New Delhi: The success of Meera K is all about not following the traditional methods of preparation. She never copied any toppers’ strategy. Meera completed her B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College, Thrissur in 2016. She got a job in Bengaluru through campus selection. However, she was inclined towards public service. She gave her first attempt in UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2017 without much preparation. The result was as expected – didn’t qualify. She became more determined and thought of much more serious preparation for UPSC CSE. She quit her well-paying job. However, she didn’t take a flight to Delhi. Instead, she came back to Kerala to start her UPSC journey.
Role of family in her success:
“It was my mother who had motivated me to try for the exam. Even when I was doing my engineering, she used to tell me to take civil services as it has a lot to do for the public. Her constant motivation made me think about it.” said Meera.
UPSC Journey of Meera K:
Meera joined a few private institutes in Kerala. She had her own preference for General Studies, Optional Subject, and even Test Series. Even though she joined coaching, she was not completely dependent on it. She always believed in herself – and tried to invent a strategy based on her strengths and weaknesses. In her second attempt, she qualified Prelims and Mains. Still, luck was not completely on her side. She missed the final selection by a narrow margin of 12 marks.
Bad luck continued her in the third attempt too. This time she missed Prelims by just one mark. The setbacks only made Meera much more determined. In her fourth attempt, she qualified Prelims, Mains, and Interview and landed as a UPSC Topper by securing All-India Rank 6!
Advice to UPSC Aspirants:
“My advice to UPSC aspirants will be to formulate your own strategy for success. You may take the positives from mentors, toppers, or coaching institutes. But don’t blindly follow or copy any strategy. Know your strengths and weakness and prepare your own personalised study plan”, Meera concluded.