If you are passionate about something and equally determined to achieve it, then no goal is bigger or difficult for you. Sandeep Jha of Madhubani district in Bihar has proved it with his series of successes. Due to his high achievements in education since childhood, not just his family but his entire village had high hopes from him. He was declared a child prodigy, and now with his two consecutive successes in UPSC CSE, he has proved it true.
Mr. Jha, who is currently under training as an IPS officer in Hyderabad, has secured AIR 24 in UPSC CSE 2022. Earlier, in 2021, he had secured AIR 186 and was allotted IPS. Since, his aim was to join IAS, he attempted again and made it. During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, he shared his mantra for success in any exam.
PREPARATION STARTED FROM CHILDHOOD
Hailing from Tardiha village in Madhepur block, Mr. Jha completed his primary education from a local government school. He had started showing his talents ever since he was a kid. His father used to always encourage him to attempt competitive exams. He qualified for Jawahar Navoday Vidalaya, and, thereafter, cracked IIT with AIR 1313 and went to Kharagpur for B.Tech in Computer Science. Cracking any academic competition was not much of a challenge for him as he had been preparing himself for this since school.
During the third year of his graduation, he realised that only UPSC CSE provides a bigger canvas to bring about some change and be of some use to society. So, he started preparing for it. He was well aware that this journey is very different from any other. So, he planned a strategy and followed it religiously. Not only did he focus on studies for around 10-12 hours daily, but also kept himself miles away from social media.
He told Indian Masterminds: “UPSC CSE is difficult as the syllabus is huge. So, every aspirant should focus on making plans of their own and follow it without a miss. I studied for that many hours. Some don’t need that much time, so each individual should strategise according to their strength and weakness.”
FULL FAMILY SUPPORT
He is the younger son of Suman Jha and Sunaina Devi. His elder brother is an engineer. All his family members stood by his side during his success, and failure too. In his first attempt in 2019, Mr. Jha couldn’t make it to the final list. He didn’t score good marks in his optional, which was Mathematics. In the next attempt, he cleared all his shortcomings and qualified for IPS. He gives the credit to his family, especially his father and brother. He said, “It wouldn’t have been possible without them. They trusted and supported me all throughout.”
He is currently a trainee IPS. After completing his foundation course in LBSNAA, he took few months leave from service to focus on UPSC CSE 2022. Now, that he has made it to the top ranks, he feels relieved.
CONSISTENT DISCIPLINE
Mr. Jha emphasizes that for success in any exam, one needs persistence and discipline. He is already guiding aspirants from his areas. No aspirant is ignored by him since he believes that everybody needs help and encouragement. And, he is determined to continue with it. “Even if you prepare well for UPSC CSE, you might not succeed in it. But, the journey trains you well to clear other exams. I will be glad if anyone would win in life using my help.”
He now looks forward to working in the field of education, as he thinks nothing can match its power.