Odisha’s Atasi Aparajita emerged as a standout achiever by securing Rank 12 in the OPSC Odisha Civil Services (OCS) 2024 Examination announced on Tuesday, a feat earned through years of hard work, determination, and dedicated preparation.

A graduate in Economics from BJB Autonomous College, Atasi completed her graduation in 2023 and immediately began preparing for the civil services examination. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sociology from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Speaking about her preparation journey, Atasi said consistency and discipline played a key role in her success. Instead of setting unrealistic goals, she focused on achieving small daily targets and maintaining regular study habits. She also followed a strict time-management routine by preparing study schedules a day in advance and setting weekly goals for completing subjects.

The Rank 12-holder highlighted the importance of self-study in understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses, while also acknowledging the role of coaching institutes and test series in improving performance and evaluation.

Atasi revealed that joining the civil services had been her childhood dream and credited her parents, especially her mother, for supporting her emotionally throughout the preparation period. Whenever she felt stressed or anxious, she would spend time talking to her mother, which helped her regain confidence and peace of mind.

She also spoke about choosing Sociology as her optional subject after carefully analysing the syllabus and previous years’ question papers. Contrary to common assumptions, she said she did not completely avoid social media during preparation and instead used it in moderation for relaxation and stress relief.

Her achievement has become a source of inspiration for many civil services aspirants across Odisha.

“For time management, I used to make my schedule the night before, outlining what I needed to cover the next day. I used to set weekly targets and achieve them, knowing that I had to study this much and complete these subjects. I studied my optional subject daily. Self-study is important because it’s crucial to evaluate how and what we are studying ourselves. And coaching, especially test series, helps us identify our weaknesses and strengths,” Atasi told OTV.

“It was my childhood dream to join the Civil Services. And my family supported me a lot. I will give the first credit for this achievement to my parents. I had some interest in Sociology as my optional. That’s why I also took it as an elective during my graduation at BJB College. Then I checked all the syllabi and previous year’s questions. Based on that, it was helpful to realize that if I chose Sociology, I could perform better,” Atasi stated.

“It’s not like I completely stopped using social media. I kept it for relaxation purposes. When I used to get a bit burnt out from studying, I would scroll through social media or do whatever I felt like. And I gave it adequate time. It’s not like I didn’t, and social media also helped me in my preparation journey,” the Rank 12-holder added.