Success Story of Munesh Verma – Cleared RBI Grade B 2019

Successful people don’t become that way overnight. What most people see at a glance—happiness, wealth, a great career, purpose—is the result of hard work and hustle over time. The same is true for Munesh Verma, who went on to clear the RBI Grade B exam in his very first attempt. Let us read the Success Story of Munesh Verma and know what he did to clear RBI Grade B 2019 and learn from his efforts that if one is determined, anything is possible. 

RBI Grade B 2019 Success Story of Munesh Verma

Let us go on to read his strategy in her own words. 

I. Brief background: Education, Employment and Attempts at Other Exams

1. Introduction

Hello friends, my name is Munesh Verma and I was fortunate enough to be selected for RBI Grade B (DR) 2019.

The purpose of writing this article is two-fold:-

1. To help aspirants preparing for RBI and other competitive exams
2. To express my gratitude to Oliveboard and all others who have been part of my success story

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2. Brief Background

I completed my graduation in Information Technology from IIIT Allahabad in 2011.

Thereafter, I worked for around a year in Amazon, Hyderabad.

With the intention of honing my leadership skills and faster career progression, I decided to pursue an MBA and got admission to IIM Ahmedabad.

After completing my post-graduation in 2014, I worked in Feedback Infra Consulting and Shopclues for a period of one and a half years.

Meanwhile, I started to develop an interest in Civil Services Exam. Finally, I decided to fully dedicate myself to UPSC preparation and came to Karol Bagh in November 2015.

UPSC preparation was nothing less than a roller coaster ride – qualifying every prelim and even getting one Interview call but falling short of score good in Mains written exam every time. Without any success in three attempts, I started to look for other public sector jobs that would fit with my core competency (IT, MBA, UPSC knowledge). Even though I had the option to get back to the private sector but, having learned about the government and the public sector, the private sector did not motivate me.

Two exams qualified my criteria – RBI Grade B and SEBI Grade A. Even though I did not have much time for preparing for RBI, however, my academic background helped a lot.

I could clear Phase 1 and Phase 2 without much difficulty and got the interview call on the first attempt. After patiently waiting for around 8-9 months, I was elated to see my roll number in the selection list of RBI Grade B 2019!!

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II. RBI Grade B Preparation Strategy 

1. Advice for Aspirants

I have divided this section into two parts:-

1. Strategy/ material for RBI preparation
2. Tips for keeping yourself motivated while preparing for a competitive exam

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2. Strategy/Material for RBI Preparation

There are enough guidance and strategy available from Toppers of previous and this year, therefore, I would like to keep this part short. Additionally, my preparation for Civil Services Exam and optional subject as Management, helped me reduce the efforts to a large extent.

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3. Phase-1 Preparation Strategy

i. General Awareness

• Last 4 months current affairs (refer to any reputed coaching material)
• Government Schemes (very important) – I used Vision IAS and Parliament IAS
• Static GK (Rivers, National Parks, Stadium, Classic dance, Dams, List of Ministers, endangered animals, etc.) – just glanced over them once (again most of it was part of UPSC Prelims)
• Static Banking Awareness (Headquarters, Terminology, History, etc.)
• Budget, Census 2011, Economic Survey, SECC
• RBI reports and notifications
• Test Series – Oliveboard

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ii. English

• No special preparation (only practised tests)
• Test Series – Oliveboard

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iii. Quant + Reasoning

• Practice as much as possible because time management is most important here
• Test Series – Oliveboard

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4. Phase-2 Preparation

i. Paper 1 (Economics & Social Issues)

• For the static part, got printed material from the market (refer to any reputed coaching material)
• Last 4 months of current affairs (similar to Phase 1 General Awareness)
• Government Schemes in detail (similar to Phase 1 General Awareness)
• Budget, Economic Survey, SECC, Census 2011, Index & ranking, committees
• RBI reports and notifications
• GDP Growth Forecast
• Test Series – Oliveboard

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ii. Paper 2 (English)

• Essay – wrote and got reviewed from friends (already part of UPSC preparation)
• Comprehension – practised a few of them
• Precis Writing – a good amount of practice is needed here
• Having a typing speed of more than 70 wpm gave me an added advantage here. You can improve your typing speed through typeracer.com

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iii. Paper 3 (Finance & Management)

• No special preparation due to education background and management optional, however, regularly gave tests to improve the score
• Test Series – Oliveboard

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5. Interview Preparation

• For this part, one needs to be thorough with the details mentioned in the Biodata form. Everything you have mentioned in that form is a potential topic for discussion
• Further, you should be clear about why you want to join RBI and how it fits into your overall academic and career path
• Also, keep yourself aware up to date on the latest happenings in the banking and economic sector
• I would suggest you take 2-3 mock interviews and go for coaching if needed. I took guidance from Sanjeev Kabeer Sir (Career Quest Institute) in this regard.

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III. Keeping yourself motivated while preparing for a competitive exam

Competitive exams in India can be a tough nut to crack simply because of the number of participants. Years can pass like anything, only to realize later that so many years have passed without much notice and then we tend to compare with our peers in the private sector. Thus, keeping yourself motivated during the preparation journey becomes equally important as strategy and hard work.

1. First and foremost, never compare yourself with others who are in the private sector or otherwise. Your strengths, weaknesses, interests, ambitions are all completely different from theirs. Your journey is totally different from theirs. Always remember “success is a journey, not a destination”.

2. Have a group of friends who are serious about preparation while also have a positive outlook towards life. I have found that your true friends and family members are the first ones to support us during our lowest points. Having supportive and positive-minded people around you can make all the difference.

3. Create a list of inspiring and motivating songs that you can listen to from time to time which can help boost your morale. Similarly, create a list of empowering and positive quotes, and read them often to be in a positive state of mind.

4. Start to practice 10-15min of meditation every morning. From my personal experience and after reading books, I’m sure that daily meditation can be a game-changer for aspirants.

5. Finally, believe in yourself more than anything or anyone. Always remember that everything is working out for your best even if it doesn’t seem so. All the failures which we have to face have some lesson for us to learn and become a better version of ourselves. If you start to think from this point of view, you will realize that all negative experiences will create some opportunities for you. Remember, you too will have your share of success when the time is right.

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Expression of Gratitude

Towards the end, I would like to express my gratitude to Oliveboard as their test series helped me to find my weaknesses and improve upon them.

Apart from Oliveboard, I dedicate my success to my family, friends, and other coaching institutes as well, because it would not have been possible without their support.

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Final Few Words

I know too much of “Gyan” for one article but I just wanted to share my experience with aspirants hoping it would help them in their journey too. Looking back at my experience, I would just say that “no examination or organization can be larger than life”. Give your best in every endeavour of life without worrying about the outcome and I can assure you that a life full of success beckons you.

In case anyone wants to get in touch, feel free to mail me at [email protected]

All the best to everyone! Have a great life ahead!!!

Download RBI Grade B Free Study Material PDF Here

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