From Civil Engineering to Rank 176: Rekha Siyak's UPSC Journey with PW OnlyIAS

Rekha Siyak faced a difficult choice between a stable IT career and her UPSC dream, while her first attempt exposed a major gap in Mains answer writing. The pressure of leaving her job and the lack of writing practice made the journey challenging. To overcome these hurdles, Rekha restarted her preparation after the first attempt and used PW OnlyIAS resources for structured support. 

Foundation helped cover static subjects, Editorial Analysis supported current affairs, Prahar helped with Mains preparation, and mock interview resources supported her interview stage. Her focused reattempt eventually led to AIR 176 in UPSC CSE 2024.

How the Journey began for Rekha Siyak

Rekha's UPSC interest wasn't sudden - it grew quietly during the COVID lockdown, when she began following editorial content just to stay informed.

"Ek baar aise 2020 mein jab covid ka lockdown tha to aise ki kya karein kya karein... to us time jaise bachche padh rahe hain to hum bhi ki thoda padh lete hain... to maine wo initiative shuru kiya."

Being from Rajasthan, she had also closely watched the Bhilwara Model during COVID - real administrative work that showed her what a civil servant could actually do.

"Since main Rajasthan se hoon. Mujhe pata tha ki wo collector sir kya kar rahe hain. Kaise wo delivery kar rahe hain. To mujhe laga haan lives me kuch ho sakta hai agar karna ho to."

That clarity mattered, because leaving a good job wasn't easy for a middle-class family, and people around her didn't hold back their opinions.

"Job chhodna bahut hi ek risky kaam tha. IT se achche khase package se agar aap chhodte hain aur as a middle class family to aap pe bahut pressure hota hai."

What began as casual news-following during lockdown slowly turned into a genuine calling once Rekha connected it to real administrative impact around her. This inner conviction is what eventually gave her the courage to walk away from a stable, well-paying job, even when the people around her doubted the decision. 

The Struggles Rekha Didn't Expect

Clearing Prelims was one thing - Mains was where Rekha hit her biggest wall. She had never written a full-length answer before, and the pressure of the clock made it worse.

"Meri zindagi ki sabse badi hurdle hi yehi thi ki UPSC Mains... jisne kabhi test nahi likhe, jisne kabhi answer nahi likha usko lagta hai ki main har question ka answer shuru kahan, intro kya hoga?"

She admits she lost precious time - and marks - simply avoiding practice out of fear.

"Aise karke maine bhi 15 din aise waste kiye ki achha main to man se likh doongi... aur wo 15-20 din shayad mere 8-10 number bhi cost kar gaya."

Even the Interview stage came with its own myths that added unnecessary fear.

"Market mein myth hai ki UPSC ka interview matlab paanch bahut senior log baithe hain, aapse dabadab questions pooch rahe hain. Aapko grill kar rahe hain. Aisa nahi hota. Aisa bilkul nahi hota."

Her first attempt's result, announced on 16th April, wasn't what she had hoped for.

"Us time to ek baar ke liye to thoda bura laga. Ek baar ke liye to aansu bhi aa gaye."

These struggles weren't unique to Rekha; the fear of the blank page and interview myths are things most first-time aspirants face. But instead of letting the setback define her, this phase became the turning point that pushed her to seek more structured guidance and practice. 

How PW OnlyIAS Supported Rekha’s Journey

Rekha joined the PW OnlyIAS Foundation batch in 2022, and it became her primary source for static portions of the syllabus.

"Foundation course ne mera poora static cover karva diya tha aur static mein bhi saari booklet bhi uske saath available thi. To wo static apna comprehensive ek source ho gaya."

For current affairs, she relied on Editorial Analysis and Prelim Booster daily, crediting their structured, easy-to-follow format.

"Editorial Analysis samajhne ke liye to maine wo initiative shuru kiya... wo bahut hi holistically cover hai."

For Mains answer writing, with no personal notes of her own, she leaned heavily on Prahar's content.

"Mere paas notes nahi the kisi bhi cheez ke. Maine Prahar ko use kiya extensively."

Instead of travelling to Delhi for mock interviews, she prepared at home by repeating questions asked in PW's mock interview sessions with past toppers.

"Mere ko achhi mentorship mili jaise aapke bahut saare mock interviews the sir ke... to maine unke questions ko repeat kiya. Maine khud ko record kiya."

From static coverage to daily current affairs and mock interview practice, PW OnlyIAS gave Rekha a single, consolidated system to rely on instead of scattering her efforts across multiple sources. This structured support became the backbone that carried her through both attempts. 

The Turnaround of Rekha’s Result with Rank 176

Rather than dwelling on her first result, Rekha picked her books back up the very next day.

"Phir maine socha... maine phir se effort usi din 17 tareekh ko maine apni kitabein uthayi."

This time she started answer writing from day one and attempted full papers under exam-like conditions, even for her optional, Psychology.

"Maine optional ka 2022 ka paper uthaya aur 3 ghante baith ke likh liya... aur maine har din paanch chhe 500 question likh liye."

When the CSE 2024 result finally came, disbelief turned into overwhelming joy.

"Jaise hi maine 176 dekha, meri expectation se kaafi above thi... maine mummy se jaake, mummy mera ho gaya mummy mera ho gaya."

The immediate restart after her first setback, combined with disciplined daily writing practice, is what ultimately transformed her preparation the second time around. That consistency reflected directly in her final rank of 176, a number far beyond what she had allowed herself to expect. 

Rekha's story isn't about instant success - it's about a Civil Engineer who wasn't afraid to admit her fears, learn to write again from scratch, and try a second time with more clarity. For aspirants stuck deciding "when to start," her own advice sums it up best: understand the syllabus deeply, be honest about your intent, and once you begin - no looking back.