Romit Bhatt (CSE-23 AIR-390) Journey, FAQ & History Optional

Romit Bhatt: A Journey Through UPSC CSE

Romit Bhatt, hailing from Garhsher, Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, is currently residing in Tanakpur. He has undertaken three attempts in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) and secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 390 in CSE 2023.

Background

Romit completed his schooling from St. Francis School, Tanakpur, and secured his Class 12 certificate with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) subjects in 2018. He then pursued his graduation in Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in History from SGTB Kalsa College, Delhi University, completing his degree in 2021. Subsequently, he secured his Master of Arts in History from IGNOU in 2023 and also cleared the UGC NET JRF in History subject.

Journey

First Attempt (2021)

Romit cleared the Preliminary Examination (Prelims) in his first attempt, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delay provided him with extra time to revise as his college exams overlapped with the Prelims. However, for the Mains, his preparation was inadequate, particularly for the Optional and Essay papers, which were new for him. Despite his limited preparation, he managed to clear the Mains but was not shortlisted for the final list due to insufficient preparation.

Second Attempt (2022)

In the second attempt, Romit faced his Prelims 5 days before the final result, limiting his preparation time. Nevertheless, his preparation from the first attempt helped him clear the Prelims once again. Although he was better prepared for the Mains this time, he was not shortlisted. This attempt saw Romit grapple with self-doubt, even considering a change of optional, but the time constraint prevented this.

Third Attempt (2023)

Romit cleared the Prelims in his third attempt and decided to prepare the Mains differently by collecting data, quotes, and focusing on Ethics and Optional. Despite falling ill during the GS Paper 2, he completed the paper. He was more confident during this attempt and successfully cleared the Mains and prepared for his interview. Romit was fortunate enough to clear this unpredictable exam in his third attempt.

Coaching

Romit did not take formal coaching or foundational courses. He relied on self-study and mock test series for preparation. For the Mains, he used test series from Vision IAS, Forum IAS, and Lukman test series for Ethics. For Prelims, he used the Vision IAS test series available for free on Telegram and the quiz available on the Insights IAS website.

CSAT

Romit's CSAT scores were consistently poor, barely meeting the cutoff in all three attempts, scoring between 70 and 71. He recommends checking out books like "Decode CSAT" for CSAT preparation.

Answer Writing

Romit's Mains marks increased significantly from 390 in 2021 and 2022 to 435 in 2023. This improvement was due to more focus on Ethics, using books like Vajiram and Ravi's Ethics booklet and answers from "Decode Ethics" and the Kalam IAS example booklet.

Others

Romit relied heavily on free Byjus daily Hindu analysis on YouTube for news updates. Recently, he switched to Unacademy for daily news updates after the teachers from Byjus moved to Unacademy.

Optional

Romit did not take coaching for the History Optional but relied on his graduation background in History. He used self-study test series and map books for his preparation.

Sources

For his History optional, Romit used notes from Upinder Singh's book on Ancient India, IGNOU and Satish Chandra's books for Medieval India, Shekhar Bandopadhyay's book on Modern India, Ranjan Chakraborty's and Norman Lowe's books for World History.

Message

Romit attributes his success to three key factors: Discipline, Consistency, and Revision. Following a strict study timetable, maintaining consistent study habits, and revising from the same sources helped him clear the Prelims in all three attempts.

Disclaimer

Romit cautions against overemphasizing the UPSC exam, stating that it is highly subjective and luck plays a significant role, particularly in the Mains and Interview stages. He advises focusing on hard work and not doubting one's preparation.

CSE-23 Topper Strategies

Romit shares strategies from various CSE-23 toppers, including Medha Anand, Romel Bijalwan, Samiksha Mhetre, Aditya Hriday Upadhyay, Prerna Singh, Abhinav Jain, KN Chandana Jahnavi, Rohit Sattawan, Dr. Subhadharshini, Megha Dinesh, Anushka Karnwal, Rajat Tripathi, Dr. Ritika Aima, and others.

Contact Information

For further queries, Romit can be contacted via Instagram.