How Prerna Mahour Cracked SBI Clerk & IBPS Clerk Together with Private Job

Some stories inspire because they are rare. Others inspire because they feel real.
My story may belong to the second kind.

My name is Prerna Mahour. I came from a very humble, middle-class family where aspirations exceeded means. In 2025, I cleared both the SBI Clerk and IBPS Clerk examinations while working a full-time private job.

Now, whenever anyone hears my story, they generally ask,
"How did you balance both work and studies?"

But what people ought to ask is,
"How did you push through each time life tried its best to break you down?"

My story is not just about the exam hall stress.

My story is about mental pressure,
it is about family needs,
It is about rising after every failure.
It is about fighting silently when no one can see the battle.

But above all,
My story is about proving to myself and everyone else that even an ordinary girl from an ordinary background can achieve extraordinary things.

Her Strongest Subject: Reasoning

If anyone asked about my best subject, I would say Reasoning.
It was my scoring subject. I genuinely enjoyed solving logical problems, puzzles, and analytical questions. Instead of wasting hours only on theory, I focused on understanding concepts once and then practicing them deeply.

Except for puzzles, I rarely watched reasoning videos for more than 1 to 1.5 hours on any topic. My mindset was:
“Understand it once properly, then solve questions and move ahead.”
That practical strategy saved me a lot of time, and gradually I started seeing improvement.
 

Weakest Subject: GA

My weakest subject was General Awareness, because I was not naturally good at remembering facts, dates, or current affairs. But instead of trying to ignore my weak point, I accepted it and made a plan around it.
I used the daily current affairs PDFs from Smartkeeda, revised key points regularly, and used weekly and monthly mock drills to strengthen my retention. I never chased impossible perfection; instead, I focused on gradual improvement.

How Prerna's Family Went Through Some Very Hard Times

Behind every victory, there is often a hidden battle. And sometimes those very battles are what make you stronger.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, my family’s financial condition became very unstable. Like many households, income stopped, and expenses increased.
My father worked as a civil site supervisor, but later developed a serious hand-related medical issue. Because of that, he had to leave work. His recovery took nearly 9 to 10 months. During that time, much of our family’s savings were spent on treatment and survival.

I graduated in June 2020.
Instead of waiting for better days, I stepped forward.

I joined a school as a teacher so I could support my family financially. Later, in June 2022, I joined Smartkeeda and decided to seriously prepare for government exams.
That decision changed my life.
 

Waking Up at 4 AM Was the Biggest Thing She Ever Did

Most people say, “I don’t have time,” but I chose to create my own time. Since I worked from 10 AM to 6 PM, evenings were exhausting. Instead of forcing myself to study when I was tired, I protected the most valuable hours of the day — the early morning.
Every day, I woke up between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM, then studied until around 8:30 AM before leaving for the office. That gave me nearly 4 quality hours daily while the world was still sleeping. But it was not just about waking up early; it was about how I utilize those hours to make the most out of them.
I focused on one topic at a time until completion.
No chaos.
No confusion.
No random hopping.
Just deep focus.
That helped me stay in a powerful flow state, where I learnt much faster and grasped tough concepts much easier.

Smart Study, Not Just Hard Study — Prerna's Exam Strategy
Many aspirants believe success comes only from studying 8–10 hours a day.

I believed otherwise.

I was working a full-time private job, which meant I had limited study hours. Because of that, I could not afford confusion, distractions, or random preparation. I knew one thing clearly:

If time is less, the strategy must be stronger.

That mindset became one of the biggest reasons I cleared both SBI Clerk and IBPS Clerk in the same year.

Reasoning free quizzes

For Reasoning (My Strongest Subject)

As I said earlier, Reasoning was my strongest subject.
But even here, I never believed in overstudying.

I shared earlier that, except for puzzles, I never spent more than 1 to 1.5 hours on any single reasoning topic. My strategy was simple:

• Understand the concept once

• Practice a lot

• Finish the topic in one go

• Move forward confidently

No endless rewatching.
No repeating the same lectures.

No waiting for “perfect understanding.”

I used to watch videos with one intention:
“I have to finish this topic today itself.”

That sharp focus helped me complete Reasoning quickly, leaving time for revision and mocks.

I Chose Topic Mastery Over Subject Switching

I did not follow common YouTube strategies like:

• 2 hours Quant

• 2 hours Reasoning

• 2 hours of English daily

I knew that constant subject switching broke my momentum.
So instead, I studied topic-wise.

For example, if I started Percentage in Quant, I stayed with it for the next two or three days until it was done. I would not suddenly switch to Reasoning or English just because the timetable said so.

Why?

Because I understood something powerful:

Once your rhythm begins, don’t break it.

I believed that deep focus creates a strong flow state, where the mind learns faster, more easily, and with less resistance.

How Prerna Used Mock Tests Smartly

I did not take endless mocks. Because of limited time, I usually took around one mock test per week. During my preparation days, I relied solely on Smartkeeda’s mock test series. And what made the real difference was analysis.
Immediately after each mock, I checked:

• Questions I got wrong

• Questions where time was wasted

• Silly mistakes

• Unattempted questions

My first target was fixing costly mistakes — the ones where I spent time and still lost marks.
I especially focused on those costly mistakes in which I had invested time, but still got the answer wrong. That’s where I gradually began to improve.

For General Awareness (Her Weakest Subject)

General Awareness (GA) was my weakest subject because I was not naturally good at memorizing facts.

But instead of fearing GA, I simplified it.

I followed the Smartkeeda current affairs PDF daily and focused on:

• Around 15 key news items daily

• Reading smart points

• Revising during weekly tests

• Revising again during monthly tests

I often used small free moments, even while walking, to keep up with current affairs.

My formula was simple:
Read a little. Revise often.

That helped information stick naturally over time.

How She Kept Going Even When Her Family Needed Her the Most

Success stories often show the result, but not the difficult moments behind it. The hardest phase for me came just before the mains exams, i.e., a time when every aspirant starts taking the examination seriously, revises day and night, and tries to gain every possible mark.

However, life has its own ways to test us.

A few days before my exam, my grandmother was admitted to the hospital. My family situation turned out to be extremely difficult and demanding. My mother had to stay back in the hospital to take care of my grandmother. Additionally, my father was also away from town for some time.

Thus, the responsibility to manage my household now fell on my shoulders. While most students were spending the final week doing mock tests and last-minute revision, I was doing something else entirely.
I was:
Attending my office
Cooking my meals
Cleaning and managing household chores
Dealing with the family crisis

Around that period, I had almost completely stopped studying in the crucial week before the mains.
For many students, that would feel like the end. But for me, it was not the end — because my real preparation had already been done months earlier.
I had never prepared with a “just clear prelims first” mindset. From the beginning, I was preparing for main-level success. I had already built concepts, practiced enough, and developed discipline and consistency over time.

So when the storm came, my foundation was already strong. And that is why I still cleared my exams.


What Prerna Gave Up to Make Her Government Job Dream Come True
For me, clearing the SBI Clerk and IBPS Clerk was not just about studying hard. It was also about the sacrifices, discipline, and choices that I made quietly in the background.
While many people only saw the final result, very few saw what I had to give up to reach there.

Avoided Participation in Social Events

Since I knew my time was scarce, I decided to avoid all sorts of social events, such as weddings and other gatherings.
My mindset was simple.
If the function were truly important, I would go. If not, I  chose to stay back and protect my study time.
This strategy helped me make room for other important activities in my life.

She Used Social Media Realistically

There is a general impression among aspirants that you become successful when you remove all kinds of apps and distractions from your phone.

However, I feel different about it. According to me,

“When your intention is weak, deleting all kinds of apps will not help you. On the contrary, when your intention is strong, even distractions won’t be able to deter you from your goal.”
Whenever I felt mentally stressed while preparing for the exams, I used apps like Facebook and Instagram to relax.

At that time, I thought of them as a kind of relaxation and a great stress buster.

Her Parents Became Her Shield

One of the most emotional parts of my journey was the support I received from my parents.
My parents always protected me from outside pressure, especially questions from relatives about marriage.
As I neared the age when society often starts asking unnecessary questions, my parents made sure that pressure never reached me directly.
They were my shield, protecting me from negativity. Their support gave me mental peace, which is something every aspirant needs.

She Faced Financial Pressure — But Found a Way Forward

I faced tough times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and my father’s health problems.

Instead of giving up on my dreams, I took charge. In the first place, I began earning for my family by working in a school after finishing my studies. Later, I joined Smartkeeda, where I worked full-time while continuing my exam preparation. I never waited to make my life easy; I adjusted, worked hard, supported my family and in the end, I cleared the exams that lakhs of aspirants dreamt of.

Her Advice for Other Girls

The advice I would give to other girls struggling with financial difficulties, societal pressure, and self-doubt is that any challenge can be overcome if you persevere and think reasonably.
During financial difficulties at my home, I did not simply give up on myself. Instead, I decided to teach at a school and later found that my potential could be fulfilled through joining Smartkeeda.

Secondly, I want girls to understand that they should never allow society to dictate their timeline and aspirations.
Marriage pressure, financial struggles, and obligations may come, but ultimately, it is the girl’s own choice that determines her future.

 

Finally, the day arrived when Prerna's hard work paid off

It is only after many years of hard work and sacrifice that my moment finally came. First came the SBI Clerk, which I cleared successfully. The result made me Thrilled, and my mother and brother were also overjoyed with the news, and my father, who was far away at the time, felt very proud indeed. Shortly after, came another success – that of IBPS Clerk. I cleared both of these significant government exams in 2025. After years of hard work, I finally felt the breath of fresh air.
 

Lessons from Prerna — What You Can Take Away Today

Early mornings are powerful:

I used to wake up at 4:00 to 4:30 and consistently utilised those times in my study sessions. I believe that 4 hours of disciplined, active learning can outperform 8–10 hours of distracted and confusing preparation.

One topic at a time beats multi-subject chaos every single day:
I did not keep switching subjects every hour. I used to focus deeply on one topic until it was fully done. This strategy created rhythm and clarity, helping me learn hard topics faster.

Consistent preparation - last-minute cramming — skills stay with you like a trained boxer:
Preparation should begin early. Just like a boxer who has trained for years, when the real fight comes, the boxer does not start learning punches that day. In the same way, skills built through months of consistent preparation stay with you when the exam arrives.

A job while studying is not a disadvantage — it can teach you focus and cut out wasted time.
I believe full-time aspirants waste most of their time because they are way too distracted and always overthink, which wastes precious time, while candidates with jobs have very limited time, so they study with much focus in that minimal time, not overthinking.

Celebrate small wins along the way — every step matters
My success was built through small daily victories — waking up early, completing topics, improving mock scores, and staying consistent even during hard times. Every small step taken with discipline eventually leads to my success.

Don’t Compare Your Journey to Anyone Else — Run Your Own Race:
Everybody had a unique life. Comparison with other people’s lives just led to stress. Concentrate on yourself, your development, and your growth. I deeply believe that:
“You don’t have to be the next someone. You have to be the first you.”