UPSC success story: Balancing a full-time job and exam preparation
Hyderabad: Vision IAS, Hyderabad,* hosted a seminar, featuring several successful UPSC aspirants who shared their journeys. Among these inspiring stories was that of an Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) graduate from NIT Warangal, currently working as a Hardware Systems Engineer at Qualcomm.
Nandala Saikiran (AIR 27) UPSC CSE 2023 attended to inspire current students with his journey and strategies. The event attracted a large number of aspirants eager to gain insights and strategies from successful candidates.*
*Speaking at the seminar, Nandala Saikiran (AIR 27) from Karimnagar,* shared his journey. After graduating from NIT Warangal in 2018, he joined Qualcomm. Despite a demanding full-time job, he began preparing for the UPSC exams in January 2021, targeting the 2022 attempt. His preparation strategy was comprehensive: from March 2021 to February 2022, he focused on mains preparation, covering the entire syllabus, making notes, practicing answer writing, and completing full-length tests for his optional subject. From February to May 2022, he dedicated his time to prelims preparation and cleared the exam by a narrow margin.
After the prelims, he resumed mains preparation, enrolling in Vision IAS's Full-Length Tests for General Studies and Sociology. He took a month off work for intensive study but was not fully satisfied with his performance. Nevertheless, he continued to improve his GS papers and prepared for the interview while keeping up with prelims studies.
In 2023, despite limited preparation time due to his interview schedule, he managed to score well in prelims. The mains preparation was challenging with only two weeks of leave, but he focused on improving Sociology and essay scores, ultimately raising his mains score by 100 marks.
Post-mains, he refined his interview skills while also engaging in hobbies and travel to regain energy. His efforts paid off as his name appeared on the first page of the final selection list.