Toppers Talk with Satyam Gandhi, Rank 10, UPSC Civil Services 2020

Satyam Gandhi, 22, secured the All India Rank 10 in his 1st attempt. He is a graduate in Political Science (H) from Dyal Singh College affiliated to Delhi University.
He hails from Dighra village in Bihar’s Samastipur district and completed his schooling from class 1 to 12th from Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Satyam advanced his preparation with clearly defined weekly and monthly goals and believed that self-study was the key to his success.
He wishes to contribute to the country's rural development in the following years of his career as a civil servant.
00:48 Introduction
1:16 First reaction on seeing name in top 10.
1:55 Parent’s reaction on his grand success.
2:48 Satyam’s early life days.
3:38 Shift from Science subjects during school days to Political Science as an optional subject in UPSC.
5:31 Source of inspiration for Civil Services Examination.
8:50 Satyam’s message to college students - Words of wisdom for personality development.
10:09 Some initials of Civil Services Exam preparation.
12:20 Time management and overall planning during the 1st attempt.
14:40 Importance of practicing mock tests and its revision.
17:19 Importance of self-assessment after giving sectional and full-length mocks.
18:15 3M’s Formula - Mind, Motivation and Mindset
19:02 How to integrate mocks tests with overall preparation?
20:28 Number of questions one should attempt in prelims paper.
21:36 Best time to start writing mains answers.
22:28 Is answer writing difficult for Mains papers?
23:46 Benefits of writing mock tests for mains.
25:07 Utility and importance of flowcharts and diagrams in mains answers.
27:30 Time management during mains papers.
28:42 Preparing and mastering ethics paper: A journey from weak subject to command area.
30:38 Strategy to prepare case studies.
32:21 Strategy to prepare essay paper.
34:44 Structuring an essay.
36:28 Preparing optional subject.
38:37 Time required to prepare PSIR optional.
39:23 Importance of newspaper reading.
40:19 Notes making out of newspaper reading: Is it really required?
41:20 Current affairs: Coverage and notes making.
41:40 Current affairs: Scope of coverage for Prelims and Mains exams.
42:45 GS Subjects: Priority areas for notes making.
44:14 What mode of note making Satyam preferred. Online or Offline?
44:45 Know about Satyam’s preparation for Interview stage.
46:12 What happened during Satyam’s interview round? What made him to score 201 marks in his personality test round?
49:19 Confidence factor while facing the board.
50:28 Dealing with and improving upon mock-interviews feedback.
52:23 Role of external factors: Bed-ridden for 45 days, how did Satyam beat Covid and emerged victorious?
53:49 Effective utilization of limited resources and importance of a good company.
55:43 Mistakes one should avoid during the preparation.
57:17 Life ahead: Future goals and plans.
59:08 Final message to the aspirant community.
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