Clearing UPSC that too in the first attempt is no child’s play. What if we tell you that someone not only cleared UPSC in the first attempt but also aced it with a great rank? Yes, Himachal Pradesh's Muskan Jindal secured All India Rank 87 in her first attempt in the year 2019 examination and went on to become an IFS officer.
Muskan was always a bright student who wanted to become a civil servant since childhood. Therefore, she always kept the direction of her studies in such a way that it would be beneficial for her later. She was a topper in school, as well as in college. She had completed her schooling at Biddi. Muskan had secured 10 cumulative grade points average in the tenth and got 96% marks in Class 12. After this, she completed her graduation in B. Com (Hons) from SD College Chandigarh, Punjab University. She secured 5th rank in her graduation.
Muskan read the newspapers on a daily basis, but when she started preparing for UPSC, she started reading them with more attention and interest. For current affairs, she used to rely on the online compilation available.
Talking about phone and social media, Muskaan has a different point of view. She says, “I kept the phone with me during my entire preparation.” According to Muskan, one must have enough self-control to not touch the phone unless it is important.
According to Muskan, consistency is very important to prepare for the UPSC exam. You need to be motivated every day so that you never feel like going away from your studies. Though it is difficult, it has to be done anyway.
For answering the papers, Muskaan gave importance to practice. Muskaan believes that one should be balanced during the interview and shouldn't lie. If you take care of all these small and important things, then you too can be successful in your first attempt.
During an interview, she said, "I took online and offline guidance from some institutes but dwelt mainly on self-study. I had set weekly targets and consistently followed them in letter and spirit. I devoted about 7 to 8 hours to study every day." While advising other candidates, she said, "Remain focused and consistent in one’s preparation."
