Interview with Mr. Dhiman Barai 2nd Rank WBCS Exe.2012
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 12:25 amWe thank Mr. Dhiman Barai: for sharing the details.
WBCSMadeEasy: When and how did the inspiration and idea of joining civil service come in your mind?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: It was at the back of my mind since childhood, as my father & 2 of my uncles belong to this service. But especially after I worked for few months with some pvt. bank & realized that it was not my cup of teMr. Dhiman Barai:
WBCSMadeEasy: Tell us something about yourself? Educational Qualification, Marks/Division/Class, schooling…..
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I belong to a joint family, born & brought up in KolkatMr. Dhiman Barai: Favorite Passtime: Listening to Rabindrasangeet & reading Bengali novels.
Educational Qualification:
Class 1-10 Rahara Ramakrishna Mission Boys' Home. 2003 Batch. Marks 89% in Madhyamik
Class 11-12 Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission, 2005 Batch: Marks 88.9% in H.S.
Graduation - B.E. From JU, Electronics & Telecom Engg 2005-2009 Marks 8.29 CGPA
Post Graduation - MBA from IIM Bangalore 2009-11 Marks 71.25%
WBCSMadeEasy: What factors did you consider before selecting your optionals? What were they?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I took Bengali as one of my optional in UPSC Civil Service, so it was my automatic choice for WBCS, apart from that I studied Economics to some extent during my MBA courses, and saw the syllabus, which was easy to manage.
WBCSMadeEasy: How did you sustain the study-momentum throughout the year?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: It is very difficult for me to tell, as I prepared before the exams only
WBCSMadeEasy: How many hours did you study per day? How many months did it take you to complete the core syllabus of Compulsory and optional subjects?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I do not believe in fixed study hour. But, yes, it is necessary to be with the subjects & to have a habit of reading, so that you can gear up your momentum as and when required.
Among the compulsory papers, I studied only 5 years plan, Current Affairs, Constitution. As time was very short for me, I did not look into other compulsory papers.
It took nearly 1 months to complete these 3 topics.
For Bengali, It took nearly 1.5 months to cover all the syllabus for UPSC civil Services. So, I did not took extra initiative before WBCS mains, as those 2 exams were within 10-15 days.
For Economics, I read about 5 days, after my UPSC mains exam,
And I believe, I performed poorly in optional papers in WBCS mains, 2012, in comparison to compulsory papers.
WBCSMadeEasy: Did u use internet, was it effective? Which newspapers & magazines you went through?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes. I spend at-least 5-6 hours a day before computer. So, naturally more often than not, I use internet for my queries.
Newspaper - Anandabazar Though I took The Hindu too for UPSC Civil Service, but I used to read that on "rarest of rare" occasions
Magazine - Civil Services Chronicle.
And I took the special issue of Pratiyogita Pariprekkhit, which comes before Mains, and it helped me to prepare some Current affairs topics.
WBCSMadeEasy: Did u take coaching? How was the experience?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: No, I did not take any coaching.
WBCSMadeEasy: What about Interview in WBCS? Was the board cordial?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes, The board members were cordial & it was about 25-30 minutes interview. They asked me from English spelling, awards, fibre optics, GM foods, D day's newspaper, Commonwealth games, Basic Electronics, Basic Economics.
Q> What should be a proper preparation? Plz suggest some good books for pre, comp, optional. What should be the strategy for cracking this exam?What message you want to give to all aspirants?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: The scenario has been changed now, Rather than optional, in my opinion, in this new format, the key to success rests in 4 GS Papers. Someone can score upto 170-180 in a paper with good preparation, which is nearly impossible in Optional Papers. So, please focus on those GS papers. Don't make any guess work. Be absolutely sure & then answer. Don't waste your hard earned marks.
Good Book which I came across, may help the students - Laxmikant Indian Polity, Ramesh Singh Economy (Selected chapters), Environment & ecology - Arihant,
WBCSMadeEasy: Was it ur 1st attempt? If not what about previous ones? You are from which batch and what was your rank in WBCS Exam (Plz don't mind)?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes, it was my first attempt.
2012 West Bengal Civil Service - Rank 2.
WBCSMadeEasy: When and how did the inspiration and idea of joining civil service come in your mind?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: It was at the back of my mind since childhood, as my father & 2 of my uncles belong to this service. But especially after I worked for few months with some pvt. bank & realized that it was not my cup of teMr. Dhiman Barai:
WBCSMadeEasy: Tell us something about yourself? Educational Qualification, Marks/Division/Class, schooling…..
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I belong to a joint family, born & brought up in KolkatMr. Dhiman Barai: Favorite Passtime: Listening to Rabindrasangeet & reading Bengali novels.
Educational Qualification:
Class 1-10 Rahara Ramakrishna Mission Boys' Home. 2003 Batch. Marks 89% in Madhyamik
Class 11-12 Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission, 2005 Batch: Marks 88.9% in H.S.
Graduation - B.E. From JU, Electronics & Telecom Engg 2005-2009 Marks 8.29 CGPA
Post Graduation - MBA from IIM Bangalore 2009-11 Marks 71.25%
WBCSMadeEasy: What factors did you consider before selecting your optionals? What were they?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I took Bengali as one of my optional in UPSC Civil Service, so it was my automatic choice for WBCS, apart from that I studied Economics to some extent during my MBA courses, and saw the syllabus, which was easy to manage.
WBCSMadeEasy: How did you sustain the study-momentum throughout the year?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: It is very difficult for me to tell, as I prepared before the exams only
WBCSMadeEasy: How many hours did you study per day? How many months did it take you to complete the core syllabus of Compulsory and optional subjects?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: I do not believe in fixed study hour. But, yes, it is necessary to be with the subjects & to have a habit of reading, so that you can gear up your momentum as and when required.
Among the compulsory papers, I studied only 5 years plan, Current Affairs, Constitution. As time was very short for me, I did not look into other compulsory papers.
It took nearly 1 months to complete these 3 topics.
For Bengali, It took nearly 1.5 months to cover all the syllabus for UPSC civil Services. So, I did not took extra initiative before WBCS mains, as those 2 exams were within 10-15 days.
For Economics, I read about 5 days, after my UPSC mains exam,
And I believe, I performed poorly in optional papers in WBCS mains, 2012, in comparison to compulsory papers.
WBCSMadeEasy: Did u use internet, was it effective? Which newspapers & magazines you went through?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes. I spend at-least 5-6 hours a day before computer. So, naturally more often than not, I use internet for my queries.
Newspaper - Anandabazar
Though I took The Hindu too for UPSC Civil Service, but I used to read that on "rarest of rare" occasions Magazine - Civil Services Chronicle.
And I took the special issue of Pratiyogita Pariprekkhit, which comes before Mains, and it helped me to prepare some Current affairs topics.
WBCSMadeEasy: Did u take coaching? How was the experience?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: No, I did not take any coaching.
WBCSMadeEasy: What about Interview in WBCS? Was the board cordial?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes, The board members were cordial & it was about 25-30 minutes interview. They asked me from English spelling, awards, fibre optics, GM foods, D day's newspaper, Commonwealth games, Basic Electronics, Basic Economics.
Q> What should be a proper preparation? Plz suggest some good books for pre, comp, optional. What should be the strategy for cracking this exam?What message you want to give to all aspirants?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: The scenario has been changed now, Rather than optional, in my opinion, in this new format, the key to success rests in 4 GS Papers. Someone can score upto 170-180 in a paper with good preparation, which is nearly impossible in Optional Papers. So, please focus on those GS papers. Don't make any guess work. Be absolutely sure & then answer. Don't waste your hard earned marks.
Good Book which I came across, may help the students - Laxmikant Indian Polity, Ramesh Singh Economy (Selected chapters), Environment & ecology - Arihant,
WBCSMadeEasy: Was it ur 1st attempt? If not what about previous ones? You are from which batch and what was your rank in WBCS Exam (Plz don't mind)?
Mr. Dhiman Barai: Yes, it was my first attempt.
2012 West Bengal Civil Service - Rank 2.