The famous scientist Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Today, the hero of our UPSC success story, Shubham Vats, embodies this wisdom. His persistence and resilience led him to achieve a feat that only a few people in this country attain yearly.
There is perhaps no greater disappointment than being on the brink of success, only to see it slip away. And when one fails to identify and correct the mistakes that led to this setback, the road becomes even more difficult. This is especially true for a tough exam like the UPSC, where every attempt feels like a battle. For Shubham Vats, success didn’t come easily; he had to wait until his fifth attempt to finally achieve his goal. But his determination paid off when he secured the 19th rank in the Indian Forest Services (IFS) exam.
Shubham’s journey was filled with moments of frustration. Missing the prelims by just one mark and falling short of the final list by only three marks seemed unbearable. Yet, he never gave up. Despite the setbacks, his courage and persistence eventually led him to victory.
Indian Masterminds had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Shubham to learn more about his inspiring journey and the lessons he learned along the way.
JOURNEY SO FAR
Shubham began his UPSC journey in the final year of his graduation. He gave his first attempt at UPSC CSE 2019 but fell short by just one mark in the prelims. Undeterred, he went on to clear the prelims in every subsequent attempt. In his second attempt, UPSC CSE 2020, he made it to the interview round but missed out on the final list by 20 marks. In 2021, he reached the mains stage but couldn’t clear it. The following year, in UPSC 2022, he not only cracked the UPSC IFS prelims but also made it to the IFS interview round. However, once again, he missed the final list – this time by just 3 marks.
But 2023 was different. In his fifth attempt, he finally realized his dream by securing an All India Rank of 19 in the IFS exam. His name also appeared in the reserve list for the UPSC CSE 2023. Yet, his journey doesn’t end there. Shubham is still pursuing his ultimate goal of becoming an IAS officer. He gave his final attempt this year, sat for the UPSC CSE mains exam, and is now awaiting an interview call.
Reflecting on his long and challenging journey, Shubham shared, “The best part of this story is that there was a lot of learning along the way. This journey has taught me how to confront life’s problems and how to choose what’s best for myself. I was a bright student from the start, so I thought success would come easily, but UPSC showed me the mirror like it does for everyone else.”
“CHOOSE YOUR OPTIONAL WISELY”
Reflecting on the reasons behind his repeated near-misses, he identifies one crucial mistake: choosing the right optional subject. “My only mistake was selecting Mathematics as my optional,” he says. “I focused heavily on it, but when it came to the exam, I couldn’t keep my nerves in check. As someone from an engineering background, it seemed like a natural choice, but when things started to go off track, I should have changed my approach. For some reason, I didn’t. Had I switched after my second or third attempt, I believe I would have been selected in the very next one.”
While Shubham consistently scored well in the General Studies (GS) papers, the problem always lay with his optional subject. He admits, “I struggled with my optional. Technical subjects tend to get overly complicated, and that was my challenge. In both CSE and IFS, my mains were held back because of Mathematics. If anyone finds themselves in a similar situation, I would strongly advise them to consider changing their optional subject.”
A FAMILY OF BUREAUCRATS
He originally hails from Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh, but due to his father’s career in the Air Force, his family moved to Bangalore, where Shubham was born and raised. His mother is a homemaker. He has two brothers and one sister. His elder brother, Gaurav Vats, is an officer in the 2018 batch of the Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS). His twin brother, Jai Vats, also cleared the civil services exam this year and is set to join the Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS).
He completed his basic education up to the 12th grade in Bangalore before going on to pursue a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from NITK Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka.
MOVING TO OLD RAJINDER NAGAR
After completing his graduation, he moved to Old Rajinder Nagar in Delhi to focus on his UPSC preparation, where he lived until his final selection in 2023. He enrolled in coaching classes for his optional subject and approached his UPSC preparation with a simple yet effective strategy. He would make detailed notes for both the prelims and mains, paying special attention to key terms that he believed were essential to include in his answers. He emphasizes that aspirants should identify these key terms and align their preparation with the syllabus to improve their exam performance.
For the prelims, Shubham’s preparation was solid from the start, which is why, in his first three attempts, he only focused on revision just before the exam. However, in his later attempts, he took a more thorough approach to current affairs and placed greater emphasis on revising his notes.
When asked about preparing for both CSE and IFS simultaneously, he admits it’s as challenging as it sounds. However, he had strong support from his family, who encouraged him every step of the way. “They kept telling me, ‘You can do it.’ So, as soon as my CSE mains exam was over, I would dive straight into the IFS mains preparation,” he says. He adds, “If forestry is studied properly, it can be covered in about 20 days.”
One of his strengths was his excellent writing skills, which helped him perform well in both the General Studies (GS) and Forestry papers.
For his CSE, Shubham chose Mathematics as his optional subject, and for IFS, he had both Mathematics and Forestry as his options. He advises aspirants with technical options to dedicate significant time and effort to mastering their chosen subject, emphasizing that thorough preparation is key to success.
WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES AT THE INTERVIEW
Shubham’s interview experience was a positive one, despite being with the Suman Sharma board, which is known for awarding lower marks. His interview went smoothly, and he had an engaging discussion on a range of topics, from electric vehicles (EVs) to the economy. The questions were practical, challenging him to think critically.
During the IFS interview, he was asked questions related to forestry and his hobbies, which include photography and watching wildlife documentaries. One of the most interesting parts of the interview was a discussion on snow leopards and man-eating tigers. Shubham had a candid conversation with the board members, who even shared their own wildlife experiences. They discussed the challenges associated with snow leopards and the issues surrounding man-eater tigers.
He was pleasantly surprised by the friendly nature of the discussion. “I never expected the panel to engage in such a friendly conversation and share their own experiences,” he said. “It was really nice of them.”
SUGGESTIONS
Advising fellow aspirants, he said, “The first step in this journey is to thoroughly understand the syllabus. It forms the foundation of everything. After that, making your notes is crucial—it’s mandatory. We all know our weaknesses, and notes help us address them. Additionally, it’s important to focus on your optional subject and the process of selecting it carefully.”
