Watch Indian Masterminds exclusive video interview with AIR-20 Anoushka Sharma. She shared why she came back to India after graduating in New York and how she started preparing for the civil services.

She also talked about the questions asked by the panellists in the interview round. But what was striking is that she sailed through the entire process for three and a half years with just self-study and learning from her mistakes.

Originally from Jaipur, Rajasthan, the Sharmas are now settled in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. With her father being employed in bank most of the time it was a transferable job. Anoushka though did most of her schooling from Mumbai and few years in Chandigarh.  

Soon after her 12th, Anoushka’s father was transferred to New York and she got to do her four years BBA course in Economics from Baruch College, City University of New York. When they returned to India in 2019, by October Anoushka’s mind was set for the UPSC. She tells Indian Masterminds, why she came back and chose civil services as her career option.

She talks about her first two failed attempts and what strategies she made to make sure that she cleared it this time.

The girl, who loves listening to music and dancing and what she always invariantly indulged in when the pressure was too high, said: “There was a complete disbelief that I got this rank because there is so much of unpredictability associated with the exam.” But along with it, there is “also a lot of gratitude and satisfaction for the success she has achieved,” she shared.

Anoushka shared how she balanced her mental and physical well-being along with her preparation and gave some important tips for the aspirants.