Imagine failing six times and seeing success in the seventh! Anybody would be on seventh heaven, right? Only, in the case of the person whose story we are going to present today, it was just the logical conclusion of a long arduous journey filled with potholes on the way.

She is Pallavi Verma, and along her seven UPSC exams journey, she faced six failures. Yet, she did not give up moving ahead. She got up every time, brushed aside her failures as learning experiences, and did not stop till she achieved success in UPSC CSE 2020 with AIR 340! Never once in the long journey, did she falter on motivation or determination. She just kept her focus on her goal and kept moving, preparing and appearing in the exam, again and again, until she reached the final destination.

Today, Indian Masterminds brings to you her story of self-belief, willpower, determination, and above all, patience!

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BACKGROUND

Hailing from Indore, Pallavi Verma has done her graduation in Biotechnology. She is the first girl in her family who had the privilege of going to university to study. After graduating, Pallavi worked as a software tester in Chennai for 10-11 months, and from 2013, she was fully engaged in the preparation of the Civil Services Examination.

SEVEN ATTEMPTS

She worked hard in her first attempt itself, but due to lack of complete information, she couldn’t crack it. She faced failure in the prelims three times, once she reached till the mains exam but could not go beyond that, reached the interview round three times but couldn’t make it to the list. In the seventh attempt in 2020, she changed her strategy of preparation and cleared all the stages to see her name in the final list.

“UPSC is one such exam where each attempts tests the patience of the candidates. For me also, the same thing happened. During the whole UPSC journey there were many ups and downs which I faced. There will be emotional turmoil where you start doubting yourself or the goals you have dreamt of,” she said in an interview to media.

NEVER GAVE UP

During the ups and downs of Civil Services Examination, she never gave up and continued her preparation. During this time, her mother was fighting with cancer. Seeing the constant failures and this crisis in the family, Pallavi had decided not to appear in the examination, but her parents convinced her to do so. Finally, in 2020, Pallavi gave her seventh attempt and fulfilled her dream by securing 340th rank.

“After my failures, I cried for 10 days, 15 days, and sometimes for months. But then I realised that this is not the solution. I closed the option of going back again to square one. So, I moved forward with my UPSC preparation again,” she shared.

While recollecting her preparation days, she said, “I was preparing constantly even after so many attempts went into failure. This was possible just because of the constant support of my parents, family, friends, and some mentors. Whenever I felt low, I used to call them.”

ADVICE TO ASPIRANTS

Pallavi Verma advises aspirants to focus on their test practice and answer writing, and never to skip the basics. “It’s important that the aspirants analyse their practice tests, revise them, and look after their weak points.”

Apart from this, she also advises them to never make notes on the very first reading. “Never make notes on your first reading. When you do this, instead of making the notes, you end up making the summary of the book. You should make notes which help as a handy revision before the examination. Note making should come after the third or fourth phase of your revision.”

Pallavi worked hard for almost 7 years to crack this tough exam. She recognized her weaknesses, mistakes and rectified them from time to time. This and her strong willpower and capability for immense hard work brough her the desired success in the end.

However, she summed up on a note of caution to all aspirants: “This is just an exam, don’t compromise your mental and physical health for it. Don’t judge your potential by the success or failure of this exam.”