https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

What It Takes To Be A Civil Servant, Know From Kanpur’s Divyank Gupta

Divyank Gupta cleared UPSC CSE 2022 with AIR 357 in his third attempt He solved 10,000 questions for Prelims, sat for 25 tests for GS, 40 tests for optional, and did 80 mock interviews However, to improve his rank, he has given Prelims 2023 as well
Indian Masterminds Stories

As the pressure of clearing the most prestigious and difficult examination of UPSC – CSE – builds up over time, many aspirants get demotivated and quit. But Divyank Gupta from Kanpur, whose mental health suffered during Prelims and Mains, fought hard to overcome it and cracked UPSC CSE 2022 with All India Rank 357.

“It was a surreal feeling,” he said, while speaking with Indian Masterminds.

FROM IIT KANPUR TO UPSC

Born and brought up in Kanpur, Divyank Gupta is a graduate in B.Tech from IIT-Kanpur. Soon after completing his graduation, he decided not to sit for placement and instead start preparing for UPSC CSE. His father is a businessman who runs a general store and mother is a homemaker.

This was Divyank’s third attempt. In his previous two attempts, he couldn’t clear. In 2020, he reached till the interview round but couldn’t make it to the final list. In 2021, he couldn’t clear Prelims, but, finally, in the CSE 2022, he managed to clear the exam with rank 357.

However, this is not the end of his UPSC journey as he has also given UPSC CSE 2023 prelims examination. “I’ve given the exam for rank improvement and am quite sure that I’ll make it,” he told Indian Masterminds

Divyank Gupta with his family

WHERE HE DREW INSPIRATION FROM

On being asked what inspired him to go for CSE, he shared that the nature of the job fascinated and motivated him a lot. He interacted with his college seniors who are in the service. “I wasn’t looking for any desk job which pays you much but there is no job satisfaction as such. So, I decided to move towards CSE, where the impact which you can make is very high,” he said. 

The thought, ‘Why you started this preparation’, was always at the back of his mind and motivated him a lot. “My family, especially my brother, has been a strong support all through this journey,” he said, adding that whenever he was demoralized, demotivated and stressed, his brother stood by him and helped him to come back on track and start afresh.

STRONG PREPARATION WITH MATHS AS OPTIONAL

Divyank’s strategy was to firstly understand the syllabus and store it in his mind. Simultaneously, he looked at the previous year question papers which helped him to predict questions up to a certain extent. “I was prepared for those questions beforehand,” he said.

A lot of practice went into achieving this rank. For Prelims, he solved around 10,000 questions, for Mains, he wrote 25 tests for GS alone. And, for optional, he wrote 40 tests which helped him immensely.

He further shared that in the interview round, he scored the highest mark in the board he was assigned. For the interview, he practiced and gave 70-80 mocks with one of his friends. “I practiced to such an extent that the questions which were asked in the interview were actually from those sessions which we did,” he said.

With the right kind of attitude and mental alertness, Divyank managed to jump from score 151 to 201 in the interview this time round.

His optional subject was Mathematics for which he got the right guidance from his seniors and a lot of resource materials. “I chose the subject as I was always good in Maths and it’s a scoring subject as well,” he added. A couple of mistakes notwithstanding, Divyank could score 265 in his optional subject.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
CM mohan yadav
CM Dr. Mohan Yadav to Lay Foundation Stone for Four Industrial Units in Sehore on August 2
Reserve-Bank-of-India_RBI_resized
Two Years After Withdrawal, Rs2,000 Notes Worth Rs6,017 Cr Still with Public: RBI
Maritime India
Sonowal Says India’s Maritime Sector Charts Green Future Under Maritime India Vision 2030
IRCTC
IRCTC Appoints Manoj Kumar Sharma as Director (Catering Services) with Additional Charge- Know More About Him
Ministry of Commerce
Nearly 2 Lakh Startups Registered on BHASKAR Platform Across India, Asserts Commerce Ministry
Union Bank of India UBI
Union Bank of India Elevates Vipan Singh as Chief General Manager Following Superannuation of Chander Mohan Minocha
India Algeria defence cooperation
India-Algeria Defence Seminar Boosts Bilateral Ties and Industrial Cooperation - Details Inside
Rahul Kumar
German Delegation Led by Rahul Kumar to Visit Uttarakhand, Focus on Youth Skill Development and Indo-German Cooperation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
CM mohan yadav
CM Dr. Mohan Yadav to Lay Foundation Stone for Four Industrial Units in Sehore on August 2
Reserve-Bank-of-India_RBI_resized
Two Years After Withdrawal, Rs2,000 Notes Worth Rs6,017 Cr Still with Public: RBI
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT