Pankaj Bhatt achieved Rank 3 in the UKPSC 2021 exam and secured the position of Deputy Collector.
Achieving Rank 3 as a Deputy Collector after ten years of failure, Pankaj Bhatt’s story is a masterclass in endurance. His journey highlights how steadfast patience and confidence can dismantle conventional excuses regarding exam success and candidate background.
Key Highlights of the Interview:
- Background & Motivation: Originally from Almora and currently residing in Haldwani, Pankaj holds a Master’s degree in Physics. He was inspired to join civil services after interacting with state bureaucrats, specifically former DM Mangesh Ghildiyal.
- Overcoming Failure: Pankaj shares his experience of appearing in multiple mains examinations over 8-10 years without initial success. He emphasizes the importance of patience, support from family/friends, and maintaining a positive mindset.
- Hindi Medium Myth: Pankaj debunks the common belief that English-medium candidates have a significant advantage in civil services. He explains that success depends on content quality, presentation, and writing skills rather than the language of the exam.
- Preparation Strategy:
- Prelims: Focused on standard books (NCERTs) rather than shortcuts and placed high importance on solving previous year questions (PYQs) from the last 10 years.
- Mains: Prioritized finishing the syllabus, creating short revision notes, and practicing time management by writing full papers under exam conditions.
- Writing Skills: He suggests reading editorials and quality literature to improve vocabulary and practicing answer writing daily to enhance performance.
- Updated Syllabus: With the recent changes in the UKPSC syllabus—specifically the increased weightage of Uttarakhand-based topics—he advises candidates to focus deeply on regional history, geography, and culture, which can be a massive advantage for Hindi-medium students.
- The Importance of Planning: Pankaj mentions having a “Plan B” (like teaching) helped him manage the stress of the long exam cycle and keep his career prospects secure.
He concludes by emphasizing that while the journey is challenging, the process of preparing for civil services makes a candidate more mature and serves as a valuable life experience.