Latest news with #CivilServicesExaminations
Mint
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Who is Shakti Dubey? How did she clear UPSC Civil Service examination after 5 attempts?
Out of 9.92 lakh people who applied for Civil Services Examinations, Shakti Dubey from Uttar Pradesh came out shining by securing the first rank in all-India exam. She cracked it after five unsuccessful attempts. The UPSC stated that about 28% of all recommended candidates were women, adding that in the top five candidates, three were women, at the ranks of 1, 2, and 4, and 11 candidates were women out of top 25 rank-holders. Shakti Dubey hails from Naini, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. She had graduated from the University of Allahabad and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) prior to beginning her preparation for the civil services examination around 2018. She secured first rank in CSE 2024. Her subject included Biochemistry at the undergraduate level. She passed the CSE with the optional subject of Political Science and International Relations. She initially thought to become a doctor. 'I was a PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) student in school, but based on my rank, I was allotted a seat in dental. I wasn't interested in that path, so I chose to pursue a BSc instead,' Indian Express quoted Dubey as saying. 'I couldn't even clear the prelims in my first three tries. In the fourth attempt, I made it to the interview stage but fell short. And last year, I missed the cut-off by just 12 marks. That was the lowest point in my life—I genuinely thought about quitting,' she added. 'I'm going to sleep peacefully tonight. For years, jo neend puri nahi hui, aaj usko pura karungi (Today, I'll make up for the years of lost sleep)," Dubey mentioned. "Shakti studied till Class 12 at the SMC Ghoorpur, just nearby, and later topped the exam from the University of Allahabad," her father, Devendra Dubey, a sub-inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police said. "After graduation, she pursued from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where she also topped. Though we initially sent her to Delhi for coaching, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return home and she continued her preparations on her own," he added. UPSC CSE Interview took place between January 7 to April 17, 2025. After Dubey, the list of five toppers consisted of Harshita Goyal, Dongre Archit Parag , Shah Margi Chirag, and Akash Garg. First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 08:43 AM IST
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Foundation lies in the books, go back to the basics: UPSC rank 8 holder Raj Krishna Jha
After four attempts, this year, Raj Krishna Jha had a definitive feeling that he would clear the UPSC examination. His intuition was strong because he was scoring well in mock tests. He, however, didn't expect to secure rank 8. 'Nowhere was I confident that I would be getting this far', he said while talking to The Hindu. Last year, which was his fourth attempt, Mr. Jha had missed the cut-off by two marks. As is obvious, he felt demotivated when he didn't get the results he had hoped. 'But I had a picture in my head saying I have to clear this exam. That's what mattered in the end', he said. Background Hailing from Athari, a small village in Sitamarhi district in northern Bihar, Mr. Jha said his will to pursue civil services came due to an understanding of rural issues. 'Coming from that background, one has a sense to contribute to the society or the village as much as one can', he said. Mr. Jha's education is shaped by many geographies. Till Class 10, he studied in Nepal. His Class 12 was completed under the Bihar School Examination Board. He later did his in Mechanical Engineering at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) in Prayagraj formerly known as Allahabad. With a full-time job Mr. Jha is currently working as an Assistant Manager at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Kolhapur. While one would consider it an obstacle in full-time preparation for UPSC, Mr. Jha had a different outlook. His role involved handling business, ensuring supply of essential commodities, it was challenging. There are hits and misses in these projects. Striving to achieve them, required Mr, Jha to understand clear targets, create structured plans, and meet deadlines. 'This experience helped me learn how to develop an achievable plan', he said. Mr. Jha used to study for three to four hours after work every day and utilised weekends as much as possible. 'Whatever free time I got, I tried to make the most of it', he said. Back to basics approach Mr. Jha chose Geography as his optional subject as he found it interesting. Though he had a keen interest in the subject, having the right strategy is what changed the game for him. The last two years, Mr. Jha focused a lot on additional material, online resources, pdfs, and more. This year though he went back to the basics. He studied word to word from the textbooks. Advising upcoming aspirants he says, 'The foundation lies in the books, go back to the basics'. The Union Public Service Commission on Tuesday declared the Final Results for the 2024 Civil Services Examinations, recommending a total of 1,009 candidates for appointment to the IAS, IFS, IPS, and Central Services across the country.
