In the past, UPSC toppers shared their insight and hacks for clearing the exam. But while lakhs of India’s brightest young minds aspire to become a Civil Services officer, each year; not everyone clears the exam.
Hence, one such aspirant, Shruti Pandey opened up about her journey of prepping for the UPSC exams she didn’t clear and the unexpected lessons she learnt from the experience.
2017: I dropped out of college to pursue the UPSC exam and live the dream of reaching LBSNAA. I was excited about the new journey. I left my technical and creative skills behind to live the dream.
— Shruti Pandey (@srtpandata) September 28, 2021
She reveals that she dropped out of college to prepare for the exam in 2017 and initial failure did not deter her.
2018: I started again. I thought I had failed prelims and I started losing hope. But I cleared, misery was delayed. In the mains exam hall, I again heard stories of people giving 4th or 5th attempts. It drained me a bit.
— Shruti Pandey (@srtpandata) September 28, 2021
She says she ignored the red flag and believed failing and starting again like many others is a common part of UPSC preparation.
2019: I didn't clear mains and started for prelims, yet again. The next 6 months changed my perspective. The feeling of having a greater purpose in life started kicking in. I was curious to know what I am capable of, beyond UPSC
— Shruti Pandey (@srtpandata) September 28, 2021
When she failed in her 2018 and 2019 attempts, she was a bit bogged down on noticing that some aspirants were giving their 4th or 5th attempt at clearing the exam. That’s when her perspective changed and she started to look at her career beyond UPSC.
I failed Prelims 2019 and went to Mussorie to take a break. I decided to move on. I decided to pick data science as my career. It took a lot of effort. Everyone talked of someone who gave all the 6 attempts and then quit, but no talks of someone who left before 6 attempts.
— Shruti Pandey (@srtpandata) September 28, 2021
Shruti explains that after a trip to Mussorie and some self-reflection, she chose Data science as a career.
She summarizes her experience by sharing, “Remember that UPSC is a qualifying examination for administrative posts. It is a piece of life and not your life. Fail and fail with pride. You are worth more than the exam.”
As Richard Branson once said, “Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.”