Lucknow: No assistance from a big coaching nor any peer group for studies like in metro cities. But that was no deterrent for Shraddha Pandey in fulfilling her dream of becoming a civil service officer.The girl from Raniganj town of UP’s Pratapgarh district relied on self-study and free YouTube lectures and study material to top Bihar Public Civil Services examination in her first attempt. The results were declared on Saturday.At a time when many civil services aspirants from smaller towns leap towards coaching hubs in Prayagraj, Lucknow and Delhi, Shraddha chose to prepare from her hometown.The decision paid rich dividends. Before securing the top rank in BPSC, she cracked the UP PCS 2024 exam and secured the post of Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax) with her 153rd rank.“I began preparing for civil services during my college days. I feel blessed to have cleared both UPPSC and BPSC in first attempt,” Shraddha told TOI. She appeared for both examinations simultaneously.“My UPPSC interview was held on March 14, while the BPSC interview was scheduled for March 23. The UPPSC result was declared first,” she said.Shraddha, who did her intermediate with science stream, switched to humanities in graduation in pursuit of her dream of becoming a civil servant. She did her schooling from Manish Memorial High School in Pratapgarh and obtained bachelor’s degree from Swami Karpatri Ji Degree College in history, English literature and sociology and master’s from Maa Kunti Devi Degree College, both colleges located in Raniganj.Asked about her preparation strategy, Shraddha attributed her success to consistency and disciplined self-study.“I did nothing extraordinary. I remained consistent, focused on facts and devoted myself to in-depth self-study. Answer writing is extremely important for the mains examination. I prepared at home with the help of internet resources, YouTube lectures and videos of successful candidates,” she said.Advising aspirants from small towns, she said access to quality preparation material is no longer restricted to metropolitan cities.“Everything is available online today. Those who cannot afford expensive coaching institutes or move to bigger cities can still prepare effectively by making proper use of digital resources,” she said.Shraddha is the eldest among three siblings. Her father, Santosh Pandey, works with a medical agency, while her mother, Sunita, is a homemaker.With the top rank in the examination, Shraddha is likely to secure one of Bihar’s most coveted administrative postings, including the possibility of being appointed a Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Her achievement has brought pride to her family and native district and is expected to inspire civil services aspirants.
