Exclusive: Top 3 Rank Holders Share How They Cracked Civil Services Exam

A total of 829 candidates qualified the Civil Services examination 2019, results of which were announced on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Pradeep Singh, Jatin Kishore and Pratibha Verma secured the first, second and third positions respectively. NDTV talked to the top three rank holders who are also serving officers to know their preparation strategy, and success manthra they adopted during the exam which is considered as a tough one to crack.

"Preliminary, mains and interview phases are quite different from each other and should be prepared accordingly," says Mr Singh, who had also served the tax department before serving as an IRS officer. 

"It is important to focus on writing skills to pass the main exam while interpersonal skills are essential for clearing the interview stage," Mr Singh, a former Computer Science student of Murthal University, said. 

Mr Singh said that he took public administration as an optional subject. 

Mr Kishore, who secured first rank in Indian Economic Services exams earlier and currently posted as an Assistant Director with Ministry of Rural Development, said Civil Services exam aspirants need to focus more on content.

"If you focus more on the content, you will achieve success," Mr Kishore told NDTV.

Ms Verma considers previous years' question papers to be of immense help for preparation of Civil Services exam.

In her message for the Civil Services exam aspirants, Ms Verma who is also the topper among the women candidates, said, "One should be very careful in selecting the optional subjects. The optional subject should be selected on the basis of the course and subjects pursued during graduation."

Talking to PTI, Ms Verma has said that even in difficult conditions, she kept her eyes fixed on her goal and continued her preparations with dedication. "Since the very beginning I had set my target and worked as per a definite schedule with full dedication. Last year I continued with the preparations despite falling ill and it is because of that effort I could get the third rank," she said.

A total of 829 candidates have been recommended for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among other civil services.

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