Interview with Subhadeep Palit Rank 04 in WBCS Exe Exam 2012

[admin]

WBCSMadeEasy:When and how did the inspiration and idea of joining civil service come in your mind?

Subhadeep Palit:When I was in college I decided that I wanted to be in civil service be it Central or State Government because that is how you can bring about a change in the lives of people. It is also a kind of social reciprocation. Also a few of my other university friends were preparing for civil services. They too inspired me.

WBCSMadeEasy:Tell us something about yourself?

Subhadeep Palit:My schooling was completed from Don Bosco Bandel and I passed my ISC from there. Thereafter I took up English literature and graduated from Hooghly Mohsin college, Chinsurah with 65% marks. I topped in my college and then completed my masters degree in English literature from Jadavpur University with 64.87% marks.

WBCSMadeEasy:What factors did you consider before selecting your optionals? What were they?

Subhadeep Palit:I did not ponder much about selecting my optional papers. I would surely have taken up English literature as I am good at it. And I also took up History because I was always interested in the subject. I am quite good at both these subjects so I did not have to study a great deal.

WBCSMadeEasy:How did you sustain the study-momentum throughout the year?

Subhadeep Palit:It is definitely difficult to sustain the momentum throughout the year. But I had decided to go for these kinds of jobs so I was preparing. In the meantime, when it was too much, I would take a few days off and read fiction or watch foreign films and tv series. I remember watching Kim KI Duk's 3 Iron before the day of my WBCS prelims examination.

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?

Subhadeep Palit:It is very unfortunate that I do not find myself concentrating for more than 4 hours a day. I studied for 4 days per week and 3-4 hours per day. It took me 45 days to prepare for my prelims and I studied for 2 months for the mains.

WBCSMadeEasy:Did u use internet, was it effective?

Subhadeep Palit:I used the internet a great deal. I prepared mostly from online materials. Since I did not go anywhere for coaching/ institutional training, I had to prepare my own materials. I prepared my history optional (world history) from websites not from standard materials which I think must have worked to my benefit. I wrote my answers from a different perspective and I think I might have scored high because I studied mostly from the internet.

WBCSMadeEasy:Were you doing any other job during preparation?

Subhadeep Palit:At the time of preparation I wasn't doing any jobs but right now I am a Probationary Officer in State Bank of India (2013). I joined this job only because I was sitting idle and am currently going to quit it.

WBCSMadeEasy:Which newspapers & magazines you went through?

Subhadeep Palit:I mostly read The Hindu, Frontline and EPW.

WBCSMadeEasy:Did u take coaching? How was the experience?

Subhadeep Palit:No. I did not go for coaching anywhere.

WBCSMadeEasy:What about Interview in WBCS? Was the board cordial? What should be a proper preparation?

Subhadeep Palit:My interview wasn't exceptional. They were cordial enough but asked me a few questions from Banking (as I was employed at SBI at that point of time) and my place of posting (siliguri). They also asked me a few questions from the budget, literature, my favourite author Mario Vargas Llosa and sundry things about my hometown.
I think that one must be very prompt with one's knowledge about one's own district and one's own subject of graduation. They often ask questions about hobbies. When I said that I read fiction a lot they asked me a lot of questions about South American Literature which I could answer well. I think that a candidate should be candid while answering. A good preparation would be that a candidate should be well conversed with his/her place of domicile and the recent events happening around us.

WBCSMadeEasy:Plz suggest some good books for pre, comp, optional.

Subhadeep Palit:I regret to say that there aren't many good books for WBCS. I would suggest books of Arihant publication and Tarun Goyal and a good deal of the internet would suffice. But the internet should be used wisely as there are lot of misinformation floating around. Trusted websites should be bookmarked and visited regularly.

WBCSMadeEasy:What should be the strategy for cracking this exam?What message you want to give to all aspirants?

Subhadeep Palit:The best way to crack this exam is to follow the last few years' question paper. The questions are quite traditional but one should always be ready for surprises. and I think the real secret is to prepare one's own answers and write unique answers in the answer sheet. Most people mug up the available notes and vomit them in the paper. The trick is to write answers that are different from that of others. Also the interview is also quite important.

My message to the aspirants is that smart work is more important than hard work.I just want to say that WBCS is an exam which can be cracked on one's own. It is not absolutely necessary to go for coaching classes. that time can be devoted to studying one one's own.

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 ?

Subhadeep Palit:This is was my very first attempt.

WBCSMadeEasy:What about the changing pattern of WBCS exam from 2014?

Subhadeep Palit:I don't think much would be changed due to the new pattern. I think the strategy would not change much fundamentally. Just that the candidates need to adapt themselves to the new pattern, It's always Drawin's theory that comes into play. Survival of the fittest.

I want to congratulate the admin of the group for the incisive nature of the questions. I hope my point of view would be of some help to a few aspirants. My true success would lie in that. I hope this website gains a greater fan following.
I was ranked 4th. Got group 'A' Exectuive


We thank Subhadeep Palit for sparing her precious time to help for aspirants by giving this interview.