Seven of the ten Malayalis who made the top 100 are female candidates. K Meera was ranked 6th, Karishma Nair was ranked 14th, Aparna Ramesh 35th, Aswathy Jiji 41st, Nisha 51st, Veena S Suthan 57th, and Aparna MB 62nd.
Every time you retake an exam, you fear you’ll do worse than the first time, but then something unexpected happens. When K Meera said that, her voice was a mix of surprise and delight. When she took the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exams for the fourth time, she never expected to come in sixth place. But she did it there.
Let’s read through to know more.
Meera K Biography
Ms. Meera received a job in Bengaluru through campus selection after completing her BTech in Mechanical Engineering at Thrissur Government Engineering College in 2016. She did, however, stop taking it in order to pass the Civil Services examinations. Ms. Meera was successful in her fourth attempt at the exam.
Ms. Meera graduated from Kulapathi Munshi Bhavans Vidyamandir in Pottore with a higher secondary education.
Her father, K. Ramdas, owns a construction company, and her mother, K. Radhika, works as a teacher at Mundathikkode’s NSS High School. Vrinda, her sister, works at Goldman Sachs.
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What Does Meera Have to Say?
“It’s a dream of my mother’s. “Anyone can achieve a good rank in the Civil Services examinations with hard work,” said Meera K. of Kolazhy in Pottore, Thrissur district, who placed sixth in the Civil Services examinations. She is a Kerala topper.
“We are going through a difficult period in the country. I believe I will be able to contribute effectively. I’m overjoyed to have placed in the top ten. “It was completely unexpected,” the 27-year-old added.
What Does the Minister Have to Say?
Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Thrissur Collector Haritha V. Kumar and Xavier Chittilappilly, MLA, met Meera at her house.
“The entire State is proud of Ms. Meera. It gives additional joy that she got selected in the Kerala cadre itself,” the Minister said.
Meera K: UPSC Marksheet
Given below are the total marks of Meera K.
| Written Total | 835 |
| Interview | 206 |
| Grand Total | 1041 |
| Rank | 6 |
Meera K’s Strategy for UPSC
She devised her own study strategy based on mentors’ and friends’ recommendations. She didn’t stick to any sort of schedule. Nonetheless, she made it a point to study for at least 5 hours each day. She took a unique approach to study for the prelims, mains, and interviews.
Prelims Tips
The Prelims syllabus is quite extensive and dispersed. It’s more important to consolidate the entire material than it is to cover it. As a result, revisions should be reasonable and timely. Coverage of the syllabus and revision of the covered portion must strike a delicate balance.
Unless it’s extremely and exceptionally important, the last month before prelims should not be used to cover any new material. The entire month should be dedicated to revision. Mains can be taken concurrently with Prelims, but only a portion of the time spent on each should be justified.
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Mains Tips
The optional subject is the most important part of the mains syllabus. The optional subject candidates’ choice should reflect their level of comfort with and interest in the subject.
Mock tests are now important because they provide one with an exam-like experience and prepare them to write their best answers in a stressful exam situation. As a result, one should never take mockery for granted. Consider it an opportunity to learn about the answer-writing process and to write short, succinct answers in response to the questions’ demands.
Preparation Journey: Interview
She failed the main examination on her first attempt. Meera lost the interview by 12 points in the second. She failed the preliminary exam on her third attempt by one mark. Despite the fact that the interview as part of the selection process was delayed due to Covid restrictions, Meera made the most of the time she had.
In the Essay Paper, candidates may be asked to write essays on a variety of topics. They will be expected to stay on topic, organise their thoughts logically, and write in a concise manner. The ability to express yourself clearly and effectively will be rewarded.
Read the Books
When preparing UPSC Notes, the first step is to read the books without underlining or writing anything down. Otherwise, you’ll have to rewrite everything because you might miss something important. So, take a quick look at it and try to grasp the main points. You would know what is important if you read the syllabus and previous years’ papers. As a result, only take notes on that section during the second reading!
Interview Preparation
More important than a candidate’s appearance and demeanour is the content of their answers. In mock interviews, panel members place undue emphasis on their suit colour, appearance, walking style, and other factors. But, in reality, they are insignificant. Simply be presentable, and let the responses reveal the type of person one is to the board.
Don’t be afraid to tell the board about yourself when the opportunity arises. The board members are genuinely interested in learning more about candidates. As a result, treat each question as an opportunity to share information about oneself. And the board tries to assess one’s personality based on their reasoning and beliefs that led candidates to such a conclusion.
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Optional Subject
Meera took Sociology as her optional subject.
Examine the syllabus thoroughly: First and foremost, it is critical to carefully mind-map the syllabus. Go over the entire syllabus once or twice to make sure you understand what topics you need to cover in each section.
Begin with the NCERTs: For the first time, sociology is taught in Class XIth. As a result, the NCERTs for Class XIth and XIIth will be extremely useful in gaining a basic understanding of the syllabus. To grasp the subject’s fundamental concepts, go over the NCERTs once or twice.
Note Making in UPSC
Revising your UPSC Notes on a regular basis serves two purposes. The first is to remember what candidates learned, and the second is to remember what one has written.
Most students, as amusing as it may seem, forget the shorthands they used or the half-sentences they wrote if they read their notes after a long time! As a result, keep revising the notes to keep them fresh in your mind. Simultaneously, keep it up to date with current events and new information.
The Hindu Newspaper
The most important part of the newspaper is this section. Aspirants should read this section with a pen or pencil in hand, underlining any specific information that they believe will be useful.
For a beginner, extracting relevant information from newspapers will take some time. Aspirants will gradually learn, and once they have mastered the fundamental concepts, one’s perspective on the exam and preparation will be turned upside down.
That’ll be the point at which aspirants begin to enjoy the preparation process. Make an effort to enjoy the process rather than treating it as a chore. This is critical in order to get the most out of this process.
Current Affairs
#Get a daily summary of current events and news, as well as a ‘notes-format’ version.
#Get monthly Current Affairs magazine compilations of important national and international events.
#Every day, watch a video analysis of the Hindu newspaper.
#Articles from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) were analysed.
#UPSC Gists of the Yojana and Kurukshetra magazines analyse Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) programmes on a regular basis.
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Ethics Strategy
GS-IV can be perplexing. This is due to the fact that the questions in this paper are subjective, with no single correct answer. A question can be answered in a variety of ways, and all of them may be correct.
As a result, even if aspirants understand the syllabus, they frequently struggle with how to respond to ethical questions. Given the subjectivity and ambiguity surrounding this paper, developing a convincing framework for answer writing becomes difficult. Some broad principles, on the other hand, can help them structure their responses.
Answer Writing
Due to the descriptive nature of the Mains paper, it is critical that candidates include answer writing in their UPSC Mains Preparation strategy. At the end of the day, try to summarise what one has read in their own words. Set aside an hour each day to practise writing answers.
To get a good idea of where one can stand, have the answers evaluated by the mentors or seniors. Don’t worry if the answers aren’t perfect at first. As they say, practice makes perfect, so write as many answers as you can.
Conclusion
Though Meera failed four times, she didn’t lose her motivation and kept hitting again and again. The saying goes correctly ‘To become an idol for worship, a rock has to suffer the pain of continuously hitting it.’ One should never run away because they think that they will fail.
UPSC is one of the toughest exams and every candidate has to strive hard for it. If candidates are looking to crack UPSC, then UPSC Pathshala is the best place to make your dreams come true. Customized courses, magazines, free guidance, 1000+ test series and much more. Hop in now!
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