• Question: What were the basic mantras of your success?

Deepak: A well executed strategy, discipline and positive attitude with the blessings of my parents and friends are the basic mantras of my success.

• Question: What were your strategies for the lengthy syllabus of General Studies for both Prelims and Mains?

Deepak: “Divide & Rule” was my strategy for handling such a lengthy syllabus of GS for both prelims and mains. I divided my syllabus into various parts and handled each & every part separately to cover the entire syllabus. One important thing for GS preparation is that GS for both Mains & Prelims is integrated and should be prepared accordingly.

• Question: Tell us something about preparation of essay paper.

Deepak: An essay paper requires simple language with the clarity of thoughts and good analytical ability. It requires original ideas of a person with good analysis on that topic. Again writing practice is the key to score more marks in the essay paper.

• Question: How much time one should devote for PT /Mains etc.

Deepak: 15-18 months before mains exams are more than sufficient for preparation of PT/Mains exam if a candidate is doing qualitative studies for average 8-10 hours per day. 

• Question: Which is the most difficult part of this exam and why? What was your strategy to tackle this difficult part?

Deepak: Prelims is the most difficult part of this exam as competition is huge in prelims and exam pattern is very unpredictable. Multiple choice questions with negative marking makes it further difficult to crack. I think exhaustive study with basic clarity of concepts should be the strategy to tackle the prelims, also while selecting the answer in the exam hall a candidate should be extra careful and should avoid wrong answers to the maximum extent possible.

• Question: How helpful are the notes? What is your advice on notes-making? 

Deepak: Self notes are very helpful for both optionals and GS paper. Newspaper notes are mandatory to cover the newspaper in detail. Timely revision of self notes help in better retention and helps in better presentation in exam also.

• Question: What are your suggestions for fresher?

Deepak:  My suggestion for fresher is to understand the exam process completely and then create a well strategy to crack this exam. Learn as much as possible from the teachers and successful candidates. A fresher should not come with too many apprehensions for this exam and should prepare with full dedication without worrying much about the result.