Ms. Sarjana Yadav, an engineering graduate from Delhi Technical University, cracked UPSC CSE without any coaching, busting the general belief among aspirants that formal guidance from a reputed coaching institute is necessary to pass the exam.
Although it took her three attempts to clear the exam with AIR 126 to get into Indian Administrative Service, she did it beating all odds, proving that persistence and self-belief can help achieve one’s goal in life without any external help. She trusted in herself and relied on self-study all throughout, which ultimately paved the way for her success and got her the desired result.
Today, Indian Masterminds presents her success story, a story of grit, determination, and persistence to achieve success on one’s own strength.
RELIED ON SELF-STUDY
Ms. Yadav was on a full-time job during her first two attempts at CSE. Hence, her preparation was not up to the mark and her results showed it. She couldn’t crack the exam both times. So, before the third attempt, she left her job to concentrate solely on her preparation and it worked. She passed the exam with good marks and a high rank that enabled her to join the much coveted and prestigious IAS.
However, what stood out was that, despite failing twice, she didn’t take up coaching but had the self-confidence and self-belief to rely on self-study. After her success, she had told media that it depends on the candidates, whether they want to take coaching or not. “If you think that you have complete study material and your strategy for UPSC is better, then, you can also get success by relying on self-study.”
TOOK LESSONS FROM MISTAKES
Ms. Yadav did not take her first two failures in the exam to heart. Neither did she allowed them to define her or lower her confidence and create self-doubts. Instead, she analysed her mistakes and went about rectifying them. She realised that with a full-time job, she couldn’t devote enough time and focus to her preparation. So, she quit her job in 2018, focused solely on CSE, and easily cleared the exam the third time.
THIRD TIME LUCKY
Through self-study, Ms. Yadav secured the 126th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2019 and fulfilled her dream of becoming an IAS officer in the third attempt.
Ms. Yadav believes that for the preparation, one should strategise according to one’s ability and, also, decide the hours of study accordingly.
In an interview to media, she had a few suggestions for aspirants: “Try to read any subject with depth so that there is no confusion. You need to decide the hours of study and proceed on this journey accordingly. Once the syllabus is over, practice as much revision and answer writing as possible.”
Looking at her own UPSC journey, she exhorted aspirants not to let failures overwhelm them at any point of time. “Do not be afraid of failure and keep working hard, and you will definitely get success.”
