Just days ahead of joining as Naib Tehsildar in Jhansi, UP, Ms. Mohsina Bano got selected as an Uttar Pradesh deputy collector, after cracking the PCS CSE back to back in 2021 and ’22.

This daughter of an Anganwadi worker and an obscure general store owner has proved the proverb “The man in two boats never reached the shore” — wrong with her confidence.

The girl from MP’s Tikamgarh district, who had not only been one of the Class 10 toppers but also topped the district in 12th boards, has now achieved 7th rank in UP PCS-2022 in her second attempt.

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After her 2021 success, she got her Jhansi posting and was all set to join on April 27 this year, when she was selected as deputy collector.

Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Ms Bano said, “If a person has a balanced approach, success can be achieved. Never give up and study smartly.”

CSE SLAYER

She started her civil services preparation in 2019 right after her graduation. She failed in her first UPSC CSE-2020 attempt. That’s when she decided to go for the UP PCS-2021. With back-to-back successes, she also attempted the Madhya Pradesh PCS and will be appearing for the interview in May. 

Ms. Bano is now focussing on UPSC and she says, “I will prepare properly for IAS.”

A DREAM IS BORN

As a teenager, Mohsina could never forget those days when she was felicitated by the district collector. 

“That was when I made up my mind to be a civil servant. The prestige and awe that post inspires compares little to anything else in a little girl’s humble universe,” recalls Ms. Bano.

GETTING READY

Mohsina was studying eight to 10 hours daily for her civil service exams even as she pursued her Master’s degree in Sociology from IGNOU.

She did not go for any kind of coaching. “It was all self-study and Youtube. In 2021, MP PCS syllabus changed and I studied accordingly. Short, crisp notes for newly included parts while focussing on everything according to syllabus. And I made it,” she said.

Her failure in the 2020 UPSC prelims was a boon in disguise, she feels.

She then aimed for UP PCS in all seriousness. “I did UP-specific studies for only a few months. Then took up fresh strategies for prelims and mains. Simultaneously MP PCS studies were on, and I made my own handwritten notes for both exams,” she said.

INTEGRATED APPROACH

She studied those topics which generated a maximum number of questions. She paid more attention to UP specials for mains. “But I didn’t do any separate preparation for MPPCS and UPPCS. All of it was done in an integrated way,” Ms. Mohsina said.

She followed the syllabus, focussed on facts, and did a lot of mock tests. She focussed on the cost-benefit ratio formula, especially in UP-related topics for prelims. 

WOMEN IN INTERVIEW

While her PCS-2021 interview was focussed on her optional, for 2022, she was quizzed on polity and current affairs.

“There were lots of women-specific questions — women labour, their less participation in jobs, strategy for reducing child marriages, besides I was also quizzed on the President of India’s qualifications,” she shared.

‘STUDY WITH CLARITY’

Ms Mohsina Bano’s advice to the aspirants:

1.  Make proper notes and revise many times
2.  Know your syllabus well
3. Solve the PYQPs, to know the exam pattern 
4. Align preparation with the exam

And her ‘guru mantra’ is “don’t get distracted”.