Designations

Officers in the IAS join in the Junior Time Scale. After 4 years of service they are promoted to the Senior Time Scale which is equivalent to an Under Secretary of Govt of India, after 9 years they are promoted to the Junior Administrative Grade when they can be placed as Deputy Secretaries to Govt of India. After completing 13 years of service, they are granted the Selection Grade when they can be placed as Directors in Govt of India. The ranks after that are - Joint Secretary (GOI), Additional Secretary (GOI) and Secretary (GOI) which is the highest rank carrying the basic pay of Rs 26,000. Then there is the Cabinet Secretary (only one in India) who carries a basic pay of Rs 30,000. The State Governments however have a kind of a leverage to post these officers. Normally when an IAS officer joins the State, he is placed as a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM). Ideally he is to be made in charge of a District after completing 9 years of service and entering the Junior Administrative Grade but in certain States, even younger IAS officers are made in charge of Districts (Known as District Magistrates (DM), Deputy Commissioners (DCs) or Collectors).

UPSC Civil Services Exam Interview - II

The Kothari Committee of the UPSC, has listed the qualities that should be rated in the interview as, ''clarity of expression, grasp of narrative and argument, reasoning ability, appreciation of different points of view, awareness and concern for socio-economic problems, ranges and depth of interests and personal attributes relevant to interaction with people.''

The Interview for the civil services examination also known as the Personality Test is exactly that. It is aimed at assessing the candidate’s personality, whether he is suitable to be a competent administrator or not. The candidate is tested not only for his/her intelligence but also for his/her overall personality development, his/her attentiveness, balance of judgement and qualities of honesty, integrity and leadership. Therefore preparation for the Interview requires proper planning.

The selectors look out for some attributes in the candidate and decide whether he/she is suited for a career in civil services or not. For this,the candidate should have a positive attitude, should have an alert mind with quick reflexes, should be free from any sort of prejudice, should be good at making quick decisions and should have the ability to act under stress and to handle difficult situations.

Preparation for the Interview is a continuous process.

This involves a wide reading of books, journals, magazines and at least two newspapers. One should try to improve his/her conversational skills with the right pronunciation. The candidate should be prepared to answer questions on his background, hobbies and extra curricular activities. It is a good idea to discuss current affairs and recent issues with friends. One good way of rehearsing possible questions would be to have mock interviews and discussion groups. The candidate should make a self analysis of his strengths and weaknesses and make a conscious effort to play on his strengths.

Some useful tips for a successful interview at UPSC are:

1. To have a positive body language
2. To have a good personal turnout and ensuring the right posture
3. To answer questions clearly and confidently
4. Try to remain calm and composed even when faced with provocative questions
5. Try not getting into long winded explanations and answer to the point.

Things To Be Avoided at the UPSC Interview

• Avoid the expression, 'I am sorry.'
• Avoid conversational cliches, like: 'as you know', 'that's correct', 'of course', 'indeed', 'obviously', etc.
• Avoid technical jargon. However, if a member continues to probe you in any technical field, you can use technical expressions.
• Maintain a cheerful disposition. Now and then you can appear serious; but most of the time keep smiling or look cheerful and composed. One caution here: if the board laughs, you should only smile. It is only when you maintain some amount of distance that the board begins to wonder about the depth of your personality.
• Do not give long introductions. Come straight to the heart of the matter.
• Show human concern whenever possible in your answers.
• You should be logically consistent and analyse things rationally while talking. You are supposed to defend what you say, but with due respect to the views of the board. Stop trying to defend an answer if it becomes difficult to do so logically and fairly.
• Do not make hasty or sweeping generalisations.

According to UPSC report, it has been observed that from 1979 onwards, 90 percent of the candidates who qualify for interview hover around the minimal percentage of 55 percent that is prescribed for the test. However to be assured of a Class I service, one has to generally obtain about 58 percent marks. It has been noticed that only those, securing 60 percent and above are sure of getting a service of their own choice. The figures clearly reveal that the marks in the interview test play a determining role in final selection of candidates.

Types of questions asked at the UPSC interview.

• Relating to your name. Any famous personality who has a similar or same name or surname.
• Your career choice. Why you want to opt for the civilservices.
• Your Hobbies. Why you pursue such a hobby or questions related to your hobby. So reasearch well on your hobby.
• Hot topics of recent days like the Bird Flu and Tamiflu, Office of Profit, Sahara airlines deal and the growing airlines,Terror attacks in India, India US Nuclear deal, Commonwealth games, Saurav Ganguly etc. Keep reading and watching the news. If the recent headlines have something to do with your subject then specially revise those portions. For example if you are a veterinary doctor, Bird flu may go on to other animal diseases that can infect men. If you are an MBBS, then you might be asked about human to human spread of epidemics or any other epidemics and precautions etc. You may even be asked about the influence of MNC or drug manufacturers responsible for the spread of fear etc. If you are from an economy background, the same topic will veer towards the economic implications of the Bird flu.
• How you are going to use your specific knowledge(like if you are a doctor, lawyer, engineer etc) in the services.
• Situational questions. Like If you were the collector/SP of Varanasi, what would you do after the Bomb Blast?
• Choice of services. The order of your choice of services can raise questions too.
• About your institution and related.If you have studies at IIM you may be asked about the rising salaries, if from IGNOU then even about Indira Gandhi and so on.
• From your form. You must go through the form you have filled because most questions will arise from there. If you have changed subjects, mentioned anything out of the way, watch out for questions on them. Interviewers take cue from the form you have filled.

Some actual questions asked of UPSC candidates.

• Don't you think you can serve your country better by remaining a doctor and treating poor patients? Why do you want to be a civil servant?"
  It would be best to answer this question very practically rather than emotionally saying you want to serve the country, because even a doctor serves the people. A doctor from Kerala was asked this Question and her reply was - "Because I want to treat the primary malady that afflicts our country, that creates so many poor in India. As a doctor I can treat only secondary maladies." She even came up with exact statistics and suggestions on a rubber plantation for poverty alleviation indicating that she had spent considerable time and thoughts on her future plans. She was awarded a score of 85 per cent.
• "What are the problems faced by wheat cultivators in your state?" an M.Sc. (Agriculture) student from Palanpur was once asked. "The problem is not so much to do with agronomy but with the lack of a seed bank in Palanpur," came the reply and the candidate walked away with an 80 per cent score.
• "Is there a law in physics, which is relevant to administration?" a law graduate was prompted. "Yes. Newton's third law of motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." He scored a cool 80 per cent.

  The above questions can give you an idea of how relevant questions are asked from your subjects even as they are not directly from the syllabus.

UPSC Civil Services Exam Interview - I

Even though the interview carries 300 marks with no minimum qualifying marks, it is the deciding factor at many times of your being within the services or out of it and in the least matters in which service you get. However since the interview is so personal and variable it is most desirable to do very well in the written mains. But an Interview can make or break you so take your personality development rather seriously and make sure to attend some mock interviews at leading institutes.

UPSC Interview Questions

UPSC Interview questions range from questions about your choice of subject to why you want to join the civil services. It is good to answer honestly but at the same time avoid cliches like wanting to do service to the nation etc. Questions on your hobbies are imperative so prepare well as they expect some indepth knowledge on that. Questions relating to your name, your college or school name are also a big posibility. If someone well-know shares one of these names please also prepare on that. Also learn up about important events on the year or date of your birth. As you can see, UPSC Interview questions are mainly from what you have filled in your form including your subject but here it is more a test of logic and presentation and awareness rather than pure subject knowledge. In the UPSC interview many questions are situational like what will you do if a Tsunami strikes your district and you are the DM/Collector/SP. Questions on your choice of service preference also need to be prepared. Current affairs analysis is important too.

Tips to improve your performance at the UPSC Interview

• There are generally 5 members at the board with the Chairperson seated at the center. Enter confidently and greet the Chairperson, who will probably welcome you, and pleasantly nod at other members. Wait till you are asked to sit.
• Intelligent listing is the mantra, and for this maintaining eye contact is very important. You should not glare but all the same appear attentive and do not glance at other members, it can be very distracting for the interviewer. However if some other member asks you anything, look at that member and answer and turn back to the first - this is what we do in normal attentive listening.
• Do not fidget or throw your hands around, or shake your head. Less amount of movement does not mean you should sit unnaturally stiff. Your posture should be attentive and relaxed at the same time. Do not crouch/bend forward or place your hands on the table.
• Cut your answer short to the required patience shown by the member talking to you. They usually like to talk more, so listen carefully and think for a few seconds before you start answering the question. This will show that you are organising your thoughts in mind before starting to speak.
• Leave some room for difference in opinion. Do take a stand, but do not look adamant or unwilling to appreciate the board's opinion.
• Use couple of words from the question while answering any question. It shows you have listened to the question carefully. But at the same time limit the use the technical jargon.
• Listen very carefully. Come to the central issue of the enquiry immediately. Wild guessing or speculation are a complete no no.
• Do not start evaluating your performance while still inthe interview. Even if you have committed mistakes in the beginning, do not think that you have already lost the game. They are looking for warm, sensitive respectful and attentive youngsters. They know you are good or you would not have come so far.
• Talk humbly about your achievements and hobbies. You may have mentioned some hobbies in the form without serious background in them, but before the interview it would be useful to pick up some basic info on the hobby.
• Say less to convey more. Less is more these days as per the minimalist creed. Argue logically and generalise correctly. Do not try to read too much between the lines.
• Remember, while answering any question, what is easy to see is easy to miss. We often tend to miss the obvious and go for some non-crucial aspect of the subject.
• Get up to leave only when the chairperson asks you to, not because you think everyone has asked a question. Similarly, even if someone has not asked a question and the chairperson asks you to leave then please leave. Some members do not ask questions at all, due to various reasons like limited time.
• Before leaving politely thank the chairperson and nod at the others politely. Avoid saying "Have a good day sir". A "Thank you Sir/Madam" is enough.

Question Paper:CSE MAINS 2007 Essay and General Studies I & II

UPSC: IAS 2007 – ESSAY (Question Paper)

ESSAY (Compulsory)

Time Allowed: Three Hours Max. Marks: 200

Instruction: The Essay must be written in the medium specified in the admission certificate issue to you. The name of medium must be stated clearly on the cover of the answer-book in the space provided for the purpose. No credit will be given to the essay written in a medium other than that specified in the admission certificate.

(Examiner will pay special attention to the candidate’s grasp of his material, it’s relevant to the subject chosen and to his ability to think constructed and present his ideas concisely, logically and effectively.

1. Write an Essay on any one of the following topics:

(I). Independent thinking should be encouraged right form the childhood.

(II). Evaluation of Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people.

(III). Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man.

(IV). Is Autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization?

(V). How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets.

(VI). BPO boom in India.

UPSC: IAS MAIN - 2007

GENERAL STUDIES
Paper- I
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

INSTRUCTIONS

Candidates should attempt all question strictly in accordance with the instructions given under each questions. The

number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.

1. Answer anyone of the following questions (in about 250 words): 30

(a) What was the character of social religious reforms in the 19th Century and how did they contribute to the national

awakening in India?

(b) The crisis of the colonial order during 1919 and 1939 was directly linked to the constitutional reforms,

disillusionment and militant anti-colonial struggles. Elucidate.

2. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each) : 15x2 = 30

(a) What are the salient features of the Government of India Acts of 1858 and 1909?

(b) Do you think Mahatma Gandhi's support to Khilafat Movement had diluted his secular credentials? Give your

argument based on the assessment of events.

(c) Evaluate the contribution of revolutionary terrorism represented by Bhagat Singh to the cause of India’s Struggle of

independence.

3. Write about the following (not 20 words each) : 2x15 = 30

(a) Age of Sangam Literature

(b) Bhakti

(c) Ashtadhyayi of Panini

(d) Charvakas

(e) Ajivikas

(f) Gandhara Art

(g) Mlechchas

(h) Lingayats

(i) Megasthenes

(j) R. C. Dutt

(k) Nagarjunakonda

(1) Pastoralism

(m) Rudramadevi

(n) Sati

(0) Ramanuja

4. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 125 words each) : l0x2=20

(a) Explain how the Himalayan and the Tibetan highlands play an important role in the development of the South West

monsoon.

(b) Technological changes have brought in a major shift in the use of roads as transport corridors in India. How far do

you agree with this view?

(c) Explain the nature and causes of growing slum problems in the metropolitan cities of India.

5. Write notes on the following (in about 20 words each): 2 x 5= 10

(a) Special Economic Zone (SEZ)

(b) Inceptisol

(c) Jarawas

(d) Indira Point

(e) Causes of Chambal Ravines

6. Answer anyone of the following questions (in about 250 words) : 30

(a) What is a Constitution? What are the main sources of the Indian Constitution?

(b) Bring out the differences between the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy. Discuss some

of the measures taken by the Union and State Governments for the implementation of the Directive Principles of State

Policy.

7. Answer anyone of the following questions (in about 250 words): 30

(a). What is regionalism ? In which way regionalism has affected the Indian Polity.

(b). what are the Main determination of voting behavior in India?

8. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each): 15x2 = 30

(a) What are the exceptions when the President of India is not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers?

(b) What is pro tem Speaker?

(e) Under what circumstances, Parliament may legislate on State subjects?

9. Answer the following questions (in about 20 words each): 2 x 5 = 10

(a). What is criminalization of politics?

(b). How president of India elected?

(c). what is casting vote?

(d). what is the difference between council of Minister and Cabinet?

(e). what is the importance of Right to constitutional remedies?

10. Answer anyone of the following questions (in about 250 words): 30

(a). what were the main recommendations of the Platform for Action (PFA) adopted at the Beijing Women Conference

1995?

(b) Discuss the steps to get rid of child labour in India.

11. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 125 words each): l0x2=20

(a) What is stealth technology?

(b) Differentiate between Natural and Cultural heritage.

(c) What is value-based politics?

12. Write notes on any two of the following (in about 125 words each) : I0x2=20

(a) Integrated Child Services (lCDS) Development

(b) Prime Minister's 5-point agenda for India's development as a knowledge society

(c) The Lokpal Bill.

13. Write short notes on the following ( in about 20 words each ) 2 x 5 = 10

(a) Yakshagana

(h) PACE.

(c) Footloose Industries

(d) The Statue of Liberty

(e) Genome

GENERAL STUDIES
Paper- II
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

INSTRUCTIONS

Candidates should attempt all question strictly in accordance with the instructions given under each questions. The

number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question

1. Answer any two of the following (answer to each question should be in about 150 words): 15x2=30

(a) Indo-Russian Defence Co-operation

(b) India's response, to political crisis In Bangladesh

(c) Elaborate on India's Nuclear Doctrine

2. Write about the following (answer to each question should be in about 20 wordS): 2x5= I 0

(a) SAFTA

(b) India and East Asia Summit (EAS)

(c) Shanghai Cooperation Organization, (S.C.O.)

(d) Panchsheel in India's Foreign Policy

(e) Relevance of NAM

3. Write about the following (answer to each question should be in about 20 words) : 2x5=10

(a) Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana, 2006

(b) Indian All-Women Contingent to Liberia

(c) Madheshis in Nepal

(d) Know India Programme (KIP)

(e) Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

4. Answer anyone of the following (in about 250 words): 30

(a). What is Dumping? Evaluate the remedial measures taken by Government of India vis-à-vis WTO provisions

regarding dumping.

(b) Comment on the relationship between credit availability and agricultural growth in India.

5. Answer any two of the following (answer to each question should be in about 150 words )

(a). What is the meaning and aim of social forestry ? What are the main weakness noticed in social forestry

programme?

(b). Bring out the main objective of Rastriya Krishi Bima Yojana. The scheme is being implemented by which agency.

(c). Explain Mega Food park Scheme of Government of India.

6. Write about the following (answer to each question should be in about 20 words ) : 2x15 = 30

(a) Explain the term Merit Goods

(b) What is Cheap Money?

(c) What is Countervailing Duty?

(d) What is Hot Money?

(e). Explain the Concept Trickle Down Theory

(f) What is Stagflation?

(g) What is Engel's Law?

(h) Meaning of CCIL

(i) What is Administered Price?

(j) What is Venture Capital?

(k) Explain the term Balance on Current Account

(I) What is Consolidated Fund?

(m) What is Budget Deficit?

(n) Explain the term Most Favored Nations

(0) Meaning of Capital- Output Ratio

7. Write about any two of the following (in about 150 words each): 15x2=30

(a) Impact of globalization on state system and its institutions

(b) SAARC Summit 2007

(c) The UN conference on Environment and Development (The Earth Summit)

8. Write about the following (in about 20 words each): 2x5 = 10

(a) G-8 Summit 2007

(b) Hyde Act of 2006

(c) Global Governance

(d) Operation Silence

(e) SAARC Human Rights Report 2006

9. Write about the following by expanding and explaining the objectives (in about 20 Words each): 2x5=10

(a) ICT4D

(b) BEMs

(c) IAEA

(d) BIMSTEC

(e) ECJ

10. Answer any one of the following in about 250 words: 30

(a). Explain the phenomenon of ozone depletion, its cause and effects . What efforts are needed to reduce it.

(b). what do you understanding by the term ‘biodiversity’? Examine the cause and consequence of degeneration of

biodiversity?

11. Answer any two of the following (answer for each question should be in about 150 words) : 15x2=30

(a) What are the alterative fuels available for the transport sector? Discuss their characteristics, advantages 'and

disadvantages in their utilization.

(b) Explain the objectives and the current achievements of human genome project.

(c) Discuss the missile technology initiatives undertaken by India.

12. Answer all the five (in about 20 words each) : 2x5=10

(a) What is firewall ? (b) What is mal ware ?

(c) What do the following stand for?

(i) MPEG (ii) ISP

(iii) HTML (iv) ASCII

(d) What is Root kit?

(e) What is computer architecture?

13. (a) In the year 2000 out of a total 1750 workers of a factory 1200 workers were members of a union. The number of

women employed was 200 of which 175 did not belong to the union. In 2005 , the number of union workers increased to

1510 of which 1290 were men . On the other hand the number of non union workers fell down to 208 of which 180 were

men. 8

(i) Put the above information in a proper table with title.

(ii) Calculate the increase in the percentage of the female workers belonging to the union in that five year period.

(b) The marks obtained by 20 students in a subject are given: 8

32, 62, 72, 46, 52, 74, 53, 42, 58, 61, 59, 46, 36, 76, 58, 77, 62, 48, 36, 39.

Form a frequency distribution table with class interval 10. Also Draw the Histogram.

14. (a) For the following distribution of statistics test grades, construct a frequency polygon and answer the following: 8

(i) How many test grades are greater than 87 ?

(ii) What percentage of test grades are greater than 83?

(iii) What percentage of test grades are lower than72? '

(iv) What percentage of test grades are between 72 and 79 (inclusive )

Test Grades:

73, 92, 57, 89, 70, 95, 75, 80, 47, 88, 47, 48, 64, 86, 79, 72, 71, 77, 93, 55, 75, 50, 53, 75, 85, 50, 82, 45, 40, 82,

60, 89, 79, 65, 54, 93, 60, 83, 59

(b). Construct an appropriate diagram to show the following data of a university: 8

Course No. of Students

Engineering 440

Arts 220

Agriculture 120

Home Science 80

Economic 60

Total = 920

15. (a) What do you understand by 2

(i) Primary and secondary data

(ii) Data classification

(iii) Measures of central tendency

(iv) Characteristics of good average

(b) The mean wage of 100 laborers working in a factory running two shifts of 60 and 40 workers respectively is Rs. 38.

The mean wage of 60 labourers working in the morning shift is Rs 40. Find the mean wage of 40 Labourers working in

the evening shift. 2

(c) The mean age of a group of 5 boys is 16 years. Another boy joins the group and then the mean age of the group

becomes 18 years. How old is the newcomer? 2

(d) Arithmetic means of two completely different sets of values may be same. When extreme values are taken into

consideration, the arithmetic mean is largely affected. Is it merit or demerit of arithmetic mean and give reasons for your statement? 2

UPSC: How to read Newspapers

HOW TO READ A NEWSPAPER?
Introduction: The current Affairs are an important and interesting part in every one’s life. Starting from Gossiping about Film Industry to latest Political development, every one has some interest in it. Newspapers fulfills the basic requirement of the above needs.Starting from ordinary clerical examination to the to the top most Competitive exams like Civil Services, there are questions on Current Affairs. Normal Current Affairs questions are on PERSONALITIES, PLACES AND NEWS ANALYSIS. One has to follow at least one newspaper to keep abreast of National and International developments. But most of the students don’t know, how to read a newspaper or Read and memorize for their exams. The following write up gives an idea to follow the same for better understanding of Newspapers, which will further improve student’s approach towards newspaper reading.
“ALL THE BEST”
Newspaper reading is an art in itself. It is always advisable to get hooked on to newspaper reading very early in the school days. Before familiarizing yourself with reading a newspaper, it is advisable to get acquainted with the broad contours and some technical terms related to the newspaper.Front page: As the name indicates, is the first, or the front page of the newspaper. The top left hand and the right hand corners on the front page are known as the ‘Ear Panels’. The ‘Ear Panels’ contain advertisements in small boxes. The name of the newspaper, along with the date, place of publication and the ear panels are known as the ‘Masthead’.Lead Story: The lead story of the newspaper is the main, first, or the most prominent story on the front page. It is given in bold letters with big fonts and is the most important story of the day. ‘Banner headline’ - Often in the case of a major natural disaster, or death of a head of State or Government, a ‘banner headline’ is given. Banner headline means a headline spread across the top of the front page.Columns – Every newspaper and every page of a newspaper has eight columns – from left to right. That is, the first column on the left and the eight column on the right.Pages – The number of pages in a newspaper varies from one to another. Leading dailies have between 16-24 pages on weekdays and 32-48 pages on weekends.Supplements – Supplements are also known as magazines. These are separate from the main newspaper. Each day, newspapers have supplements, or magazines. These supplements cover special issues such as fashion, health, cuisine and other material for light reading over the weekend.Layout of the newspaper – This again varies from newspaper to newspaper. But in a standard format, the first page of the newspaper is known as Front page. A front page normally has five-six prominent news stories on issues of national and international importance. Pages second to fourth page are normally reserved for local news stories, though it depends upon each newspaper. If the newspaper is published from Delhi, the local pages would have news reports about Delhi (or any other city) if a newspaper is published from that city. Pages fifth to seventh contain news from various States. Pages eight and nine, are normally the most important pages of the newspaper. These two pages combined form the ‘heart and soul’ of the newspaper and are together known as ‘Centrespread’. These contain, most importantly, editorials (usually two in number), two edit page articles and Letters to the Editor. The page on the left is the ‘Editorial page’ and the one on the right is now known as the ‘Op-ed’ (Opinion-cum-editorial pages) and contains columns written by well-known commentators, analysts, opinion-makers and experts on a particular issue. The editorial page conveys the broad policy of the newspaper management – i.e whether the newspaper is pro-government, anti-government or neutral in the coverage of the news and views that it carries.Pages 10 and 11 are often reserved for international news. The next three-four pages are for news related to Business, stock market and share prices. After these, three-four pages are dedicated to coverage of various national and international sporting events. The last page is often kept for important national and international human-interest stories, that is, stories that would interest any reader. HOW TO READ A NEWSPAPER: Readers and reading are of two broad types: skimming (scanning) and reading. There are different styles of reading for different situations. The technique of reading depends on the purpose of reading. So first of all, you should have the purpose of reading very clear in your mind. For example, one might be reading for enjoyment, information, or to finish a task. If you are researching or reviewing, you might skim through a document. Reading speed depends on the purpose of reading. Skimming is usually done four-five times faster than normal reading. Many people consider skimming and scanning to be search techniques, rather than reading strategies. Skimming is usually resorted for quick identification of the main contents of any given material. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headlines, sub-headings, summaries, searching for keywords. But while scanning, it is advisable to read the first sentence, for it gives a fair and a broad idea of the contents of that paragraph. Newspaper reading can be easily compared to long-distance running. You should start jogging in the beginning, let the muscles warm up and accelerate a little bit at the halfway mark and sprint only at the last lap of the race. It is thus, strongly advised that if you are a beginner at serious reading of a newspaper, do not skim, or scan to start with. Skimming requires trained movement of eyes from one word, sentence, or paragraph to another. This will come with sustained practice and one must increase the speed of reading gradually. Reading requires careful attention to every word and detail. However, anyone can increase the speed of reading while maintaining equal, or even higher comprehension. If you subscribe to a particular newspaper, slow reading in the beginning is a must to train the eyes for the type and size of the font. There are three factors which can help in enhancing reading speed: (1) willingness to improve, (2) keenness to try out new techniques and (3) motivation levels to practice reading regularly. With practice – and gradually, try to develop a wider and broader eye-span. This will help in reading more words and later on, even sentences, at one glance. Try to increase the eye-span from one sentence to two, then to three, four and then the whole paragraph. For, even physiologically, the movement of the eye is amongst the fastest movements of our body. Hence, it is of utmost importance to control eye movement while reading, for eyes have a peculiar habit of not being fixed at one place and the gaze just keeps shifting to see and visualize more and more.One major difficulty in reading, or even scanning, is that the eyesight, if not trained, has the habit of jumping and skipping words that are difficult to read, or not familiar to the eye. This leads to problems in reading and retention. Often one may misread, or misunderstand a word while reading fast. Thus it is all the more important to read slowly and at a comfortable pace and increase the speed only when the eyesight is properly trained. Certain write-ups like editorials, main stories of the day have to be read carefully. Skimming can be practiced in cases where one is reading for leisure on a weekend, or vacation and perfect it before applying to daily reading. One can of course, formulate own reading techniques for speed-reading with practice.Therefore, start reading by applying these techniques, for being a prospective mass communicator, you will be required to read/scan tonnes of material. However, one major must for reading is that you must not take it as a burden and have to enjoy the entire process. For, as they say – “Bon Chance” (Wish you all the best). CIVIL SERVICES PREPARATION: Civil Services preparation point of view is important in this place, when an aspirant reads a newspaper. If one goes through the previous years questions of Current Affairs, it will give broad idea about the pattern. Normally asked questions are about Personalities, Places, News of National and International importance. Bilateral issues relating to India and other Nations, Visit of Head of the States of other Countries, Visit of Indian President and Prime Minister to other Countries, Important agreements etc. One should concentrate on above items and avoid every day politics, gossip news, crime reports, unimportant corporate news, local issues etc. One should concentrate on the first page for Latest development, Edit page for Editorial and analysis, ‘Op-ed’ (Opinion-cum-editorial pages) for the views of commentators, analysts, opinion-makers on a particular issue.

UPSC interview of Mr. Gugan

In my post last I had discussed about the 13th of April, the day that was fixed for my interview. First, I was thinking if I should sit here in front of the computer and type the entire details about it. Then for the sake of record I decided to do that. Here’s the transcript. (please leave your comments)

I was put under Dr. Bhure Lal’s panel. And I was the third person to go in the group of 5 candidates. I was waiting for my turn outside when the second candidate was being interviewed. He was out and said the panel members were very cordial. He wished me best of luck and left. I asked the attendant for some water before I was to go in. As luck would have it, there was no water there and he had to go to fill the bottle. Meanwhile the door was opened for me by another attendant there. I did not wait for the water and delay the process that was to begin. So I entered the room with mouth almost run dry.
There was a lady member among the 5 panel members,including the chairman.
First I wished the lady member and then others.
I was asked to take the seat by the chairman.

Chairman (CM): hello! Guganesan. How are you??
Me: I am very fine, sir.
CM: (he looks at the form again) G ganesan (and just moved his body forward)
(I sensed here that he was in a good mood)
Me: ( I just smile at him) yes sir, Guganesan.
CM: So, you are a chartered Accountant.
Me: yes sir!!
CM :why do you want to come to civil service after CA?
Me: sir, I had decided to join civil service even before doing CA. In fact after clearing my CA I came for civil services preparation immediately.
CM: What is money laundering?
I explain that to him
CM: What is the link between terrorism and money laundering?
I tell him about how terrorism is funded ,about drug deal and all that.
CM : what are the three stages involved in money laundering???
I started explaining. There he stopped me and asked “ do u know the stages or not”
Me: No sir. This is all I know
Then he explained me the stages with its specific names (this was moreover close to what I said, except for the jargons he used)
CM: What are the duties of CA under prevention of money laundering Act?
Me: sir, I’m not aware of any provisions under the Act.
CM: oh, I though they’ll teach u all that in CA.
CM: how much is our Forex reserve?
Me: sir, its 199 billion dollars.
CM: ok, that’s fairly 200 billion dollars. Do you think we are secured?
Me: yes sir. It is said we have so much of reserve that it can fund 13 months of our imports.
CM : I don’t feel secured.
Me: (after giving serious thought) May I ask you why,sir.
(Both the chairman and the lady member bursted in to laughter )
CM: Yes. You have every right to ask me.
( He explained me the reason to which I almost agreed)
CM: How do you manipulate stock market?
I explained him about insider trading, one of the manipulative practices.
CM: why there’s so much of volatility in the stock market now?
I gave two reasons and explained them.1. hike in interest rate. 2. Appreciation of Japanese yen.
Then the chairman showed sign for the lady member to ask questions.

Member 2 (M2): Guganesan, explain over invoicing and under invoicing in foreign trade.
I explained her about that transfer pricing practices which related companies follow.
M2: ok. That relates to transfer pricing . Tell me in general. Suppose I’m an exporter in Tiruppur and you’re my client. I’m billing you at a price less that what it actually is.
I explained how it affects India and said the balance proceeds can be siphoned off to someother countries ( I guess she was looking for that word ‘siphon off’. After I said that she seemed more convinced)
M2: do you think India should accept foreign aid? I want your opinion on that.
Me: Yes Ma’am. I feel India should accept foreign aid. Although India is a developing country and sitting on huge forex reserve it needs so much of fund to finance our infrastructure needs.
M2: Ok. What is the legislation that regulates foreign aid.
Me: (think for a while) Ma’am ,its foreign contribution regulations Act.
M2: that’s. right. But do you think we need such kind of legislation. You know, NGO’s accept lots of foreign aid . do you think it needs to be regulated?
Me:Ma’am I’m not aware of the detailed provisions under the Act. But I know that NGO’s are under an obligation to file some kind of return with RBI after the receipt of the aid. I feel we should have these kind of regulations. B’coz some accountability is ensured on that part of NGO’s . It ensures that money is spent for the said purpose.
M2: But that’s between NGO and the foreign agency why should govt get involved.
Me: yes ma’am. Its true that its only between NGO and foreign agency .but NGO’s involve in social sector projects. So I think that it concern the government. So there is need for regulation.
M2: Ok.what are the preferences u’ve given?
Me: Ma’am I’ve given IAS as my first preference and IFS -2nd, 3rd-IPS and 4Th IRS.
M2: (she just smiled and nodded her head )ok, thank you. (she showed her hand to the third member) I just thanked her and looked in to the eyes of the third member.

M3: who are mafia?
I just gave an vague explanation.
M3: can we call phoolan Devi mafia?
Me: No sir. Mafia operate as network. They are widespread. Whereas Phoolan Devi just had a set of people.
M3: tell me who are the constituents of this Mafia.
Me; (I think for a while. Couldn’t really make out where the discussion is heading) sir, mafia would have set of musclemen.
M3: ok. They’re field staff. But what it takes to organize a crime?
Me: they need a proper plan before anytning is to be committed. And they collude with people on the other side.
M3: who are this people on the other side?
Me: sir, it’s the officials of the government.
M3: do you know chartered accountants play a major part in legalizing their money?
(here I realized why he started this discussion. So much of grudges against CAs, I thought)
Me: sir, there would be very few chartered accountants who are involved in such activities.
M3:Very few? (he looks at the papers in front of him) u’ve given reading as your hobby. What kind of books you read?
I answer that .(both fiction and non fiction)
M3: Have you read this book called “ Sacred game” by Vikram Chandra.?
Me: No sir, I haven’t read that.
M3: Read that book. It talks about how chartered accountants involve in legalizing the mafia’s money. They’re even called counselors.
Me: ok sir I’ll read that.
M3: what is the legislation that exclusively covers organized crime?
Me: no sir, I’m not aware of any specific legislation.
M3: ok. Blogging is your other hobby. On what kind of issues you write.
Me: sir, I have not restricted myself to any field. I write on anything that is interesting . It could be something interesting that happened in my life.
M4:like?
Me: once I wrote about the rag picker boy in my street. (I explained what I wrote in that post. The lady member seemed to be interested too although I dint make any eye contact with her)
M3: So you are interested in human behaviour?
Me: yes sir, u can say that.
M3:ok, now looking at the psyche of Indian people. Why there’s so much of adulteration in our country. Its not found much in other countries. Why only this subcontinent?u know, law allows some qty of stone in rice. There’s adulteration in drugs. Why is it so.
Me: sir, its because of the erosion of values among people in our country. India is a country where so many movies made every year. I think people pick such things from these movies.
M3: but adulteration has been there even before the movies came.
Me: yes sir. That’s true. But after movies these things increased in numbers.
M3: but where do we learn all this. Does historical books and religious books teach us?
Me: no sir. Our religious books and historical book don’t teach us these practices. I think its people’s desire to make easy money. They come out with new ideas and get involved in such things. I think its all about money, sir,
M3: suppose there’s a shop keeper who mixes stones in rice. One day his son falls sick. He buys medicine which is adulterated and his son dies. Do you think he’ll change.
Me: sir, it depends on the person. If he’s really learnt a lesson from this incidence I think he’d change.
M3: I don’t think he’ll change.
(he thanked me and put me onto the 4th member)

M4: so you are from kancheepuram. What’s the name of the famous temple in your town.
Me: sir, its kamakshi amman temple.
M4: what is the name of the legendary who laid the statue there?
Me: I’m sorry sir. I’m not sure of the name.
M4: its adi shankara. How far is that temple from your house.
Me: sir, its 2-3 kms from my house.
M4: oh, so close and still u haven’t bothered to find out that. What is the relationship between culture and reading?
Me: sir , If one person had been unaware of his culture, he can know them by reading any books. That way one can come to know about one’s culture and get them imbibed in his life.
M4: what is culture?
Me: sir, culture is one’s way of life. One’s way of dressing, food habits. It covers these many things.
M4: why do we have so many myths in our life?
I explain him something.
M4:no,,no. u have not really understood what is myth. U know we celebrate diwali.someone killed someone.
Me: (having got the flash in mind)yes sir. We have these kind of festival in life. Although they are based on myths they bring our families together. We celebrate and stay happy. It even disciplines our lives.
M4: “churning milk out of sea” what do you interpret on this.
Me: (almost puzzled) its like getting the best out of something which is in abundance.
M4: how education has churned u?
ME: (having no clue how to address) sir, eduction has helped to meet people from different background. I have learnt to interact with them. And also I;ve been able to understand the values in their life and tried to take it if they are good.
M4: why filmstars are raised to the level of god in tamilnadu?
(M3 interrupts and says even temples have been built)
I explain something .
M4: that’s there’s everywhere. There’s one particular reason. What is it?
Me:no sir. I can’t think of any particular reason.
M4: ok, think on ur way back u;ll get it.
(he thanked me and passed onto the 5th person)

M5:I’ll just ask you few questions. (I was happy to hear tht)
How do you classify land?
Me: sir, agricultural land and non-agricultural land.
M5:ok. That’s one way of saying. U know , u can classify it as mainland and hinterland. (I uttered the word ‘hinterland “along with him, as he was very slowly talking)
And we have islands. Tell me the name of an island in Arabian sea.
Me: sir. Its lakshadweep.
M5: what is the total surface area?
Me:no sir, I’m not aware of that.
M5:ok, I thought since u were staying close to that place u might know that. Ok. Why British came to India, first?
Me: Sir, they came for trade.
M5: but there’s one incidence that prompted them to rule India. What is it?
(Here this member was very vague in framing this question. Then the M3 explained it in a better way for me.)
Me(after serioulsly thinking) no sir, I have never come across any such incidence.
M5: now I’ll give u a topic. I want you to deliberate on this and speak for and against. “All people who come for civil service preparation should not do that”
(I know it sounds confusing)
I spoke about why people want to come to civil service. Reasons like public service, improving the functions of govt. For against the topic I said there;’s so much o f corruption and abuse of power.Said “ civil service is even considered first resort of scoundrel “
(only after coming home I realized that what I spoke under :For” was actually “against” and vice versa. )
M5: do you really think people come for service?
Me: yes sir. There are many people who come for preparation with the public services in mind. In fact, I’m one such person myself.
(then M5 looked at the chairman. )
CM: guganesan, you interview is over . you can leave.

I thanked everyone and left the room. Wow. What a relief when I came out. Now I have to wait for the results. That could be anytime during the second week of May.

UPSC interview of Mr. Vikas Singh

My interview was scheduled in the fore noon session of 3rd of April 2007. I was interviewed by the board of Prof. D.P Agrawal, an ex dean of IIT, Delhi. The other members were M1, M2, M3 and M4.

The conversation started with Prof. D.P. Agrawal

DPA (Work related)

Vikas tell me about your present company?

How many years weather data you take?

Where did you do your pilot projects for weather insurance?

Is it for rain fed areas or irrigated areas?

So you collect weather data from the field?

Does Hardoi have a weather statation?

Do you think the farmers will understand your questionnaire?

What questions do you ask?

How many questions are there in the questionnaire?

Tell me the important questions?

So, on a 10 point scale how do you rate plant growth?

What discussion do you have with the district officials?

What is a crop cutting experiment?

M1 (IRMA)

What is PRM?
Why rural management? I never heard of Urban Management

Why so many IIMs and so few Rural management? Should the government not open many rural management institutes?

Is the government doing enough for rural sector?

What is the concept of PURA?

Did you ever live in rural areas?

What did you do in Kutch?

DPA:What subjects you had at IRMA? How were they different from normal B-schools?

Did you study about health sector?

What is the health structure in India?

Do you know of any health schemes?

Do you know of any education schemes?

What earlier schemes have been merged in Sarva Siksha Abhiyan?

M2 (Literature)

Who has got the Nobel Prize in literature from India? What was his contribution?

Have you heard of Osama bin Laden? why is he so antagonistic to America?

How are you creative in your writing?

What knowledge do you have about painting styles?

DPA: Don’t you know of any painting styles? Name famous Indian painters

What was Raja Ravi Verma’s painting style?

What is SUPW? Isn’t it compulsory in schools? How is it extra curricular activity?

M3 (Administration)

What is the reason of backwardness of Jharkhand despite rich resource endowment?

But what about corruption? What is the definition of corruption?

What is the effect of corruption?

Who is a public servant? Is he a servant of the people?

If a person from public comes and directs you to allocate resources what will be your response?

Suppose he is an MLA/MP?

What if a cabinet minister of a different ministry asks you to transfer people of your department?

What if your senior officer orders you to do something which your conscience does not allow?

Why do you want to join IAS?

You can have diverse experience elsewhere also, why specifically IAS?

What posts will you get as an IAS officer?

What role will you have as an SDM?

M4
Which two nations are the most recent members to join Eurpean Union?

What problems did you come across in your study in Kutch?

How are these problems being overcome?

Do you think blogs will replace mainstream media?

What do you blog about?

DPA

Tell us one personal experience of yours which can motivate the youth to come forward for rural development?

Why did you criticize the relief and rehabilitation work of Kutch as a reflex action?

What disaster has been predicted by India’s disaster management cell?

If you can not predict a disaster, won't relief always be a reflex action?

Which agency re-built the houses in kutch? I think it was a successful example of Rehabilitation, wasn't it?
What will you do if you don’t get into administrative services?

Will you be able to contribute to rural development if you are placed in some department other than the rural development department?

DPA:Vikas, Your interview is over.