When it comes to UPSC CSE preparation, aspirants often face the dilemma – to take coaching or not to take coaching. Most choose coaching while few opt for self-study. Today, we present the success story of one achiever who preferred self-study over coaching. Ms. Surabhi Goyal, who secured AIR 78 in CSE 2021, says firmly that coaching is not necessary to sail through in this exam and self-study is enough if one consults the right sources.
FOLLOW TOPPERS
A graduate in engineering, Ms. Goyal secured AIR 78 in UPSC CSE in 2021 and had also secured above 98 % in CAT in 2018. In 2018, she decided to go for UPSC CSE exam as she thought that it would be the right career choice for her. So, she enrolled herself in coaching but quit in just one week! Referring to it, she said in a media interview, “The environment in coaching can put you under pressure. While interacting with so many people might help some, I needed a calm space. This is when I decided to sit at home and study.”
Obviously, this wasn’t an easy choice as she had no clue from where to start the journey. To solve this, she watched videos of many toppers. “Everyone has their own journey and ultimately you’ll learn a thing or two from theirs. Secondly, toppers share their booklists and some books are common in everyone’s. So, you can select those and start your preparation. I did the same,” she said.
NO TO UNIDIMENSIONAL PREPARATION
Like most people, Ms. Goyal focused on reading more and more and didn’t take too many mock tests. This cost her big time and she couldn’t clear the prelims in her first two attempts. However, in her third attempt, she sailed through all the stages like a champion. Revealing the mystery behind it, she said, “Unidimensional preparation can be a bad choice. I advice the students to try different things. Like, apart from reading, you can also watch some videos related to the topics in the syllabus. While jogging or walking, you can listen to the current affairs. This will help you in increasing the retention capacity of your brain. Besides this, if you have watched something and then you’ll read about it, there is a chance that it will stay with you for a longer time. And, in between these, keep taking the mock tests. Don’t wait until you finish the syllabus.”
YES TO INTEGRATED PREPARATION
The syllabus of CSE is too vast and it requires a significant amount of time to prepare for it. However, sometime people dive too hard in the topics and get derailed. Addressing this issue, she said, “I used to read and consult the syllabus frequently and prepared it point wise. There are too many topics and for cracking the exam, you need to have a fair idea about them, but UPSC doesn’t require you to do a PhD on it. So, try being inside the boundary of the syllabus and limit your sources as much as you can because it will save you some confusion.” Besides all these, Ms. Goyal also advices the aspirants to focus on integrated preparation, without separating mains and prelims.
Ms. Goyal wants to represent the country on a global platform and is, thus, hoping to get into Indian Foreign Services.
