I am Vinay Prakash Sharma, AIR-1, Civil Engineering. It took me two years to finally clear ESE. This exam always fascinated me as I wanted to join one of the central government engineering departments and serve nation through technology and innovation. It would also give a head start to my career. I would accredit my success first of all to my Made Easy teachers who made complex concepts understandable, MadeEasy material for quality and my family for constant support. Preparation and revision of exhaustive notes from theory book and class notes and regular tests throughout the year and even more in last 30 days before pre and mains helped me reach this pinnacle of success. I followed separate strategies for pre and mains. I focused more on theory for pre and on numerical for mains. I would practice my own answers for questions asked previously in interviews. I’d suggest aspirants to maintain consistency in their preparation and appear regularly for more and more tests. One should be ready for hard work and keep in touch with seniors. Also, make exhaustive notes after analysing your performance in tests. I prepared the GS part from MadeEasy notes and theory booklets. I would refer to previous year questions for same. My interview board was very polite and friendly. Questions were asked from all the aspects related to engineering services. I believe interview goes mostly on technical lines although for some, there may be a fair share of personality and communication. I think luck can be easily outplayed by consistency and hard work as the exam is a three tier process. All the best.