https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

She Preferred To Learn From Her Mistakes, Rather Than Take Coaching, Cleared CSE With Top Rank In 2nd Attempt

According to IAS officer Saloni Verma, one can join coaching institute for right guidance, but success only comes with self-study and hard work She bagged AIR 70 in CSE 2020 in her second attempt without ever joining any coaching institute She says failure should not deter anyone from their goal as there is always a next time. One should practice inculcating self-belief and things will automatically get easier
Indian Masterminds Stories

Many try their luck in UPSC Civil Services Examination, but only a few clears the tough examination. And they do so with consistent hard work and patience, never losing focus on their goal. There are some who flounder on the way, who fail in their attempts, but, nevertheless, they still don’t give up till they reach their destination. They learn from their mistakes, analyse what went wrong, and makes the next attempt with better preparation and greater determination.

Indian Masterminds brings to you the success story of a girl who similarly took lessons from her mistakes, rather than join coaching institutes to learn from them, and cleared UPSC CSE examination in her second attempt without any outside help.

BACKGROUND

Hailing from Jamshedpur, IAS officer Saloni Verma was brought up in Delhi. She bagged AIR 70 in her second attempt without ever taking help from any coaching institute. She completed her graduation from Hindu College, Delhi University in English Literature.

FIRST ATTEMPT

She made her first attempt at UPSC CSE in her third year of graduation. But her preparation was not a focused one. In her own words, someday she used to study while the other days she used to hangout with her college mates. Apart from this, she wasn’t really aiming for the ultimate goal. She just wanted to test the waters by clearing prelims and then focus on the other phases in the later stage.

This kind of half-hearted approach towards her preparation stopped her from clearing the exam in her first attempt in 2018.

SECOND ATTEMPT

However, Ms. Verma took this failure in a positive way and started analysing what went wrong, what were her weakest areas. In this way, she learnt a lot about the preparation, how to improve it and where to make the improvements. She realised all her faults and mistakes and changed herself to become more focused and disciplined towards her goal.

This time she set two goals, the first one was to dedicate herself to her studies and the second was to see the larger picture for her future. This approach worked as she cleared the UPSC CSE exam her second attempt with AIR 70.

PREPARATION STRATEGY

For her second attempt, Ms. Verma prepared for her prelims and mains exam together. She covered all the topics of the syllabus. Apart from this, she also practiced test series and attempted mock tests frequently.  She was determined to crack the exam the second time and prepared in the best possible way on ger own without the help of any coaching institute.

HER TAKE ON COACHING  

According to her, one does not need to be a part of any coaching institute to clear UPSC exam. She had told media soon after her success: “You can join coaching if you don’t get the right guidance, but success will come only through hard work, self-study and determination.”

ADVICE TO ASPIRANTS

Ms. Verma advises young aspirants to not stick to any particular preparation strategy, instead they should follow different preparation methods which are suitable for them. She feels this is going to help them in the long run.

She said, “I wasn’t sure whether I would clear the prelims or not and was having doubts. But still, I prepared for the optional subject, ethics and a few more topics because these topics are going to be the same next year as well.”

Her words of advice and approach towards the exam can be a guiding light for those aspirants who are preparing for CSE on their own. She is also of the opinion that it doesn’t matter if one fails, one can always give another attempt. What is important is self-belief and to have faith in oneself, and things will automatically get easier.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
SBK Singh IPS CP
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh Bans Aerial Platforms from August 2 to 16 for Security Reasons
IPS-logo-resized_new
10 Senior Cops Get New Roles In Bihar Police; DG Jitendra Kumar Gets Additional Charge of B-SAP
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
Jharkhand IFS Rajneesh Kumar Transferred Amid Ongoing Legal Proceedings - Details Inside
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
17 Review Officers Transferred in Uttar Pradesh Secretariat Administration Reshuffle - Details Inside
IFS-forest-resized
6 IFS Officers Transferred in Odisha to Strengthen Environmental Administration, Jagayandatt Pati Made RCCF, Koraput Circle
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services IAS logo
4 Young IAS Officers Reshuffled in Uttarakhand, Rahul Anand Made Joint Magistrate, Dehradun
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
SBK Singh IPS CP
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh Bans Aerial Platforms from August 2 to 16 for Security Reasons
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT