Failing Thrice in UPSC to Get the Top 9 Rank

Ravi Jain from Jharkhand topped UPSC CSE 2019 in his 4th attempt with AIR 9. Before UPSC CSE, he had got through SSC and the state civil service exams, also. He gives more importance to self-study and considers coaching as just a passing guide.

Indian Masterminds Stories

To become a civil servant is a dream of many. However, only for a few, this dream comes true. Just as civil service is one of the most prestigious careers, to get into it one has to pass one of the toughest exams in the country. Many try, many fail and give up on their dream. However, there are a few who keep on trying till they get what they want. One of the UPSC CSE 2019 toppers, Ravi Jain, falls in the latter category.

He failed consecutively in the CSE exams for three years, yet never gave up, kept his spirits also up till he cracked the exam in style by coming in the top 10. He bagged the 9th rank in his fourth attempt! Indian Masterminds takes a close look at this young man’s journey from failure to success.

BEGINNING OF A DREAM

Ravi’s completed his early education in his home district, Deoghar, in Jharkhand. Always an excellent student, he cleared the 12^th grade with good results and took admission in Instrumentation and Control in the Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, Delhi. After completing his engineering, he worked in a reputed foreign company for almost a year. But by now, he had a dream of doing something for the country and its people. So, he made up his mind to prepare for UPSC CSE and left his corporate job to focus completely on the preparation.

WORKING ON IT

During this time, Ravi cleared the Bihar Public Service Commission’s Combined Civil Services Examination with 128th rank and got appointed as an Assistant Commissioner of Taxes. He also got selected as Assistant Audit Officer in CAG through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam. But his dream job was in Indian Administrative Service, and he kept on working towards it. His hard work finally paid off when he cleared UPSC CSE in his fourth attempt with AIR 9 in 2019.

Ravi says, “The most important thing for success in UPSC exam is your own study. If you are not able to do coaching for any reason, there is no need to worry. I had taken coaching myself, but later I felt that it was not much needed. Coaching is just fine for some degree of guidance. You can crack UPSC by working hard on your own.”

He adds that what’s important is to have a never-say-die attitude and to make your own strategy and manage time efficiently. “If you do this much, success is certain.”

He further says that that nowadays everything is available on the net, from toppers’ blogs and interviews to strategies. The candidates can see them to form an idea of the exam and how to go about it. He believes that answer writing is as important as limiting your resources and practicing a lot of old questions. “For this, refer previous year question papers. Give a lot of mock tests and correct your mistakes. Any candidate can crack this exam by preparing in the right direction with right planning.”

After getting 9th Rank, felicitated by then Deputy Commissioner of Deoghar

INCHING CLOSER

Ravi says that instead of going deep into the questions asked in the interview, it’s more important to focus on your personality. Express yourself better in the interview and admit when you don’t know an answer. He reveals that although he could not answer many questions in the interview, he did not panic. He just politely said that he did not know the answer. The interviewers mainly look for confidence in a candidate. However, he is all for giving mock interviews before going for the actual one.

RECREATIONAL SUPPORT

According to Ravi, apart from studies, recreational activities are very important, too. Whether you watch a movie or play a sport, leisure activity will keep you mentally fit and refreshed. At the same time, it is better if you limit the use of social media which, he feels, acts mostly as a distraction during the preparation period.