With AIR 21 In UPSC On Her Last Attempt, Reet Sundaram Proves One Should Never Give Up – News18

What can’t one achieve with hard work, perseverance, and sheer determination? Setting an example is Reet Sundaram who has become a beacon of hope for all of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants. Hailing from Jharkhand’s Ranchi, Reet Sundaram’s success story is indeed inspiring.

Reet’s mother, Poonam Jha was the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), while her father, Manikant Jha was an engineer. She has two elder sisters- one is a Chief Data Officer in a Sydney bank while her other sister is a Senior Medical Officer at Coal India.

Prior to cracking the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), she used to work in TCA company. To pursue her dream of being a civil servant, she quit her job and cleared many examinations, which include UPPCS 2020, UPPCS 2019, BPSC, IB ACIO, SAI Assistant Director and UPSC CSE. She also cleared various stages of SSC, RBI and Jharkhand PCS but did not appear in all stages.

Reportedly, she has also been the District Youth Welfare Officer in Uttar Pradesh in 2021. She passed her UPSC civil service exam in 2021 which was her sixth and final attempt. She secured the 21st rank and was selected from the Indian Post and Telecommunications Finance and Accounts Service.

Reet Sundaram started appearing for the UPSC in 2014 and took the exam six times. She wrote five main exams and gave two interviews all from unreserved categories and finally cracked it in her sixth attempt in 2021.

Her tip for aspiring candidates is to have a strong hold on subjects like History, Polity, Environmental Studies, Culture, Maps and resources in Geography, evolving technology, International Relations and current affairs. She advised candidates to revise the basics repeatedly and to keep taking mock tests.

According to her, the best strategy to prepare for the exams is to understand the requirements of the paper by taking a look at the previous year’s question paper. After studying all the subjects, one should analyse their shortcomings and on that basis, one can dedicate the time to what to focus more.

Reet believes preparation for UPSC is a long journey one needs to maintain their mental health. Candidates should work on their self-esteem and physical fitness. It’s also important to have good family and friend support.