Success story of Kurma Rao – CSE 23rd
Rank, 2010
Name: Kurma Rao M
Father’s Name: Adinarayana
Mother’s Name: Rajeswari
D.O.B: 11
th
April (Year of birth not provided)
Educational Qualifications:
Exam   Year   University / Board / College                % of Marks
10
th
 1997     APRS Bobbili, Andhra Pradesh                90.6%
10+2      1999     Alfa Jr. College, Vishakhapatnam           95.0%
B.Tech  2003     GITAM College of Engineering                  87.0%
Previous Selections:
2008: Rank 388 IRS (IT)
2009 Rank: 415, IPS
CSC:  Achieving the top slot in the CS Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest
congratulations on your splendid success.
Kurma Rao: Thanks a lot. It is indeed a great privilege to be a part of IAS and I am thankful to
my parents, teachers and friends whose support sailed me through this long journey.
CSC: You must have read IAS Toppers interviews in newspapers / magazines; what inspired
you the most? Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result?
Kurma Rao: Many success stories inspired me. The first page I used to generally read in a
competitive magazine was toppers interview and to learn from their experiences. My
confidence rose when friends close to me got successful. I always used to keep good friends
circle who kept my motivation level up and used to have meaningful discussions with them.
In course of preparation fortunately I got association of great Gurus who supported me in all
aspects.
CSC: About Interview Boards, many candidates have set impressions. Do you consider such
thoughts  help or hinder one’s performance in Interview?
Kurma Rao: It is always better to appear before the board with an open mind and with
positive attitude. It is one’s confidence level and thinking that there’s nothing to hide in my
personality and I am ready to answer any question that brings better performance in the
interview. Certainly Bio-data should be one’s strong area and try to answer other questions
also by relating with it.
CSC: What was your approach towards General Studies and optional Subject during Prelims
preparation? How much time and effort you divided for each?Kurma Rao: Since there is change in prelims pattern now optional need not be prepared for
prelim. Now CSAT and general studies have equal weightage but depending on strong and
weak areas of each individual one has to divide time accordingly. Since General studies is
extensive and is also there for mains it can be focused more and CSAT needs to be worked
out with enough practice.
CSC: How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims?
Kurma Rao:  It is to answer the question or not which is to be judged using probability and
calculated risk can be taken. But certainity of answer will come with basic understanding
and clarity of concepts and enough practice
CSC: List some of the Magazines, Newspapers, Books, etc. Which you read for ‘General
Studies’ preparation.
Kurma Rao: News Papers: The Hindu, Times of India
Magazines: Yojana, Kurukshetra, Civil Services Chronicle and Wizard in earlier stages of
preparation.
Books: India Year book, Economic Survey
NCERT books which are all linked with our syllabus like Contemporary India, Contemporary
World and Books on Geography.
Standard text books like Indian Constitution by DD Basu, India’s Freedom Struggle by Bipin
Chandra, Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram (limited chapters), Science and
Technology: TMH Publishers.
CSC: How did you prepare yourself for Interview? When and which Board did you face? How
did your interview go on, how much time it lasted and what were the questions asked
during the Interview?
Kurma Rao:  Preparing for interview is like introspection and delving deep into one’s self.
What is the career path till now and why you chose that and how you view future will be
questioned. In addition hobbies, own state and current issues needs to be prepared well
with courage to take stand on certain aspects and giving reasons for it.
I was fortunate to have guidance from Sriram Sir and from my friends who helped me
analyse better and build my confidence level. I attended mock interviews in Samkalp and
elsewhere to come out myself and express freely before the board.
This year I got Shri Nirbhay Sharma sir’s board which gave me an opportunity to express
myself and the questions were mainly of opinion based with great scope for analysis and
bringing out the attitude. Questions were put on my earlier work experiences, hobbies,
optional and current issues like interlinking of rivers – Do you support? Is inflation needed
for growth? Judicial review vs judicial activism etc. It lasted for about 35 minutes.
CSC: In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing
for an examination like Civil Services?
Kurma Rao:  Magazines which are highly focussed and concise aid the candidates to a great
extent, because they collect, refine and present relevant information in easy to understand
format making the task of the aspirant simple. In addition they have diverse articles for
value addition and work towards keeping the morale and motivation of the candidate. But selection of magazines and reading specific portions from them is the expertise of the
aspirant.
CSC: What is the secret of your success?
Kurma Rao: I got the rioght atmosphere and guidance in terms of teachers and friends at the
right time which helped me move towards the goal. I think the dogged approach of keep on
continuing till you get what you want as Swami Vivekananda said ‘Arise, Awake and stop not
till the goal is reached’ helped me get this success.
CSC: Any suggestion / advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Kurma Rao:  Have confidence in yourself and don’t worry of failures. It is not an exam of
high intelligence but certainly that tests your emotional qualities like patience and
sensitivity towards things that happen around you. When Students with Regional medium
coming from poor rural background like me are able to make it out why not you. So don’t
have second thought of whether I will be able to make it?

A. Nationality   i) For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India. ii) For other services, a candidate must be either :-     a) A citizen of India, or   b) a subject of Nepal, or   c) a subject of Bhutan, or   d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India. or   e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Srilanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.   Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Provided further that candidates belonging to categories (b), (c) and (d) above will not be eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service. A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him by the Government of India.
	B. Age Limits   i) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on 1st August of the year in which he/she is appearing for the Preliminary Examination (e.g., a candidate appearing for the preliminary examination of the year 2009 should be between 21-30 years of age as on 01st, August 2009) i.e. he/she must have been born not earlier than 02nd August 1979 and not later than 01st, August, 1988. ii) The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable:     a) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste (SC) or a Scheduled Tribe (ST).   b) upto a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.   c) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from the 1st January, 1980 to the 31st day of December, 1989.   d) upto a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof.   e) upto a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2008 and have been released       i) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August, 2008) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or   ii) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or   iii) on invalidment.   f) upto a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2008 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three month's notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.   g) upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons.
	C. Educational Qualification     A candidate must hold a degree of any of the Universities incorporate by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of amendment or declared to deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.       Note: Candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission's examination but have not been informed of the result as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination. All candidates who are declared qualified by the Commission for taking the Civil Services (Main) Examination will be required to produce proof of passing the requisite examination along with their application for the Main Examination failing which such candidates will not be admitted to the Main Examination.

AS History Books

REFERENCE BOOKS FOR HISTORY PRELIMS :

BOOKS ON ANCIENT INDIA :
1. Wonder that was India - A.L. Bhashem.
2. Ancient India Social and Culture - Luniya
3. Ancient India - an introductory outline - D.N.Jha.
4. An Advanced History of India - R.C. Majumda, H.C. Raychaudhurai, - Kalikinkar Datta
5. Ancient India - L.Mukherjee
BOOKS ON MEDIVAL INDIA
1. Advanced study in the History of Medival India - Volume I, II, III J.L. Mehta
2. Medival India - Volume I & II Satish Chandra
3. Wonder that was India - Rizzvi
4. Medival India - L. Mukherjee
BOOKS ON MODERN INDIA
1. Modern Indian History - Groover & Grooover.
2. A struggle for Independence - Bipin Chandra
3. Freedom Struggle - Bipinchandra
4. Modern India - L. Mukherjee
NCERT BOOKS
VIII, IX, X,XI,XII History
HISTORY BOOKS GUIDE
1. Indian History - Krishna Reddy
2. Indian History - Agnihotri
3. Competition Wizard Workbook.
4. IGNOU Material
5. Y.D.Mishra

REFERENCE BOOKS OVERALL :

BOOKS ON ANCIENT INDIA

• NCERT (11th)
• The Advanced History of India - Majumdar, Raychaudhuri & Datta
• The wonder that was India - A. L Bashaon
• Indus Civilization - (a) IGNOU booklet no. 2
• The rise of civilization of India and Pakistan - Bridget and Raymond Allchin
• Ancient India in historical outline (Revised and enlarged edition - 98) - D.N. Jha
• Mauryan : Ashoka and the decline of mouryan empire - Romila Thapar
• Indian Feudalism - R.S. Sharma

BOOKS ON MEDIEVAL INDIA

• NCERT (11th)
• The Advanced History of India - Majumdar, Raychaudhuri & Datta
• Social life and cultural life of both Delhi Sultanate and Mughal India - J.L. Mehta
• A history of South India - K. A. Nilakanta Shastri
• IGNOU material (specially on agriculture and agrarian relations and culture)

BOOKS ON MODERN INDIA

• NCERT (12th)
• A new look into the modern Indian history - B.L Grover
• Freedom struggle - Bipin Chandra, Varun Dey and Amlesh Tripathy (NBT)
• India's struggle for independence - Bipin Chandra
• Modern India - Sumit Sarkar
• IGNOU material (specially on freedom struggle)

Services/posts to which recruitment is to be made through the Examination are:
	1) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) 2) Indian Foreign Service (IFS) 3) Indian Police Service (IPS) 4) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’ 5) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ 6) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) Group 'A' 7) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ 8) Indian Revenue Service, Group ‘A’ (IRS) 9) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Non-technical) 10) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’ 11) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ 12) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’ 13) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ 14) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’ 15) Post of Assistant Security Officer, Group ‘A’ in Railway Protection Force 16) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’ 17) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group 'A' 18) Indian Trade Service, Group "A" (Grade-III) 19) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group "A" 20) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group 'B' (Section Officer's Grade) 21) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B' 22) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B' 23) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B' 24) Pondicherry Police Service, Group 'B'