Persistent hard work has an uncanny tendency… it surfaces, as it has to… there’s no way out for it, otherwise. Chirag Singla is one such story that UPSC scripted in ESE 2018. Take a sneak peek into the making of this ESE 2018 ranker from NIT Jallandhar.
IES Master: Chirag why did you choose Engineering Services as your career path?
Chirag: Engineering Services is basically a dream job for every engineer as it involves the technical application of knowledge, and I also have good rank in GATE 2018 so I have good technical knowledge so I want to ensure that the field in which I will work I would put in use my good technical knowledge. That’s why I want to join Engineering Services.
IES Master: Chirag when did you start preparing for Engineering Services exam?
Chirag: Sir, I started preparing for Engineering Services in August 2017 after finishing my B.Tech in June 2017.
IES Master: How did IES Master Classroom Test Series program helped you in your preparation?
Chirag: The solutions of questions provided by IES Master Classroom Test Series program are very comprehensive. This helped me in clearing my doubts and increasing my knowledge . So that’s how IES Master helped me in assuring good ranking in ESE 2018.
IES Master: Given the fact that ESE is quite an extensive exam, how did you manage to complete the entire syllabus well before the exam?
Chirag: As I started preparation in August 2017, and I am also doing a job so I work for 8 hours. My job is in shifts so after working 8 hours in the shift I used to study continuously for 3 to 4 hours per day, and my technical knowledge is comparatively good because I have good ranking in GATE 2017. I completed my technical part in October, and after that I mainly concentrated on GS part so that’s how I was able to complete my preparation by December 2017.
IES Master: How effective was IES Master study material in your preparation for ESE?
Chirag: The study material provided by IES Master was very comprehensive. Talking specially about GS material, the material was quite comprehensive, and as the GS material do not have assurity whether the questions would be from same part that we have studied or not. But, most of the questions in the Prelims exam were from IES Master material of GS. So this material is quite comprehensive, and one need not study any other material.
IES Master: Chirag take us through your Prelims exam?
Chirag: The Prelims exam was little easier than the previous year exam. I was able to score approximately 230 marks in technical part out of 300 and 120 marks in GS part out of 200. The technical part was much easier as compared to last year as it involved less calculation when compared to last year. GS part was comparatively same as that of the last year.
IES Master: Coming on to the Mains part. Were you able to comprehensively finish both Paper-1 and 2?
Chirag: I was able to manage both the papers carrying questions worth 300 marks.
IES Master: What was the weightage of various subjects in Paper-I?
Chirag: Paper-I mainly consists of questions from Thermodynamics, RAC, Fluid Mechanics, and a little part from Renewable Sources of Energy.
IES Master: So how did you prepare for these subjects?
Chirag: I followed books like P K Nag for Thermodynamics, C P Arora for RAC, and I studied G D Rai for Renewable Sources of Energy. Apart from that I followed IES Master conventional material for solving numerical problems. The material was very comprehensive, and it gave me in-depth knowledge of the variety of questions.
IES Master: Take us through your Paper-II? How was it?
Chirag: Paper-II mainly consists of Theory of Machines and Mechanics in Part-1, and Mechantronics and Robotics in second part.
IES Master: How did IES Master study material helped you in Paper-2?
Chirag: For Theory of Machines, I followed the book from S S Rattan. Apart from that I solved numerical problems from IES Master study material. This study material was very helpful as it consists of variety of questions, which cover every part. For Mechatronics and Robotics there is no one stop solution as there is no standard book available which contains all types of numerical problems, but IES Master study material helped me with variety of questions even in Mechatronics and Robotics for which no standard book is available. This helped me in solving most of the questions in actual examination.
IES Master: Walk us through your UPSC interview experience?
Chirag: My interview started with Chairperson. My interview Chairperson was Sujata ma’am. First Sujata ma’am asked to introduce myself. After introducing myself, I informed her that I am working with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. Then she asked me about experience in Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and how it differs from my learning in college. She asked only these questions. After that technical member 1 asked about my work profile. She asked about the safety measures that I have taken at my plant as LPG is very dangerous and should be handled carefully. I talked about DC fire extinguishers and safety devices that I use in our plant. Then the technical member 2 asked about cylinder testing that how cylinder testing is done, and for how much time the cylinder has to be tested, and about the procedure of testing cylinders. The technical member 3 asked mainly about composite material and the recycling of materials.
IES Master: How did IES Master mock interview session helped you?
Chirag: Sir I attended two mock interview sessions of IES Master, and these interviews helped me a lot in actual interview. The questions asked in the mock interview matched mostly with the actual interview. One out of the two mock interview sessions, mostly the questions asked were related to my job profile, and in actual interview also most of the questions asked were related to my job profile. So I prepared most of the questions that were asked in the actual interview with the help of IES Master mock interview. So this interview helped me a lot in getting actual interview experience.
IES Master: What was your preparation strategy in the last two months?
Chirag: I completed most of the syllabus by November 2017, and in the last one month, I divided my daily study schedule into two parts. In one part, I used to give full syllabus mock test, and in the other part I used to revise the syllabus. I used to give the mock test in actual scenario by giving 5 hours regularly to give the test, and I used to give 9 to 10 mock tests.
IES Master: It’s a huge success. How was it received in your family? Who was the first person in your family you informed?
Chirag: Sir, my mother is my inspiration. So the moment I saw the result, I just closed the result PDF, and informed my mom about the result. So, she was the first person to whom I informed about my result.
IES Master: What was her reaction?
Chirag: She was very happy. Actually she was first shocked on hearing that I secured AIR-2, because I was not good in studies till 10th standard, and in GATE also I was not able to score under 10 ranking. But this time I secured AIR-2 so she was very happy.
IES Master: Tell us a little about your schooling?
Chirag: I did my matriculation from MSD Senior Secondary School, Bhatinda from Punjab Board, and completed my senior secondary from Rosemary Convent School, Bhatinda, CBSE Board.
IES Master: Tell us a about your family.
Chirag: Apart from my mother and father. I have a brother, who is studying in IIT Delhi, third year, Civil Engineering. My mother is a teacher, and father is a businessman. He is in Pharmacy and runs a medical store.
IES Master: Tell us a little about Bhatinda. How is it?
Chirag: Bhatinda is also known as a city of lakes. There are three lakes around thermopower plant.
IES Master: Chirag, you have been an excellent student, and an inspiration for many at IES Master. Thank you so much, Chirag. God bless you!
Chirag: Thank you sir.
