Mr. Ajay Katesaria’s success story is a marvel among inspiring stories for Civil Services aspirants. He is from Jharkhand and from a business background. His education was simply from correspondence courses and with compulsion he was engaged in active business after his schooling. But his dream to be a Civil Servant conquered all his hurdles and nativities and the result is thus so far. He got success with a flying color and became a light house for those aspirants who struggle in the dark ocean of limitations. This interview is not a story but a message for future and hope would benefit and inspire across the students sphere.
Q : Achieving top slot in the CS Examination is no small feet; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success!
Ajay Katesaria : Thanks Sir !
Q : Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news?
Ajay Katesaria : I had performed up to the best of my potential thus I was expecting a good rank. But such good rank is always a surprise.
Q :What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority?
Katesaria : IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS (C & CE), IRS (IT). I opted IAS as first choice to be a part of development process of the country.
Q : Did change in Prelims pattern became base for your decision to appear in Civil Services Examination or were you already preparing for it ?
Ajay Katesaria : I was already appearing. Change in Prelims pattern isn’t a big matter. Paper-I is same and Paper-II is of class X level. So no issues were involved .
Q : That was the first time; the Preliminary
Examination was staged with the new pattern. With a lot of apprehensions around, how did you manage to face it and what different strategy you adopted to prepare for the new-look Prelims ?
Ajay Katesaria : I appeared for Interview last year too and was waiting for results. So could start preparation late only. I had faith in UPSC that the Paper will be for all and won’t be much difficult. So I only solved previous year papers of few exams like MAT, CDS, CPF, SSC etc .
Q : What do you feel about the Paper II (Aptitude Test)?
What was your preparation - plan for newly added constituents in this paper?
Ajay Katesaria : I didn’t draw any special strategy. Further, I had faith in my aptitude abilities and the Paper too turned out to be Class X level which was not a problem. UPSC indeed took care of all sections in the Paper.
Q : As there is no Optional subject at Preliminary Examination level, did that bother you as far as your strategy is concerned?
Ajay Katesaria : I felt more at home with aptitude test. I feel,
aptitude test is better and will help bringing better candidates in
Service. Still Aptitude or Optional PT was not a problem for me
anytime.
Q : How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims?
Ajay Katesaria : Go with probability rule. If one is 50% confident
of a question he should go head and attempt the question. I
followed the same rule as negative marking is 33% .
Q : The announcement for the new pattern came in October 2010 and with limited information in public domain, what approach did you adopt looking at CSE 2011 requirements in new format?
Ajay Katesaria : I did nothing beforehand, I just prepared for
aptitude after declaration of 2010 results in May 2011 .
Q : In your opinion, is the new pattern better than the previous one and will it suffice the demands of transparency seekers?
Ajay Katesaria : Surely, aptitude test is better as well as easier
and more manageable. It will help bringing candidates with better
decision making abilities .
Q : About Interview Boards, many candidates have set impressions. Do you consider such thoughts help or hinder one’s performance in Interview?
Ajay Katesaria : Knowing a bit does help but one should not
go into unnecessary details as they may lead to stereotyping.
Mine was Dr. KK Paul’s Board which is considered as
toughest so I was a bit more conscious. I feel that’s all.
Q : The first step is the most difficult ; how to prepare? Which
Optional subjects to pick ? What to read ? How much to read ? Many such questions come to your mind when you really get serious about Civil Services Examination? From where, you did get the right advice?
Ajay Katesaria : Now in the world of Internet, gathering information and advice is not too difficult. I used Internet for my benefit. One can also find seniors on-net to gather advice.
Q : In how many attempts have you achieved this success?
How do you visualize your preparation/ previous attempts?
Ajay Katesaria : This was my third attempt. In 2009, I started late for Mains and missed an interview call by just 1 mark. Actually,
my father was permanently disabled so, I had a lot of responsibilities towards my family too. In second attempt, I was
well prepared but my father expired while the Mains Exam was
going on. Still I managed an Interview Call and missed selection
by a hair thin margin. This attempt was good and I got a good
Rank too .
Q : Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e. career in Civil Services?
Ajay Katesaria : I was already in my business. So, no other plans
were there. Civil Service is one among the important services in
our country. It makes a mark able impression in development of
the Nation. Civil Servants are real functionaries in the government
and have indispensable participation in the services for the
country.
Now India is recognized as an important economic mighty in
the world. Now whole world is eagerly waiting to avail service of
dynamic Indian youth work force. In spite of all these good financial and material benefits, youth prefers Civil Services because social recognition, challenges and honor also associated with it .
Q : While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services?
Ajay Katesaria : The motivation to serve the Nation and Society
brought me here .
Q : What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (Aptitude Test) during Prelims preparation? How much time and effort you divided for each?
Ajay Katesaria : I didn’t do any special preparation for PT exam in my 2nd and 3rd attempts. If you are regular reader of Current
Affairs, Newspapers, Government Reports then no special preparation for PT is required .
Q : ‘Time Management ’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers, be it Prelims or Main Examinations. How did you manage things?
Ajay Katesaria : Yes, time management is crucial. Being a
businessman, I already had habit of managing time. Thus this aspect was never a problem. I always managed to finish in time.
Q : While making final choice for Optional subject/s, what’s important and what’s not? Share your thoughts and opinions ?
Ajay Katesaria : I strongly feel that interest should be the only
criterion. At least I followed the same. Further, one should try to
keep his Parent Subject. My Optional Subjects were Law and
Political Science & International Relations .
Q : Did you keep the same Optional subjects in all your attempts?
Ajay Katesaria : Yes.
Q : Was there any special effort for effective preparation for Essay Paper?
Ajay Katesaria : No. I never received good marks in Essay. So
won’t advice on Essay .
Q : Which topic you picked up this time and why did you choose this particular topic?
Ajay Katesaria : I chose ‘Small States topic’. It was interesting
and relevant to my Optional subject Political Science .
Q : What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Mains (Written)?
Ajay Katesaria : The strategy should be constant enrichment.
One should try to add value and move ahead in quality rather than
reading same things again and again.
Q : How did you prepare yourself for Interview? When and which Board did you face? How did your interview go on, how much time it lasted and what were the questions asked during the
Interview?
Ajay Katesaria : I joined some programs for Interview and also
gave mocks. But the tips provided by Success Guru AK Mishra
helped me a lot in the real Interview. Mock Interviews
arranged in Chanakya IAS Academy clearly emulate the real
Interview environment. Video recording of Mocks are made here
and give the aspirants revisit it after to correct his
approaches and learn the techniques of success in the Interview.
The board members here reveal the strong and weak points of the
aspirants and it makes easier for him to excel in the process. I
focused more on remaining cool, calm and confident during
Interview. After all, it is more a personality
test than an interview.
Q : In your opinion, at which educational level should
one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services
Examinations?
Ajay Katesaria : One should have a habit of
reading newspapers from childhood. If one
does it, Civil Service will not be difficult; no
matter whenever you start .
Q : What is your opinion regarding the general view
that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities?
Ajay Katesaria : I disagree. See the success ratio of Science subjects; it’s much lower than Humanities though few individual marks may be high. Science subjects need more effort.
Q : Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation?
Ajay Katesaria : No. We have people of all sorts of backgrounds
being selected .
Q : Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services?
Ajay Katesaria : No. It was a gradual process .
Q : Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’ ?
Ajay Katesaria : Since my younger brother started sharing
responsibilities of business; I felt the time is ripe to give more
attention to the Exam .
Q : You must have read IAS Toppers interviews in newspapers/magazines; what inspired you the most? Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result?
Ajay Katesaria : Reading toppers interviews are always inspiring.
But there was no single moment.
Q : Was CSE a planned decision or your parent’s wish? Did you keep in mind some time frame, for the examination preparation and number of attempts?
Ajay Katesaria : No, it was not planned. I have a habit of
completing an assignment which I take. So no time frame was
there.
Q : What is the secret of your success?
Ajay Katesaria : Bhagvada Gita is the source of my
inspiration and success. I will recommend all aspirants to read
Gita once or atleast watch 72nd, 73rd and 74th episodes from
B.R Chopra’s Mahabharata where Gita Saar has been explained
beautiful .
Q : To whom would you like to give the credit for your success?
Ajay Katesaria : To my late father, mother, younger brother and
all, whose support I got at different times. Biggest credit goes to
the Internet .
Q : In your opinion what role do the competition magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services?
Ajay Katesaria : Magazines publish toppers interview which is
source of inspiration and motivation. Further, they help in drawing
strategy and also help in content enrichment.
