My interview was on the very first day of the beginning of Interview sessions for the 2019 CSE exams. I was very nervous as it was the first day, but somehow managed to calm myself down through some breathing exercises right before the interview.

I scored 193 marks in the Interview, and it really helped me secure a good rank.

Chairperson: Sujata Mehta IFS

Time: 4:00- 4:35 PM

Chairperson: Okay Rumaiza, tell me about yourself with regards to educational qualifications and work experience if any.

Me: I come from *********, I did most of my schooling in ********* district. After that I moved to Chennai to pursue my undergraduate degree in economics.

C: Any work experience?

Me: I did an internship at Goldman Sachs Ma’am.

C: Was it at Mumbai or Bangalore?

Me: It was at Bangalore, I worked at the Operations division. Under the Private Wealth management department. There we help manage the assets of high net worth individuals.

C: So how was the experience, what did you learn?

Me: It was good ma’am, I was exposed to a global corporate environment, and I got to know more about the functioning of the financial markets, and eventually about the company itself.

C: GS has a bad reputation, doesn’t it? Called the “Vampire squid” right?

Me: Yes ma’am, it is called the Giant Vampire Squid, because of its role in the 2008 financial crisis. They were guilty of having mislead the investors, by selling subprime assets, and made insurance companies to sell them loans on bad assets. Which eventually led to the Financial Crisis 2008, from which we as a world have not fully recovered.

C: And did you get a job too?

Me: Yes ma’am, I was offered the PPO, which I did not take up.

C: But isn’t GS one of the most sought after companies to work with. Why did you leave?

Me: Ma’am mainly two reasons, one is that the job did not excite me, secondly, I had plans of writing the civil service examinations.

C: Ok.. so when did you graduate?

Me: 2018 ma’am.

C: What do you mean by demographic dividend?

Me: *explains*

C: So it is just the fact that we have the numbers or is there something else, some other attributes?

ME: yes, Ma’am, the population has to be properly educated and given proper skill training, otherwise it will turn into what is called a “demographic disaster”.

C: Alright, since you did economics, tell me why is urbanization often linked with development? Me: Ma’am, urbanization is seen as one of the first signs of economic development. It can lead to concentration of economic activity in certain areas. This has been substatiated in several economic theories such as those by Myrdal- backwash effect (should’ve said, Spread effects) and leads to more people coming from rural area urban areas. This was explained in the Lewis model of development as well.

C: Does it ever occur to you or has development taken place without urbanization happening?

Me: (I was actually confused about the questions) No, ma’am, I do not have perspective on that.

M1: IF you had the opportunity to work in a position of power, which areas would you focus on, at the micro level, and why?

Me: Sir I would focus on ensuring empowerment opportunities for women and education. But focusing on better basic infrastructure, improving teacher student ratio etc.

M1: And why exactly these two?

Me: It is because they are the most foundational development aspects. Though it is a cliche`, education of women, leads to the education of an entire generation.

M1: Why is it that despite having high literacy states like Kerala have less women coming up, less women empowerment happening?

Me: Yes sir it is true that though the state has high literacy, it has not translated into liberal ideas and women empowerment. However, there are changes, for instance the state has the highest number of female entrpreneurship, and with schemes like Kudumashree, more women are coming to the forefront.

M1: So recently there was a controversy regarding the JJ act. For heinous crimes should children be treated as adults? For example, in the Nirbhaya case, the minor was let off, and recently the US has decided to try a 14 year old for murder as an adult. What is your opinion.

Me: Sir, for a heinous crime, I believe that a child should be treated as an adult. Given that we are increasingly moving towards universal education and literacy, one cannot claim ignorance of the law sir.

M2: So you spoke about micro level development, in rural areas there is a lack of human resource available to work in rural areas, especially in schools, how would you solve this problem?

Me: Sir I think that we can replicate a model of those followed with regard to government health service. Where doctors graduating out of certain government institutes have to mandatorily serve a few years in the rural area before being posted in the urban areas. Furthermore, certain positive incentives can be given to those working in the rural areas.

M2: But we are having a shortage of teachers, if we put them in rural areas, then there is a shortage in urban areas too.

Me: Sir, are you referring to the fact that we have a limited pool of resources?

M2: Yes, of course, then how do you solve it?

Me: Sir, the idea would be to make the pool bigger, and provide better training for teachers. A study by Abhijit Banerjee had shown that proper training can help reduce attrition rates among teachers, and reduce teacher absenteeism which is a major scourge faced in our country today.

M2: Can you tell me some of the important provision of the New Education Policy?

Me: Sir, the first thing that comes into my mind is the emphasis on primary education, or “emergent literacy” as they called it. Then.. sorry sir, I’m not able to recollect anything more.

M3: So you are an economist, compare how the Malthusian theory of population growth has played out in India, and what is to be done..is our population an asset or a liability?

Me: Sir looking at our country, we had already gone through different phases of population growth, in the 1970s, we had food scarcity. As the Malthusian theory goes, the population grows at a geometric progression and food production at arithmetic progression, but we have been able to overcome that with green revolution etc.

M3: What is the importance of several skill development schemes introduced by the government?

Me: Yes sir there are schemes for both rural and urban areas. The DDUGKY and Skill India mission are examples of the same. They help equip the people and like Prof Amartya Sen said, they help in improving their capabilities and making them what the want to be.

M3: So tell me about NPAs, how are they created? What is their impact and are they like man made or due to natural reasons?

Me: Sir NPAs are formed due to multiple reasons. To start off with, they are a result of something called “lazy banking” as termed by a prominent economist, where banks fail to conduct adequate background checks before handing out loans. Second reason.. The impact is that they lead to the problem of twin balance sheet crisis, where both banks and corporates have poor balance sheets, with large liabilites, and banks losing confidence to lend credit to investors leading to poor overall investment. To answer your last question, whether they are man made or natural, I would say that there are both, whereby in certain areas, owners of businesses suffer losses due to external reasons, leading to NPAs, for example, the US-China trade war led to poor business for some exporters. However, some people are wilfull defaulters, who squander the loan taken for their own uses. Thus, as a system, we must be able to identify genuine defaulters from wilful ones and treat them differently.

M3: Ok, lets talk about black money. How effective was demonetization in solving the black money problem?

Me: RBI stated 98% of bank notes came back to the system. So it means we have black money in the form of gold, and other assets like land. However, it did send a message across, and led to a 200% increase in online transactions. So I see a positive outlook with regards to black money in India.

M3: So what is your take on student politics, there are several ongoing protests in the country. Are campus politics good? Are they politically motivated?

Me: Sir, campus politics in India goes back a long way in history. It is a sign of greater awareness among the people and a vibrant democracy. However, to answer your question as to whether they are politically motivated or not, it is hard to say no, because most of the student politics groups in India are off shoots of major political parties. Such as SFI, ABVP etc. However, banning them is not an option. There must be a balance sir.

M4: Recently in the budget there was a new taxation provision. Of taxing the expenditure. It is a departure from the philosophy of taxing income. What is your take on it.

Me: Yes sir, I think it is a step in the right direction. Several prominent people including Bill Gates has talked about the idea before. Because taxing expenditure can prevent unnecessary spending, and promote investment. And because it is not on income, it will encourage people with money to invest more sir.

M4: I asked about the change in philosophy of income tax, anyways, so there are companies like promoting women related policies like Uber by having women drivers, and other things… Do you think all these are mere token gestures, can they bring any real change?

Me: Sir with regards to women empowerment, a mix of strategies is required. On one hand, these token measures help send across a message to society about women, and motivate more women to come across to the forefront. There is an element of relatability too, where women can relate to the others and come up. However, such measures should be backed up by solid measures such as proper maternity benefits, giving day care facilities, ensuring there is no gender pay gap etc.

M4: What is the role of NGOs in development? Are they contributing to the same. There were issues saying they are preventing development and having foreign funding etc. What is your take?

Me: Around 36 lakh NGOs, they contribute to development- ex- Pratham foundation, ASER report, policy making role- RTI act, movement which included Arvind Kejriwal etc. But some studies have shown that they cause a loss upto 2–3% to our GDP. As with foreign funding I believe that it should be regulated using FCRA norms and ensure there is more transparency with regards to how the money is spent.

Chair: Ok so tell me about Tea Tasting.

Me: *answers*

C: So does it not require expert guidance? How did you learn about it?

Me: *answers*

C: Alright, the interview is over. Do you want us to ask you about anything. Any area that you feel we may have missed?

Me: No maam, Thank you

Rumaiza Fathima RV, IRS

Asst. Commissioner of Income Tax

AIR 185, CSE 2019

Book-lists by toppers aren’t in any way the gospel truth. Neither are they exclusive. Most often, the pattern seen with toppers is that they pretty much followed the same books recommended by toppers over the years. If any, the innovation they have brought in would be with how they actually used those books.

Having said that, keep the following things in mind before you go on a book-buying spree.

1) Book hoarding: Buying all the available material from the market, collecting every possible material for yourself even for free. In the end you will never end up using them, and at best, they overwhelm you and clutter your mental and physical space. Do NOT do this.

2) Opt for e-books, PDFs of textbook wherever possible, even if you have a hard-copy, it makes a lot of sense to carry an e-copy. It will save thousands of rupees, and horsepower in transporting huge cartons full of books.

3) Avoid buying fresh copies of books, notes that are already available in open source platforms, such as NCERTs. These books can be downloaded from the official website.

4) Avoid FOMO at all costs: Do not have the fear of missing out when you see a friend reading from a shiny new textbook. Trust yourself, and your booklist.

Book list for Prelims:

1. NCERTs of History (6–12th), Geography (11th and 12th)& Polity (11th)
2. Spectrum’s A brief History of Modern India
3. Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
4. Certificate of Physical Geography by GC Leong
5. Indian Economy Key Concepts by Shankar Ganesh
6. Oxford World Atlas
7. Indian Art and Culture by Nithin Singhania**
8. Environment by Shankar IAS
9. Geography and Environment Notes referred from PMF IAS website (Most of their materials are available for free, rest can be bought at a very low price)

10. Current Affairs: The Hindu Newspaper, Express Explained section of the Indian Express, Monthly current Affairs compilation by Vision IAS. (Notes were made from the Newspaper digitally, from Mains point of view, occasionally added Prelims facts)

(**-only selected portions)

Other materials used:

Class notes by my academy- iLearn IAS, Trivandrum- Especially for Modern Indian history, Art and Culture, Environment and Ancient India

Book list for Mains:

• GS-1

1. NCERTs of History (6–12th), Geography (11th & 12th) and Polity (11th)
2. Spectrum’s a Brief History of Modern India
3. Certificate of Physical Geography by GC Leong
4. Indian Society Notes by Rushikesh Reddy (2019)**
5. Post Independence Consolidation- Class notes (iLearn IAS Academy)
6. Current Affairs: Vision IAS Mains 365- Society
7. World History- Class notes(iLearn IAS Academy)
8. Indian Art and Culture, Nithin Singhania

• GS 2

1. Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
2. International Relations- Class notes (iLearn IAS Academy) + Notes made from the Newspapers**
3. Governance- Class notes form iLearn IAS
4. Social Justice- Class notes from iLearn IAS
5. Current Affairs- Vision IAS- Mains 365 Polity and Governance

• GS3

1. Indian Economy- Class notes (iLearn IAS Academy)
2. Economic Survey

3. Indian Economy- Performance and Policies by Uma Kapila (Optional Book)

4. Vision IAS Mains 365- Science and Technology, Environment

5. Personal Notes made from Newspaper

6. Internal Security- Class notes (iLearn IAS Academy)

7. Disaster Management- Class notes + Personal collection of case studies and examples

• GS4

1. Notes and Handouts by TJ Abraham (iLearn IAS Academy)
2. Personal Collection of Examples and Notes from Newspaper+General reading

• Essay

1. Personal Collection of Examples and Notes from Newspaper +General reading

**If you wish to secure my personal notes, please drop an email at rumaiza.civilservant@gmail.com

Useful links:

1. NCERT Textbooks can be found for free here:

https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php

2. Official Telegram link for Express Explained:

Express Explained

3.https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/14/toppers-notes-e-notes-of-rushikesh-reddy-rank-95-cse-2020/

All the best!

Rumaiza Fathima RV IRS

Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax (UT)

AIR 185, CSE 2019

1. Make the best use of technology. Note-taking apps such as Evernote, using PDFs over printed notes and hard-copy of books made life easier for me by manifolds. An average aspirant’s room usually looks un-navigable, given a sea of books and paper. Moreover, a mere Ctrl+F would lead you to the desired topic of study, thereby reducing friction involved in physically dealing with books.
2. Every subject demands to be treated very specially. Find out the best methods to study each subject and follow them. For example, linking with contemporary issues is an organic way to learn Polity. Similarly using online games to study Maps in Geography.
3. I used to maintain a “Small book of Big Facts” filled with statistics, figures, flow charts and diagrams which were liberally peppered in Mains papers. It will really help enrich your answers.
4. Some subjects require a casual reading in the initial period to understand and get a full picture of the same. I used to treat them as “breaks” whereby I relax and wind down with a cup of tea, holding the book and underlining important concepts. This was a regular feature during my preparation and I would go up to the terrace in the evenings to do the same. They were so enjoyable that everyday, I would wait for my blissful hour and a half.
5. Newspaper reading was again a way of winding down for me. I would usually go through the paper quickly from cover to cover (I used to read all the pages including the sports section as it was a habit from childhood) and then go back to important articles to jot things down on my ever note. This again, was done only in the evenings, either after my terrace outings, or sometimes in the night when my other flat-mates were not reading it. I strongly suggest not reading the newspaper first thing in the morning, as it is haphazard in nature and can potentially clutter your mind.
6. Maintain a productivity tracker. This needn’t be with the help of a fancy app or a notebook. I used to do this with the help of my brother. He would call me everyday at night, asking me to “rate” the day on ten according to how productive it was. We would have “6/10” days and “8/10” days. The idea is that it motivated me to aim for a “9/10” day after day. And this deliberate, mindful effort led me to that goal.
7. Keep yourselves sane by exercising regularly, eating well and of course finding your own stress busting mechanisms. I am a regular user of ‘Head space’ App for meditation, and deliberately took time out to go for walks, change space of study and treated myself to good food when I did a lot of work. At one point, with peak stress levels, I tried adult colouring books and eventually started by habit of journaling which has now become a part of my life.
8. Divide your day into different zones, based on productivity. It is the best way of making studying more efficient, enjoyable and making sure that you do not get burned out quickly. Schedule your day so that the tasks which require maximum mental effort, such as active recall, first time study of a difficult concept, and tough subjects in general are done during the hours where you feel the most productive. For me, it was the early hours of the day, after a night of good sleep and a fresh mind with minimal distractions.
9. Speaking of sleep, I used to get at least 7.5 to 8 hours of quality shut-eye every day. It went up to 9 hours during my Mains preparation. I just think my body needed that to somehow balance out all the stress. At around 11 AM everyday, my body usually experiences a post-prandial dip in energy, and I would be taking a power nap (even while I was in classes). You are probably cringing, thinking it is excessive. But it was inevitable, and confusing.
10. Lastly, the time just before bed was also crucial for me. I try to look at stuff that needs memorisation such as Constitutional Articles, names of National Parks etc right before bedtime as it is believed to help boost your memory. However, I have to admit that I was not so regular about the same. But the bottom line is that your brain is already tired after working for an entire day. It would be wise to stick to stuff that does not require a lot of mental application. Moreover, I used to take some time off to wind down by reading a novel for about 20 minutes before falling asleep.

Rumaiza Fathima

AIR 185

CSE, 2019.

Current Affairs is nothing short of being a pain in the neck. It sometimes feel futile, illogical and what not. But this is an exam, and you simply don’t have a choice but to study current affairs, as it is important for all three stages of the Civil Service Examination.

I have divided the write-up according to the various sources used.

1. Newspaper

Yes, you *have* to read the newspaper no matter what people/ UPSC Pundits/ institutions tell you. Choose a standard newspaper. I would vote for either the Hindu or the Indian Express. And read it religiously everyday, *especially* if you are a beginner. Now why is that important? For a beginner, the newspaper is the easiest and cheapest way to enter the realm of civil service preparation. It can be tough, it can take hours, it can be torturous, but trust me, it will pay in the end.

However, for newspaper reading to really pay off, note-making is important. Here comes the role of digital note-taking apps such as Evernote or One note. Newspaper note taking is an art which requires patience to master. But for me, it is one of the single most important thing that helped me most in the preparation and helped me clear in my first attempt itself. And I would re-emphasize that it would not have helped me if I had used a notebook to do the same.

But aspirants must take care to not get carried away, and use the apps for making very limited notes. Especially those that you cannot find elsewhere. Such as statistics from an article. A nice line, quote, observation, or a ‘way forward’ that can be used in your mains answers. Because for everything else, there is *Compilations!*

2. Compilations

A lot of people often ask binary questions and debate whether one should use only newspaper or only compilations, and stuff like why read newspaper when you can read compilations?

The answer my friend, is elementary. You need both, as one cannot replace the other. No single aspirant can match the level of detail, context, and depth of current affairs compilations which are prepared by experts over a period of time. Thus reading and revising these compilations are an important part of your prep. However, there are things no compilation can give you, which is context, opinions, quotable lines, not to mention the benefit of having a broadened mindset, with a skeletal framework of everything in your head. After reading the newspaper, the compilations would come alive in your head, and makes more sense. Otherwise it becomes a chore.

The key is to pick one compilation and stick to it throughout. You can also depend on year-end compilations like PT 365 for subject wise revision. I followed iLearn IAS’ iGnite topic wise compilations for prelims revision. I could not keep up with Vision/ Insight every month.

Points to remember.

1. Make Google your friend and not your enemy. Everyone is likely to get carried away while reading the newspaper, and constantly google every new thing they find while reading. As a result you end up consuming 2–3 hours just for newspaper reading. Practice restraint while googling. And always remember to add the word “UPSC” as a suffix to every google search. Trust me, even if you think the topic is obscure, there will be one good Samaritan who took the effort to make notes for you. Avoid referring to other sites such as Wikipedia or fancy think tanks at all costs!

2. Less is More. This is something you progressively discover as you delve deep into your preparation. Every aspirant is hell bent on reading from maximum sources, like this is some comparative literature! They have what you call “FOMOS” (yes, I just made that up) or “Fear of Missing out on Subjects”, when you already have enough in hand. Especially for current affairs, reading less, but retaining more is the key. So for me personally, choosing smaller Current Affairs compilations such as iGnite by iLearn IAS, over the gargantuan Insight document was very helpful.

3. Use Active Recall method wherever possible. It can be practiced by trying to recall all the details you can remember just by seeing the topic title. After a primary reading of the document, active recall can be practiced two to three times, so the retrieval process solidifies your memory.

4. Pick a buddy. Having an equally motivated friend is very helpful while tackling something boring like memorizing current affair factoids. Me and my friend used to sit together and practice active recall together, as well as quiz each other while sitting with the PDF document open in our laptops. It helped create better connections in our brains, and of course, made the process much more enjoyable.

Rumaiza Fathima

AIR 185

UPSC CSE, 2019