The saying, ‘Never sail on two boats’, strangely did not apply in the case of Sunishtha Singh, who prepared for two difficult exams together – UPSC and UPPCS. While doing so, she exhibited unparalleled determination and resilience, and finally cracked the UPPCS exam, bringing an end to her seven-year journey of rigorous preparation.
No doubt she faced many setbacks and heartbreaks on the way. But, her willpower and perseverance eventually saw her through. Despite the daunting challenges posed by the demanding syllabi and competitive environment, her unwavering commitment propelled her towards success. Her remarkable achievement serves as an inspiration to aspirants navigating the complex landscape of civil service examinations, embodying the essence of perseverance and excellence.
Speaking exclusively to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Singh narrated her inspiring journey.
JOURNEY SO FAR
She started her preparation in 2016 after graduation, but gave her first attempt in 2019 due to age barrier. This was her first UPPCS attempt and she could not crack the prelims. In 2020, she did not give UPPCS as she was focusing on UPSC CSC. In UPPCS-2021, her second attempt, she cracked the mains and reached till the interview round, but could not make it to the final list. In UPPCS-2022, she failed again and could not crack even the prelims. In her 4th attempt in UPPCS-2023, she finally cracked the exam with rank 16 and is now going to become a SDM.
Meanwhile, simultaneously, she was walking on her UPSC journey as well. She gave a total of four attempts but could not clear the exams, despite writing two mains. In her first UPSC CSE attempt in 2019, she failed in the prelims. In her second attempt in 2020, she cracked prelims and wrote the mains, but could not crack it. In UPSC-2021, she failed again in prelims and in UPSC-2022, she failed in mains.
Looking back to that phase of her life, she said, “The guidance received at the beginning differed from what was provided after coming onto the stage. However, once the correct guidance was given and preparation resumed, the situation improved positively for me. That’s why from 2020, I always wrote mains or reached the interview.”
BACKGROUND
Ms. Singh originally hails from Kaiserganj in Bahraich district. Her father runs a medical shop there, while her mother is a homemaker. She has an elder sister and a younger brother. Her grandfather was a big motivational force behind her civil service journey.
She did her basic schooling till 12th in Hindi medium from her home district Bahraich. Then she moved to Lucknow for further studies and completed her graduation (B.Com) from IT College, Lucknow in 2016.
UPPCS PREPRATION
She adeptly juggled her UPSC and UPPCS preparation together, masterfully navigating the common syllabus while dedicating specialized time to the unique requirements of each exam. It’s true that balancing both preparations together demands a strategic approach, focusing on the overlapping syllabus while customizing study plans for the unique aspects of each exam, which she did.
Syllabus and PYQs were two important weapons for her in these exams. She did deep analysis of PYQs in each of her attempt, to understand the questions. Apart from that, she also focused on test series.
She said, “PCS prelims is a fact-based exam and cover current affairs in detail. So, one has to study hard in that way.”
She studied ‘Ghatna Chakra’ books for getting the gist or summary in less time, besides the standard books. In UPSC, her optional was Public Administration.
She said, “I never faced any problem to prepare for two exams at the same time. It’s just that you need to plan well. When optional was removed from UPPCS, I had to study UP Special differently, which I managed.”
INTERVIEW
Her interview was interesting. There were a lot of questions from her hobby – cooking. Apart from that, she was asked questions from various topics like Waste Management, Rainwater, Women Empowerment, India’s GDP, etc.
She was asked questions like: How would you cook roti? Make a slogan on Waste Management. How would you save water with better use? How would you empower women in your area?
A member also asked her, “What kind of waves come out in the kitchen and how will you use them?”
Another member asked, “What was the temperature of Prayagraj last night?” She had reached Prayagraj a day before the interview.
SUGGESTIONS
Giving suggestions for aspirants, she said, “Everything is doable. There is Internet now, which makes your preparation very easy if you use it rightly. You will also get toppers’ copies on Internet. Find and learn from these. And, don’t deviate from your goal, minimize your resources and study hard.”
FUTURE AIM
As she has two more UPSC CSE attempts left, she said, “I will certainly give UPSC after thorough preparation.”
And, as SDM, one of her top priorities would be women empowerment. She added, “Apart from that, I will try to reach every common man wherever I get posted and will try to implement government schemes in such a way that everyone is benefited.”
