- Kudos for your achievement Arpna. Kindly accept heartiest felicitations on behalf of the team of Judge Saab and all our readers and users. Could you please introduce yourself?
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am Arpna and I hail from Pathankot, Punjab. I have completed most of my school education from my hometown. I completed my graduation from Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala in 2016. Immediately, thereafter, I started preparing for judiciary. I succeeded in clearing the Himachal Pradesh Judicial Services 2018 and then Punjab Judicial Services in 2018.
- What galvanized you to choose judicial services as your career option?
Both of my parents have a legal background. I have been brought up in an environment where law used to be the topic of most of our family conversations. Right from my school days, I used to Get curious by various legal maxims, terms and concepts. In a way, I was connected with the legal world from the very beginning and over the course of time, this connection with the legal world, further nurtured my dream of becoming a judge. Thus, judicial services became a clear career option for me during the course of my graduation.
- Can you please tell us about your experience at the law school? What role did your college play in your achievement and how it nurtured your zeal to go for the judiciary examination?
I think that I was fortunate enough to have studied in a national law university. It not only gives one a legal outlook but it also broadens one’s perspectives towards life and society in general. The diverse pack of students present in the batch, coming from different states of the country contribute largely towards this atmosphere. It was an enriching experience to have studied there academically too as I used to participate in different moot court competitions and the conferences which were held over 5 years. I had interned at the High Court and the Supreme Court during my college days. It helped in providing me with the ground realities of our legal system. The teachers of my university were very encouraging and used to motivate me to follow my dreams. I was a part of IDIA education program as well. As a member of the organisation, I got the opportunity to teach the under-privileged children around the precincts of my college. It was truly a very humbling experience as I had not done anything of this level of social service earlier in my life. I am thankful to my law school for such an eclectic and culturally enriching experience.
- Distractions and failures being the indispensable weeds in the preparation process, can you please share with the aspiring candidates, some strategies and tips to stay focused in the hard times?
I think distractions are a part of a student’s life who is preparing for any competitive examination. You need to be very focused towards what you are doing. You should know that what is at stake here. If you read about any successful person then you would find that they always advise to be focused and determined towards your goal. But along with that, I think one should give himself leisure time as well. In my opinion, if you study for ten to twelve hours a day, keeping aside an hour for refreshment will not hurt your preparation. Instead, it may further energize you for the next few hours. During the break-hour, you may read, go out or may spend some time with your friends. When you feel distracted, you should try to find your motivation. It can be in your friends, family or your family situation as well. Anything that works for you or keeps you hooked to your goal.
- How did you strategize your preparation for the preliminary and mains examination of Punjab Judicial Services?
As far as preliminary exam is concerned, you should know the bare acts thoroughly. They act as the basic source. Everything else that we study, is basically its interpretation. Understanding the bare act is the key for both preliminary and mains examination. The recent and landmark case laws are also quite important. The paper may include the landmark cases or any case which changes the law or strikes it down.
For the preliminary examination, one should try to solve as many multiple-choice questions as one can possibly do. I had a book which had the previous year papers of almost all the states. It helped me a lot as it had a section which contained the best questions from a particular topic which were being covered in the past year question papers.
When one studies for preliminary examination, he also prepares for the mains examination side by side. It cannot be distinguished what has to be studied for mains and what has to be studied for the preliminary examination in rigid tight compartments. It is just that the study for mains becomes very vast and focus is on answer writing. But that being said, you should also know that where a particular provision lies in your bare act. Even in the mains examination one needs to list out the law that is applicable on a particular proposition. As, when you know the bare act properly can you start framing the answers of the questions. For the reasoning part as well, you need to be thorough with the requisite law.
- As you cleared PJS, so can you please suggest some guidelines for studying Punjabi? It acts as one of the major roadblocks, for students from the state and from the other states as well. How did you manage it?
Honestly, I am not very good at Punjabi myself. I started with the grammar part first because directly going on to the vyakhya and the bulky part would puzzle one’s mind. I used to practice some Punjabi proverbs daily. You can also start reading the newspaper as it helps a lot in understanding the language. The tenth standard book of Punjabi School Education Board for Punjabi works as the basic source while preparing for mains examination.
- Can you share the list of books and other materials that you went through while preparing for Punjab Judicial Services?
There are different books for each subject. For CPC, I referred to Takwani. It is a great book and probably the only one on the subject. I studied Kelkar for CrPC, Pillai and Gaur for IPC. Also, I used to get my hands on any other notes which I used to come across. I used to keep myself updated with the upcoming changes in law as well as I had chosen to study on my own for the mains examination.
- Revision is the main factor for success in any exam and judiciary is not an exception, so what was your revision strategy?
Definitely, revision plays a very important role in the preparation. One should prepare his own notes for the revision. Ideally, one should refer to two or three books at most. As, the more you study the more puzzled your mind would get. One should keep on revising the notes that one has prepared from the selected books
- During the preparation, a candidate might go through self-doubt due to the stiff competition around him/her. How did you handle such a negative situation? What are your views regarding the removal of this self-doubt?
Surely, a person may go through self-doubt because of the competition around him. But I suggest that one should have perseverance and he should know that what he is pursuing and why. One needs to work hard towards it instead of listening to what other people are saying around him. I think one should not be let down by what people say as they definitely cannot define that who you are. One should not be discouraged from such obstacles because they are the stepping stones for what one would achieve ahead in the future.
- What were your favorite hobbies during the entire time of preparation for PCS(J)?
I used to go out once in a while with my friends. I used to read motivational books as well during my free time. I am an avid follower of the Secret series by Rhonda Byrne. Those books used to give me motivation to strive for better.
- As after a lot of hard work, a candidate reaches the interview stage and is very anxious about how to clear it. What do you think is the best way to ace the interview?
Interview is not much about your knowledge about the law. It is more about how to manage yourself to stay calm. Especially, when there are two or three people questioning you at the same time. They will try to confuse you. They will try to bring you to a point where you do not know the answer of a particular question. So, sitting there and confidently handling the people there in front of you is essential to leave a lasting impression on their minds.
- If the interviewer becomes adamant at any question, how should the candidate come out of that situation?
If you know the answer then you should go ahead and give it confidently. If you do not know the answer then an apology would suffice. The mistake that most of the candidates do is that they start making up the answers even if they do not know the exact one. The interviewers appreciate honesty. You do not need to play them out. I remember that during my interview for Himachal Pradesh Judicial Services, there was a question where I was stuck. I simply apologized to them and told them the truth. Even then, I cleared the examination. So, you should tell them the truth if you do not know the answer. They will move on to the next question which you may answer brilliantly.
- You have already achieved your primary target of becoming a judge, but the long-term target in your career is yet far. What is that drives you forward now?
While sitting in the court during internship and real time, I got to know that there are so many people who really do not know the law. So, my main focus right now is to make people aware about their rights and to do complete justice with my responsibility as judge.
- According to you, what is the ideal time for the preparation of the judicial examinations if the candidate is well-versed with the bare acts?
I think that the ideal time for the preparation cannot be specified. It varies from person to person. For one it may be two to three months and for another it may be six months. But one should really pull up his socks once the notification gets out and the date of the examination gets declared.
- Any master tip that you would like to give to the aspiring candidates?
Many candidates think that giving the examinations of those states in which they do not want to get posted is a wastage of time. In my opinion, giving such examinations is quite important. Especially, for the ones who are appearing for the first time. Giving such examinations prepares you for the main examination which you want to clear. It gives you a taste of the actual pressure which you would otherwise face for the first time while giving the examination of your preference. It would teach you time management and how to stay alert throughout the exam to avoid silly mistakes. I myself made some mistakes in such examinations. But actually, they helped me a lot while writing those examinations which actually mattered to me.
- Lastly, the whole team of Judge Saab would like to congratulate you on your tremendous success.
Thank you very much. I would also like to appreciate this initiative of Judge Saab taken for the cause of the judicial aspirants. There is no such other online platform which fully caters to the needs of a judicial aspirant. I hope, Judge Saab would help many candidates in clearing the judicial examinations with flying colors.