The UPSC Civil Services Examination is widely regarded as one of the toughest examinations in the world, demanding years of dedication, discipline, and resilience. Achieving AIR 134 is an extraordinary milestone that brings pride not only to the individual but also to the entire Zou/Zo community.
In this special interview, we explore:
- The preparation journey behind the success
- Study strategies and resources that worked
- Challenges faced and how they were overcome
- Insights on governance and development in Northeast India
- Advice for future UPSC aspirants from our community
This conversation is meant to inspire young minds from Zogam and beyond who dream of serving the nation through civil services.
#Zolengthe #UPSC2025 #AIR134 #Zogam #CivilServices #Inspiration #Ginminlien
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Zolengthe: Congratulations on securing AIR 134 in the UPSC CSE 2025. Can you briefly introduce yourself and your background to our readers?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Thank you. My name is Calvin Ginminlien Zou. I belong to Zomi Colony in Lamka with Tangpijol as my ancestral village. I grew up in Shillong where I completed my schooling, after which I moved to Delhi where I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate education in Political Science from Delhi University. I began my CSE preparation in July 2022 and gave my first attempt after serious preparation in 2023.
Zolengthe: What inspired you to choose the civil services as your career path?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I wanted to join the civil services since my school days, particularly around Class 9. As time passed and I matured, my conviction was solidified. My aspiration to join the Civil Services is rooted in three parts of my journey – growing up in Shillong, belonging to Manipur, and studying Political Science in Delhi. Shillong taught me the value of coexistence, that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but fairness and dignity for every community. Manipur showed me how the State must provide reassurance and inclusive governance. My academic training strengthened my belief that power gains legitimacy only through constitutional morality, transparency, and empathy. Delhi highlighted how effective governance can expand opportunity, a contrast to the persistent trust and development gaps in the Northeast. These experiences reinforced my conviction and desire to serve society.
Zolengthe: When did you first decide to prepare for UPSC, and what triggered that decision?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I had already decided to prepare for UPSC since my school days. Hence, the decision did not have a particular trigger; it was the result of a long-term ambition.
Zolengthe: Coming from the Northeast / tribal community, did your background influence your motivation for public service?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Yes, it most definitely did. Coming from the northeast and a tribal community, we do not see many from our community in the bureaucracy. As a result, we don’t have mentors or guides to help us in our UPSC journey. I would like to fill this gap and be a guide/mentor to UPSC aspirants in the northeast. The persistent development gaps that we see all over the northeast also spurred in me a desire to do something about it myself, with the understanding that someone who has lived and grown up in the northeast would be able to empathise better and deliver a more citizen-centric governance, although things have changed in the past decade with the Union Government focusing heavily on developing the northeast. I wish to play a part in the Government’s development initiatives in the northeast and contribute to nation-building in the region I grew up in.
Zolengthe: How many attempts did it take for you to clear the exam?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: On paper, I have given four attempts. But I count my attempts as three because I gave my first serious attempt i.e. after preparation, in 2023.
Zolengthe: What was your overall preparation strategy for UPSC CSE?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: There are different strategies for Prelims and Mains.
- For prelims, the trinity of static + PYQs + mock tests is what works best for me. Current affairs isn’t very important for Prelims, hence I don’t read current affairs magazines for Prelims and rely on daily newspapers and mock tests, besides location-based, national parks, i.e. list-based CA published by coaching institutes. Whatever important current affairs I miss out, I cover them in the mock tests.
- For Mains, the key is answer-writing practice + current affairs. Mains is the actual exam, and hence our general awareness is thoroughly tested, making daily newspapers and current affairs compilations crucial. What made the difference for me this time was intense answer-writing practice. I wrote six answers daily from Monday to Friday, wrote one GS FLT on Saturday and one PSIR FLT on Sunday. This helped me improve my answer-writing slowly and steadily, and made all the difference in the end.
- For the Personality Test, I made sure I had detailed notes for every piece of information available in my DAF, and ensured that I left nothing to chance. It was a pleasant experience researching my own background and studying every detail about it. I gave five mock interviews, which I feel is more than enough, as I could understand my weak points and work on them. But there is no harm in doing more mock interviews.
Zolengthe: How did you structure your daily study schedule?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Initially, I had a strictly regimented structure, but this did not last long as frustration set in when I was not able to follow it strictly. I only ensured that I woke up early in the morning and started early. I study two to three hours at a time, and take a ten-minute break. I go to the library to study around 9 AM and go home around 10-11 PM, completing an average of nine and half hours of study per day, excluding the break times and meal times. I keep in mind my goal for the week as I study every day, hence my labour isn’t directionless.
Zolengthe: What were the biggest challenges you faced during your preparation?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Burnout, stress, and self-doubt. The biggest challenges I faced came from me; I was the biggest obstacle to my success. Long-term mental labour takes a toll on our soul and being. After more than two years of intense studying, I faced burnout and took much time to recover and go back to normal. Many aspirants face this when they face failure repeatedly, and how you respond to this will decide your fate. Uncertainty of the future gave me quite a lot of stress and hindered my preparation at one point in time. The success of your peers alongside my own failure brought self-doubt along the journey, and it can be really discouraging. These challenges can be overcome if one can overcome oneself. Once that is done, there is no stopping you.
Zolengthe: Did you ever feel like giving up? If yes, how did you overcome that phase?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Though I had extremely low points during the course of my preparation, I never got to the point where I considered giving up. My conviction in myself and potential future, but more so in God’s will for me, kept me grounded and determined.
Zolengthe: How important was self-discipline and consistency in your preparation?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Self-discipline and consistency are what got me through my worst times. Motivation lasts temporarily and is fleeting. Discipline in my life is personified in things as simple as my bedtime and waking time. An early start to the day and early arrival in the library allowed me to maintain consistency on a daily basis, even when I felt too lazy to study. The most difficult aspect of this journey for me was the monotony and repetitiveness of our studies, discipline and consistency ensured that I never slacked off too much.
Zolengthe: Which books and resources were most important in your preparation?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: My handwritten notes, for both Prelims and Mains, were the most important resources for my preparation. I made these notes in 2023 after giving my first Mains, when I realised I had no structured notes for studying. These notes were sourced from NCERT books, standard books, class lecture notes, coaching institute notes, and internet sources.
Zolengthe: Did you rely more on self-study or coaching institutes?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I took 10 months of GS Foundation coaching from Rau’s IAS from July 2022 to around April 2023. The coaching gave me a solid base from which I continued my self-study. But if I were to compare, I relied more on self-study as I prepared all my notes by myself, made my own mistakes and learnt from them. Especially for the Mains written, I relied on my self-study, accompanied by test series from other coaching institutes. It is a mixture of both, with a heavier leaning on self-study.
Zolengthe: How did you manage current affairs preparation?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I approached CA differently for Prelims, Mains and Personality Test (PT). CA isn’t very important for Prelims, at least based on my personal experience. So, for Prelims, I relied on daily newspapers and mock tests, alongside location-based, national parks, Ramsar sites, etc CA published by coaching institutes. I didn’t refer to CA magazines at all for Prelims. For Mains, I relied on the daily newspaper, Mains365 magazine from VisionIAS, and mock tests. For PT, I used three newspapers, i.e. The Hindu, Indian Express and Mint.
Zolengthe: What role did mock tests and answer writing practice play in your success?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: It made all the difference, especially in Mains. Mock tests in Prelims are crucial and prepare you mentally and intellectually for the exam, even though the mocks are quite different from the actual exam. I had neglected answer writing practice in my first two Mains, hence I couldn’t clear it. In this attempt, the only thing I did differently in Mains was intense answer-writing practice. I enrolled myself in a daily answer writing practice series, GS test series and Optional test series. These made all the difference for me this time.
Zolengthe: What was your strategy for clearing the Preliminary Examination?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: My strategy was simple; I focused on static + PYQs + mock tests. Multiple revisions of static gave me a strong grip over GS, while PYQs helped me to familiarise myself with the exam pattern. Mock tests help me brush up on my static knowledge as well as cover current affairs from multiple sources.
Zolengthe: How did you approach the Mains answer writing?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I enrolled myself in the daily answer writing series, GS test series, and Optional test series. These helped me to make small improvements in my answer writing over time. I used to write six answers daily, while I did one GS FLT on Saturday and one PSIR FLT on Sunday. I also referred to topper’s answer copies whenever I felt that my answers needed some change in structure. The feedback I received from my answers, combined with ChatGPT and model answers, helped me to greatly improve my answers.
Zolengthe: What tips would you give for scoring well in Essay papers?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: You need to be confident in your own style of writing and self-expression. The more original and authentic your essay, the more you will score. It is not advisable to read toppers’ copies and just copy their style of writing. There is no problem in analysing how others write their essays, but one must never lose originality in writing. Always remember to brainstorm before writing, as thinking while writing may make your essay's structure messy. We have 90 minutes for one essay, so what I do is brainstorm for 20 minutes, write down the points, and then write the essay for 70 minutes.
Zolengthe: How did you prepare for the Personality Test (Interview)?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: For current affairs, I read three newspapers, i.e. The Hindu, Indian Express and Mint. For details in my DAF, I used ChatGPT 5.2 to generate possible questions and answers. A bulk of my interview preparation was done using ChatGPT. I made personalised notes for every current affairs topic I felt was important for the interview, with the help of ChatGPT. To get myself familiarised with the interview experience, I did five mock interviews, which I felt were enough to prepare me mentally. However, other candidates give many more mock interviews. It is up to you how many mock interviews you feel are required.
Zolengthe: Which optional subject did you choose and why?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I chose Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) as my optional subject. The reason for this is that I studied Political Science in BA and MA, and hence, it was the subject I enjoyed the most and was most familiar with. It was the natural option for me to choose PSIR, especially because the Paper 1 syllabus is very similar to my BA syllabus.
Zolengthe: What strategy helped you score well in your optional paper?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Answer writing practice made all the difference in this attempt. Through the test series, I realised the huge gaps I had in my answer-writing approach, and how my answers were not holistic. I used to only answer the questions directly and conclude. But through the answer writing practice, I began to incorporate more aspects and dimensions in my answers. For example, in PSIR, you generally score more whenever you can underpin any argument through theories and thinkers, and make the ideas interact with each other, meaning that you bring in different theories in one answer and evaluate arguments based on this.
Zolengthe: UPSC preparation is known to be mentally demanding. How did you maintain mental health and motivation?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Faith played an important role in my life, especially during the course of my preparation. My mental health was also not very good after my second failure. What kept me grounded was the Word of God, particularly the book of Job. Job reminded me of my place before God, helped me deal with existential anxieties and got me through my lowest points. I also had a group of friends in the locality where I live, and we had prayer fellowship once a week, which helped me in my mental health struggles. Motivation is temporary; it lasts only for a few days, so it is not advisable for one to chase motivation. Discipline is what will see you through in the end. For me, too, it was discipline that got me across the line, as I was seldom motivated to study long hours every day. This discipline should be embedded in your lifestyle such that it becomes like muscle memory to study every day. At the end, it all boils down to how badly you want it. If you want it so much that you’re even willing to sacrifice everything and die for it, you will be able to maintain the discipline.
Zolengthe: Who were the people or mentors who supported you the most during your journey?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: My biggest supporters were my family, my parents and brothers. Nobody supported me more than my family, and I am extremely grateful for their undying support over the past few years. My friends in Ber Sarai, here in Delhi, have also been a great source of support for me, and I thank them for that as well. Those who kept me in their prayers, be it my church, other churches, and our people as a whole, I am grateful for their support through prayers.
Zolengthe: How did you deal with failures or low mock test scores?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I did not have any particular method for dealing with failures. You just face it as it comes, feel the complete pain and disappointment. The important thing is to not wallow in your sorrows. The best way to recover is to get back to studying after a few days' rest. This allows you to focus on what is ahead and not be stuck in the past. As for low mock test scores, it never bothered me. My approach to mock tests was to learn, not score high or evaluate my level of preparation. So, be it Prelims or Mains, the target in mock tests was to enhance my knowledge and preparation level; low scores never bothered me.
Zolengthe: What are the three biggest mistakes UPSC aspirants should avoid?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: Considering the vast amount of materials in the market and internet today, the first mistake aspirants should avoid is becoming a material collector. This prevents you from ascertaining what is important and how to approach each stage of the exam. This leads to overstudying, preventing the candidate from retaining important information. The trick is to study less material and revise it over and over again. The second mistake is self-doubt and indecisiveness. Especially in Prelims, self-doubt leads to candidates marking a different answer from what they decided initially, leading to more silly mistakes. One must believe in oneself, one's capability, and one's own strategy. Avoid copy-pasting topper’s strategies. Find what works for you, and stick with it. Self-doubt is the biggest obstacle in this exam. The third mistake is neglecting answer-writing practice. I know a few candidates who, like me, neglected answer-writing and focused only on building knowledge for the Mains exam and failed repeatedly. Answer writing is the biggest game-changer in CSE, and must be started as soon as the Prelims are over.
Zolengthe: What advice would you give to students from remote or tribal areas who want to prepare for UPSC?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I would be lying if I said I understand their struggles. I don’t think I can even begin to comprehend the struggles they’ll have to put up with. What I can say from my limited knowledge and experience is that the internet is the great equaliser of our times. If you can arrange a stable internet connection, you’ll get everything online, be it online classes, study materials, current affairs, etc. Make maximum use of the internet, and your position will not be very far behind those who live in cities. Make good use of Telegram as well, since we get everything related to UPSC through this platform nowadays.
Zolengthe: How important is newspaper reading and current affairs analysis?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: General awareness and analytical answers are crucial for Mains and PT, hence, newspaper reading cannot be neglected. One can also refer to CA magazines, which are useful especially for the Mains written. But reading editorials and op-eds from the newspaper cannot be ignored, at least in my experience, since that is the best way to build a good general awareness and cultivate an analytical frame of mind, as well as understand ongoing issues holistically and build an opinion on issues. Current affairs analysis is important to understand the issues that come up repeatedly, since Mains questions usually pick up these ongoing issues. However, one must be careful with how much time is spent studying CA in the Prelims stage, as its weightage is not very much. CA becomes more crucial in Mains and PT.
Zolengthe: What role does answer writing practice play in clearing the Mains exam?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: It makes all the difference. I went from 596 total in Mains written in CSE 2024 to 792 in CSE 2025, all thanks to intensive answer-writing practice. The answer-writing method in CSE is very different from college-style writing, at least in the GS papers. Hence, answer-writing cannot be neglected at all. It takes time to improve, but you will improve slowly and steadily, and within two to three months, you’ll be able to see the difference. Referring to topper’s copies helps, but must be done wisely. Refer to the topper’s copies only when you’re doing answer-writing practice of that same subject. That way, you’ll be able to incorporate their strengths into your own answers.
Zolengthe: If you join the Indian Administrative Service or another civil service, what areas of governance would you like to focus on?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: I would love to focus on education the most, besides skilling and grassroots infrastructure development. Education is the backbone of an individual’s development, and its importance cannot be overstated. India’s demographic dividend will not be reaped if education and skilling are not catered to with extreme care. Be it success in the private or public sector, or even economic prosperity, education is the prerequisite. This must be accompanied by skilling so that educated persons are not under-skilled for the job market. It remains to be seen how much I will actually be able to do, but I hope to contribute to nation-building by focusing on education.
Zolengthe: What changes would you like to see in development policies for Northeast India?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: The shift from Look East to Act East in 2014 reflected the Union Government’s renewed focus on developing India’s northeast, as exemplified in the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project and India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral highway, accompanied by ending many insurgencies through peace accords, as well as expediting the implementation of various development projects that were lying in limbo. Not much needs to change at this point, as the Govt is in the right path. What needs more focus, if at all, is that implementation can be given a heavier focus, while also ensuring better follow-up mechanisms for projects that are being undertaken. A more streamlined and systematic community-consultation mechanism before taking up big projects can be envisaged and implemented, considering the sensitive nature of community relations and land rights issues in the northeast. This would complement the good work that the Govt has undertaken in the past decade and is currently undertaking.
Zolengthe: Finally, what message would you like to give to the members of the ZOLENGTHE community and young aspirants?
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: The journey to success can either make or break you. For this reason, living a balanced life is really important, especially during your preparation. I only studied six days a week, except when the exam is really near. I go to church on Sundays and interact with friends for the rest of the day, and this helps me to refresh for the coming week and allows me to relax a little after a tiring week. I also advise you to maintain a balanced life.
Faith plays an important role in helping us deal with daily hardships and cultivating perseverance, as was the case with me. Don’t ever neglect your relationship with God because you’re too busy with life or CSE preparations. Life and faith go hand-in-hand and complement each other. God’s grace and providence are complete and miraculous, beyond mortal comprehension. Trust in Him.
Doubt is inevitable along the journey, but one must never let one's conviction be shaken. Through the course of my CSE preparation, my conviction in my purpose stood tall despite periods of doubt after failure. Motivation is fleeting; only discipline can see you through an arduous journey like the CSE preparation. For this reason, you must cultivate a strong conviction so that your discipline isn’t broken.
Without purpose, everything we do becomes meaningless and empty. Regardless of the career one chooses, one must ensure that every endeavour is purpose-driven. A fulfilled and happy life can be achieved only when we live with a purpose. Whatever your dreams may be, believe in yourself despite what people say, put your faith in God because success is His (even though the labour is yours), and find your purpose in life, and all will be well.
Zolengthe: Thank you, Pu Calvin, for your valuable time and inner thoughts that you share with the readers. I hope this conversation will bring realisation to some Civil Service aspirants to a certain extent.
Calvin Ginminlien Zou: You are welcome, and thank you for this precious interview.
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