Imagine failing in Maths in 11th grade, a subject considered the holy grail for Indian students aspiring to be doctors or engineers. Now, picture that same student, years later, not only cracking the extremely difficult UPSC civil services exam but acing it with an All India Rank of 47.
This is the remarkable story of Dr. Adarsh Singh, an IAS officer whose path to success defied expectations and proved that passion can trump perceived limitations.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Dr. Singh shared about his journey to civil service success. He is posted as Divisional Commissioner, Jhansi.
FAILED IN MATHS
Dr. Singh’s journey began with a societal pressure – the pressure to excel in science after scoring well in 10th grade. Despite his inclination towards humanities, he found himself grappling with Maths, eventually failing in his 11th-grade exam.
“This happened for the very first time in my entire academic school life. I was an above average student, but this was shocking for me,” Dr. Singh shared.
This unexpected stumble, however, became a turning point. He doubled down on his studies, and secured a decent score in Mathematics with overall good score in his 12th board exams.
MBBS TO CIVIL SERVICES
With his father being a doctor and Maths not his forte, MBBS seemed like the only option. He gave it a shot, but fate had other plans. He didn’t secure a seat, leading him to a year of introspection and dedicated preparation. The officer finally got into a medical college, but realized that this wasn’t his calling.
“Upon entering medical college, I harboured the misconception that the workload would be lighter compared to previous academic endeavours. However, reality hit hard as I soon discovered the rigorous demands of medical education,” the officer shared.
However, Dr. Singh was determined to find his true path. By his final year of medical school, a new dream had taken root – UPSC CSE. He embarked on a gruelling preparation journey, juggling his intensive internship in Delhi with late-night study sessions. This was his one shot, one dream with plan B non-existent. With unwavering focus and hard work, he cleared UPSC CSE 2006 in his first attempt with AIR 47.
CRACKING THE CIVIL SERVICES CODE
With limited time, Dr. Singh adopted a strategic approach. He emphasized personalized notes, focusing on revising the entire syllabus within an hour. Coaching provided valuable shortcuts, but he stressed the importance of choosing the right material and understanding score trends. His mantra? Hard work, relentless focus, and prioritizing battles – choosing the subjects that aligned with his aptitude and available resources.
His journey is a demonstration to the fact that success isn’t about shortcuts or instant gratification; it’s a marathon fuelled by passion, hard work, even when the world seems to have a different plan.
