The UPSC exam is said to be one of the toughest examinations. Every year, Lakhs of candidates enroll themselves for this examination but only a few make their way to victory. Every candidate who applies for the UPSC Exam aims to get designated as one of the civil services officers just like Renu Raj. Her aim was to serve the nation by becoming an IAS officer. Before we tell you how she achieved her dream, let’s check out the below listed few facts about the UPSC CSE Exam:

1. For the UPSC exam, candidates must hold a graduation degree from a recognised university.
2. Preparation for the UPSC civil services exam can be initiated after the XII itself.
3. The aspirants must make it a ritual to learn about daily national and international affairs.
4. The candidates must plan a strategy and should find excellent mentors.
5. There are three stages in the civil services exam:
   • Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam
   • Civil Services (Main) Exam
   • Civil Services Interview round.

In this article ahead, a detailed motivating success story of UPSC Topper IAS Renu Raj has been shared.

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IAS Dr. Renu Raj: Early Life

Renu Raj is one of those toppers who did remarkably well in the UPSC Exam and here are some details of her background, family, etc.

• Dr. Renu Raj is from Kottayam, Kerala and her father is a government officer and her mother is a housewife.
• Dr. Renu Raj completed her schooling at St. Teresa’s Higher Secondary School, Changanassery, Kottayam.
• She holds a degree in medicine from Government Medical College, Kottayam.
• Dr. Renu Raj has 2 sisters, both of whom are doctors. In addition, her husband is also a doctor.

While applying for the civil services exam, she was 27 and worked as a doctor at ASI Hospital in Kalluvathukkal, Kollam, Kerala.

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Dr. Renu Raj’s Preparation Strategy

Each candidate has their own way of preparing for the examination. Listed below are a few common tips recommended by Dr. Renu Raj:

• Dr. Renu used to invest a minimum of 6 hours to study and initiated her preparation from 2013 itself.
• Being a doctor, she advises all the applicants to have at least 7 hours of sleep and proper meals.
• Dr. Renu avoided group studies and prepared for the prelims first and then for the mains.
• She covered almost every aspect of the UPSC Syllabus.
• Dr. Renu chose Malayalam Literature as her optional subject for the UPSC Mains Exam.
• It’s highly recommended by her to read newspapers every day especially ‘The Hindu’ and a few magazines, such as Yojana & Kurukshetra.

Another requisite suggestion every topper focuses on is solving tons of question papers, appearing for mock tests and practising as much as possible. Dr. Renu Raj has also recommended a few UPSC books for the prelims exam:

The above article contained in-depth information on how Dr. Renu Raj cleared the UPSC CSE exam, what strategies were followed by her, books recommended by her, etc. Do check out Testbook App for more such informative articles.