✦ Strategy & LearningsPreparation approach, subject-wise strategy, and interview mindset - compiled from public interviews and coaching-institute features.
ⓘ AI-generated from Gunjan Dwivedi's public interviews & coaching-institute features - not written or reviewed by them.
2016-2017
Attempt 1 & 2 - Failed
Failed to clear the preliminary stage due to lack of an organized plan and insufficient revision.
2018
Attempt 3 - Success
Cleared the exam with AIR 9 by implementing a structured, target-based study plan.
📅Study Planning & Routine
Transitioning from disorganized study to target-based preparation.
Gunjan attributes her success in the 3rd attempt to moving away from a haphazard approach to a highly structured one.
Target-based learning
She set realistic daily, weekly, and monthly targets to ensure the entire syllabus was covered and revised.
Revision strategy
Her goal was to complete at least five revisions of all subjects, tracking progress by marking ticks next to her sources.
📝Prelims Strategy
Focusing on conceptual clarity and calculated risk-taking.
Prelims was her biggest hurdle, requiring a shift in strategy to handle the high level of competition.
Resource management
She limited her resources to basic books and NCERTs, reading them thoroughly to build a strong foundation.
Mock test utility
She solved around 30 mock tests to master the skill of making calculated guesses, aiming to solve over 90 questions.
Note-making
She only made notes for facts she frequently forgot, condensing books like Shankar IAS into 30-40 pages for quick review.
📚Optional Subject (PSIR)
Leveraging academic background for a competitive edge.
Gunjan chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as her optional, which she had studied in college.
Strategic importance
She viewed the optional as a source of certainty and a firm ground for scoring well in the Mains.
Performance
She scored 153 in Paper 1 and 152 in Paper 2, which she believes significantly contributed to her high rank.
🗣️Interview Approach
Treating the personality test as a conversation.
Gunjan's interview was dominated by questions on International Relations (her optional) and current affairs.
Handling nerves
She acknowledged feeling nervous initially but found that the board members were supportive and aimed to bring out the best in her.
DAF preparation
She prepared her Detailed Application Form (DAF) thoroughly, treating it as a tool to initiate meaningful conversation with the board.
💡General Mains Strategy
Subject-specific preparation and answer writing.
For GS papers, she relied on a mix of static resources and current affairs compilations.
Ethics strategy
She relied on coaching class notes for theory and practiced numerous case studies to understand how to write effective answers.
Essay writing
She did not practice full essays but read toppers' essays to learn how to structure arguments and incorporate quotes.
“Ultimately, the exam is cleared through hard work. There might be N number of factors that contribute to your success, but if you focus only on those factors and not on hard work, you are not making it into the exam.”
— on the importance of hard work over external factors“It is just a conversation. They want to bring out the best in you so that they can actually assess you.”
— on her philosophy regarding the UPSC interview🎯 If You're Starting Out
- Do not be discouraged by initial failures; treat them as learning opportunities to refine your strategy.
- Be honest with your preparation and do not lie to yourself about your progress.
- Focus on building a strong foundation with basic books and NCERTs before moving to advanced materials.
- Prioritize revision; the syllabus is vast, and you cannot retain information without multiple cycles of review.
- Practice mock tests to identify your mistakes and develop a strategy for the actual exam.
Where this came fromBiography and marks corroborated across 3 coaching-institute profiles; strategy details drawn from 2 interview/strategy videos.