https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

This UPPCS Topper’s Journey of Redemption

Shiv Pratap cracked UPPCS-2023 in his sixth attempt He wrote the Mains exam four times and gave his first interview this year Read his interesting journey here
Indian Masterminds Stories

Every civil servant’s journey is inspiring and conveys a message. However, only a few of them acknowledge that it was a story of redemption for their own faults. Shiv Pratap’s narrative teaches every aspirant that if you want to follow a road, be sure you’re heading in the proper direction. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait a long time to reach your goals.

Shiv Pratap secured rank fourth on his sixth attempt at the UPPCS-2023 exam. He is about to become SDM. However, if he had been properly prepared, he could have made it a long time ago. From syllabus to practice test, he disregarded several essential aspects of his preparation until the final attempt.

Speaking exclusively to Indian Masterminds, Shiv Pratap narrated his journey.

JOURNEY SO FAR

He began his preparations in 2016. It was his sixth attempt and his fourth mains. In his first and second attempts in 2016 and 2017, he failed to pass the prelims. In 2018, he passed the preliminary exams but failed the mains. The same thing happened in 2019, 21, and 22. He did not give the exam in 2020 because of Covid. The constant failure attempted to break him several times, but he never gave up.

Finally, he cracked the UPPCS-2023 exam with Rank 4 and will now be SDM.

Last year, he also attempted UPSC CSE, but could not crack it.

He said, “To put it simply, it has been a very mixed experience. It has been a long journey for me. There were many failures which gave me a lot of stress. But finally if success is achieved then it is a pleasant feeling.”

BACKGROUND

Shiv is from Kishni, Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. His father works for the government as a supply inspector, while his mother is a housewife. His grandfather was a sub-inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police. He has a brother. His mother was always supportive of his education, especially during times of failure.

He finished 12th grade at Kishni. Following that, he graduated (BA) from Shri Jiledar Singh Smarak Degree College, Mainpuri, in 2012. He also completed his post-graduate studies in Hindi Sahitya at IGNOU in 2022.

He had already decided to become a civil servant after graduation. However, due to family issues, he was unable to begin his preparations immediately upon graduating.

UPPCS PREPARATION

He made numerous mistakes in preparing in the early years. He admits that he did not study systematically.

He did not prepare prelims and mains together until the fifth attempt. But after fixing his faults, he was able to pass the exam.

He believes that Syllabus and PYQs are critical to this exam. It will provide a straightforward exam approach. For the mains exam, he went over the entire material from scratch.

He took short notes for the prelims. For mains, he focused on mock tests, which helped him.

He studied for 10 to 13 hours a day. He also enrolled in the Sanskriti IAS mains test preparation course.

He said, “I never considered what the commission required in the exam. I always took a relaxed approach. Perhaps this is why it took me so many attempts to pass the exam. But when my seniors advised me to read the syllabus unit by unit and study only what it contained, my preparedness improved.”

INTERVIEW

He was grilled extensively, as his interview lasted approximately 41 minutes. It was based on both facts and concepts. He stated that the board is now placing a greater emphasis on the analytical approach.

He was asked about S Jaishankar’s recent book, ‘Why Bharat Matters’. A board member inquired about the books in greater detail.

Aside from that, he was asked multiple questions about gender equality and why he would support it. One person related this to ‘Treta Yuga’ and ‘God Ram’ and then offered counter-questions.

He asked several factual questions about Science. One member asked him about India’s present foreign policy and whether it is headed in the right direction.

SUGGESTIONS

Shiv advised applicants to always focus on the subject and give as many mock tests as possible. Their will be nothing from out of the syllabus in the exam. Try to prepare for the prelims and main  together. Divide your study time in a 2:1 ratio for pre and mains. Never give up until you achieve your goal.

He emphasized that if one prepares properly for this exam, one can easily pass it in one or two years.

FUTURE AIM

Sharing his future goals, he stated, “Now, I will concentrate on UPSC CSE and will take the exam after thorough preparation. In the service, I intend to reach out to everyone in my work area. I will ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach the common people on time.”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Himachal Pradesh Police1
Himachal DGP Disc Award List Withdrawn Hours After Announcement Amid Leadership Transition
MP Police
MP Police Shake-Up: 10 IPS Officers Transferred, CM Mohan Yadav Acts Swiftly After Public Incidents
IRSSE (Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers) officer
IRSSE Gaurav Govil Debarred from Central Deputation for 5 Years Over Non-Compliance with CVO Appointment
Delhi High Court-resized-DelhiHC
Faith vs Discipline: Delhi HC Backs Army in Termination of Officer, Upholds Dismissal For Refusing Religious Parade Participation
IRS Officer Indian revenue Services
Senior IRS Officer Caught in Bribery Case: ₹25 Lakh Seized at Mohali Residence, ₹45 Lakh Demanded – Know the Full Story
PNB Housing Finanace
PNB Housing Finance Elevates Bhavya Taneja as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - Know More About Him
Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann
Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann Takes Over as Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command - Know More About Him
Rajgir Sports
Bihar’s Mega Sports Push: Playgrounds, Stadiums & Talent Hunt Transform State; Over 50 Lakh Students Join
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
Madhav Agarwal UPSC
From Gwalior to the Top 20: What Drove Finance Pro Madhav Agarwal to Crack UPSC CSE 2024 with AIR 16? | Exclusive
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
WhatsApp Image 2025-05-28 at 18.56
Didn’t Clear UPSC But Found Something Greater: A Story That Will Change How You See Success
She left a top finance job for UPSC, did not clear but built a thriving wellness brand instead. Veda's...
Social Media
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
UPSC Latest IAS IPS IFS
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Tomorrow: ICLS Officer Altap Shaikh Shares Last-Minute Motivation for Aspirants
His five-post thread offers encouragement, practical advice, and emotional support - not just for those...
Anupam Sharma IFS
#BoycottTurkey: IFS Officer Anupam Sharma Sparks Nationalist Call to Action
IFS Sharma urged citizens to avoid Turkish agricultural imports
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Himachal Pradesh Police1
Himachal DGP Disc Award List Withdrawn Hours After Announcement Amid Leadership Transition
MP Police
MP Police Shake-Up: 10 IPS Officers Transferred, CM Mohan Yadav Acts Swiftly After Public Incidents
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Madhav Agarwal UPSC
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT