The UPSC CSE 2021 results threw up some inspiring stories of how young people overcame struggle and hardship to achieve success in the exam. At the same time,the results brought into sharp focus some of the brilliant minds of the country who are now on their way to civil services. Naman Goyal from Maharashtra is one of them. An IIT Bombay alumnus, Naman cracked UPSC CSE-2021 with AIR 30.
Since his college days, he was determined to become a civil servant. “During my college, I had tried to be as hard working as possible and focused on my studies. This dedication and focus are very crucial in Civil Services, because a commitment to the services is of utmost importance for the civil servant.”
BEGINNING
Naman now lives in Vile Parle in East Mumbai, Maharashtra, but he is originally from Jaipur, Rajasthan. He was born and brought up in Jaipur. His family is into business. He has done his schooling from Maheshwari Public School, Jaipur. Then, he completed his intermediate from Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur. After that, he completed his graduation (B.Tech) from IIT Bombay in Chemical Engineering in 2020. He was a high achiever in his school days and got more than 9 CGPA. He enjoys reading about the civil aviation industry and travelling.
UPSC PREPRATION
It was Naman’s second attempt,and he opted for Geography as his optional.He used to study almost 8-9 hours with full dedication. As per his strategy, he tried to first hone his skill to prepare the base. For this, he focussed on the basic NCERT textbooks. After completing this, he moved towards the standard textbooks. He reads the newspapers diligently daily. The Times of India and The Hindu are the two newspapers he suggests reading for IAS preparation. Like many UPSC toppers, he also restricted his resources of study and did not go for multiple books. “Preparing for the UPSC exam can be extremely difficult, so always see the positive side of things and believe in your abilities to pass it,” he says.
For the Prelims, after studding syllabus and standard books, Naman relied on mock tests and previous years’ papers. He solved as many mocks as he could before the final exam. For scoring better in the objective paper, he followed the elimination strategy.
Talking about the change in strategy in his second attempt, Naman said, “I learnt from my mistakes and changed my plan of preparation.It will take some time to find a CSE preparation routine that works for you. Do not worry if a topic appears difficult and you become stuck; think it through and you will gain insight on how to learn that specific idea.”
SUGGESTIONS
On being asked to offer some suggestions to aspirants on how to prepare in the best possible way, Naman said, “Keep your plan simple, do not put yourself under too much stress. Try to be peaceful. It will be helpful for you. Give one year for CSE preparation and create an action plan.”
About the action plan, he explained further and said one should always have a realistic and feasible study programme for preparation.
“Making a calendar and keeping track of your goals will be a very good thing to follow. Knowing your own strengths and shortcomings will allow you to focus on your preparation. Before taking the exam, do take as many mock practice examinations for both the prelims and the mains as you can. This instills confidence in you and enhances your chances. And this will also help you develop expertise.”
Lastly, he suggests staying motivated and positive because it is a very long journey, and one needs to have a positive bent of mind to stay focused during all the stages.
AIM IN SERVICE
Naman’s goal is to take the policies of the government to the doorsteps of the common people and to work for the poor labourers of the country so that they get justice.
(This is not the first time IIT Bombay alumnus has cracked the prestigious UPSC CSE exam and made the name into the UPSC Toppers List. In 2020, Shubham Kumar from Bihar, also alumni from IIT Bombay, topped the UPSC Civil Services 2020. Kumar did his B.Tech. in Civil Engineering from IIT Bombay. In his third attempt, he secured the AIR 1 Rank.)
