It is said that ‘You never fail until you stop trying’, and such is the story of Jayant Puri who sailed through the UPSC CSE 2020 exam in his last and final attempt. From not even being able to crack the mains round in his first five attempts, he came through with flying colours in all the rounds this time, scoring AIR 210!
THE PREPARATION DAYS
Jayant Puri is a resident of Chandigarh and got his B Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Patna in 2013. Coming from a family of doctors and engineers, Jayant, however, chose to serve the nation in a different way. In the final year of his engineering, he decided to appear for the UPSC Civil Service Exam. After his graduation, he got placed in a good job, but he left it after six months to focus solely on UPSC preparation. He opted for Public Administration as his optional because of its relevance to the job role of a civil servant.
In an exclusive interview with INDIAN MASTERMINDS, he said, “I used to dedicate seven to eight hours to study between the prelims and mains exams. Some days, it was more than eight hours if I include the mock tests and classes. As an aspirant, I had my ups and downs in my productivity level. So, once in a while, it even went down to zero hour. It’s okay to have a break in between.”
THE FIRST FIVE ATTEMPTS
In 2014, he made his first attempt to crack UPSC, where he got as far as prelims. This boosted his morale to appear again. Likewise, in the next four attempts, he kept clearing prelims but failed to clear mains. He went through an emotional turmoil, but his results graph kept him motivated. He said, “Marksheets are the best teacher. It highlighted the areas where I had to focus more. I kept on improving, and in my fourth attempt, it was a big jump for me as I was just a few marks away from the cut-off. It acted as a good boost to my morale.” All his hard work paid off when he nailed all three rounds in his sixth attempt and achieved All India Rank 210. He says his families and friends had been a pillar of support all throughout.
FUTURE GOALS
Jayant wants to become an IAS officer, but, nevertheless, whichever service he gets, he will give his best. He said, “I am happy to get this opportunity to give back to society which has given so much to me. It all depends on the role, the opportunities and the platform I get. My ultimate goal is to make people proud of my work during my limited span on earth.”
TIPS FOR ASPIRANTS
Keeping oneself calm and viewing the unsuccessful attempts not as failures but as ways to improve, helps you stay positive, Jayant feels. “I inculcated this attitude and believed that if I put in enough effort and work hard, I will definitely crack it,” he said. Giving his views on how technology can help in preparation, he remarked: “Technology is a two-edged sword. It’s very beneficial if used as an advantage. As for me, it helped me to connect to my friends who had already cleared UPSC, to seek their advice and, also, to know about the latest success stories for motivation. But, sometimes, taking a break from it might be helpful as well. So, I did take a break for three months before the exam to fully concentrate on the preparation.”
The adage, ‘You become stronger, wiser, and more resilient each time you suffer a defeat’, beautifully sums up the life of Jayant Puri. His consistency and never-give-up attitude fetched him the fruit of success in the end.
