If you miss your goal by just a whisker after having worked really hard, obviously you will feel very disappointed. But, at that point of time, it is important to believe in yourself more as ‘hard work never goes to waste’.
As it’s said, you lose only when you stop trying. And such is the story of Pawan Gupta who cracked UPSC IFS 2022 with AIR 90. Hailing from Agra, the son of a small businessman faced hard luck in his entire journey, but never stopped pushing himself to try again and again. And, finally, he made it to the final list of the Indian Forest Service, and is now waiting to join it.
UPs AND DOWNs
A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from NIT Durgapur, he passed out from college in 2014. Although, he wanted to become a civil servant from a young age, he still joined a job in TATA Motors for financial independence. While continuing the job, he appeared for UPSC CSE in 2015 and couldn’t clear the Prelims. It was difficult for him to manage job and studies, so he quit his job in 2016 and again appeared in the exam but in vain. In 2017, once again he couldn’t clear the Prelims.
Year 2018 brought in a little luck for him, as this time he cleared the Prelims for both CSEand IFS. While he couldn’t clear the Mains of civil services, he reached only till the interview round of IFS. It was difficult for him to get over the fact that he missed the train once again.But, destiny had some other plan for him. He had already appeared in the Indian Engineering Service exam and had cleared the Prelims. So, he took a year off from everything else and just focused on clearing IES.
TIRED OF STUDYING
In 2018, Mr. Gupta was very positive about getting into the interview of CSE but he couldn’t. He didn’t have a job now and success in the exams was also uncertain. Talking about that phase, he said, “It was really difficult for me. I desperately wanted a job. I was tired of studying and living in Delhi alone. I was feeling lost. The only thing I had to look up to was IES Mains. So, I decided to focus on that.”
His decision worked and withing eight months, he cracked IES with AIR 17, and is now serving as an Assistant Work Manager in Indian Railways in Kapurthala. This success helped build back his confidence. He felt more relaxed and ready to take up more challenges. He said that the job gave him confidence and but he still wasn’t satisfied with this success and kept pushing himself for more. Again, it became difficult for him to manage his job and studies. Yet, he focused on taking one small step at a time and maintained his consistency in studies.
In 2020, he gave interview for both CSE and IFS, but again missed the final list. He had to drop the 2021 attempt due to his IES training (as he took one year leave before joining). But, at last, came the good news he was waiting for. In 2022, although he couldn’t make it to the final list of CSE, he was finally able to get into IFS!
CHOOSING OPTIONALS
Mr. Gupta chose Mechanical Engineering as his optional in CSE and added Forestry as the second optional for the IFS exam. It was not a well calculated choice for him. He said that he didn’t know much about optionals, so he took his graduation subject. The subject is vast and has certain drawbacks, as it doesn’t help with General Science preparation. But, he stuck to it as he scored well in it in his Mains.
“While the subject is vast, it opens opportunities for you in other exams like Forest and Engineering services. So, one has to take a call on choosing it,” he said.
HOW HE PREPARED
The syllabus for Mechanical Engineering in UPSC CSE is very different than what is taught in graduation. One needs to have a deeper understanding about it. Hence, Mr. Gupta only focused on previous year questions and making notes in condensed form. Elaborating about it, he said, “I collected all the previous year questions for the subjects (civil, forest and engineering services). I used to collect all similar types of questions about a topic in one place. This made my notes condensed and I didn’t had to open book multiple times.”
Sharing a trick on making notes, he mentioned that one should make notes in such a way that it can be revised within 5 days. When asked how to prepare for Prelims, he said, “No matter how the pattern changes, anyone with a strong hold on the basics can clear it. The focus should be on doing the right answers rather than many answers.”
KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN
In conclusion, he said that UPSC CSE or any other exam is not the end of life. One should plan keeping in mind the worst-case scenario and try for other career options as well. If nothing else, then one should do Master’s or higher studies in their optional subject which can become a good career option. He also advised against sitting in one room, separating oneself from the outside world, to prepare for the exams.
“If you have completed your coaching, then no place can offer you anything else. I would advise aspirants to be with their families. Staying away from family for long can have negative consequences. Family can provide you the happy and healthy environment that is required to crack this exam,” he said.
