Aniruddh
Yadav, an B.Tech, and M.Tech from IIT Delhi has cracked UPSC Civil Services
2022 cracked exam in his first attempt, however, he got IRPS (Indian Railway
Personnel Services), in his second attempt he got the Indian Information
Service (IIS) and is currently serving there. However Aniruddh wanted to become
an IAS and his fourth attempt, due to his perseverance he has not just cracked
the exam, but is among the top 10 ranks.
Q.
Tell something about yourself, and your educational background?
A. I am from Delhi and completed my schooling
and higher education in Delhi only as I did my B.Tech and M.Tech from IIT Delhi
only.
Q.
What attracted you to the civil services?
A. I chose Civil Services because I always
wanted to do something for society and my interest was in research. However to
do research I had to go abroad and I wanted to stay in the country so I chose
to prepare for civil services.
Q.
Was this your first attempt? How many attempts do you take?
A. This was my fourth attempt. On the first two
attempts also I cleared the exam in the first attempt I got selected for the
Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) and on my second attempt I got selected
for India Information Services, where I am currently serving. On the third
attempt, I could not clear the prelims and this was my fourth attempt.
Q.
Tell something about your preparation strategy?
A. Fundamentally I focused on the core books and
most importantly I had the guidance of my elder brother who is himself an IAS
officer, so I did not take any coaching. Mostly it was syllabus oriented, as
you the main syllabus from which questions will be asked looking at the
previous year’s papers.
Specifically
for prelims I focused on tests, I used to give hundreds of tests. For Mains I
tried to learn answer writing, I also looked at copies of previous year's
toppers.
Q.
What challenges you had to face while preparing for one of the toughest
competitive exams?
A. Sitting every day, and following the same
routine is a struggle, but it is important to have faith in yourself.
Q.
As you had already joined Indian Information Service, was it difficult to work
and prepare at the same time?
A. It was not much difficult because my training
started in December and by that time most parts of my civil services exam were
over, so I was able to devout time preparing for the interview.
Q.
What subjects you chose for the Mains exam, what is the reason behind selecting
those subjects?
A. I chose Anthropology because I had
Biotechnology in my B. Tech and Anthropology I selected because it is directly
related to Biotechnology.
Q.
Did you give special emphasis to some particular sections or equal emphasis on
all sections?
A. I gave equal emphasis to all the sections.
Q.
How important is the UPSC Interview part? How were you able to crack it?
A. It is very important because a lot depends on
the interview part. It is important to cover all the basics for the interview
and be confident to face it.
Q.
How important are mock test series at different stages of this examination? How
did you prepare for it?
A. It is very-very important for all three
stages of the UPSC Civil Services examination because that is the simulation of
the real test. I think as much as you practice mock tests it would show how
well you will perform in the exam, as that is one of the pivotal parts.
Q.
Please share the important books you referred to for the Mains Exam.
A. There was a second ARC Report, I also
referred to the NCERT Geography book, Vision IAS material.
Q.
What should be the approach to Mains Answer Writing/ How did you practice the
Answer writing for Mains?
A. For answer writing one can join any good
coaching institute where they can practice on test series so that one can
improve. I think self-assessment is also important, what are the questions that
are likely to come based on current affairs.
Q.
How one should prepare the Current Affairs and the Role of the Newspapers in
its preparation?
A. Reading newspapers is very important as I
think it is fodder for stuff, as you get to know what is happening around you,
what is there in the news.
Q.
What tips you would like to give to students who are preparing for the UPSC CSE
2023?
A. I would suggest them to believe in
themselves, and not be stressed out. It is important to give 100 percent every
day as it helps you perform optimally. Try to cover basics, be disciplined, it
is important to meet targets every day, having a schedule and keeping small
targets is important and try to complete them
