HYDERABAD: Hardships and his humble background did not come in the way of Nandala Saikiran, who secured an all India rank of 27 in the UPSC civil service examination. The 27-year-old hardware engineer’s father, a weaver, died when he was a child. His mother is a beedi worker.
Saikiran prepared for the test while working with an MNC, clearing the exam in his second attempt.He told TOI how he analysed the gaps in his learning after he fell short in his first attempt by 19 marks. “I took a month or two to research UPSC, the syllabus for the exam, the type of questions they ask, how they test students, among other things. I also read blogs and watched videos of previous toppers from various fields to understand their strategy. I then prepared a rough plan and started my preparation,” he said.
Instead of any coaching, he subscribed to online test series and materials.
“I strategised my time in a way that I could get maximum output with minimum effort,” said Saikiran when asked how he balanced work and study. “I studied keeping the exam in mind and did not try to consume all the content available. I also made use of lunchtime by reading e-papers and took leave for preparation only when necessary. Generally, my weekends were dedicated to exam preparation as I used to hardly get time on weekdays.”
Saikiran prepared for the test while working with an MNC, clearing the exam in his second attempt.He told TOI how he analysed the gaps in his learning after he fell short in his first attempt by 19 marks. “I took a month or two to research UPSC, the syllabus for the exam, the type of questions they ask, how they test students, among other things. I also read blogs and watched videos of previous toppers from various fields to understand their strategy. I then prepared a rough plan and started my preparation,” he said.
Instead of any coaching, he subscribed to online test series and materials.
“I strategised my time in a way that I could get maximum output with minimum effort,” said Saikiran when asked how he balanced work and study. “I studied keeping the exam in mind and did not try to consume all the content available. I also made use of lunchtime by reading e-papers and took leave for preparation only when necessary. Generally, my weekends were dedicated to exam preparation as I used to hardly get time on weekdays.”