After securing an All India Rank of 410 in the 2018 exam, Sreedhanya Suresh became the first tribal woman from Kerala to have cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE).
Born and brought up in Wayanad, Sreedhanya had a humble upbringing. Her parents, Kamala and Suresh, are daily wage labourers.
She believes that it is not at all necessary for aspirants to buy expensive books or join coaching classes to be able to clear the CSE.
“All you need is a basic model of a smartphone or a laptop with a steady internet connection. Armed with this, you will be able to access information from the world over,” she says.
Based on her own life experiences, Sreedhanya recommends using online resources for General Studies, which is extensively covered in the Mains exam.
Out of the nine papers, four are termed General Studies, comprising topics like governance, environment, constitution, polity, geography, culture, and more.
Sreedhanya says there are ample free resources available online for preparation—from YouTube channels dedicated to preparation and various free apps.
Some of the apps and channels that she recommends include GK Today, Vision Current Affairs, and IAS Baba.
Although she did not read any newspaper during her preparation, she recommends aspirants to pick up The Hindu and The Indian Express and make notes of the editorial section.
She also recommends two magazines, Yojana and Kurukshetra, for a detailed overview of all important current affairs.
For improving English and gaining insights into various topics, she suggests watching spoken English coaching programmes on YouTube and Rajya Sabha TV’s debate show, "In-depth."