Examinations and their results create a sense of trepidation in some students at least. Recounting her own experiences, Alappuzha District Collector Haritha V Kumar, IAS, explains how to achieve success without losing hope over setbacks.

"Instead of being discouraged when failures happen, one should chase the goal through hard work and by making the most of the opportunities," Collector Haritha said.

“I secured IAS in the fourth attempt. In the second attempt I had secured the rank for the Indian Police Service (IPS) but I opted for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). Contrary to my expectations, my rank dropped in the third attempt. My rank dropped to 293 from the previous year’s rank of 179. Instead of giving up, I wrote the UPSC exam again confidently. I secured IAS after successfully clearing that exam and I could become the Collector of Alappuzha district. If I had not made the fourth attempt, I would have continued in the IRS post,” she recounted.

"I don't believe that any exam or phase in life signals the end of our aspirations. Those who lose are not the ones who fail in life. But I believe, it is those people who are not able to pick themselves up after suffering setbacks,” she explained.

Haritha further said that there is a lot to be learned each time we suffer failures. “During the first time I wrote the Civil Services main examination, I realised that I was not writing the answers quickly enough. Then I attempted mock tests and practised writing answers faster. There are big lessons to be learned from each failure. Only once we realise that and are ready to correct ourselves, we would be able to reach our goal,” she pointed out.

“Neither the class 10 or class 12 is the end of the road. One should face any exam confidently. Write down the answers you know and walk out of the exam hall with a smile. If you score low marks or even if you fail, do not be disheartened. There is an opportunity to score better marks by studying hard one more time. For that, there are exams such as SAY (Save A Year). Still if you are not able to succeed, write the exam next year again. If you attempt with determination and courage, you will definitely succeed,” she added.

"Understand that scoring low marks in a subject or exam is never a measure of your ability. Each person has a unique set of abilities. For example: if a person who excels in English Literature finds Maths difficult, that does not mean he or she would be a failure in life. After identifying one's own strength, try to nurture it and overcome the shortcomings as much as possible. If you forge ahead with a positive attitude, you will definitely succeed in life,” the Collector said.

(April 21 is marked as the National Civil Services Day)