RBI Grade B Success Story: Ms. Priya Meena Cracked RBI Exam, Despite Multiple Failures

After enduring five attempts at UPSC CSE, where she reached the interview stage twice, and facing two setbacks in the RBI Grade B exam, Priya Meena finally cracked the RBI Grade B exam in her 3rd attempt. She navigated through countless instances of self-doubt, facing challenges and uncertainties at various points during her journey. 

Despite these hurdles, she remained resilient, refusing to surrender. Instead, she confronted each setback with unwavering determination. With the RBI exam approaching, she was ready to change her story, but the shadows of past failures cast doubts on her abilities.

In this article, Priya recounts her successful journey and explains how she overcame her fears and cracked the RBI Grade B exam in her third attempt. But first, let’s understand her background and brief introduction. 

Background

• IIT Delhi Graduate
• Worked in an MNC for almost a year
• Exams cleared but did not join: SBI PO 2021, IBPS PO 2021 (PNB), IB ACIO II 2021
• Appeared for the UPSC CSE 5 times, including 2 Mains & Personality Tests
• Currently working as an Assistant Director at Sports Authority of India
• Appeared in the RBI examination 3 times

Brief Introduction

I am Priya Meena, and I am currently working as an assistant director at Sports Authority of India.

Before sharing my strategy, I would like to briefly mention my background so that a fair & clear picture is presented. I was a PCM Student in class 12th and later completed a Dual Degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi. Afterward, I worked as a full-stack developer for about a year and then started preparing for UPSC CSE. I have given 2 Personality Tests at UPSC, with 2022 being the latest. Unfortunately, I did not clear the 2023 UPSC Prelims, and that is when my RBI journey began.

I would like to make it clear that, due to my consistent UPSC preparation my strategy for the RBI exam could be very different. I promise to present a fair picture of the strategy. I had a decent amount of knowledge in various subjects, ranging from Economics & Social Issues to Current Affairs. I was also fairly okay (not very great, though) in Quant & Reasoning for Phase 1. 

Let’s discuss how I prepared for the RBI Grade B exam, starting from my Phase 1 strategy. 

Phase 1 Strategy

Duration of Prep: Approximately 22 days were left as I started preparing for the RBI Grade B exam after UPSC 2023 prelims result. Also, I was simultaneously preparing for the Prelims of the EPFO EO, and APFC Exam as well.

My shift was in the 2nd slot, and I scored a total of 68.75 marks. Before the actual exam, I gave 5 full-length mocks of EduTap.

General Awareness

I scored 31.25 marks in the General Awareness section, and here is the breakdown of how I prepared for it.

1. Covered Beepedia for the past 4 months (March, April, May, and June)
2. Read SchemesTap Booster of EduTap
3. Watched EduTap for
   1. RBI Notifications
   2. Fatafat Revision sessions (ESI, Finance, CA, Govt Schemes, etc.)
   3. RBI Financial Stability Report, Annual Report of RBI
   4. RBI Grade B Current Affairs Revision (March, April, May, June)
4. Watched Anuj Jindal for
   1. RBI 24*7 Current Affairs (only a few, on a need basis)
5. Watched Adda247 for
   1. Union Budget

I used to watch videos at 1.5X or 2X speed. I revised the Beepedia magazines and other literary sources at least twice and supplemented them with videos to better retain the facts & figures for the exam.

English Language

I scored 22.5 marks in the English section and did not do anything specifically for its preparation.

Quantitative Aptitude

I scored 6 marks in the Quantitative Aptitude section, and here is how I prepared for it:

1. I purchased a crash course from EduTap for Phase 1 & dedicatedly prepared notes for different topics, solving questions given by VD Sir, including PYQs, new pattern questions, etc.
2. I also practiced more to increase my speed for calculations (many methods were taught by VD Sir).
3. I took 5 full-length mocks to get acclimatized to the exam format and to improve time management, especially for this section. 
4. I focussed more on topics like Quadratic Equations, Mixture Allegations, Time & Work, etc., and less on topics like Profit & Loss, Compound Interest, etc.
5. My approach was to spend 2-3 minutes searching for doable questions and identifying 1 DI (more calculative but not arithmetic) that I could solve. Then, I used to keep 10 minutes to solve 1 DI. However, in the final examination, I was unable to solve the DI, and my attempts were only 6. 

Reasoning Ability

My score was 9 marks, and here is how I prepared for the Reasoning section:

1. My strategy was more or less the same for quant. In my mocks, I used to solve the non-puzzle questions first, focusing on Inequalities, Syllogism, Directions, Blood relations, machine input/output, guided coding, etc. 
2. For puzzles, I focussed more on floor-based puzzles, DOB-based puzzles, and hierarchy-based puzzles with 2-3 variables. I avoided puzzles involving 2 concepts like Blood relation + seating, etc.
3. The aim was to solve non-puzzle questions in 25-30 minutes and then solve at least 2 puzzles after that. 
4. My reasoning skills were good, and I scored much better (at least three times what I scored in the real exam) during mocks. However, in the final exam, I got stuck in puzzles, took more time to solve non-puzzle questions as well, and made fewer attempts than usual. Overall, my time management was quite bad in the real exam.

I practiced PYQs for Quant & Reasoning extensively. I focused very dedicatedly on all sections except English and set targets for each section every day, as I only had around 22 days to prepare. I allocated 30% of my time to the EPFO exam, which was one week before the RBI Phase 1. This attempt was very stressful, as I had failed to make it to the UPSC 2022 list. 

However, I pulled myself together, prepared for Prelims 2023, and attempted it. I was confident I would clear UPSC Prelims 2023, but unfortunately, I did not. Every day, I struggled with self-doubt and self-pity, which affected my concentration, but I gathered all my strength and worked diligently for those 22 days. 

I had attempted this exam twice before, but there were many shortcomings as I never gave the time and dedication required for this exam.

2019 Attempt 

In my 2019 attempt, I performed well in the Quant and English sections but had an average performance in GA and Reasoning, and thus, I missed the overall cutoff by 10 marks. For the 2019 attempt, I watched Adda 247 and Oliveboard videos from the past 6 months and sat for the exam. I gained confidence that I could clear this exam with a dedicated approach. 

2021 Attempt 

In my 2021 attempt, I had written the Mains of the UPSC 2020 attempt and was eagerly waiting for the results. Consequently, I did not prepare anything for the exam. I watched Marathon Videos from Adda247 and EduTap and sat for the exam. 

To my surprise, this time, I was unable to solve Quant and Reasoning questions, and during the exam, I realized that I would not be able to clear it. I could not clear the sectional cutoff for Reasoning this time, and I was just on the border for Quant. The examination pattern was different, and I could not perform well as I neither took any mocks nor practiced much.

2023 Attempt

Thus, for the 2023 attempt, my approach for quant was simple. I focused on searching for doable questions without getting bogged down by difficult ones. 

My friend always used to remind me that we would get equal marks by solving an easy or a difficult question, so I should not feel underconfident if I was unable to solve a particular type of question. Two major reasons for my underconfidence were failing in CSAT (exam conducted on 28th May 2023) and scoring less in Quant & Reasoning in the 2021 attempt. But with the above approach, I was able to clear Phase 1.

Now that you have understood how I prepared for the Phase 1 subjects, let’s move on to understand my Phase 2 preparation strategy. 

Phase 2 Strategy

Duration of Prep: 20 days were left as I started preparing for Phase 2 after taking the Phase 1 exam.

I scored a total of 176.75 marks in Phase 2, even without practicing any mock test or answer writing.

Paper I (Economic & Social Issues)

I got a total of 56.25 marks (26.25 in Objective and 30 in Subjective), and here is my strategy for Paper I:

1. Selectively read a few sections from UPSC Notes for the Economy (one-to-one mapping from Syllabus) and Vision 365 magazine.
2. Read the Summary Sheets of EduTap for Phase 2.
3. Revised Beepedia, SchemesTap Booster.
4. Watched Marathon videos on EduTap, especially RBI Notifications.
5. Made notes of Financial Stability Report, Report on Currency & Finance, etc., which were in the news.

My Attempts 

Here is what I attempted in the Paper I:

• Monetary Policy and its Indirect and Direct Tools (a 10 marker, 400 words written)
• Explain Schemes on Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation ( a 10 marker, 250 words written)
• Current and Finance Report By RBI (a 15 marker, 500 words written)
• 3 Events that led to global cooperation (a 15 marker, 500 words written)

Paper II (English)

I scored 47.5 marks in Paper II English, and here is my preparation strategy:

• I read essay materials by Anuj Jindal and EduTap but did not find either very useful. 
• I also read Vision Mains 365 for Economics, covering various topics like CBDC, ONDC, etc. 
• I struggled to write a good essay during the exam as I was confused about the topic and wasted much time deciding on it. Furthermore, I was mentally and physically exhausted by this time (evening) since I had not practiced sitting in front of a computer for such a long duration. 
• I watched lectures on EduTap for precis writing as well. 

Paper III (Finance & Management)

I got a total of 73 marks (40 in Objective and 33 in Subjective), and here is my strategy for Paper III:

1. I watched the crash course video of EduTap by Jalaj Sir to clear the concepts, as this was a completely new subject for me.
2. I read summary sheets, made short notes, and revised them twice before the exam. 
3. I attempted a few mocks for the objective section on the EduTap platform.

My Attempts 

Here is what I attempted in the Paper III:

• I almost adhered to the word limits in 3 questions but did not have sufficient content for the Henry Fayol Question. I could only remember 6 principles out of 14; thus, it was an incomplete answer. 

I solely relied on EduTap for this section, and trust me, I was so scared when I started studying Management on 11th July, followed by Finance. I was clueless about everything and used to be amused by the fact that people were scoring 40+ in the objective section. However, this paper is the highest-scoring one, as the directed input will give you fruitful outcomes.

I would like to add that my UPSC knowledge helped me immensely in Phase 2, especially for ESI and English Papers, so I worked mostly towards the FM Paper, which also gave me positive results. I thoroughly analyzed the PYQs for the ESI & FM part. And I believe that if dedicated & directed hard work is done after understanding the nature of the exam, then one can succeed in this journey. 

Now that you have understood how I prepared for the Phase 2 subjects, let’s look at my interview preparation strategy. 

Interview Strategy: Score = 57

I scored 57 marks in the interview, and here is my preparation strategy:

• I went through the RBI website to understand the organization better. 
• I paid attention to the Preamble, Functions, Notifications, Speeches, Departments, etc., on the website. 
• I comprehensively prepared my Biodata (notes were mostly prepared during the UPSC Personality Test for DAF) and read The Hindu newspaper, focusing more on the General State of the Economy of India & the World, RBI-specific news, social issues, etc. 
• I did not take any mocks for RBI. 

I believe that I was lucky enough to get a job opportunity at SAI as an AD based on my UPSC 2022 performance. This helped me remain calm and confident during the interview process.

On the final note, I would like to thank you for reading until the end, and I would be very happy if even a single person benefits from this. Believe me when I say that I had no self-confidence, and I was very scared about the fact that I wouldn’t be able to crack the exam. I had already spent more than 5 years in my UPSC journey and was shattered by multiple failures. 

However, I was surrounded by beautiful people (family & friends) who had full faith in me and helped me cheer up, giving my 100% in this exam. I was also accompanied by a friend throughout the whole cycle, and I am happy to say that we both cleared the exam. We were each other’s study partners and cheer buddies in times of adversity.

This exam has helped me regain the confidence that was somewhat lost during the last few years. I am confident enough that if an aspirant identifies their strengths and weaknesses and puts honest hard work towards direct preparation, they can clear this exam with flying colors. Since each individual is unique, making the right strategy that is individual-specific is of utmost importance. 

Just one last thought to ponder, “If you hit a mark, aim a little above it because every arrow that flies, feels the attraction of Earth”.

All the best!

Conclusion

Priya Meena’s journey demonstrates resilience and unwavering determination. Despite facing multiple setbacks in both UPSC CSE and RBI Grade B exams, she tackled self-doubt with a positive mindset. Each setback became a valuable learning experience, refining her approach and fortifying her resilience. Drawing from these experiences, she identified her strengths and weaknesses, enabling her to tailor a strategy that maximized her potential. Moreover, a strong network of encouragement is a game-changer for her. 

Now it’s your turn. Take a cue from her story. If she could overcome multiple setbacks and crack the RBI Grade B exam, so can you.