Dr Saloni Sidana pursued civil products and services after finishing her MBBS. She aced UPSC CSE, securing 74th rank in her first strive. Serving as Mandla’s district collector in Madhya Pradesh, she lately went viral for spending simplest Rs 500 on her marriage ceremony.
At this time posted because the district collector of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, turning into an IAS officer used to be by no means a life-long dream for Saloni Sidana.
A physician by way of schooling, she finished her MBBS from Delhi’s Girl Hardinge Scientific Faculty in 2012. Sooner than making ready for the UPSC CSE (Union Public Provider Fee Civil Services and products Examination), Saloni won a chance to transport out of the country for upper research. Alternatively, she selected to stick in India.
“That is when my father prompt that I seem for the UPSC exam,” Saloni, who hails from Jalalabad the city in Punjab, tells The Higher India.
Speaking about her motivation to pursue a profession being a civil servant, she says, “I nonetheless worth the career of a health care provider. The commonality between the 2 jobs [doctors and civil servants] is that you just maintain other folks. Not like many different professions the place you’ve a table activity, being a health care provider allowed me to deal immediately with other folks, which is similar after you change into a public servant.”
“Additionally, UPSC permits you to increase your wisdom horizon. If I were simply a health care provider, I’d have now not learn geography, civics, or economics. Right through preparation, I were given to find out about my nation intimately. That is the wonderful thing about the examination,” says the 35-year-old, who didn’t take medication as her not obligatory however a brand new topic — regulation.
Saloni’s quest for wisdom helped her crack the UPSC exam on her first actual strive. With a yr’s preparation, she used to be in a position to reach an All India Rank of 74.
To begin with, Saloni used to be allotted to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. Put up her marriage with IAS Ashish Vashishta, she joined the Madhya Pradesh cadre. For his or her marriage, Saloni paid a court docket charge of Rs 500 and reported to paintings inside of two days. She has been praised for her simplicity.
The 2014-batch IAS officer stocks her technique for the first-time aspirants:
Don’t practice what everybody else does
The IAS officer advises UPSC aspirants not to practice a blanket means.
“Determine what works out right for you. You wish to have to have an excessively customised means for your self. Some other folks choose learning in teams, some choose to review on my own in a room. This is completely k,” she provides.
Be constant
Given Saloni had kind of a yr for preparation, she selected to be constant in her preparation.
“Making ready for UPSC isn’t a 100-metre race. This can be a marathon. Right here, it’s a must to find out about for a minimum of an entire yr. You can’t have abrupt moments of very in depth find out about after which pass right into a shell,” she opines.
Not like maximum aspirants, Saloni says, she used to be now not obsessive about the preparation. “I used to be very devoted and trustworthy to my preparation, however on the identical time, I used to be comfortable and now not stressed out,” she provides.
What helped her crack the exam in the first actual strive, Saloni says, used to be her consistency.
“Each day, I’d devote round six to 8 hours to preparation. There used to be now not a unmarried day after I took an off. Most often, some other folks find out about for 12 hours sooner or later after which waste time snoozing for all of the subsequent day. I didn’t do this,” she says.
Search steering
“There’s not anything flawed if you wish to take give a boost to from training. In my opinion, I most well-liked becoming a member of a training institute the place they’d very much less aspirants, as a substitute of going to a category of 400,” says Saloni.
“I simplest had 5 months to look for prelims. I’d seclude myself in a library, clear of the chaos of aspirants who stay advising others to practice this or that means,” she provides.
Are living to your convenience zone a month earlier than the examination
Saloni says that she moved to her convenience zone — her house — within the ultimate month earlier than showing for the exam.
“I didn’t wish to get influenced by way of any person. I limited chatting with different aspirants. I simplest talked to buddies from medication, my lecturers, and members of the family,” she says.
“On this duration, I focussed on revising the outdated content material as a substitute of finding out new subjects. Additionally, I’d give mock papers as soon as each 3 days. I’d devote one complete day to analysing the mock paper,” she provides.
Saloni stressed out that giving extra mocks does now not assist if aspirants don’t analyse them. “In the end, their goal is to show you out of your errors. The entire workout is futile if you don’t analyse them,” she issues out.
The best way to craft an impressive essay
UPSC exam assessments now not simplest the content material of your essay but in addition your writing abilities, the drift of concepts, and the way aspirants weave all of it in combination. Saloni says acing essay writing does now not occur in one day.
Sharing her technique, the IAS officer says, “I questioned what sort of writing engages me as a reader. I’d learn the editorial phase of The Hindu and write down my inference within the type of a tale.”
“I integrated that very same taste in my solution writing. Your essay will have to be crisp, attractive, and sponsored by way of info. You’ll be able to additionally come with flowcharts to make solutions attention-grabbing,” she provides.
No fancy solutions within the interview
The IAS officer says she didn’t give any fancy solutions to the interviewers. “I used to be simply myself”
She stocks an example from her interview. “I’m a state-level silver medalist in taekwondo. I take into account I used to be advised that I regarded so fragile and that it didn’t appear to be I may just apply taekwondo. I in a well mannered way stated that power issues greater than bodily look. I used to be now not like ‘Oh, my god, sir, it’s all about strength of mind’,” she laughs.
“They’re too senior; they perceive whilst you aren’t being your self. They don’t recognize it,” provides Saloni.
Edited by way of Pranita Bhat; All pictures: Mandla District Collectorate Fb, Saloni Sidana