Some UPSC achievers make clearing the CSE exam seem like a cakewalk, by acing it in the very first attempt and, that too, with a top rank. How do they do it? We take a look at the UPSC journey of one such achiever, Ms. Ananya Singh from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. She cleared CSE 2019 in the first attempt with AIR 51, to become an IAS officer.
BACKGROUND
Ms. Singh completed her schooling from St. Mary’s Convent School in Prayagraj. She was an intelligent student right from the start and was among the toppers in her school. She scored good marks in both class 10th and 12th boards and was a district topper from CISCE board. She secured 96 per cent marks in 10th and 98.25 per cent in 12th. After that, she came to Delhi for her graduation. She got admission in one of the best colleges in Delhi University, Shri Ram College of Commerce, and pursued Economics Honors from there.
Ananya’s father is a former District Judge and her mother Anjali Singh is a senior lecturer at IERT. Her elder brother Aishwarya Pratap Singh is posted as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Kanpur, and his wife Jyotsna who is also a magistrate in Kanpur.
Ms. Singh aspired to become an IAS officer since her childhood. She started preparing for the UPSC exam when she was in the last year of her graduation.
PREPARATION STRATEGY
Being a hard-working student, she always took her studies seriously. She told the media soon after her CSE success, that there should be an equal distribution of time given to each subject. The timetable can also help improve the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. She further said that she believes that the candidates must refer to the examination paper of previous years. The questions get repeated in some subjects and the candidates should always give priority to improving the introduction, body, conclusion formula in the answers.
She fixed 7-8 hours every day for UPSC preparation and was always clear in her head that her base was stronger than other students of her age. She also mentioned that she started practising answer writing again, after taking the Main exam, but could not focus more on it because of lack of time. In an interview, she said, “The time before Prelims and Mains Exams is the toughest for any aspirant. In this time, one should work the hardest and leave no stone unturned.”
She studied step by step, preparing for Prelims and Mains together in the beginning and then focusing only on Prelims before the exam. She prepared notes which were crisp and up to date as per the latest happenings. She read newspapers regularly and focused on regular revision. She advices aspirants to revise regularly so that they do not forget the things they studied.
She sat for the UPSC exam in 2019 and tasted success in the very first attempt. She secured All India Rank 51 to become an IAS officer from West Bengal cadre.
Ms. Ananya Singh’s UPSC journey is a motivation to all those candidates who wish to achieve success in the toughest exam in India. She did nothing new but followed what she planned with dedication.
