Sathish IFS

Again something related to IFS-2014.... My walking test... Distance: 25kms... Time Limit: 4 hours...   Location : Delhi Zoological Park... Weather : Foggy February Winter... Mood : Upbeat after a Good Interview :D This is one test which i was really worried about..more than the interview ! We are supposed to walk 25kms (14km for girls )within 4hrs with all those Animals looking at us weirdly... :'(  The date of Walking Test was 2days after interview with Medicals@safdarganj in the middle. So on this chilly foggy Feb morning i reached Delhi zoo after Taxiforsure made sure that i book another cab by cancelling at last minute. We were asked to be there by 6:45 AM. Sun was not yet out, mist was not yet clear, n our cab driver dint know where or what was this Zoo... A passerby translated Zoo as "Chidiyaghar" and then his spark lit... Anywayz we reached there on time and after initial docs stuff, we were ready to walk...get...set... goooo....

Skipped PET for this as it clashed with my IFoS mains. With jus 56 marks below final cutoffs and skipping 150 marks interview, i probably missed an AIR here..But im happy that i gave precedence to IFoS and it did work well 4 me...

So, after having dealt with the necessity to apply for IFoS along with Civils during prelims, let me get into my strategy in cracking IFS. Before i proceed any further let me tell you the condition i was in when i decided to give IFS mains. - I cleared IFS prelims cutoffs, mains is good 2 months away - I already had indepth knowledge of Geography optional as this is my 3rd attempt at Civils Mains. - I absolutely had no idea of either Agriculture or Geology. - I had relatively good free time as i left job (Very important factor) - I had enough knowledge about current happenings / major issues in News . - I knew that majority of those who cleared IFS cutoffs would be in same situation as mine. The reason i am saying these things is because you might be at a different stage of preparation compared to me and hence can compare the above parameters with yours. I had a very clear strategy that i shouldn't overdo IFS prep as this will have direct impact on my Civils m...

This article is exclusively aimed at IFoS aspirants. This will be helpful to those who wish to crack IFS along with their civils prep, in general and those who don't have common optional in the two mains, in particular. I have few Disclamers to make before i proceed. - My Strategy is temperory in nature and is not written in wall. UPSC is evolving every 1gle day. - These are purely my personal thots and you may choose to ignore them partially or totally. - This article can be riduculously long. Hence breaking it into 2 parts. So, before i proceed with my optional strategy for Agriculture n Geology, i wish to clear some misconceptions abt IFS. Back in 2013, i held these misconceptions that  - UPSC did injustice by merging IFS with Civils Pre. - I shouldnot give IFS as i will be doing injustice to Genuine IFS aspirants. - I am not interested in Forests. - I can't study new optionals exclusively for IFS.

Thank You Alka mam for that Wonderful Interview Score. If it weren't 200+, it would have become really difficult for me to figure it out on Y i got lesser.... My strategy worked... :-) Decoding a word or two about UPSC....   P.S.  Will be sharing my overall strategy for IFoS soon.

************************************************************ Name: Naga Sathish Gidijala Board : Alka Sirohi mam Optionals : Agriculture and Geology Civils Optional : Geography Hobbies   : Watching movies and Cricket, Internet browsing,  Watching news channels in TV. Attempt : 1 for IFoS, 3 for Civils mains Qualification: MTech CSE   IIT Roorkee, BTech ECE, Andhra University. Present Job : Jobless..hehe... left my job an year back in Feb 2013 Past Jobs: Software Engineer, Cisco Systems, Bangalore - 2.5yrs exp                    Software Engineer, Informatica Business Solutions, Bangalore - 1 year exp Achievements : Best Student in college, ISTE                              Best boy in School     ...

So before my memory fades, let me recapitulate my tryst with IFoS Exam 2014. I never knew abt IFS before n how to enter into it. It all started when Civils n IFS prelims got merged in 2013. I dint even opt for IFS in 2013 simply becoz i was ignorant. I totally lived in the darkness. But goodness me, the failure in Mains 2013 opened my eyes. I felt it to be disastrous to base all my future on 1 single exam that is Civil Services. Soon i decided not to skip other exams... keep attempting them but the ultimate Goal is the IAS... In the process, i applied for Bank POs(Just to get CSAT practise), CAPF (PET clashed with IFS mains, hence left it), RBI Grade B(again for apti practise) and ultimately Indian Forest Services. IFoS never loomed large even now coz of my ignorance. Still it was just one of those exams which gives me practise for civils. But how ignorant i was....I was just underestimating an All India Service just because it was not included in Civil Services Exam.. Anywayz,...

2day i missed my train first time in life by 5 mins. I ran frantically from bus stand to Bangalore railway station with luggage.. My heart was racing at double the speed.. i was sweating like mad.. i desperately wanted to catch the train.. but it left the station by the time i reached platform.. i felt helpless..frustrated...angry upon myself... the same kind of helplessness which i felt when my state got bifurcated against our wishes....which i felt when i failed to clear UPSC mains in 2nd attempt.... which i felt when i was forced by situations to resign my job..which i felt when i read the problems of my country in books... I am devastated.... I wanna cry like hell.. i wanna smash someones face with my fist.. if not some1's, atleast mine in mirror... This is such a pathetic situation to be in.. No-one understands me. The failure in mains is something which i am still not able to come to terms with. Perceptibly i did no mistake. I tried my level best.. i gave my 100%.. but ups...

A sign board in Brand Factory Reads Buy 1 Get 20% off Buy 2 Get 30% off Girl 1 : Idea, Lets bill 2 items separately, then we will get 20%+20% = 40% off..      Me : hehehhee.. OMG... n i told d same to other girl.. Girl 2 : Haan na.. Idea bahot accha hai... khareed the na separately...  Me : hey bhagwaaaaan.....slept in utter disbelief... i woke up in d mrng n told the whole thing to Mom Mom : Yeah, they were right, we could have got 40% off, we missed it......... Me:       Updated Status on FB out of Helplessness..... Stilll... —   feeling   loved .