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UPPCS Topper’s Interview: Anurag Singh

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UPPCS Topper Anurag Singh has shared his valuable inputs that are very helpful for the aspirants of the UPPCS Mains Exam.

How do you feel after getting success in the UPPCS Exam 2016?

It always feels good when one gets success in the exam. 

What do you think about the current change in the exam pattern of UPPCS Mains?

 From 2018, there will be a change in the UPPCS Mains Exam pattern. Now, the pattern is similar to that of the UPSC. There will be four papers of GS carrying 200 marks each. There will be an Optional Paper of 400 marks. A paper of General Hindi will also be there for 150 marks and a paper of essay writing for 150 marks too. Though I was selected on the basis of the old pattern it has changed now. Talking about the Paper I, there will be History, Geography and Indian Society in the context of UP. In Paper II, there is Polity and International Relation. In Paper III, there is Agriculture, Internal Security, Diversity and Disaster Management. Paper IV is of Ethics. Paper I is conventional in nature. It is similar to the paper of the Prelims Exam. It is not dynamic in nature while Paper II and III are dynamic. The topic of International Relation is based on Current Affairs, Indo-Pak relation, Role of SAARC and ISRO, trade war of America & China, etc. the candidates should stay updated for getting more marks.

Paper III is based on Economy. We see a new budget every year, new information based on economic policy and Stats, new schemes & visions. What we need to do as a candidate is to use all this information while writing the answer in the exam. There are policy changes in NITI Aayog which also adds to the substance in writing the answer. Disaster Management is such a topic where one-time reading is enough. The topic of internal security is also one such. As I said that Paper-II and III are dynamic in nature. In the course of preparation, the internet is very important. The candidates should read newspapers like Dainik Jagran and they should also refer to the magazines. Paper IV is of Ethics. The candidate should read a good book on this subject. They should make notes based on this paper. There are two parts of Paper IV- Theory & Case Study. In terms of the suggestion, the candidates should refer to the previous year’s papers of UPSC, BPSC, MPSC so that they can get an idea of the paper in the context of UP. If the candidates prepare all these four papers separately then there will be around 10 topics. The candidates should make 10 separate copies for these topics and note down whatever they read related to these topics. If the candidates do so then they will have their own notes which will be handy in revising the things at the last moment.

 Do you think that Group Discussion is helpful in clearing the UPPCS Mains Exam?

 The work of the civil servants is among the public and they have to interact with the public most of the time. Obviously, GD is useful in preparation. Personally, I had a group of 5 to 6 people. The syllabus of the Civil Services Exam is huge and there are so many topics to be covered. GD allows the candidates to have a discussion section-wise. The specialty with the GD is that the members of the group may be good at different subjects allowing the different subject matter to come in one’s way. The thing to remember is that the group should not be a large one. Try that there should be only productive people in the group and there must be a healthy competition in the group. This is going to have a great impact on the selection of the candidates.

How should the Optional subject for the UPPCS Mains Exam be chosen and how should it be prepared?

Earlier there used to be two Optional Papers of 200 marks each in UPPCS exam. Now, there is only one Optional paper of 400 marks. Coming to the point which Optional subject to be chosen, the logic is very simple. Choose the subject that gives you more marks in the exam. You are not going to be researcher, professor or a Degree holder; so more marks are required from your subject. There may be much logic in choosing the Optional subject. The candidates should also note that the subject should be interesting to read. There should be the availability of the notes and guidance in the market. My Optional Paper was Hindi literature.

Please suggest some best books for General Studies. What should be the strategy for the Paper of General Hindi?

In the new pattern of UPPCS Mains exam, there are 4 Papers of GS. These papers will play a good role in fetching good marks for the candidate. In the selection of the books, the candidates should be more selective as there are many books in the market. The candidates can read the books and the notes available from the coaching centers also. For Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth is the best. There is no substitute for this book. For Geography, there is the book of Mahesh Barnwal which is published from the Cosmos Publication. The books of NCERT from class 6 to 12 is also important. If the candidate lacks time then they can refer to the NCERT Saar by Cosmos Publications. For the Current Affairs section, Chronicle is a good one. Also, Jagranjosh.com can be referred for Current Affairs. There is a good collection of subject matter on this platform. For Eco and Science, Lucent is enough. The book of Mishra & Puri can be referred for the Economics section. As earlier said, the way of reading is important. The candidates should make a separate copy for each subject. The notes are handy during revision. For General Hindi, the books of Hardev Bahri and Dr. Prithvinath Pandey can be referred. If the candidates are from Hindi background then I do not think that there are any issues with this section. For the candidates of English background, there may be some issues but that can be overcome. Letter writing is very important just as it is important in academics. The candidates should focus on idioms and phrases, antonyms and synonyms in Hindi. The candidates may get around 100 marks in this paper.

There are three sections in Essay Paper. How should the candidates prepare this Paper?

The role of an Essay paper in the exams of Civil Services has been important. In the new pattern, the Essay Paper is of 150 marks and there will be three essays to write. The word limit is around 700 words and the time limit for one essay will be an hour. In the answer sheet, there is space provided where it is to be written. The plan should be how to score maximum marks in the Essay Paper. In the first section of the Essay paper, there are literature, society, and polity related topics. In the second section of the Essay Paper, there will be agriculture, economics, policies, etc. In the third section of the Essay paper, there are current issues and disaster management related topics. The candidates should not pick a difficult topic of the essay to write. They should choose a topic that they are comfortable to write in. Also, the candidate should not start writing straightaway. The candidates should use the rough sheet to make the draft of the essay first and then develop the draft into a real essay. The introduction part of the essay should be powerful. The candidates should be careful in writing these essays. There should not be much of diagrams in the essay. The selection of the words should be good also. For example, if we are writing an essay on Women Empowerment then we can write that it is not following the men to get empowered. It is neither adopting the western culture too. It should be just strengthening the women only in its true sense. The candidates should write clearly. If possible, they should add punchlines or some poetic lines in their essays. If they do so, their marks will be above average. I think that is a good way to write an essay on the exams.

(Text Source:jagranjosh)