| Name | Shejole Shruti Ramrao |
| Rank in CSE 2015 | 690 |
| Total Attempts in CSE | 4 |
| Optional Subject | Anthropology |
| Medium | English |
Education
| Class 10 percentage of marks | 82 |
| Class 12Percentage of marks | 70 |
| Graduation: College and marks | B.D.S Nair Hospital Dental College 64% |
IAS Score: What were the basic mantras of your success?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Dedication , perseverance , optimistic attitude and rectifying the lacuna in the previous attempts.
IAS Score: What were your strategies for the lengthy syllabus of General Studies for both Prelims and Mains?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: I always integrated the general studies syllabus for both prelims and mains. Focusing on prelims before two months of prelims.
Divided the syllabus according to subjects and covered the maximum dimensions possible with in depth analysis for mains.
IAS Score: Did you integrate your Prelims or Mains preparation or was it separate in the changing scenario?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Yes I always integrated the general studies except the last two months before prelims I focused more on prelims.
GS Preparation for Prelims (Summary)
| Study material / Guidance | Newspapers Hindu , Indian Express, Business standard |
| Basic Books | Ncert of geography, history, lakshmikant , g c leong |
| Current Affairs | vision ias monthly booklets supplemented with GS score current affairs class and notes |
GS Mains Preparation (Summary)
| Paper | Study Material/Guidance | Current Issues Source | Answer Writing Practice |
| GS Paper 1 | Culture from nitin singhania notes, ancient history-old ncert, modern history-spectrum, world history-mrunal site, geography-ncert plus mrunal site, society-newspapers analysis | G S score Contemporary Issues Class and Notes | G s score test series |
| GS Paper 2 | Indepth analysis of polity and IR issues of newspaper and current affairs. Social sector schemes through ministry sites and newspaper analysis. | G S score Contemporary Issues Class and Notes | G S score test series |
| GS Paper 3 | Economic survey, economic issues in depth analysis, internal security through IDSA site, environment and science tech through newspaper. | G S score Contemporary Issues Class and Notes | G S score test series |
| GS Paper 4 | GS Score ethics notes | N/A | G S score test series |
Optional Subject Anthropology Preparation (Summary)
| Study material / Guidance | Lack of proper holistic material for cse needs the paper pattern of anthropology now changing towards more analytical. So need of in depth studies. |
| Basic Books | Books like nadeem hasnain, Pnath supplemented along with muniratnam reddynotes, sosin maam class notes |
| Current Affairs | Ministry websites, current affairs happenings vis case study example. |
| Answer Writing | Joined L2A class test series. It was really helpful to improvise the content quality and to frame proper structure to answers. |
IAS Score: How did your prepare for essay?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Practiced essay writing regularly and discussed it with friends. Trying to cover the maximum dimensions possible in the topic and trying not to go out of context in essay.
IAS Score: Did you adopt any specific strategy for GS Paper 4?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Tried to show ethical dimensions by supporting it with constitution, preamble, dpsp along with human rights.
IAS Score: What were the sources of information for general reading? How did you come to know that which sources of reading materials are standard?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Tried and tested material in my previous attempts. I focused more on revising the topics rather than multiple sources reading.
IAS Score: What is your advice on notes-making for other aspirants?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Make short and crisp notes of everything. It helps in quick revision before exam.
IAS Score: How did you manage your time during the preparation?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Divided the time in time slots. Prepared schedule of week in advance for optional and general studies.
IAS Score: What was your style (paragraph or point format) of writing in the exam? How was it distinct from the general writing style? How did you develop this writing style?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Combination of both paragraph and point wise. Introduction and conclusion in paragraph format and middle content through points, various sub headings supplemented along with flow chart and diagrams. Developed the answer writing style through practicing answers at home and test series.
IAS Score: So much focus is being given to Test Series, both for Prelims and Mains, in your opinion how useful are they, in the course of a preparation process? Which Test Series did you join and how useful did you find it to be?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Test series are extremely help full because it helped me to cover the entire syllabus on time and helped me in answer writing and finishing each questions with quality content. I joined gs score test series.
IAS Score: Civil Services Exam process is quite strenuous. It requires long hours of constant study. How did you maintain your tempo and what did you do to break the monotony of preparation?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: I always kept optimistic attitude throughout the preparation phase. I also pursued my hobbies like cooking and dance.it helped to release the stress. Also constant motivation from family and friends.
IAS Score: The trend suggests that professionals or working people are more successful in this exam. Does this exam prove difficult for Humanities and Social Science background candidates?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: I don’t think so. I think candidates from all background have been successful in CSE.
IAS Score: Which sources you referred to prepare for Contemporary Issues.
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Newspapers like hindu , indian express, gs score booklet and vision ias monthly current affair booklet.
IAS Score: Given the recent boom in online initiatives to support an aspirant, which were the platforms that you find useful enough during your course of preparation. Please list the sites.
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: insights on india and ias baba are really helpful.
IAS Score: What is your advice to the candidates who is still in the process of preparing for this examination?
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Keep working towards your goal despite failure. Always remember failure are the stepping stones for success. Always be optimistic and positive.
IAS Score: Your word for future aspirants.
Shejole Shruti Ramrao: Don’t regard failure in cse only parameter to judge you and prove your mettle. The entire process of preparing for cse makes the personality overall developed with broad vision. It will definitely benefit in life in some way or other.
Shejole Shruti Ramrao Mark sheet
| Paper | Marks |
| Prelims | 117 |
| Essay (Paper 1) | 119 |
| GS 1 (Paper 2) | 104 |
| GS 2 (Paper 3) | 82 |
| GS 3 (Paper 4) | 90 |
| GS 4 (Paper 5) | 85 |
| Optional 1 (Paper 6) | 114 |
| Optional 2 (Paper 7) | 118 |
| Written Total | 712 |
| Personality Test | 146 |
| Total Score | 858 |