If you want to set your goals and make them happen, then follow the strategy applied by Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS) topper Ms. Kiran Pal, who set one goal at a time and stuck to it until it was achieved. This is her mantra for success. She was very clear from her graduation days that she would crack RAS exam and will become a deputy collector.
And to fulfil this dream, she gave 6 years of her life to hard work, perseverance and dedication. Finally, she cracked RAS 2021 exam with rank 3 in her second attempt.
When the results were announced few days back, she was already working as an inspector in the state cooperative department in Hanumangarh, and her overjoyed family started calling her “SDM Sahiba”!
RAS JOURNEY
Her journey started in 2017 right after her graduation. She gave two attempts for RAS exam. In her first attempt in 2018, the results of which were announced in 2021, she cracked the exam but her rank was not up to her satisfaction and she was posted as inspector in the cooperative department in her home district.
Hence, she continued her preparation after identifying her mistakes in the exam, and in RAS 2021, the results of which came in 2023, she emerged as a topper securing rank 3.
Speaking exclusively to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Kiran Pal narrated her RAS journey and the lessons she learned on the way. She said that one should never stop before achieving one’s goal, be it a daily target or a longer one. “The taste of success cannot compare with anything else. It is the best! Even after joining the job in 2021, my focus on studies did not diminish as I wanted a better rank.”
BACKGROUND
She hails from Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. Her father is a school teacher and mother a homemaker. She has two siblings. Her sister is also a teacher while brother is a student.
She did her basic education till 8th standard from her village’s government primary school. Then, she moved to the city for her intermediate. Thereafter, she prepared for the engineering exam in Kota in Rajasthan. She completed her B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur (MNIT) in 2017. Then she joined a coaching institute for RAS preparation.
CIVIL SERVICE PREPARATION
Actually, she started her preparation in the last year of graduation itself. She was clear from the start that she would prepare only for the state civil service exam and will not divert her focus towards UPSC. The strategy she applied was to first read the NCERTs and all basic books before the prelims.
Between prelims and mains exams, she practiced answer writing as much as she could. She solved previous year’s papers for pre and mains both. Test series were also a big part of her preparation and she solved series from various coaching institutes. She studied for an average of 12 hours a day.
She said, “I did a lot of work on the subjects and topics which come in higher numbers, like ethics. For the smaller subjects which covered 15-20 marks, I studied in such a way that no question should be left out and I should get full marks.” She set her goal daily topic vise and completed them at any cost.
According to her, it is natural to study more in the beginning of preparation. “When I gave my first attempt in 2018, I had to put in a lot of study hours. But, in the gap between prelims and mains, it started getting a little diluted. That exam taught me not to fall into this pattern. So I did not repeat that mistake in the 2021 exam.”
THE MISTAKES SHE MADE
Explaining in detail about the mistakes she made in the 2018 attempt, she further said that the main issue was with her presentation. Her answer writing lacked diagrams, graphics and figures. That’s why in her second attempt, she worked on presentation more and made her answers informative and beautiful.
She also realised that she was studying but not in a smart manner. “I had a lot of content but did not know what to read and what to leave out. So, I rectified that mistake and studied smartly this time.”
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Her interview was on 25 October, 2023. It went very well and was mostly discussion based rather than question-answer session. Most of the questions put to her were from her engineering background, international issues, space technology and terrorism. There were questions on e-vehicles, pollutions and cars too. Few questions were asked about her hobby tennis also.
One of the interesting questions she was asked was, what is the difference between an advocate, a lawyer and a barrister?
SUGGESTIONS FOR ASPIRANTS
Giving her suggestions for RAS aspirants, she said, “Always stay away from shortcuts for this exam. Don’t go for too much sources. Whatever you read, read with full dedication and revise it again and again. This journey is long and you have to be prepared for it. Trust yourself and study from the heart.”
She also advised that one should underline what they read, make short notes, revise, practise answer writing, discuss with friends, and,more importantly, maintain continuity.
FUTURE AIM
About her aim in service, she said that she will focus on proper implementation of government schemes.
“I will make sure that government’s schemes reach everyone. Also, I will ensure that no one faces any problem in reaching out to me. I would love to go to the field and form an organic bond with the common people.”
