In 2014, Priya Pathak was just another girl studying in 12th standard dreaming of becoming a doctor close to her heart. Then she had no knowledge of a career in civil services.
Fast forward to 26 December 2023, she topped the Madhya Pradesh State Civil Services Exam (MPPSC), 2019, with Rank 1. That too in her very first attempt.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Priya Pathak narrated the interesting story behind this big success which has made her famous overnight.
JOURNEY SO FAR
A euphoric Priya said, “I feel overwhelmed. When the result came at 11.30 pm, I was asleep. Later, on checking my phone, I saw many congratulatory messages on my Whatsapp. Then, I check the result PDF many times and found the reason. The journey has been long but satisfactory. It has culminated on a very happy note.”
Like millions of aspirants, the nature of the civil services exam attracted Priya towards it. She believed that she would get a chance to work for the betterment of others.
Interesting part of the story is that she was already a Deputy SP, when the result was declared on December 26, as she had cracked Rank 18 in the MPPSC-2020 exam, which was conducted a year later but it’s result was declared much before the 2019-exam.
The MPPSC-2019 is considered to be the most controversial exam in Madhya Pradesh’s history!
Actually, prelims of MPPSC-19 was held in January 2020. But, due to issues like reservation dispute to recruitment rules, the mains exam and interview had to be postponed many times. The mains exam was held two times, first in 2021 and then in 2023. And the interview was finally held in August-October this year.
BACKGROUND
Priya hails from Satna in MP. Her father is a government teacher and mother a homemaker. She has a sister and a brother.
She studied in her village till class 5. After that, she did 12th from Rahikwara Nagod Navodaya Vidyalaya in Satna. She did B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur and was a gold medalist in 2017. She completed MA in Political Science from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. Here too, she was a gold medalist.
While in school she wanted to be a doctor, she changed her mind after her father convinced her that she should try for civil services. He was the driving force behind her.
MPPSC PREPARATION
She started preparations in 2018 while still in the final year of B. Sc. She began with self-study, reading all basics and standard books. But when she moved to Indore for post graduation, she joined a coaching institute for a sometime and was guided by several teachers.
Her strategy was pillared on notes and tests. She made short and crisp notes for every subject revising them several times. Then, she took as many tests as she could. She even purchased online tests.
She said, “I used to give mock tests regularly to evaluate my preparation.”
For notes, she sources content from Internet and also from some old toppers. She used to study till 2-3 am to start again from 10 am the next day.
She advises limited use of social media during preparation. She also stresses on the need to have clarity of thoughts in this journey.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Her interview in September went well. She was asked questions on various topics – from her hobby and background to economic and current affairs.
Since she loves music, she was asked questions about Ustad Allauddin Khan of Maihar.
One interesting question was – “Fast growing Indian economy is inching towards 5 trillion dollars. Are there any schemes which can help Madhya Pradesh to speed up it’s economy?”
Another interesting question was on former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s poem ‘Bharat Bhoomi KaTukda’. She was asked the meaning of a line – “Ye Arpan ki Bhumi hai, Ye Tarpan ki Bhumi hai”.
SUGGESTIONS
Her advise to aspirants: “Keep your goal clear. If you are serious about your dream, then have faith in yourself and be positive. Keep trying continuously until you achieve it. It’s a long journey, so keep avoiding distractions on the way.”
She added that aspirants need to identify their strengths and work on them.
FUTURE AIM
About her plans for the future, she said, “I will work with my full dedication and integrity. I will try to address the common man’s issues.”
She also wished to work for women health and quality education for all, especially the girl child.
