https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth….Finally in his Sixth Attempt Mr Pandey Cracks UPSC

Talk about not giving up. The success story of Mr Saurav Pandey, an engineer who made it to civil service on his sixth- and last- attempt who give heart to many aspirants.
Indian Masterminds Stories

You have an aim and you give your best to achieve it. However, even after lots of hard work and dedication, you lose. You lose not once or twice but for five times in a row. This is enough to break most peoples’ confidence. Naturally, you will feel demotivated and might want to give up. It is indeed very hard to face the defeat for five time consecutively. Then, they are few people like Mr. Saurav Pandey who don’t know how to give up. And they are the one who reap ricj rewards.

Mr. Pandey is today an IAS officer and it was only possible due to his remarkable perseverance, and not losing the sight of his aim- which was to clear UPSC. He did it in his sixth, and the last attempt. 

Shunning the Corporate Job

 Hailing from Varanasi, Mr. Pandey is a graduate in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from BITS (Pilani). Since his college offered elective system, so he got the chance to study International relation, Modern political concepts and Public administration apart from his main syllabus. 

Mr. Pandey cracked Civil Services exam in his sixth and final attempt

In an interview he said, “While studying these subjects I discovered my interest for civil services. Somewhere I had planned to go for it but then I got a job. I like engineering which made me happy for a while, and then maybe I lost in the charm of my job. Slowly I realized that I am not enjoying my work anymore and I decided to go for UPSC.”

Mr Pandey only had three months of preparation for the first attempt and he couldn’t crack it in 2015. However, this gave a lot of clarity to him and he moved to Delhi from Bangalore for preparation. He did his best but the result remained same in his 2016 attempt too. 

Lost due to a margin of less than one mark 

In 2016, he came very close to crack the prelims. The gap between his score and cut off was not even of one mark. This shattered him but he kept himself motivated. He decided to at least get a chance for writing Mains and then decide if UPSC is his cup of tea or not. Fortunately, he cracked his pre and mains both in 2017. However, even after the interview he couldn’t make it. He wanted to give another try and changed his preparation strategy a bit. Even then 2018 didn’t give him what he wanted. 

Wanted to give up, But Didn’t

Mr. Pandey has been allocated the West Bengal Cadre

For the last two attempts, Mr. Pandey reached till the interview round but the final success eluded him. He had already completed his fifth attempt and was demotivated completely. But he decided to give one last shot. “That was the time when my parents and friend acted like angels. There was not more time left for the 2019 prelims. All of them advised me to give prelims and not to worry about anything. I believed in them and gave the exam”, said Mr. Pandey.

This was it. Finally, Mr. Pandey’s years of dedication worked and he secured 66th rank in his last attempt. 

He says that if everyone starts working on their weakness, nothing is impossible. “No matter what, never be over-confident about your strong points. Even if you believe you are excellent in one subject, you should not ignore it. Keep practicing and revising”, he said in an interview. 

Now, Mr Pandey is in the last phase of training and has been allotted the West Bengal cadre. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Haryana gov resized
Haryana Set to Promote Two IPS Officers to Director General of Police
Complaint
Complaint Filed Against Senior IPS Officer for Sending Inappropriate Messages
Jammu and Kashmir Government
Three IAS Officers Assigned New Postings in J&K; Check Names Here
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services
Senior IAS Officer Rajendra Ratnoo Opts for Voluntary Retirement
SEBI
SEBI Appoints 3 New Executive Directors: Amit Pradhan, Avneesh Pandey & Sanjay Purao Take Charge
Lateral_entry_resized
No Reservation in Lateral Govt Job Entries, Centre Tells Rajya Sabha Citing Single-Post Rule
DelhiPolice
Top-Level Shake-Up in Delhi Police: 3 IPS Officers Reassigned Amid Security Concerns; Chahal Named DG, Civil Defence
mp
MP’s ₹3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, ₹5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Haryana gov resized
Haryana Set to Promote Two IPS Officers to Director General of Police
Complaint
Complaint Filed Against Senior IPS Officer for Sending Inappropriate Messages
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT