He failed more than 15 examinations. Failed two SSB attempts. Couldn’t clear UPSC CSE Prelims in 2021. His first two CAPF attempts also ended without clearing the written stage.
But Mayank Sachan kept appearing for the next examination.
After serving for 15 years as a sailor in the Indian Navy, the former serviceman has now secured AIR 343 in the UPSC CAPF Examination 2025.
For Mayank, the result is not just about one examination. It is the outcome of years spent balancing military service, academics, competitive examinations and repeated setbacks.
His journey began in Kanpur, where he grew up in a family with limited financial resources. His father worked as an electrician in a private factory, and Mayank has two siblings.
After completing Classes 10 and 12 at a government school, engineering was beyond what his family could afford.
So, he chose another path to serve the country. He joined the Indian Navy as a sailor.
A Sailor Who Kept Studying
For the next 15 years, Mayank’s life revolved around the demands of naval service. But alongside his responsibilities, he continued his education.
He completed his graduation and later pursued a postgraduate degree in public administration from IGNOU.
It was not easy to prepare for competitive examinations while meeting operational requirements in the Navy.
“There were a lot of challenges in the Indian Navy fulfilling operation requirements as well as my examination,” he shared with Indian Masterminds.
Yet, the examinations continued.
Mayank appeared for SSB twice—once for CDS and once for a commission-worthy entry. He could not clear either.
Then came more examinations. And more failures. He estimates that he failed more than 15 examinations during this phase of his life.
But instead of treating each failure as the end of the road, he kept preparing for another opportunity.
Even UPSC CSE Couldn’t Break the Cycle
In 2021, Mayank appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
He did not clear the preliminary examination.
The CAPF examination brought another set of challenges. His first two attempts did not make it past the written stage.
For someone already carrying years of service and repeated examination failures, it would have been easy to stop.
Mayank chose to attempt it again. The third attempt changed everything. He cleared the UPSC CAPF Examination 2025 and secured All India Rank 343.
After 15 years in the Navy, he was now moving towards another opportunity to serve the country.
What the Navy Taught Him
Mayank believes his years in the Indian Navy played a major role in shaping the person he became.
Military service taught him to remain calm under pressure, maintain discipline and handle responsibilities even when circumstances were demanding.
Those qualities stayed with him when he returned to the examination cycle.
“The Indian Navy shaped me into a mature, calm, composed, and disciplined individual,” he says.
For Mayank, these were not just qualities required during service. They became part of how he approached failure.
An unsuccessful result did not mean that the preparation had been wasted. It meant there was another lesson to carry into the next attempt.
‘I Will’
There was one thought that Mayank kept returning to through years of unsuccessful attempts.
“One thing in mind, one I will.”
It was a simple belief, but one that kept him moving after each setback.
His journey from a government school in Kanpur to the Indian Navy and eventually to AIR 343 in UPSC CAPF 2025 was built over years rather than months.
He also believes his experience holds a lesson for other aspirants, particularly those who may feel discouraged after repeated failures.
His advice is straightforward:
“Always believe in yourself and stay persistent.”
Mayank Sachan’s CAPF result may have come in 2025, but the preparation behind that rank began much earlier—with a young student from Kanpur who could not afford to pursue engineering, a sailor who studied alongside his naval duties, and an aspirant who kept returning to the examination hall even after more than 15 failures.
For him, AIR 343 is not the story of one successful attempt. It is the result of refusing to let the unsuccessful ones have the final word.
