Subhankari Sudeshna Dash, not a stranger to failures, achieved a significant milestone by securing rank 2 in OPSC OCS 2020 examinations. In her own words, this success follows a series of setbacks, making it the second defining moment in her life.
Civil services journey
Subhankari graduated in veterinary science in 2018 and started her civil services preparations in 2016. During her under graduation, she started pursuing her studies for civil services with the help of NCERT books and online resources, including YouTube videos. She applied for civil service examinations in 2018, however, abstained from the examination as she was underprepared and opted for further post-graduation. The turning point arrived in 2019 when she faced the examination, only to encounter failure.
After completing post-graduation, Subhankari worked in the Bhadrak district, realising her calling to contribute more profoundly to society through civil services. Fuelled by this realisation, she resigned from her job and stayed in Bhadrak until she successfully cleared the prelims examination. Subsequently, she moved to Bhubaneswar to prepare for mains and interview preparations.
Series of failures
After Plus-II, Subhankari dropped one year to prepare for NEET which she failed to crack. Later, she joined the veterinary course, but medicine was always on her mind.
After post-graduation, Subhankari applied for veterinary services examinations but failed to crack it. She went on to say that failure had become a part of her life. She says that after her success in Class-X, the cracking of OAS was the second one on her list.
Contributors to success
Subhankari attributes her success to rigorous self-study, emphasizing its role in boosting confidence among aspirants. Regular physical activity, such as workouts, contributed to her confidence, providing a dopamine boost during the arduous preparation phase.
In offering advice to aspirants, Subhankari emphasises the importance of relentless practice and repeated revisions of static portions of the syllabus.
PNN
