Abhishek Kumar Singh, who hails from the Mau district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, cracked UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020 with AIR 240 in his second attempt. Earlier, he had left his job of Deputy Manager in the State Bank of India to prepare for this exam. However, Abhishek is appearing in the examination again to try and clear it with a higher rank so that he gets IAS. In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, he shares the reason for leaving his well-earning job in SBI to join a new service and reveals his preparation strategies for the UPSC exam.

JOINED BANKING SECTOR

After completing his graduation in Electrical Engineering from BBD Engineering College, Lucknow, Abhishek joined the State Bank of India as a probationary officer. Later, he was promoted to the post of Deputy Manager. However, he left his job after three and a half years and appeared for UPSC and UPPSC (state) exams simultaneously. He ranked 6^th in UPPSC exam and is currently posted as SDM, Kaushambi district, Uttar Pradesh.

WHY HE LEFT SBI JOB

Abhishek comes from a humble background. For him, a job and financial security was an urgency. That is why he joined SBI immediately after graduation. UPSC exam is tough and difficult to crack. “There is always an element of uncertainty, that’s why I wanted to be financially secure, so that it does not take a toll on my mind,” he said.

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After three years of working with SBI, he realised that he is financially stable and can go forward with his UPSC plan. He said, “Although I enjoyed my work in SBI, I realised that civil service provides you ample opportunities to work in diverse fields in a holistic manner.”

INSPIRED BY CIVIL SERVANTS

Every UPSC aspirant has someone whom they idolise and it’s the same with Abhishek. He says that he heard about some commendable works done by the DMs of Mau which motivated him to become a civil servant like them.

Another personality who inspired him is his school senior Rajkamal Yadav who is an IAS officer and is currently serving as the DM of Bhagpat. “I used to think that UPSC is not my cup of tea, but when I saw my school senior cracking CSE with flying colours, it gave me a boost and I felt that I can do it! It was a turning point in my life when I started believing in myself,” shared the young achiever.

PREPARATION STRATEGIES

While sharing his preparation strategies, Abhishek bust some common misconceptions. According to him, it is not true that UPSC can ask anything out of the syllabus. “UPSC never asks anything out of the syllabus. Aspirants should be well aware about it and should go through the entire syllabus thoroughly,” he said.

He shared his preparation strategies for the benefit of aspirants. “After understanding your syllabus, identify your basic books and build your platform. Then divide your time accordingly. Make strategies on your daily routine.”

He says that aspirants should focus on micro management as it is important during the preparation. “Divide your big targets into small ones, rather than taking up the whole thing. This will not give you any burden and simultaneously help in boosting your self-esteem and confidence.”

POLITICAL SCIENCE AS OPTIONAL

Abhishek’s optional subject was Political Science and International Relations. On being asked why he chose this subject, he replied, “I chose it because it was in the best of my interest,” he said. As a graduate in Electrical Engineering, he knew that this engineering subject had a large syllabus. He realised that it will not be a good strategy to take this subject as he was only left with 9 months for preparation in his first attempt. So, he decided to go for Political Science.

INTERVIEW ROUND

He shared in a detailed way how his interview round went. He scored 171 in his interview which, according to him, is not a decent result. “As I worked in SBI, so the questions were mostly about new technologies emerging in banking, financial literacy, and digital literacy. While filling the detailed application form, I had mentioned ‘visiting historical monuments’ as one of my hobbies. So, the panellists asked me about how to manage heritage sites and what the government was doing for such sites.”

MESSAGE TO ASPIRANTS

Abhishek ends with a positive message for UPSC aspirants. “Believe in yourself and give your 100% with honesty as it will eventually lead you to your desired goal.” He says that aspirants should practice objective assessment of themselves and their efforts as it will help them to prepare themselves to tackle any situation.

“UPSC is not the only thing in life. It is just one part of life and there are numerous things which one can do that are as enriching as UPSC,” he summed up.