Interview with Mr. Shubham Singh UPPCS(J)

Interviewer: Ms. Deepsi Rawat, Law college Dehradun.

About the interviewee: Mr. Shubham Singh secured Rank 114 in UPPCS(J), 2018 in the first attempt. Belonging to Bihar he pursued his B.A.LLB.(Hons) from Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University situated in the capital of Uttarakhand. During his college years, he was popularly known as “Google Bhaiya” by his juniors owing to his ability to resolve their queries regarding the law.

Question 1: A brief introduction to yourself?

Hello everyone, I am Shubham and I hail from Patna, Bihar. I have secured 114^th Rank in UPPCS(J)-2018 in my first attempt.

I completed my college from a private university in Dehradun, Law College Dehadun, Uttaranchal University.

Question 2: What made you pursue Judicial Services?

I was determined from the initial days of my college that I would pursue Judiciary however, I interned with reputed firms and Advocates so as to have a backup.

I was inspired by my family, who belong to the same fraternity, to pursue judicial services. They introduced me to the possibility of being instrumental in the change and always wanted to bring about as an individual if I took up the judiciary as a career.

Question 3: Kindly give us an insight into your college life?

My college life has been an interesting ride. Being a science student, inclined towards objectivity, I found it difficult to adjust at the beginning but gradually got acquainted with the aspects and ideologies of law.

I will admit that I have been one of the most loved students, batchmate and seniors in my college life. I always had supportive batchmates and loving juniors. I was always supported by my teachers who never lost faith in me, what more could I ask for.

Question 4: Kindly give us an insight into how you prepared for the judiciary?

Before I answer this question, I would like to share that I had opted for an unorthodox approach since the beginning of my preparation. The readers can opt for this approach only if it suits them. Since I started preparing for the exam on my own after the college got over, I didn’t have much time for preparation as there was speculation of vacancies coming up in three to four months so rather than opting for the conventional approach I adopted an exam-oriented method. I will unfold it in paragraphs to follow:

1. Preliminary examination

Previous year question bank is a must. I solved previous year questions of UPPCS(J). This gives you an insight into the type of questions being asked and the areas you need to focus more on. You need to figure out the important provisions of the bare act and that will be done by getting an insight into the previous year’s papers.

A thorough reading of your Bare Acts concludes your preparation for the preliminary examination. Learn the sections, the maxims associated with the sections, the leading cases and the purpose/policy of the section.

For general knowledge refer to Lucent’s s(History and miscellaneous portion) and for general science refer PratiyogitaDarpan(annual edition). Make a habit to be updated on the current affairs on a daily basis which I failed to do owing to a medical emergency leaving me bedridden for a month.

• Mains

Since I was not sure of clearing my preliminary examination, therefore, I didn’t even bother studying for mains and when the results were out on 5th January, I was left without only 24 days to prepare for my main examination. It took me around for five days to arrange the previous year’s papers and relevant material leaving me with only 20 days to study 21 subjects.

Due to lack of time, I again adhered to the “previous question bank” formula. I went through the pattern of questions, read-only bare acts, memorized elements of section and cases. I would suggest that evidently it is not a good practice to stick only to the Bare Acts for mains. Textbook reading is advisable as one got to have a subjective matter to write good answers. This method worked for me as I knew how to answer subjectively out of concrete elemental points of Bare Acts. But, to be on the safer side textbook reading is a must as it gives an array of matter to include in your answer to make it wholesome, complete and vibrant.

Presentation is one thing that most of the people are not aware of, which provides an extra edge to one’s answers. Write neatly, in points(if possible) discussing the different ideas in a separate paragraph. Try avoiding making mistakes during the writing and cutting the sentences. Underline the catch-words and the cases.

For essay writing, I will say, is an art and one must practice essay writing as much as possible. However, in my case I had no time to either read or practice essay writing therefore, I would advise the future aspirants to read as many essays along with writing them, that’s the key.

Question 5: What would you suggest the judiciary aspirants?

Patience and hope are the keys to success. Though I cleared in my first attempt yet I was ready for a second attempt, if I am not able to get through. Never lose hope, if you are not able to clear the examination, don’t get disheartened, instead analyses your performance. Find out the areas where you were weak and work on them ensuring that you don’t repeat the mistake again. Make your weaknesses your strengths.

Talking realistically, only a small fraction of students can dedicate their whole time to studies without being distracted. You can’t do away with it completely but, can reduce your distractions. For instance, I am hyperactive on social media and this used to eat up my time. It was hard for me to reduce it however, I gradually decreased it by luring myself into the greater good and utilized that time to study. If you can’t eliminate it, put a greater good against it, it will surely work.

Good luck and all the best.