Meet Mahima Kapoor, CS topper (Rank 1)

Mahima achieved success in her first attempt in the Company Secteray final exam, and shares that self-study is “more than sufficient for success in this exam”. She also urges students to choose their faculty wisely in case they consider coaching. Mahima’s father Mohan Kapoor is a manager with a construction company and her mother Usha Kapoor is a teacher, and her hobbies include painting, reading books and watching films.

FAST FACTS

Name: Mahima Kapoor
Exam: CS Professional Programme
Rank: All India First
Date of Birth: July 19, 1989
School: Christ Jyoti Hr. Secondary School, Satna (MP)
College: Shri Rama Krishna College, Satna (MP)
Course: BBA with specialisation in HR and marketing

Course review: Company Secretary Programme

Q. How did you feel when you got the good news? A. I got the news in office where my colleagues were very excited to know my rank. They all stood up and clapped for me, and that was an overwhelming moment for me.

Q. When did you decide to take up CS? And in how many attempts did you crack it? A.I decided to pursue CS as my career when I was Class 10 as it is a reputed profession. After completing my graduation I started with my CS course.I have cleared the Executive programme (AIR 13) as well as Professional exams in my first attempt.

Q. Please tell us about your life as a student… A. My life as a student started from my home - my mother is my first teacher. I started my schooling from my hometown (Satna) and chose the commerce stream in Class 11. In my entire school life I have never taken any coaching or private coaching classes. After my schooling I joined graduation in my hometown and did a BBA, after which I joined CS in 2009 from I cleared the executive level in June 2010 and professional level in June 2011.

Q.Tell us abour your articleship… A.I have started my Articleship after my exams in June 2011, with Prestige Group of Companies in Indore.

Q. Is training important so as to become a competent CS? A.Besides being a compulsory, this 15 months training is very important because in the class we only get to know about relevant laws and their provisions but how to implement these laws practically, this is part of our training. To become a competent CS we must have practical knowledge of all the procedures n their compliances.

Q. How do you spend your time when not studying ? I usually spend my time chatting and hanging out with friends, watching TV, movies and reading books.

Q.What would you like to do after CS – practice or higher studies? A.I’ll go for a job in a company. But I would also like to do an LLB to support my career.

Q. Did you take any guidance for preparation? A. I joined Nahata Professional Academy in Indore for CS coaching. I have not referred any other books other than the institute study material and the notes provided by my coaching Faculty.

Q.Your strategy at every level… CS is a three level course - Foundation, Executive and Professional level. I skipped Foundation as I was already a graduate. My Strategy was to attend classes regularly and be attentive in classes. I gave myself one month’s time for self-study in the Executive and Professional level.

Q. How good are coaching institutes and what to be cautious of if you choose one? A. As there are no colleges for CS students these coaching institutes are very helpful as CS is a law field, and to get complete knowledge and understanding of our syllabus it is important to have good mentor. The most important subject is Company Law and I’m lucky enough that I got a mentor like Mr. Tanay Kasera who has a good command in this subject. While choosing any coaching we must be cautious about its faculty and regular classes. It is very important that they are referring study material for preparing for exams.

Q. Your message to the future CS aspirants… A. Good luck, be attentive in classes and grasp laws properly.

CS Final topper: Second rank holder:Geetika Bhatia AIR third rank holder: Sneha Singh