UPSC 2014: In Conversation with law grads who cleared the UPSC civil services [Updated]

At least twenty graduates from different national law universities have tasted success in the UPSC civil services examination. The highest rank this year has been achieved by Sakshi Sawhney, a graduate of NALSAR University (Class of ’12), followed by Avi Prasad who competed the postgraduate course from the National Law University, Jodhpur and secured Rank 13..Bar & Bench spoke to a few of the successful candidates and this is what they had to say:.Avi Prasad, (NLU Jodhpur, Class of 2011) Rank 13.B&B: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.AP: I was expecting a better rank than last year and 13th rank was indeed a very pleasant surprise. A good rank also ensures getting the preferred cadre choice. But the strongest feeling amidst all this was a final closure to the civil services examination preparation..B&B: Preference with respect to the Services?.AP: I only mentioned IAS this year as I was already selected to IPS in the previous attempt..B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.AP: I appeared with Law as an optional in both my attempts and owe my selection to good marks in Law papers. Further, in prelims a good number of questions are based on polity and constitution, which most law students find easy. As most of the social and economic issues are addressed through the legislative mechanism, students of law are at an advantage in extracting the intention, mechanism and other relevant information from the dreary language of an Act/proposed Bill..Also important issues of governance like RTI, exercise of discretion, citizen-official interface, relationship between organs of state etc. trace their roots to administrative and constitutional law. These are all important parts of Mains syllabus for GS..B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.AP: Be selective in your sources of study. Remember one often writes his worst answer in UPSC exam, so prepare in a manner that you can summarize any of the topic of Mains syllabus to a layman in a couple of minutes. Do not believe the myth that one needs to put 12-14 hours a day for preparation. It’s just like any other university exam when it comes to the level of questions, with the difference that the syllabus is very broad..Prashant Mishra (GNLU, Class of 2011) Rank 64.Bar & Bench: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.Prashant Mishra: When I heard about my results from a friend, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I thank God, parents and friends for their help, support and guidance throughout this process..B&B: What are your preferences with respect to the Services?.PM: IAS, IFS, IPS.B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.PM: Legal education has acted as a spring board for my success. It did create a very good base which led me to grasp national and international issues with greater clarity. Choosing law as an optional subject allowed me to concentrate more on GS and helped me in securing decent marks..B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.PM: Assess the syllabus thoroughly and always have positive attitude. Cultivate the habit of thinking instead of studying all the time. Have faith and work hard..Ankit Asthana (NLIU, Class of 2010) Rank 91.[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”23300″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”474″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em; width: 334px; height: 296px; margin: 5px; float: right;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”534″}}]]B&B: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.AA: Thank you for the wishes. I was expecting to see my name in the list this year but did not really think of a double digit rank before the results. I thank my parents and friends for their sustained support. I am elated and relieved that finally the cycle of examination is over and it is time to focus on working towards the aims that I have set for myself as a bureaucrat..B&B: Preferences with respect to the Services?.AA: IAS, IFS (Foreign Service), IRS (Custom & Central Excise), and IRS (Income Tax). Though I expect to get IAS at my rank..B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.AA: I had Law as my optional subject in the Mains for which I did not take any coaching. So certainly my legal education did help me. Also I think even in General Studies the answer writing skills acquired and the aptitude of analyzing issues from multiple perspectives developed during my time at law school proved very helpful..B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.AA: For those preparing for this examination my advice would be to stay focused and set yourself small and realistic targets to maintain motivation rather than getting over awed by the challenge of putting in long hours of study and hard work..Ashutosh Kumar (NUJS, Class of 2012), Rank 356.B&B: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.AK: My first reactions were mixed. I am excited at being found eligible but I had never particularly wanted to work for the government and I am not that excited about leaving the legal profession either. Like most of my career decisions, I think I hadn’t really thought this through!.B&B: Preferences with respect to the Services?.AK: Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS). I am expecting to be allotted to the IRS..B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.AK: Not legal education as much as perhaps the way it was imparted at NUJS. The exam requires one to have a basic understanding about a lot of very diverse issues and herein the multi disciplinary course structure at NUJS and a general culture of academic discussions, were of immense help. .B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.AK: I had just about a month to prepare for the preliminary test after quitting my job and I haven’t attended a single lecture at any coaching institute. I mention this because, I would want aspirants to know that its time this myth that the exam requires one to study till unearthly hours for years and that the coaching institutes are indispensable, it is time this myth be broken..Kalrav Mishra (NLSIU, Class of 2009) Rank 439.B&B: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.KM: Thank you very much. Very relieved after years of uncertainty. This was my third attempt and each time I had reached the interview stage- so this comes as a big relief..B&B: What are your preference with respect to the Services?.KM: IFS, IPS, IRS.B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.KM: Certainly! In addition to several parts of the syllabus that are directly related to law, the education in law school tends to provide an edge in terms of nurturing analytical abilities and taking a holistic perspective on social issues..B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.KM: Yes- it’s an incredibly competitive examination and is fraught with risk. Given the exceedingly large number of candidates, statistical quirks can also be the difference between success and failure. I wouldn’t advise budding young lawyers to put their bright legal careers on the line for this examination. In sum ‘Always have a Plan B’..Seema Pujani (NLSIU, Class of 2011) Rank 599.Bar & Bench: Congratulations. Initial reactions?.Seema Pujani: To be honest, my initial reaction was that of disappointment and not relief. I wanted a specific service which I wasn’t likely to get if I were not there in the top hundred ranks or so.B&B: What are your preferences with respect to the Services?.SP: Indian Foreign Service is my first preference followed by IAS, IPS, IRS (Customs), IRS (IT) and the like..B&B: Any way in which your legal education helped in your preparations?.SP: Legal education imparts us more than just a knowledge of the laws so many skills that can be very well utilized in studies and elsewhere. Critical thinking, analysis, ease of expression in writing and careful diction being just some of those..B&B: Any advice for those trying to crack the UPSC?.SP: One must be very clear about his or her reasons for aiming at a career in the civil services. Since the preparation and three stage process of examination itself is so long drawn out, I feel it would be very tough to sacrifice everything and put in one’s best if job security is the only driving factor. Introspection, constant motivation, hard work and luck can together lead an aspirant to success..Given below is a table of law graduates who have cleared the UPSC civil services examination.[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”23317″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”495″,”style”:”width: 531px; height: 495px; margin: 5px 50px;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”531″}}]]