Every civil service aspirant’s journey is a narrative of personal hardship. However, SDM Ajnani Yadav’s tale demonstrates why it is important to prioritize mental wellness. We frequently refuse to take note of it, and it eventually catches up with us, causing serious health problems. Anjani Yadav’s civil service path has been an emotional roller coaster ride.
She started preparing for government examinations and failed. She then went into the private sector, but after 5 years, she felt a strong desire to return to the service and began preparing. Unfortunately, she failed again. Because of these episodes, she had to deal with a lot of stress, which had an affect on her emotional and mental well-being. However, she bravely fought everything and successfully cracked the UPPCS with top rank. She will soon become an SDM and is currently undergoing training.
Speaking exclusively with Indian Masterminds, Ms Anjani Yadav narrated her emotional and inspirational journey.
JOURNEY SO FAR
Ms. Yadav graduated (B. Tech.) in June 2014. Following that, she prepared for the Government Assistant Engineer exam but was unable to pass. Then, in 2016, she entered the IT industry, where she worked until 2021.
She began her UPPCS preparation in 2021, after leaving her job at an MNC. However, she failed to crack even the preliminary exams in UPPCS-2021.
In her second attempt at UPPCS-2021, she achieved Rank 12 and will now become SDM.
Meanwhile, she also cracked the UPPCL-2022 exam and got posted as an Executive Assistant in Sultanpur in 2023.
She said, “My struggle is a little different. I faced many failures and had to fight many unhidden fears. But I discovered my problems and sought their solutions.”
MENTAL STRUGGLE
She considers mental health to be the most difficult aspect of her struggle. She believes that many in our society simply refuse to care for their mental health and emotions, even though this is the biggest battle.
BACKGROUND
She is from Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh. Her father works for the Jail Police, while her mother is a homemaker. She has an older sister who is a deputy jailer.
She did her basic education till 12th grade at Lucknow Public School in Lucknow. After that, she did her B.Tech in Electrical from Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology, Ghaziabad.
UPPCS PREPARATION
Her preparation can be divided into two stages. The first part focused on self-study at home using online materials. When her basics were completed, she was transferred to Prayagraj for additional preparation and began coaching for the Test Series.
In her perspective, the three most crucial resources for this exam are the syllabus, PYQs, and mock tests. She first understood the syllabus, then solved PYQs and gave as many mock tests as she could.
She said, “More than finding a strategy for this exam, one should try to focus on the basics and conceptual clarity. After having a better understanding of concepts, focus on PYQs. You will get all the details of questions that are about to come up in exams from PYQs. Never deviate from that. Even coaching could not provide such help that PYQs give.”
She relied on test series for prelims and mains and suggested the same for every aspirant. Resources should be limited, only read from a few materials, she implies.
INTERVIEWS
Her interview was good, but she was grilled thoroughly. The majority of questions that she was asked were from her technical background and were situational-based.
Should Artificial Intelligence (AI) be brought to India or not? Would it be beneficial for India? How will AI affect the jobs in India, which has a large population?
What can AI do to improve agriculture, and how can it aid farmers? Which problem in India can be solved through solid waste management? Here are a few intriguing questions she was asked.
One of the members asked her, “If, as an SDM, you are posted at Kumbh Mela, then, how would you use Solid Waste Management.”
Another asked, “Are menstrual leave demands justified or not, as we are also demanding the right to equality?”
She said, “For interviews, aspirants should focus on their confidence level. Never fake it; rather, simply deny it if you don’t know something. There is no necessity of giving all questions’ answers.”
MESSAGE
Giving her message, she said, “Consistency is the key. Avoid social media. Focus on challenges and limitations. Always remember your strengths and weaknesses, and prepare accordingly. You will be able to do it.”
