It took two brothers from Bhopal five attempts to conquered the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2023. Despite facing numerous challenges along their journey, their unwavering determination, mutual support, and collaboration propelled them to success.
Born and raised in a modest household, the brothers Sameer and Sachin Goel, shared a dream, to serve their country through civil services. However, the journey toward achieving this dream was filled with numerous setbacks.
But as Sameer puts it, “It has been a wonderful journey that has strengthened our bond. We are sharing the fruits of success together”.
Indian Masterminds interacted with the duo, to find out the secrets of their success.
JOURNEY SO FAR
This was the fifth attempt for both of them. Sameer was serving as an officer at the RBI in Mumbai for the last seven years, while Sachin is a doctor in Bhopal. Sameer began his UPSC preparation in 2018, while Sachin started his preparation a year later.
In his previous four attempts, Sameer also wrote the mains three times and appeared for the interview once, but he did not make it to the final list. However, in his fifth attempt in UPSC CSE-2023, he finally passed the exam with 222rank.
Sachin, the younger brother, also made four attempts previously, writing the mains exam twice but never passing it. However, in UPSC CSE-2023, he not only cracked the mains but also passed the final round, achieving Rank 209.
Sameer said, “It was a significant challenge to find time for studying as my job at the RBI was quite demanding. There were numerous responsibilities and a heavy workload. However, I managed to carve out time during office hours and made effective use of weekends for studying. I rarely took holidays.”
During the exam period, Sameer dedicated himself to studying for 12 to 14 hours daily.While Sachin believes that the most crucial aspect of this exam is revision.
BACKGROUND
Their father, Sanjay Goel, is Executive Director at BHEL, while mother, Dr. Sangeeta Sharma, is a paediatrician.
Their basic schooling was in Bhopal only. Then, Sameer completed his engineering in 2015 from Government Engineering College. In 2017, he started working in RBI as a Class One Officer.
Sachin got selected in NEET in 2014 and then, completed his MBBS from AIIMS, Bhopal in 2019. Instead of practicing medicine he straightaway started preparing for the UPSC CSE.
“I was afraid of what my parents would think. But with elder brother preparing for same exam gave me courage. My parents too supported my decision,” Samer told Indian Masterminds.
Sameer used to assist Sachin with Economics, while Sachin would teach Sameer topics related to science subjects.
UPSC PREPARATIONS
The duo never joined any coaching except for mock interviews. They both relied on self-study. In the last UPSC exam in CSE-2022, both missed cracking UPSC by a few marks in their fourth attempt. However, without any remorse or delay, they started their preparation afresh.
They meticulously studied the syllabus before commencing their exam preparation. In 2019, they both took the UPSC exam for the first time merely to understand the exam pattern. “Do not read the syllabus just for the sake of it, but read it in such a way that you remember the content,” says Sameer.
They prepared own notes and devised a syllabus-based study schedule. “I was in Bombay, while Sachin was in Bhopal, so we used to discuss prelims and mains over the phone, including our strategies, recommended books, and our marks in mock tests,” Sameer said.
For interview preparation, they travelled together to Delhi for their mock interviews. “We had a lot of common points in our DAF. So, we discussed them together, which helped us a lot,” Sachin added.
INTERVIEW
Their interview was quite comprehensive and covered a wide range of topics. They were asked questions ranging from sociology to technology to current burning issues.
Sameer was questioned about Karl Marx and Max Weber, and he was also asked to elaborate on the recent burning issue of the banning of PayTm Payment Bank by the RBI.
A board member queried him about drones and swarms, as well as temporal anti-aliasing (TAA). Another member asked him about the conflict between dogs and humans. There were also technical questions related to badminton.
An interesting question posed to Sameer was, “Who was the Nawab of Bhopal and what was his role in India’s independence?”
Sameer said, “RBI is indeed a prestigious institution. However, when I was starting my UPSC preparation, the question often arose: why would you want to leave a prominent organization like the RBI? I had prepared an answer to this question before even sitting for the exam.”
His response was that I would only consider leaving the RBI if I were selected for positions such as IAS, IFS, or IRS. While the RBI operates within the finance sector, I aspired to engage in a broader scope of work within this field.
MESSAGE
Sameer’s advice to UPSC aspirants, “Trust yourself and trust the process. UPSC is a unique institution where there will be no discrimination. If you persist with your efforts, success will surely come within a few years, just as it did to us.”
