UPSC CSE-2021 results are expected to be out on Monday, and before the results, it is important to be full of positive energy. The UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of the most prestigious examinations in India. And as this is one of the toughest exams too, not every aspirant get success easily and sometimes have to wait for years. But it’s important to not give up and keep going, even though the road may be full of thorns. 

The story of 2020-batch IFS officer Anisha Tomar is on similar lines. She did not see success in her first two attempts at CSE and joined Indian Foreign Service with 94th rank in UPSC-2019 exam in her third attempt.

Every year, lakhs of youth of the country prepare for civil services, but due to low percentage of success, UPSC aspirants may feel a sense of despair at times. But keeping yourself positive during preparation is the biggest challenge. It is positive thinking and a strong will that helped Anisha Tomar become an IFS officer. Indian Masterminds presents her inspiring journey today, to help aspirants and candidates stay positve before the UPSC CSE-2021 results. 

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BEGINNING

Ms. Tomar comes from an army background. Her father is a former Brigadier in the Indian army. That is why she has traveled and lived all over the country. She was a very good student since childhood, intelligent and smart from the beginning. After her 12th, she did engineering from Punjab University. During her graduation, she made up her mind to go for UPSC and started preparing as soon as she completed her degree in 2016. For this, she first tried to understand the UPSC syllabus thoroughly. Then prepared the study material accordingly and started studying regularly.

UPSC PREPARATION

Ms. Tomar has answered questions on the blogging website Quora and shared the story of her UPSC journey in an interview. According to her, UPSC exam was not a test for her, it was a life-changing experience.

She said, “This journey has seen many ups and downs. It started in 2016 on the very day when I had decided to take the exam. You can never become a skilled sailor by sailing in a calm sea. The one who faces the waves is called a skilled sailor. But my first attempt of 2017 ended only after I failed in the Civil Services Preliminary Examination.” 

But in this attempt, she realised that even though she had studied a lot, she didn’t study in the right direction. She had not noted the UPSC syllabus in detail, nor had she gone through the previous year’s questions. Thus, her preparation, despite the effort, was certainly half baked. Thereafter, determined to make another attempt, she prepared the study material as per the UPSC syllabus. Then she made a timetable and started preparing for the exam. 

In her second attempt in 2018, she cleared prelims and reached the mains exam. 

She said, “During this time many diseases including hypertension had gripped me. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) in February 2018. Two months of my time wasted, but there was hope. Once it seemed that success has been achieved, but the results of the main examination once again showed the reality. I was just six marks behind the cut off score of the main exam.” 

But having cleared the prelims in the second attempt and reaching the mains had boosted her confidence and she felt the strategy was working now. In 2019, she decided to make the third attempt. She says, “After clearing the pre-exam, I took a short break and celebrated the holidays, but after returning, started preparing for the main examination with all my heart.” 

Ms. Tomar continued to work as per her strategy and eventually secured an All India 94 rank in her third attempt.

She said that the part which is more important should be practiced more. “During my time, I focused on optional subject and essay writing. Not much attention was given to General Studies earlier, but prepared later. Practice writing skills of previous toppers and change your writing style.”

OPTIONAL PREPARATION

Ms. Tomar’s optional subject was Public Administration. Being from an IT background, she wants UPSC aspirants to understand that an optional so far removed from someone’s educational background cannot be grasped by just completing the syllabus once. She herself took three tries to grasp the subject properly and encourages aspirants to do the same. Following this, she again went through topper’s answers and then wrote mock tests to self assess and improve.

INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

Ms. Tomar’s interview experience was very different. It was not like the mocks she had appeared for. Most of the questions she was asked were based on her DAF (Detailed Application Form), where she had mentioned traveling as a hobby. The board seemed intrigued by it and asked most questions based on scenarios related to it. She was also asked a few questions on her IT background.

MESSAGE TO ASPIRANTS

Ms. Tomar believes that in addition to taking coaching, it is important to rely on self-study and make a habit of reading by making notes. Also, choose the optional subject for the mains exam very carefully is important, too. She says that if you want to get success in this difficult exam, then it is very important to have positive thinking and patience along with the right strategy. She says, “Identify your shortcomings and try to improve them. You have to continuously work hard with patience, and that too for a long time, moving step by step towards your destination. You will learn from failure every time and perform better by correcting those mistakes.”