Meet woman, architect turned IAS officer, who cracked UPSC exam in 2nd attempt while doing full-time job with AIR..., she is from...

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam is one of the toughest exams in India, with lakhs of students appearing for it every year. However, only a handful of them get the chance to fulfill their dreams of becoming an IAS officer. Today, we will tell you about IAS Aparna Ramesh, who cracked the UPSC exam in her second attempt, while balancing a full-time job as an architect-cum-urban planner.

Who is IAS Aparna Ramesh?

Aparna Ramesh, a 28-year-old resident of Karnataka, has set an example for all IAS aspirants who think that leaving a job is necessary to crack the UPSC exam. Aparna not only managed to clear the exam but also scored an impressive All India Rank of 35. According to Aparna, time management and balancing personal, professional, and academic life was not easy and required consistent efforts. She scored 1004 marks, including 825 in the written exam and 171 in the personality test.

How IAS Aparna managed her job and prepared for civil services exam?

The 28-year-old believes that managing her job and exam preparation became all the more difficult because of the pandemic. "We have been working from home because of Covid-19. Since there is no strict routine and work often gets stretched to longer hours, it could have been messy very easily to do both studies and job. Thus, I divided my day to be better able to manage time. To deal with stress, I used to practice yoga as well. It helped me remain focused for long hours," said Aparna. She decided to study every day from 4 am to 7 am, before her office started, and devoted the rest of the day to her job. On her weekly offs, she studied at least 8 to 10 hours.

Aparna's strategy was to have focused preparations. She only studied the components which were relevant to the exam and did not allow herself to get distracted. "I did not see any point in leaving the job to prepare for the exam, so I decided to balance both. It was my decision to strategize my performance, be focused but thorough with the topics I studied," she said. Aparna's focused effort paid off, and she was able to clear the exam in her second attempt.

IAS Aparna's UPSC journey

She had first appeared for UPSC CSE 2019 but could not even crack the preliminary stage then. She fell behind by a margin of just a few marks. For her second attempt, Aparna analysed her mistakes and worked on improving her weaknesses. She joined Amrita IAS Academy for preparations and referred to previous year's question papers. For history, geography, and economics, Aparna only referred to NCERT books of classes 11 and 12. For polity, she read M Laxmikanth's books, and for current affairs, she read VisionIAS notes and referred to the news online.

Her approach changed for each level of the exam. For the prelims, she believed that attempting as many mock tests as possible would hone her skills and help her prepare for the different types of question patterns that could be asked in the exam. For the mains, she practiced answer writing and prepared detailed notes. The personality test or interview round, according to Aparna, is a test of how a candidate can analyse difficult situations, and one needs to be both prepared and ready to think on the spot.

IAS Aparna credits her success to her parents

Aparna credits her success to her parents, who were supportive and gave her the freedom and space to pursue her dreams. Her father, who worked in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), inspired her to take up the IAS exam. Aparna's experience of living in different states and cultures also helped her understand problems across the nation and gave her the ability to connect better with people. "Civil services is a long journey. To keep my motivation high, I went back to the moment that inspired me to become an IAS officer and I started preparing all over again. It is natural to feel low, but one has to keep going," said Aparna.

Her journey is a powerful reminder that determination, smart planning, and unwavering focus can turn even the toughest challenges into stepping stones toward success.