Patna, May 12: Rishirendra Kumar may have heard the story of Scottish king Robert Bruce being inspired by a spider to try again and again to succeed, as a child. Or he may have not.

However, the young man from Sohadi village did imbibe the spirit of try-till-you-succeed lesson of the tale. Even though it took him six attempts to clear the civil service examination, he never gave up hope.

Rishirendra, whose father is a farmer, went to school at his native village in Sheikhpura district. The MPhil student of Patna University, however, has reached the goal he set for himself — of qualifying for the coveted Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

Rishirendra, 28, secured the 91st rank in the examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the results for which were declared yesterday.

His advice to civil service aspirants: be patient and perseverant, and have faith in yourself, as the gruelling examination process lasts almost a year before the candidates are selected for the IAS and other services.

“Meeting the expectations of one’s family is tough. But if one has faith in one’s self, no force on earth can stop the person from achieving a goal,” Rishirendra told The Telegraph over telephone from Delhi.

For him, the philosopher’s stone is hard work and commitment. “Faith in one’s ability should be complemented by hard work, if one wants to achieve something in life,” he said.

He also said though his father is not a rich man, he has always supported Rishirendra’s academic aspirations.

“Money was never an issue, as my father was always very supportive. I knew his problems. So I cleared NET and got a scholarship to pursue my studies and ease the financial burden on my father,” said Rishirendra.

Chandan Kumar Jha, who secured the 155th rank, is also a great believer in the quality of patience.

The resident of Basauli village in Madhubani district said: “The examination process is almost a year long, and one has to prepare throughout the year.

“Those who lack patience will find the grind very difficult,” added the engineer.

He, however, also believes that luck has a major role to play in the road to success.

It is easy to understand his deep belief in fortune — he failed to clear the examination by a whisker last year.

“I reached the interview stage in my first attempt. I was hopeful that I would clear the examination. But I missed the bus by just seven marks,” said Chandan.

He did not lose patience though, and came out with flying colours this year.

Patna resident Abhishek Anand, 29, resigned from his job in a reputed private firm to prepare for the civil service examination. His friends and well-wishers told that him it was not a pragmatic decision but he trod firmly on the path of his dream. The advisers will now be eating humble pie — Anand secured the 320th rank in the civil service exam.

“I quit a good job at a reputed firm to prepare for my exams. Now I am feeling relieved,” he said.

He added that he had taken a job at another private firm to meet the needs of his family, once the exams got over. Abhishek, who also has an engineering degree from IIT-Delhi, feels that self-study is the best way to crack the examination.

“As the pattern of the examination has witnessed some changes, the aspirants should follow day-to-day developments in various fields very keenly,” he said.

“One should have the confidence to crack the examination,” he added.

Azhar Jamal, 28, who secured the 857th rank, has a special tip for the interview part of the examination.

“Preliminary and main examinations are the test of one’s knowledge but in the interview one has to be very alert about the questions being asked by the board members. Any laxity at this level may cost you dear,” said Jamal.

Jamal, son of a farmer, missed the civil service bus in his previous attempt, as he did not perform well in the interview.

“I had become nervous and it cost me dear. I had to undergo the prelims and the mains once again to clear the exam,” said the Siwan boy.

He said as he is from a farmer’s family, his heart still beats for the tillers of the land, and he wants to do something that would check the migration of farmers to other states in search of livelihood.

Aspirants like Rishirendra and Jamal have given hope to thousands of other candidates in the state who are preparing to crack the toughest competitive exams in the country.