you get
something out of this, I am happy, else, I am
sorry. I dont necessarily recommend my ways to
the readers- I am simply stating what I did. That
may not be the best way. I am making this
disclaimer because of the (controversies
surrounding my previous interview with Mrunal.).
In view of the adverse feedback following changes
were implemented in this interview:
1. Shorter and simpler sentences.
2. Skirting controversial issues and answering
diplomatically (but without lying, of course. I
shall not be a liar come what may).
3. Extra humility attempted in answering with lot
less adjectives and dramatics!
I hope everyone is happy by these changes!
Introduction
Q. Tell us something about yourself, your family,
when and why did you enter in this field of
competitive exams?
I belong to a typical average (tending to the lower
side) middle class family with an intrinsic
attraction towards govt. jobs. I am ambitious and
have had a reasonably successful academic
CSAT-2014: YES
RBI Officer: YES
UPPSC: YES
Banki ng
11-Aug: IBPS 2014
06-Aug: RBI Assistants
30-Jul: Indian Bank Specialist
On 2013 RRB scor e
19-Aug: Baroda Gramin
MBA
23-Aug: MAT-2014
06-Aug: CAT reg.Starts
Ut tar Pr adesh
16-Aug: UP Food safety insp.
02-Aug: UP assistant
IT/Computer
30-Aug: IITD Delhi system
admin(3)
19-Aug: SSC 10+2 Data Entry
Op
04-Aug: UP Agro project
Engi neer s
28-Aug: NIT Karnataka
25-Aug: EIL Delhi
23-Aug: BPCL Assam
22-Aug: Cement India
20-Aug: Himachal Engg.
14-Aug: IRCON Civil 20
07-Aug: Delhi Electrical 50
(2yrXP)
06-Aug: Oil India direct
interview
01-Aug: MECL: Asst.manager
Pol i ce/Defence/Intel .
01-Sep: Army Vets
31-Aug: Army Dental
29-Aug: Chandigarh Constbl
19-Aug: Hindi Translator ITBP
18-Aug: CDS (II)
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 6/45
career before joining IIT after qualifying for the JEE
entrance with no coaching (being too expensive
and inaccessible) and relying wholly on self-study.
In IIT I constantly suffered setbacks, crises and
confusion. But a special seminar conducted at
college by the alumni association which was
presided by 3 IAS officers who themselves are
IITians gave a fresh perspective on my career
choice and I decided to go for the civil service.
Regarding competitive examinations, I had
regularly tasted success with intermittent failures
till I crashed disastrously in CAT 2012 which was a
wakeup call for me to shed my complacency and
practice CSAT Paper-II rather than take it lightly,
thinking that its a trivial exercise. I enrolled for
TIME mock test series, comprising of 10 tests and
I can vouchsafe for its quality and authenticity. I
scored around 190 for CSAT-II.
Electronic Vs Paper material
Q. In recent times, there is spur in electronic
material- blogs, sites, pdfs, RSS-feeds. Many
aspirants feel bogged down by this information
overload. So, how much do you rely on electronic
material and how much on the paper material
(Books, newspapers)? If possible narrate a typical
day in your studylife. What is your style of
preparation (e.g. I continue making notes no
matter what Im reading, I just read multiple times
but dont maintain notes, I make mindmaps on
computer or xyz style)
Yeah, I agree that a deluge of information can
confuse and even de-motivate an aspirant. But
09-Aug: Airforce
Meteorological
08-Aug: Army NCC entry
05-Aug: Navy UES
05-Aug: BSF Subinsp.
02-Aug: CISF constables(1203)
31-Jul: ITBP sub-insp
Speci al i st
Entr ance
19-Aug: CSIR NET
04-Aug: CBSE CTET
BCom/HR/MBA
01-Sep: ICAR account, admin
30-Aug: Accountant NIFFT
Ranchi
25-Aug: CPET Chennai
25-Aug: EIL Delhi
11-Aug: SBI Mgmt.XO (2-5
yrXP)
31-Jul: HUDA account
31-Jul: UPSC Specialists various
Medi cal /Al l i ed
19-Aug: Haryana Dental
19-Aug: Raj.Medical
14-Aug: AIIMS
09-Aug: SAIL Doctors
09-Aug: SAIL Paramedics
28-Jul: Chandigarh Paramedics
Legal
25-Aug: Allahabad HC
clerk,review officer
11-Aug: Uttarakhand HC
deskjobs
Sci ence/ Agr i /Other
30-Aug: Lab Attendent NIFFT
Ranchi
14-Aug: ISRO assistants 233
29-Aug: Raj.Agro research
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 7/45
I was not bogged down by the information
explosion as I was very selective in referring
material online. I did read many sites like
Mrunal.org, insightsonindia.com, pib.nic,
idsa.in etc to get specific material and I didnt
take any resolution to cram all the data
available and only took what I felt was relevant
for my preparation.
I relied extensively on newspaper (HINDU),
magazine (FRONTLINE) and journal (EPW) and I
bet that almost, if not all, questions of GS in
IFoS and CSE can be answered from these
sources (probably except the history and
culture part).
I had no particular style, order, time-table,
pattern etc in my preparation. I randomly did
whatever I felt was useful in my preparation
and frequently took outings to relax. There
was no detailed strategic war plan or anything.
No maps, no notes, just reading and left
everything else to luck/destiny.
Tempo and style
Q. People know what books and syllabus points
are to be prepared. But most of them lack
consistency in their preparation. So, how do you
keep study momentum going on? How do you
fight against the mood swings and distractions?
I read on an average 6-8 hours per day. There are
days when I dont study at all- visiting relatives,
entertaining guests etc. Surely preparation for the
civil services is such a drab thing capable of
psyching out even the most persistent player and
one wishes the drudgery would end soon.
25-Aug: CSIR-SERC
22-Aug: Raj.Univ.Lab
Attendents 11
22-Aug: ONGC Technician 137
20-Aug: NCL scientist
18-Aug: Karnataka Urban
14-Aug: SSC Western Specialist
10-Aug: Gujarat Forensic
31-Jul: UPSC Specialists various
28-Jul: NIFTEM non faculty
Mi sc. Deskj obs
30-Aug: clerks NIFFT Ranchi
19-Aug: SSC 10+2 Data Entry
Op
22-Aug: Raj.Univ.Clerks 29
14-Aug: BankPress Dewas
12-Aug: Western Rail Sports
01-Aug: MECL:
foremen,driver,mechanic(99)
31-Jul: Rohtak deskjobs
31-Jul: NGT
Secretary,Steno,Translators
Facul ty Jobs
31-Aug: NIFM
29-Aug: Raj Lecturer
22-Aug: Kota univ.
16-Aug: Shimla Nutrition
14-Aug: Raj.Chemistry
11-Aug: Jammu Uni
05-Aug: RIMSNR
05-Aug: PGIMER
31-Jul: UP Paramedic
War ni ng
Online Form Part-1 stops
few days b4 deadline.So
DONOT wait till last date.
DONOT forget/misplace
reg.id, Roll number.
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 8/45
Momentum was maintained by constant self-
motivation and by taking rest and frequently
undertaking outings.
I believe that a strong desire coupled by the
determination to see the end of it would help one
to succeed in any endeavor that one pursues in
life.
Working professional
If youre a working professional, share some tips
on how to manage studies with job
The reason why I declined a private sector job was
that I wanted to completely concentrate in civils.
Of course, people in the past have cleared civils
concurrently working privately. But if your family
can afford to wait for a few months without you
earning, then, I believe, it is better to dedicate full
time into civils supported with a reliable back up
plan.
Prelims (CSAT) General studies
Topic strategy/booklist/comment
History Ancient
Largely left. Didnt think its
worth doing PhD for a few
marks. Tried to scramble for
my high school history books,
not much success.
History Medieval Same
History Modern
(Freedom Struggle)
Spectrum publications brief
history of Modern India
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 9/45
Culture society Left. Bought spectrum culture,
but was too boring.
Polity (theory +
current)
Indian Polity by M.Laxmikant,
hindu, frontline, EPW
Economy (theory +
current)
Mrunal.org, Ramesh singh,
hindu, frontline, EPW
Science (theory +
current)
Hindu S&T, Frontline.
Environment (theory
+ current)
Mrunal.org, Hindu, frontline.
geography physical left
geography India left
geography world left
other
national/international
current affairs
Hindu
Schemes, Policy &
Filler Stuff
Hindu, frontline, EPW
Q. Any observation / comments / tips about GS
prelim 2013 paper?
No time crunch in this paper. But one has to be
very careful in finding the correct answer out of
many choices which largely looks the same.
Prelims (CSAT) Aptitude
Topic strategy / booklist
Maths TIME mock test (10 nos)
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 10/45
reasoning TIME mock test (10 nos)
comprehension TIME mock test (10 nos)
Decision Making TIME mock test (10 nos)
Q.Any observation / comments / tips about GS
Aptitude 2013 paper.
No theoretical preparation, no coaching class
necessary. Just enroll for some mock tests.
Analyze performance regularly. Focus your care
on weak areas. This is the sure fire way to crack
CSAT.
Prelim accuracy
Q1. Did you attend any mock tests? do you think
theyre necessary for success?
Yes TIME series. They are good for improving
ones accuracy.
Q2. Approximate no. of attempted answers vs.
correct answers.in CSAT-2013
attempted
Q.
correct Questions
(Expected)
Official
score
GS 100 64 106.66
aptitude 80 77 190.83
total 297
Mrunal comments: you took unnecessary risk of
attempting all 100 questions in GS. Otherwise
your score may have been well above 310.
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 11/45
Mains: Compulsory language paper
Compulsory
language
paper
Your preparation strategy / booklist?
English
paper
Just went through previous paper. Took
the IFoS General English paper as a sort
of mock test.
your
regional
language
No preparation. Very confident and
fluent in Malayalam. Its advisable to
attempt a couple of previous papers in
examination conditions.
Q2.other observations / tips / comments on the
length / difficulty level of compulsory language
papers in CSE-2013
As Mrunal had pointed out early, the length of
these papers have somewhat increased. So the
focus should have to be on to write fast while also
being legible and careful.
Mains: Essay
Q1. How did you prepare for the essay paper?
I had prepared for writing in English by taking my
minor in English Literature at college. The exam
was my first effort in writing such a long essay
within a stipulated time. No special books,
institute or method of preparation. I did buy some
useless books like how to write an essay from
market but didnt have time to read them at all.
Q2. Which among the following essay did you
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 12/45
write? What key points did you include in it?
1. Be the change you want to see in others
(Gandhi)
2. Is the Colonial mentality hindering Indias
Success?
3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH
(Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the
right indices for judging the wellbeing of a
country
4. Science and technology is the panacea for the
growth and security of the nation.
Essay- the format of my essay was roughly like
this:
I chose the S&T essay. First went on to explain
science, technology and their mutual
interdependence in separate paragraphs. I
explored dimensions of growth and security. Then
I explained S&Ts relevance to the growth and
security of a nation especially in the Indian
context. Illustrated the cardinality of S&T using 5
examples:
My memory is very sketchy, so I think these may
roughly be the way it was:
agriculture- food sufficiency-food security
Energy security-renewable energy-
nuclear- atomic-space national security
S&T- growth- tech exporter etc.
health sanitation, medicine etc
education- knowledge creation-intellectual
hub
After elaborating these in many pages, I
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 13/45
concluded by saying that though S&T alone cant
solve everything but it is an imperative to develop
it. Its a necessary but not sufficient condition.
It was a flamboyant essay with many high-
sounding words. Got reasonable 125, but was
expecting more. Ill share my answer sheet once it
is out.
General studies (Mains) paper 1
I did not take any coaching notes. Attend Kerala
State Civil Service Academy classes for GS for a
month. It was all crap kind of university kind of
clichd things that they dictate in class which I
found to be totally irrelevant.
My marks in GS are also poor- only 294/1000- so I
dont think that I am fit to suggest you how to
prepare for it. But anyways for the sake of it.
I largely neglected GS 1 as I disliked history,
geography etc at school. So I did pretty little for
this paper. Yet I give below some references
which I more or less followed.
Anyways, here starts the list:
Topic How did you prepare?
culture
Left.Mrnual comments: Ustaad,
youre awesome in your own
capacity.
Indian history
Spectrums brief history of Modern
India
world history
Crash course in world history by john
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 14/45
green- you tube videos, Mrunal.org.
post-
independence
India
Ram Guha, India after Gandhi.
Indian society
Wrote sociology questions without
any reading. Answered using
intuition and common sense.
role of women,
poverty etc.
Do
globalization
on Indian
society
Do
communalism,
regionalism,
secularism
Do
world geo
physical
Mexus videos in you tube.
resource
distribution
Do
factors for
industrial
location
Mexus +Mrunal.org/geography
earthquake
tsunami etc
Mexus
impact on
flora-fauna
left
General studies (Mains) paper 2
Topic How Did You Prepare?
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 15/45
Indian Constitution,
devolution, dispute
redressal etc.
M.Laxmikants Indian
Polity
Granville Austins working
of a democratic
constitution is excellent.
comparing
Constitution with
world
Mrunal competition.
parliament, state
Legislatures
laxmikant
executive-judiciary do
ministries
departments
left
pressure group,
informal asso.
left
Representation of
peoples act
Google search
various bodies:
Constitutional,
statutory..
laxmikant
NGO, SHG etc left
welfare schemes,
bodies
Hindu, economic survey
social sector, health,
edu, HRD
Economic survey, planning
commission draft plan.
governance,
transparency,
accountability
Didnt read much
e-governance Google search
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role of civil service
2nd ARC
Laxmikants Public
Administration book
India& neighbors
Mrunal.org, Mrunal
competition, hindu,
Tharoors Pax Indica is
excellent.
bilateral/global
grouping
Do
effect of foreign
country policies on
Indian interest
Do
diaspora Left
international bodies-
structure mandate
Wiki.
General studies (Mains) Paper 3 (Mrunal rocks
here! !! )
Topic How Did You Prepare?
Indian economy,
resource
mobilization
Ramesh singh, Mrunal, draft
plan, eco survey
inclusive growth Draft plan, survey
budgeting left
major crops,
irrigation
Majid Hussain geography
agro produce
Draft plan, survey
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storage, marketing
e-technology for
famers
do
farm subsidies, MSP do
PDS, buffer, food
security
do
technology mission do
animal rearing
economics
left
food processing Draft, survey
land reforms Majid husain
liberalization Ramesh singh
infra Draft, survey
investment models left
science-tech day to
day life
Hindu s&t, frontline
Indian achievements
in sci-tech
do
awareness in IT,
space, biotech, nano,
IPR
do
environmental
impact assessment
Mrunal competition
Disaster
Management
do
non state actors,
internal security
do
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internal security
role of media, social
networking site
do
cyber security do
money laundering do
border Management do
organized crime,
terrorism
do
security agencies-
structure mandate
Do. Mrunal competition really
rocked in this part!! Thank you
Mrunal for that.
General Studies 4: Ethics, Integrity, aptitude
For this paper, I largely relied on internet-
Wikipedia, insightsonindia.com etc and also
the few Mrunal articles. I also did buy a book
(worth around Rs 250) brought out by JTS
which was a shoddy copy paste job but had
some essential concepts explained. So much
for my material sources and I am leaving the
following table blank as it is difficult to
delineate the sources of every topic.
I did not prepare any moral thinkers.
ne important word of wisdom- UPSC doesnt
tolerate nonsense. Answers should be rock
solid and objective. When they say the
content of answer matters and not its length,
they really mean it!
GS4 Ethics case study answers in Mains 2013
Q. in GS4 ethics papers, please give a sketchy
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overview of your case study answers:
case your approach/keypoints
1: RTI: To hide or not to
hide
I have filed an RTI to
retrieve my evaluated
answer sheets. I will
send a copy to you
once I have it.
Mrunal comments:
Youve 96 marks in
ethics. We certainly
look forward to see
your answercopy.
Thanks in advance.
2: Engineer: Bogus flyover
vs deadline
3: Child Labourers in
Sivakasi
4: Nepotism in Job
recruitment
5: Leaking information
6: Narrate one incident in
your life when you were
faced with such crisis of
conscience and how you
resolved the same.
Mains answer-writing?
Q. How was your experience with the fixed space
answer sheet?
I believe that the fixed space was a boon, except
the Paper-I in Mathematics optional (very less
space indeed) as it provided abundant space to
write our answers without bothering about messy
question numbers and leaving space for
unattended questions to return later. But they
gave too much space for GS tempting us to write
more than what was necessary.
Q. Did you write answers in bullet points or in
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paragraphs? Some players (who cleared mains
and got interview call letter) were claiming that
they wrote entire paper in bullet points, so it
doesnt matter.whether examiner is asking
examine, comment, discuss or xyz.simply write
in bullets and points.
I wrote in paragraphs, but that seems to have
backfired given the marks obtained in GS. I
attempted all the questions and that was useless
as well. Probably its better to answer clearly
highlighting the points only those questions
which you have at least some idea. Dont just bluff
or beat around the bush and give concrete
answers.
Q. Did you follow the introduction-body-
conclusion format? because some mains-
qualified candidates claim they simply wrote the
points they could recall within the time, instead of
bothering with proper introduction and
conclusion.
There was only 7 minutes and 12 seconds for a
question and I dont think there will be any time to
write a structured answer. I just scribbled
whatever came to my mind in random order and
that reflects in the (poor GS) marks too.
Q. In GS papers, Since UPSC came with those 100
and 200 words questions. What was your
approach in the exam (I wrote all, I only focused
on the questions where I could answer perfectly, I
just not to high quality points to reach the word
limit etc.)
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I attempted all the questions and when I was not
confident I wrote low quality filler answer. That
strategy clearly backfired as evidenced by my
abysmal performance in GS. So, I think it is better
to answer only those questions that one is sure of
and present them systematically and in an
organized fashion.
Mrunal comments: Akash bhai, your previous IFoS
interview also generated lot of comment-wars
about this attempt everything strategy.so, I
take this opportunity to point out a few things,
without meaning any disrespect to any toppers or
readers:
1. Sakshi (Rank 6) left ~7 questions, but she too
tried to maximize attempts by making
educated guesses (her words).
2. Neha (Rank 12) attempted all questions except
one blunder in Tashkand agreement. (her
words)
3. Roman (rank 18) wrote something in all
questions. (his words)
Topper GS1 GS2 GS3 GS4 Total GS
1 Gaurav 85 63 88 102 338
2 Munish 89 66 85 111 351
3 Rachit 78 71 103 142 394
6 Sakshi* 93 62 88 109 352
12 Neha* 95 73 115 117 400
18 Roman* 97 61 108 98 364
63 Akash* 58 54 86 96 294
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*attempted almost every question in GS1 to 4.
Of course one can interpret this table in many
ways. But from the interviews of Sakshi, Neha
and Roman, we can see they had exhaustively
prepared every syllabus topic in general
studies paper 1 to 4.
On the other hand, you Akash bhai (on your
own admission) had left certain syllabus
topics in GS1 and 2 altogether while studying.
(Perhaps therefore) low score in GS1 and 2
because low quality filler answers.
But, observe that in GS3 and GS4, you had
prepared all topics (Except moral thinker), and
therefore, you have almost parallel marks with
toppers above.
In other words, attempt everything was a
rational strategy for GS-mains, but only works
well when one has prepared everything
exhaustively (to make educated guesses to
write decent fodder points.)
Anyways, that doesnt diminish or glamorize your
achievement. Youre here because of your
hardwork. I just had to make this commentary
because aspirants have wasted lot of time in this
debate (both in Mrunal.org and in other online
forums).
moving to the next question:
Q. How many marks worth questions did you
skip/couldnt finish in the GS papers?
GS (Mains paper) Couldnt finish __ mark
GS1 0
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GS2 0
GS3 0
GS4 0
Q5. Did you use highlighters / sketchpens in your
answers?
No
Q6. Did you draw any diagram in any paper? (e.g.
in GS1 Geography)
No
Q7. If yes, Did you draw diagrams with pencil or
pen?
NA
Q8. Did you use ruler to draw the lines in
diagram? Or did you just make it by hand?
NA
Q9. You wrote the answer in blue pen or black
pen?
Black Pen
(Mrunal since readers keep mailing such
queries, therefore Im asking the topper to clear all
the air haha.)
Mains Optional Subject
Q1. First the essential book/resource list /
strategy?
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My Optional was Mathematics. There is no base
book. There are as many books are there are
topics. You can refer to any of them. The aim is to
improve the problem solving ability and enhance
the accuracy. I think its all about practice. The
more, the merrier.
Booklist is given in Prakash Rajpurohits blog
(previous rank holder). You may go through them
as I have nothing to add.
Q2. How much of internet-research necessary for
this optional? OR can one simply rely on the
books and be done with this subject?
I didnt use internet for Maths at all.
Q3. How many months did it take to finish the
core optional syllabus?
Roughly 4-5 months, given I am an engineering
student and most topics familiar.
Q4. Do you maintain self-notes for revision of
optional? In which format- electronic or paper?
No notes. If you are able to solve a problem no
need to keep notes of it.
Q5. Your observation about the difficultly level of
2013 mains vs previous papers. And what
precautions / rectifications are necessary in the
future strategy for given optional subject?
Paper 1 was easy in the sense they were not
tricky and eminently doable but there are
pitfalls if you are not careful. Provided space
was insufficient. If you make a mistake you
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screw, you stare at it helpless without any
space to redo it.
Paper 2 was difficult for me. I had to leave
roughly 80 marks questions in it both due to
my lack of tact as well as due to the
appearance of unseen kind of questions.
Q7.How much did you skip OR couldnt answer
properly, in the optional paper?
optional
paper
Couldnt finish __ mark. + comments on
any weird questions
Paper I
Finished all questions. Made 30 marks
worth careless mistake
paper II Left 80 marks worth question.
Official score
Maths Paper 1 122
Maths Paper 2 106
Before the interview
Q1. How did you prepare for the interview?
Particularly college graduation subjects related
questions?
The interview sessions conducted by Kerala State
Civil Services Academy was awesome and thats
that. No other sources. No he lergely ignored my
graduation (one stray question or so) even though
the interview was largely profile based.
Q2. Did you attend any mock interviews by
coaching classes? How were they similar /
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different than official interview? Do you believe it
is necessary to attend such mock interviews?
Refer above. The mock session had Mr. Roy Paul,
ex member UPSC. It was a very helpful experience
and the original interview was in fact very much
similar. Personally, I would suggest that it is good
to attend mock interviews.
Q3. What did you wear? Some experts say coat is
must, some say tie is must, and some say black
shoes must. What attire did you pick up?
I defied all such advices come what may and wore
a simple full sleeve shirt and pants inserted but
with black shoes. No blazers, no tie. Coats are
unneeded. If it enhances your confidence go for it.
If you think you are more than what you wear, no
need. Whatever you wear, be neatly dressed.
Q4. Where did you stay for the interview? (Hotel /
friends home ) and what books/material did
you bring for the revision before interview?
Kerala govt provides free flight tickets, food and
accommodation at Kerala House for those
selected for interview. I just used this luxury. No
material- read newspapers. Thats all.
During the interview
Q1. Who was the chairman of you interview
board?
Mr Chattar Singh IAS (retd)
Q2. How long was the interview?
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30 minutes.
Q3. Why do you want to join civil service? Why
dont you continue in your graduation field? Social
service can be done from private sector too.[Since
I dont know whether they ask you this question or
not. But if they had asked- what will be your
reply?]
Nope, he didnt. I would have told about
responsibility, diversity and the social status
attached with it.
Q4. Please narrate your entire interview- what
questions did they ask and what did you reply and
other pleasant or uncomfortable experiences
during the interview.
Well, any question can be asked at the interview.
Since narrating ones interview would at least give
a sketchy picture for future aspirants to form a
broad idea of how a UPSC interview may span out,
I am giving some of the questions-which I
recollect now- and the answers that I gave. The
level of detail would be just enough to
comprehend the question and the import of my
answer and not vivid enough to betray my
stupidity.
Chairman: Mr Akash, whats your opposite?
Me: Pataal (Akash =sky, pataal= underworld)
{Answered promptly}.
Chairman: Very good. Despite being south Indian
you immediately.blahblah. (visibly
impressed, extremely happy gave, 204. Thats it,
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nailed; I think that was the high point. It enhanced
my confidence to no end.)
C: reading hobby, what do you read?
Me: said poetry, literature, non fiction, newspaper.
(matter ended-no connected questions)
C: maths optional and interest (I gave
mathematics as my hobby/interest also), why
students find it difficult, what to do?
Me: said useless answer like you have to make
students love the subject by personal attention
and other crap.
C: finance commission? Planning commission?
Overlapping mandate, why two?
Me: FC constitutional technocratic body, PC
political body.
Then Chair extended my answer by saying that so
we need a pliable political handle and he was
extremely impressed by that point and said very
good again.
M1 was again our friend.
1. M1: kerala, why better developed?
2. Me: said clichd and canonical answers.
3. M1: smaller states good?
4. Me: said yes and no. explained advantages
and disadvantages.
5. M1: some question about NREGA (answered
satisfactorily)
There were connected questions which I dont
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recollect in sequential order. This member was
also very happy with my answers.
Next came the villain. M3 a history wallah.
1. M2: Some crap about Zamorin, Vasco da
Gama, and latters visit to Kerala. (I drew a
blank)
2. M2: Its deplorable that an ambitious young
man knows so little about his own place.
(Adverse comment. Heart pumps faster! But
Chattar still happy, so I was happy!)
3. M2:what is petro dollars? (I bluffed)
4. M2: You are guessing man, I will ask another
question.
5. M2: what is privy purse? Significance of Kerala
in foreign contribution? Jingoism?
6. Answered kind of OK.
7. M2: where is Mairai (I had no idea)
So this guy slightly screwed me but Chattar
fortunately holds pen and paper!
M3 was a skeptical frenchie who always looked
quizzical and unsatisfied. He looks like the
stereotypical psychiatrist in movies!
1. M3: technological growth in 30s what spurred
them?
2. Me: Said world war, consumerism, desire for
better life, globalization etc. ( He looked
sceptical)
3. M3:Treasures at Padmanabha swamy temple,
what to do?
Since connected with religion, wont reveal my
answer. M3 still looked skeptical and suspicious.
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Chattar Singh: Whats important about 1905 in
physics (I am B-Tech in Engineering Physics)
Me: Einsteins paper- Brownian, special relativity.
Chattar: Thank You Akash.
Thank You Sir, Sirs. Exit.
So the board (mine had only 4 members as 1 left
before mine due to personal reasons) was very
cordial and friendly and there are a few words of
wisdom:
1. Interview is unpredictable and clearly some
luck is involved. But your attire is irrelevant as
long as you are neatly dressed.
2. They may be looking for some key words and
specific points in your answers and they will
reward you plentifully if they get it from your
mouth.
3. Placate the Chairman. Only he has the pen
and paper. Its 275 marks of pure whimsy.
Make him happy. Dont argue with him, but
take his questions very seriously. Even if some
members arent happy about you, still doesnt
matter.
Q5. Was your interview on the expected lines of
what you had prepared or did they ask you totally
unexpected questions? Was it a stress interview,
did they ask any uncomfortable questions? If yes,
how did you handle it?
The interview was largely background (Kerala)
based and there was nothing unexpected.
Perhaps those questions on Kerala history
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completely caught me off guard.
Q6. Any side details about technicalities like
make sure you bring xyz document or do xyz
thing, or youll face problem?
Just read the call letter send by UPSC and make
sure you bring all necessary docs to the interview.
You can be screwed if you dont!
Q7. Any word of wisdom / observations about
medical checkup?
If you have flat foot, try to bend your sole to
pretend that your feet arent flat. I have flat
foot and was caught in IFoS 2013 (later cleared
after lot of trouble, reexamination and
pestering) medical test because I was
unaware.
In CSE medicals I took extra care and fooled
that doctor in RML by artificially twisting my
leg when he asked me to lift my sagging
trousers a bit to see my foot.
Anyway its a problem only for IPS and other
technical services and not for IAS. So even if
some of you complain this to authorities I am
not gonna be affected!
CSE-2013 Marksheet
Essay 125
GS1 58
GS2 54
GS3 86
GS4 96
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Maths Paper 1 122
Maths Paper 2 106
Written Total 647
Interview 204
Final total 851
Rank 63
Career Backup
Q1. If you were not selected, what was your career
backup plan?
No backup plan considered -a fight to finish was
envisaged. With a reasonable record behind me, I
was sure that if I keep on writing I would succeed
today or tomorrow.
Q2. when were you going to execute that backup
plan? (e.g. after __ failed attempts/after I cross __
age/after dad retires/ etc.)
I know that I could clear at least some UPSC or
bank tests within a couple of years.
Mrunal comments: besides you already got
selected in Indian Forest service also.
Views on UPSC reforms
What are your views on following issues?
Q. Optional subjects should be removed
altogether. The present stalemate is helping no-
one, except coaching-owners, book publishers
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and the candidate whose optional subject gets
favorable treatment under given years scaling
formula.
May be optional can be retained but the UPSC
should stop the policy of selective butchering of
arbitrarily selected optional each year. The scaling
policy should be transparent, uniform, reasonable
and scientific and should be declared beforehand.
Q. Despite what UPSC has done in recent years, it
has failed to curb the nuisance of Delhis coaching
factories. In fact its increased under the new
syllabus in 2013. Lets face it, most toppers have
fully or partially relied on (authentic OR Xeroxed)
coaching notes because there was hardly any
time left to prepare so many topics in such short
time. This system work against an individual
preparing from far-away area, without any
financial resources, high-speed internet or
contacts in Delhi.
I didnt have any Xeroxed material from Delhi both
because of accessibility and affordability issues.
There seems to be no way to curb the menace of
coaching factories unless some special tax is
imposed on them or all forms of coaching are
banned outright, which is stupid!
Q. Half-merger of IFoS with CSE is a bad move
because it has raised the cutoffs for players
whore solely dedicated to IFoS only (and not to
IAS/IPS).Adding salt to the wounds, many who had
applied for both jobs, cleared the prelims- they
did not even bother to appear in all the papers of
Mains-IFoS. (RTI revealed this).
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It was unfair on UPSCs part to do that. There
should be separate prelims for IFoS so that this
random ticking of both boxes doesnt take place.
Most importantly, if any changes are sought to be
implemented, the UPSC should notify them much
in advance and give the aspirants sufficient time,
may be a year-and-a-half or so, to adapt
themselves to the changes so as to be fair on
them.
Q. UPSC should disclose official prelim answerkey
and cutoffs, immediately after prelim is over,
instead of postponing it till interview phase is
over.
Though the UPSCs reasoning that it would affect
the examination procedure is patently specious, I
think it isnt urgent and can wait.
Q. UPSC should be conducted online like IBPS and
CAT exam to shorten the duration of exam.
Yup definitely, UPSC prelims should be made
online that will save a couple of months. In the
whole the 15 month process should be squeezed
to 7-8 months so that the candidates are not
mentally tortured and kept in suspense and
anticipation for a prolonged period.
Q. If you are made the UPSC chairman, what other
reforms would you initiate for the civil service
exam?
I do have some ideas but most of them are
unpopular and I will be torn down by the
blogosphere if I actually state them here!
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 35/45
But I would prescribe guidelines for evaluation in
interview and mains to reduce the arbitrariness
and conduct multiple interviews and take the
average or some sort of that. In the whole, the
process would be more systemized and whimsies
reduced.
Insecurity about profile
Q. Many candidates prepare sincerely but
constantly live under fear about profile
insecurity. Im not from a big college, Im not from
English medium, and I dont have work-
experience. What if they ask some stressful
questions in the interview about this? What is
your message to these candidates?
I am not well placed to guide aspirants who are
not situated as given in the question. But,
regarding work experience, I think they dont
matter. Ive even heard rumors/conspiracy
theories suggesting that UPSC secretly favors
candidates who are young, unmarried, fresh
graduates and without working experience. But
Ive heard nothing that indicates otherwise.
Doyens of the personality test suggest that ones
background doesnt matter as much as his
personal presentation before the board.
Wisdom
Q. Through this struggle and success, what have
your learned? What is the wisdom of life and
competition? What is your message to the new
aspirants?
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 36/45
UPSC is unpredictable and unrepentant. Be
prepared for all exigencies. Try your level best and
all the best.
Focus on your goals and ignore the
existence/hype of any undue competition. Do
ones work judiciously and diligently. Dont get
bogged down by peers, parents, failures, society
etc. (which is easier said than done!). Also
remember, as Mrunal says, life is greater than all
transient success or failures and bigger than all
competitive exams, which are indeed, only a part
of life and not the other way around. Life is the
mother of all exams and not CSE!
Q. Many hardworking candidates have failed in
Mains/Interview of CSE-2013. Theyre feeling
dejected- what is your message to them?
It is known that hard work or raw talent by
themselves may not be enough for one to
succeed. Sometimes sheer luck may also play a
major role. I have seen many of my friends,
wholly deserving gentlemen, unable to be in the
list because of the whimsical tyranny of some
UPSC board members who screwed them
unreasonably in interview by giving them absurdly
low score. The same thing happens in Mains in
Essay paper which is no less arbitrary.
And many have in fact gotten into IAS after having
failed in their first few attempts. Analyze your
situation dispassionately, take advice from elders,
and take a considered decision about what to do
in life- to continue or to take an alternative career-
giving due importance to pragmatism rather than
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 37/45
idealism or childhood dreams.
Credit: Friends/family
Q. Behind every topper are many people who
stood by during those uncertain times when
he/she was merely an aspirant. Would you like to
tell the world, who were those people in your
case? Any specific incidence that you would like to
share with the readers?
I should be eternally indebted to my parents, who
despite being well educated and aware, did not
shove their personal ambitions and individual
opinions down my throat and gave me full leeway
to make any choices in academic matters. They
trusted me completely, and did not try to
influence my thinking when it came to my studies
and career choice. So I suffered no insecurities,
psychological stress (due to parental pressure- I
was stressed due to other extraneous factors) etc
and they were infinitely and uncritically co-
operative in whatever endeavor I pursued. Also
my friends have played a major role in motivating
and assisting me in the journey so far.
BOGUS Marketing Propaganda
Q. You are well aware of the sacred rule the last
question must be about self-marketing. So, Did
you use Mrunal.org for your preparation and if
yes, how did it help you? And you can even reply
No. Ill still publish your answer without
tempering, unlike those competitive magazines.
I am indeed indebted to Mrunal for the
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 38/45
conceptual clarity and solid understanding of
the basics that he gave me in economics,
ecology and international relations- a sizeable
chunk of GS portion. And after the enlarged
version of GS came out, Mrunal was my major
hope.
Its due to Mrunal competition articles alone
that I got at least 86 in GS3. If I am an IAS
officer today, a substantial chunk of credit
goes to Mrunal.
Also it is my reference of first resort whenever
I decide to mine data from the web. In
addition to the valuable information that he so
generously lavish, the keen wit, candid and
prescient insights as well as the kind words of
empathy and warmth showered by Mrunal
makes this site an ideal place to visit for a
UPSC aspirant- more so, for the beginners- for
informational and emotional security.
P.S 1- I am a great admirer of the Mrunalian
take on coaching factories of Delhi! :-)
P.S 2- I think almost all the toppers refer to
your site but some maybe too hypocritical to
openly admit it. So whether they say or not,
you are indeed rendering a yeoman service to
every batch of civils aspirants. Kudos to that!
To sum up, You are simply awesome. Kindly
keep the good work.
Mrunal comments: honored with these
compliments. I also thank the folks who
participated in write2win competition and
indirectly helped in success of this topper. Thank
a lot Mr.Akash P. for sharing your journey with us.
We wish you the best for the service and cadre
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 39/45
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MRUNAL S RECOMMENDED BOOKLIST
allocation ahead.
Previously in this category
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Kendriya Vidhaylaya, B.Sc Chemistry,
Gurgaon
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Rank 194: B.Tech, Bikaner, NCC certificate
[CAPF Topper] Varinder Kataria Rank 94:
B. Tech Computer, Ethical Hacking, Baba
Farid, Punjab
[CAPF Topper] Hemant Sharma Rank 118:
B.Sc Biotech, Working in Oriental
Insurance, Himachal
[CAPF Topper] Ashutosh Tiwari Rank 214:
B.Tech Lucknow
4UPSC Ci vil Servi ce
4SSC CGL: Staff selecti on
4IBPS Bank Exams
4CDS: Defense Services
4CAT/IIM MBA Entrance
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 40/45
Tags: optional-mathematics Topper-CSE-2013
34
saurav
24/06/2014 at 15:05
Reply
sir, there is only 3 mnths left after prelims for the mains.
can we prepare optional and gs in that time ?
Navin
24/06/2014 at 15:20
Reply
congrats !
priyanka
24/06/2014 at 15:26
Reply
I got stuck at procedure is patently specioussuch
rocking use of words
Akshay Surendra
24/06/2014 at 22:33
Reply
I was floored too!
@Akash: Heartening to know your
loquaciousness wasnt a barrier during the
interview! Congrats!
Ak
24/06/2014 at 16:00
Reply
Congratulation Akash
Bajrangi
24/06/2014 at 16:13
Reply
HI Mrunal,
Is there any one among toppers with Physics as a
optional subject. Please publish his/her interview..I am
planing to make my first attempt with physics for this
year mainsif get through prelims
kaushik sarkar
24/06/2014 at 23:55
Reply
Go to this link http://abhijeetagrawal.blogspot.in
bhaalu
25/06/2014 at 17:26
http://rishavgupta.wordpress.com/
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 41/45
Reply
he has shared his physics notes too!
Nicole
24/06/2014 at 16:34
Reply
i hope i cn speak english as good as u smeday :) and a
hearty Congratulations on securing a rank in top 100
..truely inspiring :)
ABCD
24/06/2014 at 18:20
Reply
Mone akashe , kalakki macha All the best bro for your
IAS journey .. Hope we meet in distant future
sajjad hussain m
24/06/2014 at 20:41
Reply
AKASH BHAI.congrats.a lot THANKS FOR
HUMBLE AND SIMPLE EXPERIENCE SHARING
great achievement.u done the dreams of
many KERALITES AND INDIANS.PROUD OF U
and i am a Keralite who silently watching U
SINCE UR ifos INTERVIEW IN THIS OUR OWN
[AAM AADMI KA MRUNAL.ORG] SITE
subakumaran
24/06/2014 at 20:28
Reply
Congrats bro .. another maths optional aspirant
.!!!!!!!!! does mexus video and iken edu both the
same ??????
Naveen Shekhar
24/06/2014 at 20:59
Reply
Congrats,sir!
IFoS pre cut-off was certainly higher,but what was it?
Please tell.
Naveen Shekhar
26/06/2014 at 19:14
Reply
Its official now.
IFoS pre 2013 cutoff was 267 for general n 249
for OBCgo to d upsc site
vaishali
24/06/2014 at 21:16
Reply
sir, plz publish hindi medium toppers interview
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 42/45
sunny
24/06/2014 at 21:16
Reply
SUGGESTED REFORMS .NO OF CHANCES SHOULD BE
REDUCED TO 3 FOR ALL-AGE SHOULD BE 24 IN UPPER
LIMIT,CSAT PAPER 2 WOULD BE THE DECIDING FACTOR
IN PRELIMS.MINIMUM MARK SHOULD BE 150.IN NO WAY
A CANDIDATE AGED ABOVE 25 SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
APPEAR IN CSE.
rashmi
24/06/2014 at 22:15
Reply
Congrts sir i m IFS aspirant i always got mark in
B.Tech average marks around 55 to 65 Can u tell
me mathematics is right optional in forest
service ? nd how much time recquired to cover
all syllabus i
nitin
24/06/2014 at 23:40
Reply
Congrats buddy, .One request.There were
many articles which were repeated in Mrunals
competition, can u please tell or send us only good
ones. pls tell to mrunal, He may post separately.
Kumar
25/06/2014 at 00:46
Reply
Congrats bro. Your interview after IFoS success was
exceptional. Completely accept your viewpoints. I too
follow the same principle of attempting all the
questions and have cleared Prelims twice. All the best :)
guptak
25/06/2014 at 02:20
Reply
congratulations
meek
25/06/2014 at 07:33
Reply
space given in mains answersheet for writing
answerit is blank space or ruled space?
..because some people are comfortable in writing
in blank space while others with rule line
Sandeep
03/07/2014 at 22:26
Blank :)
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 43/45
Reply
ankitra
25/06/2014 at 14:42
Reply
Ive even heard rumors/conspiracy theories suggesting
that UPSC secretly favors candidates who are young,
unmarried, fresh graduates and without working
experience. But Ive heard nothing that indicates
otherwise.
Sandeep
03/07/2014 at 22:26
Reply
Nothing like that. Gaurav Agarwal.. 29 yrs, not a
newly passed out, 3 year working experience
and married. AIR: 1.. Conspiracy theories all
around :D
ankitra
25/06/2014 at 14:44
Reply
the above comment corroborating the presence of a
prejudiced eye in upsc
vishal kumar
25/06/2014 at 16:14
Reply
thanks sirs.
Dipakkumar
25/06/2014 at 21:23
Reply
HI Mrunal,
Is there any one among toppers with Electrical
Engineering as a optional subject. Please publish
his/her interview..I have planned but still confuse plz do
the needful
sumit
26/06/2014 at 11:09
Reply
real life size photos on the main page are an eyesore
Gopinath
26/06/2014 at 15:29
Reply
@Mr.Akash . You are extrovert to the core( revealed ur
problem in foot, )which may affect ur 2.5 years of
arduous preparation. Hats of bro. For this character
God blessed u with IAS.
Abi
26/06/2014 at 16:34
2/8/2014 [Topper' s Interview] Akash (CSE-2013/AIR-63) First Attempt, 297 in prelims, IFoS ranker, maths optional, IIT Madras from Kerala - Mrunal
http://mrunal.org/2014/06/toppers-interview-akash-cse-2013air-63-first-attempt-297-prelims-ifos-ranker-maths-optional-iit-madras-kerala.html 44/45
Reply
Congrats Akash
sandeep
03/07/2014 at 14:16
Reply
hello friends,,
I am also taking mathematics as an optional
can i do msc( math) ignou with ias preparation with
maths as optional with extra study???
thanks in advance
Sandeep
03/07/2014 at 22:28
Reply
Congrats Akash.. A deserving victory indeed.. Really
inspirational.. :)
nish
08/07/2014 at 14:53
Reply
What an arrogant guy..abhi se dhoka dene wali tricks
using..desh ka kya haal hoga.
Rajesh P
24/07/2014 at 00:06
Reply
HI Mrunal,
Is there any one among toppers with Agriculture as an
optional subject. Please publish his/her interview.
!
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