Meet Zainab Sayeed: Highest Scorer in UPSC Interviews

Zainab Sayeed from Kolkata once again proved that determination and hard work can work wonders and can help you reach the zenith of glory. Hailing from Chitpur in North Kolkata, she has topped the UPSC civil services examination interview round, by scoring the highest marks.

Zainab scored 220 out of total 275 marks (80 per cent)in the interview and secured a rank of 107 in the examination.

In the year 2012 and 2013 also she appeared for the civil services examination, but was unable to clear the preliminary round. Not deterred by failure, she re-appeared for the exam this time and sparkled with success. She not only cleared the prelims and the mains, but also topped the interview round, which is the last of the three rounds.

In a telephonic conversation with Anumika Bahukhandi from India Today Education, Zainab expressed her happiness on being the topper and gave credit to her sheer determination and hard work. Being a Literature graduate, she was asked questions from English Literature and as she was in the school council too, questions regarding her hobbies and extra co-curricular activities were also asked.

Questions related to international relations and Europeon Union were also asked from her and according to Zainab, she left no stone unturned to crack the interview and gave her best. After her masters, she was working with the Telegraph, Calcutta in the editorial department.

According to her, the success in any examination is a blend of both brilliance and hard work, in which an equilibrium has to be maintained between the both. She used to devote six to seven hours per day for her preparations, and made sure that she would compensate for her lost time. Her punctuality paid off in the end.Her interview was of 25 minutes duration in which she was asked questions on European Union disintegration and FDI in retail.

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Courtesy: India today Education