Katyayni Jain IBPS PO Success Story – Clear Strategy, Smart Preparation

What if we told you that you don’t have to give up your happiness, friends, or personal life to clear banking exams? Sounds unusual, right? Katyayni Jain’s journey proves exactly that. She was never the “locked-in-a-room-for-12-hours” aspirant. She didn’t blindly follow topper strategies. She didn’t try to cover everything under the sun. Instead, she focused on what worked for her. And the result? She cleared IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, and RRB Clerk — all while staying true to her own preparation style.

Q1. Please brief us on when did you start preparing for the competitive exams and how was your preparation journey?

I started appearing for exams in 2022, but at that point, I didn’t study for them, I just gave a couple of exams and appear for exam, but even with minimum preparation, I cracked ibps po’ s pre, that boosted my confidence, which resulted In better results. In 2023 as well, I didn’t study much because I didn’t wanna join any job that soon, but last year, I started preparing for regulatory exams, and that helped me clear all the banking exams. I was never that serious aspirant who abandoned joy, distractions or quality time with friends, which proves that there’s no single strategy to clear these exams, it varies from person to person.

Q2. Which exams have you appeared in to date, and what were their results?

I appeared in RBI grade B and IRDAI Grade A, in which I couldn’t clear pre. In banking sector I appeared in IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, RRB PO, RRB Clerk and SBI clerk, out of these I cleared every exam expect RRB PO, in which I missed the Final Cut off by border.

Q3. How did you prepare for the English section?

English has always been my forte, so I didn’t have to prepare for it, I just gave mocks for it.

Q4. How did you prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section?

I studied from free YouTube channels for basics of quant, and solved checklists at the beginning of my preparations. Then mocks helped me gain speed and accuracy.

Q5. How did you prepare for the Reasoning section?

I studied a few topics from YouTube and practiced through mocks and checklists.

Q6. What was your strategy for the General Awareness section? (If Applicable)

GA has never been my strong suit, but I tried to cover more financial new, banking awareness and MOUs. I skipped obituaries, books, days, sports etc.

Q7. What was your overall strategy? Did you follow a study schedule? If yes, please share the details.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have any strategy for these exams, I only gave mocks to improve my speed and accuracy. I just focused on type of questions I select in exams and prepare them well through mock tests, I never tried to cover everything, and i guess that helped me succeed in these exams . Also, one must take time and ponder on what suits them the best, rather than focusing on strategies mentioned by toppers.

Q8. Did you face any hurdles as well? How did you overcome it?

No, by god’s grace, I never faced any hurdle in my preparations. All the circumstances were favourable and I got all the possible support from my peers.

Q9. Did PracticeMock help you in your success? Please elaborate.

Yes, the interface and the level of mocks it offer, helped me a lot in my journey. Also, the free e-books that PM offers has been of great help for GA to me. I’m very grateful for PM for providing such a great experience.

Q10. What’s your message for the fellow aspirants who are preparing for competitive exams?

If not today, then surely someday, time and destiny will favour you, but only when you keep striving for it. So, don’t lose hope if you’ve scored less in a few mocks or exams, let bygones be bygones and focus on the upcoming exams. Also, don’t try to accommodate your schedule similar to a few toppers, because everyone’s journey, experiences, abilities and circumstances are unique, so try to find a strategy or schedule that suits you the best, it’s ok if it doesn’t make sense to anyone but you. Good luck!

Conclusion

If there’s one thing you should take away from Katyayni’s journey, it’s this — there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy for banking exams.

You don’t have to follow every topper’s timetable. You don’t have to cover every single topic. You don’t even have to give up your personal life if that doesn’t suit you. What matters is understanding your strengths, improving your weaknesses smartly, and consistently practicing through mocks.

So if you’re preparing right now and feeling confused about which strategy to follow, pause for a moment and ask yourself — What works best for me?

Because sometimes, success doesn’t come from copying others. It comes from trusting your own path.

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