Meet IAS officer securing AIR 72nd in UPSC exam in fifth attempt

Arising State Desk

Jammu : Arising State Daily English Newspaper correspondent Preeti Sehar Mahajan Wednesday had exclusive conversation with Parth Gupta and his family after he secured 72nd rank in UPSC examination. On being asked how he convinced himself to crack UPSC exam when he was having decent job in Bangalore, he said he motivated himself to go for civil services, because the kind of exposure we get in civil services & the opportunities we get to serve our society . I want to ensure clean and transparent administration. I will bring innovative changes so that efficiency of administration improves. He thanked his parents for supporting and encouraging him as he finally cracked UPSC exam after making five attempts. Narrating his journey of success he said that if one is regular in reading newspapers and thinks about important issues, this knowledge is effectively utilized in mains and interview. Have faith in your ability, be disciplined and consistent, don’t hesitate to work hard and don’t look at others. He further said that most important thing is to ‘Believe in yourself’. Both Success and failure are part of life and one should not feel down during the times of failure. The second most important thing is to give your 100% in your preparation. Try to find and prepare in an environment that would help you to bring best of your abilities. It is beneficial to go through the preparation strategy of toppers, but it is more beneficial to develop your own preparation strategy and implementing that efficiently. He advised UPSC aspirants not to think that UPSC Civil Service Exam is the last opportunity in your life and nothing else is out there in the world. So consider UPSC Civil Services exam only as one of the means to achieve your life goals. So remember, if you fail then there are other means available to achieve your life goals. Don’t seclude yourself from the outer world. Make yourself busy in extracurricular activities like sports and social activities, while preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam. Revision is very important for IAS Prelims and Mains exam preparation. It helps in making you remember important points and facts. Try to revise your notes minimum two times before the exam. My method of revision was to first study the subject, then give a mock test on that subject, then analyse the test by identifying your weak points and then revise those points. Before a month of IAS Prelims Exam, I used to revise my study material and notes multiple times. The most important thing during interview is to maintain your self-confidence and patience level. Try to manage your stress level before the interview when you are supposed to wait for your turn. I always use three words for achieving success which are ‘Dedication, Commitment and Perseverance’. Have faith in your hard work and give commitment to achieve your goals. Never give up on yourself, be patient and you will get the fruits of your hard work in future. I used to talk to my father and my brother; they used to boost my morale. Also, talk to your true friends. There are a lot of people who will put you down and take advantage of your vulnerability. I used to read motivational and spiritual thoughts, often quotes from Swami Vivekananda. I used to analyse where my demotivation is coming from; and I worked on that. Solving the problem which is the reason behind the lack of motivation is very important. I used to think about my past achievements, and that helped me regain my self confidence. Everyone loves people with self-confidence. If you are sure about your beliefs, answers or solutions, express them confidently. But at the same time ensure that you don’t go overboard. Remember that the line between self-confidence and arrogance is very narrow. It is evident that in the recent years, an increasing number of candidates are aspiring to go for civil services which are visible through the increasing number of forms being filled up for the same. This, no doubt, indicates towards the increasing competition. Also, an increasing number of candidates from IITs, IIMs and AIIMS are going for the civil services as a career, which according to me is a positive indication in terms of more field experts entering into the administration. But at the same time, we must remember that not all the young people engaged in the private sector go for civil services. So, it will not be apt to conclude that civil services are the final destination of Indian youth. But again, more youth in the services is a positive sign for the country’s administrative machinery as it shows that more and more youth are willing to serve the nation and its people with full devotion and dedication.