Vidushi Kumar completed her B.Tech from Delhi College of Engineering and in 3rd attempt of IFS Exam, She has secured Rank 1 in UPSC IFS 2016.
Meet Vidushi Kumar who scored 1009 marks in UPSC IFS 2016 Exam In a brief interview with Aglasem, Vidushi Kumar gave some very helpful tips to score pretty good marks in UPSC IFS Exam.
About Vidushi Kumar
| Name | Vidushi Kumar |
| School | The Mothers International School |
| College | Delhi College of Engineering |
| Attempt | 3rd |
| Score | 1009 |
Congratulations Ms. Vidushi. How does it feel to be getting AIR 1 Rank in UPSC ” Indian Forest Service (IFS) Examination”?
Thank you so much. It is indeed a great feeling as I had not expected it at all.
Please tell us about your School life and college life.
I attended The Mother’s International School and my schooling has been in Delhi since 2nd standard. My school had a very enabling environment and my peers were all very driven people which helped me to strive to be my best.
Being in an engineering college comes with its own share of fun and so my college life was very enjoyable and provided me with ample opportunities to explore different hobbies and grow as an individual. College has so far been one of the best phases of my life.
Ques.- Please tell us about your family.
My father is a civil servant; in the Indian Forest Service to be precise. My mother is a special educator and I have an elder sister who is an IES officer, working with the Indian Railways.
Please share your success mantra?
Perseverance and never losing hope, even if one repeatedly faces setbacks would be my success mantra.
What did all hurdles you face while preparing for it?
Selection of two new options was the first hurdle I faced.After that getting the right guidance was a challenge. Luckily, I got the best possible guidance at my coaching institute. Other Problems ranging from information overload to time management, to working towards my goal despite failures were there.
After doing Btech you had many opportunities, what made you choose UPSC Civil services ?
I had a Pre Placement Offer with Deloitte in hand,but I had made my mind about my Civil Services as I have seen and continue to see my father working in it and directly contributing towards the betterment of people’s lives. The opportunity to bring about change is tremendous in the Service, and thus I decided to prepare for it.
How did you prepare for UPSC? Have you gone to any coaching institute or you studied on your own? If you attended any coaching then do you think coaching is essential?
I am a computer science engineer and thus for the Forest Service Examination, I had to pick up two optionals. I have chosen Botany and Forestry. I attended ‘Evolution’ at Mukherjee Nagar for both the subjects. For general studies, I attended Vajiram and Ravi. Classes form only a portion of the preparation after which it is self study to internalize the concepts. Coaching is not mandatory or essential if one is confident about the concepts and understands the subject well, but for me it proved to be of big help.
What study material (like List of Books) did you use for studying for the UPSC examination?
For my optionals I referred only to my class notes and the additional material provided by the institute. For general studies the list would be as follows
- History- Ancient India NCERT, Nitin Singhania’s book on Art and culture, Spectrum for history, Modern India NCERT
- Geography- NCERT of class 11 and 12, Goh Cheng Leong, and Vajiram class notes
- Polity- Class notes of Vajiram, Laxmikanth
- Economics- Class notes of Vajiram, Economic Survey
What was your strategy for General studies and English?
Daily reading of newspapers along with preparing a strong foundation of the static material such as History and Geography has been my primary strategy. With respect to English, I practiced the past years papers to get a better idea of what is asked in the examination
Please share your Interview experience with us?
I was interviewed by PK Joshi Sir’s board. The board was very cordial and made me comfortable. I was asked a number of questions on wetlands ,CBD, tribals, global warming, Forest Rights Act, Wildlife Protection Act, my hobbies etc.
What were your optional subjects? What was the basis of selecting these optional?
Botany and Forestry are my optional subjects. I had a keen interest right from my childhood days and thus I chose them.
What will be your priority in your service?
The mandate of the service which is the management of forests, and implementation of the various Acts and Policies of the government will be my priority in the Service.
Would you like to Convey any message to the future aspirants?
Please don’t lose hope if you are unable to clear any stage of the examination. Continue to work hard and success will attend your efforts.
What are your future plans?
No plans as such
