Many students think that if you are preparing for UPSC, clearing the NABARD Grade A exam is very easy. Have you ever thought this too? It feels like they have already studied so much, so this must be a small step for them. But this is not always true. Every journey has its own ups and downs, its own struggles.
Today, we are going to talk about Zahir Akhtar. He was a UPSC aspirant who decided to try for the NABARD Grade A exam. His story will show you the real problems a student faces, even if they come from a UPSC background. It’s a story of changing paths, facing new fears, and finding success in a new world.
Let’s see how Zahir did it, and what you can learn from his beautiful journey.
A Dream That Changed Its Path
Let’s get to know Zahir a little better first.
Zahir completed his graduation in BA English in 2018. Like many young people in India, he had a big dream: to clear the UPSC exam. For four long years, from 2018 to 2022, he gave his everything to it. He even wrote the UPSC Mains once. But sometimes, life has other plans for us, right?
One day, two of his friends, who were preparing for NABARD, told him about regulatory body exams. Something inside him felt that this could be a new beginning. He decided to switch his focus and prepare for the NABARD Grade A exam. It was a big decision, but it was the start of a whole new adventure.
But this new path was not as smooth as he thought it would be.
The First Big Shock: Phase 1 Was Not Like UPSC!
Here’s where Zahir’s real test began.
Zahir thought his UPSC preparation would help him a lot. But when he saw the Phase 1 paper, especially the Quant, Reasoning, and English (QRE) section, he was surprised. He said, “Ma’am, it is completely different from UPSC CSAT.” This is a fear many students have, don’t they? You prepare for one thing, and the exam is set for something entirely else.
How Zahir Handled the QRE Challenge
This is how he smartly tackled this problem.
Instead of trying to study everything, Zahir did something very clever. He followed the guidance he got from EduTap’s Vishnu sir. He was advised to focus only on the most important topics that come up again and again in the exam. He didn’t waste his energy on all the chapters. He picked the right questions and answered them with good accuracy. This is a great lesson for you, too: smart work is more important than just hard work.
Tackling GA and the Data Monster
And then came another challenge.
In UPSC, Current Affairs are more about analysis. But in NABARD, the General Awareness (GA) section is full of data, numbers, and facts. It was a big switch for Zahir. How did he manage to remember so much data? He shared his simple trick: multiple revisions. He would read newspapers and magazines like EduTap’s CT360, but he knew that just reading once is not enough.
“I will listen to the marathon session and I will read the slides or the pdf of that multiple times.”
He did not make a lot of notes. Instead, he just read the same PDF again and again until the information stayed in his mind. Do you also find it hard to make notes? Maybe Zahir’s way can help you too.
Now, let’s talk about the biggest problem he faced, something that made him feel really stuck.
The Toughest Wall to Climb: Typing and Phase 2
This is the part of the story where Zahir almost felt like giving up.
In his first attempt at NABARD, Zahir cleared the prelims. He was happy! But in the Mains exam, he faced a new enemy: the computer keyboard. The descriptive answers had to be typed, and Zahir’s typing speed was very slow. He knew the answers, but he just couldn’t type them fast enough. It’s a painful feeling, isn’t it? To know everything but still not be able to write it down. Because of this, he could not clear the Mains that year.
“My Fingers Wouldn’t Move Fast Enough”
Here’s how he broke down that wall, brick by brick.
Zahir knew he had to fix this. For his next attempt, he started practicing from the very beginning.
“From January onwards, daily thirty minutes I will be doing typing practice.”
For 3-4 months, he just practiced for 30 minutes every single day. It shows that small, consistent efforts every day can solve even the biggest problems. If you also have a weak area, can you give it just 30 minutes every day?
The Scary Objective Paper
Just when he thought he had solved one problem, another one appeared.
In his second Mains attempt, the objective paper was very, very tough. The questions were deep and analytical. Zahir felt a wave of panic.
“I was not at all calm during that time.”
He thought, “Oh no, maybe I won’t be able to clear it this year either.”
But in that moment of fear, he made a brave choice. He decided to take a risk and attempted more questions than he did last year. This panic, however, affected his descriptive paper. He was still thinking about the tough objective questions and couldn’t focus completely. But he did his best.
After such a difficult exam, the wait for the result must have been very hard. Let’s see what happened next.
The Power of a Calm Mind (and Good Friends)
Here we see how hope and support can change everything.
After the exam, Zahir was full of doubt. He felt it was a 50-50 chance. But his friends, who were already in NABARD, believed in him. They told him,
“You have given your best, so don’t bother about that. Start for the interview preparation.”
Good friends are a real blessing, aren’t they? They can see the best in us even when we can’t.
Preparing for the Final Conversation: The Interview
This is how he got ready for the last step.
Zahir started preparing for the interview with the help of his friends. He would practice with a friend over video calls. This helped him frame his answers better. His real interview was a mix of easy and tough questions. He came out feeling it was just an “okay” interview, not great. He was again full of doubts. But he had a secret weapon that he didn’t even realize.
Zahir’s Secret Weapon: The Magic of Numbers
Let’s find out what made Zahir stand out.
When asked what he thinks worked for him, Zahir shared something very interesting.
“I am very good at remembering numbers.”
In his descriptive answers and even in the interview, he used a lot of data, facts, and reports. This made his answers sound more convincing and well-researched.
This is a wonderful lesson for you. It’s not just about writing a lot; it’s about writing the right things. Adding a few correct facts or data points can make your answer much better than others. This is what probably gave him the edge he needed to get selected.
How EduTap Became Zahir’s Trusty Guide
Every student needs a good guide on their journey.
Zahir mentioned how EduTap helped him. For the difficult QRE section, he followed Vishnu Sir’s strategy of focusing on important topics. For GA, he relied on EduTap’s magazines and marathon sessions. This helped him focus his energy on the right things and saved a lot of time and confusion. Having a trusted source can make the preparation journey feel less lonely and much clearer.
Your Action Plan: What You Can Do Today
Here is a simple plan inspired by Zahir’s story that you can start right now.
- Find Your Weakness: Think about what scares you the most. Is it typing? Is it Quant? Is it remembering data? Write it down.
- Make a 30-Minute Plan: Just like Zahir, decide to give 30 minutes every day to your weakest area.
- Choose Your Sources: Decide which books or platform you will trust. Don’t run after too many materials.
Your Daily Routine:
- A Little Bit of Everything: Spend some time on QRE, some on GA, and some on your main subjects.
- Revise Before Sleeping: Before you go to bed, quickly go through what you studied during the day.
- Stay Positive: Tell yourself that you are getting a little better every single day.
- Start Typing Early: If you are a UPSC aspirant, please don’t ignore typing practice. Start today.
- Stay Mentally Calm: The exam is a test of your mind too. Try to stay calm. Meditation can help.
- Use Data and Facts: Whenever you write an answer, try to add some data. It makes a big difference.
- Multiple Revisions are Powerful: You don’t always need to make notes. Reading the same thing again and again also works wonders.
The Final Word: Your Journey is Your Own
Zahir’s story teaches us that success is not a straight line. There will be doubts, fears, and moments when you feel you can’t do it. He felt all of that. He was scared during the exam, he doubted his interview, and he had to learn a whole new skill like typing from scratch.
But he kept going. He was smart, he was consistent, and he believed in taking small steps every day. His journey from a UPSC aspirant to a NABARD Grade A Officer shows that it’s okay to change your path. It’s okay to fail and learn. What matters is that you keep moving forward with honesty and hope.
Your story is waiting to be written. We believe in you!
