I am Laghima Tiwari, an aspirant of Civil Services. I recently took the UPSC examination 2022 and passed it on my first attempt with an all-India rank of 19. I am 23 years old and the first person in my family to get a civil services job.I was raised in a family in Rajasthan and lived in Alwar. I completed my schooling at the New Green Field School and then a B.tech in electronics and communication from the Delhi Technological University.
My father, Satish Chandra, and mother, Kanta Sharma, are extremely proud of the achievement that I have made. Both of them belong to Alwar and have completed schooling in Delhi. My mother is a devoted housewife, and my father is a teacher at a government school in Delhi. My grandfather had a lifelong wish that one of our family members would serve in the civil services. I am delighted that I was the one who satisfied my late grandfather’s wish. All my family members are thrilled with the accomplishment.
From a very early age, I had a clear mindset that I would be the one who would acknowledge my grandfather’s dream. From classes 9 to 12, I had a biology background and had an interest in Science from a young age. I concentrated on my studies and made good preparation, and my only dream was to make my family members and parents happy by achieving my goals. I aimed to get the opportunity to work for the civil services and make my country proud.
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I could not believe that I cracked the UPSC examination on my first attempt and had a 19th rank. It was like a dream come true achievement for me, and it was an unexpected success for me. I always wanted to crack the UPSC examination on my first attempt, and it was very emotional news for my family members when I achieved my goal. The prelims examinations were just four days after the UPSC exam results, and I was relieved that I didn’t have to give the upcoming exams after I cleared my UPSC Examination on the first attempt.
The biggest inspiration that I had was the dream that my grandfather mentioned about. He always wanted a family member to pursue a career in civil services and make the family proud. Hearing that motivated me a lot to study and pursue a career in civil services. My parents have also been a guiding light and have helped me with my achievement. Both of them have been the biggest inspirations in my life, especially my father, who is a teacher and has helped me with all my doubts at regular intervals in my life.
I did not believe in any coaching strategy and wanted to complete the UPSC test independently. I had a huge belief in self-study and had planned my schedule to clear such a complex examination. Planning the schedule helps to study faster and makes it easier. Studying for the entire day was unnecessary as it was different from my plan. I studied every day for specific hours and had a consistent effort which was the reason for my success. I have been preparing for the UPSC examination 2022 since May 2021 and had one year of preparation when I covered all the topics.
I did not opt for any coaching classes for my UPSC examination and relied solely on all the test series and their self-study. The coaching classes can also be a good option, as I had an optional anthropology, but I did not require any extra coaching classes. These coaching classes are very effective as they will provide you with essential details of the UPSC examination and guide your success and how to acknowledge a career in civil services.
I suggest to the other aspirants preparing for any competitive examination that they have a preparation strategy in advance, which will effectively help them handle the examination’s stress. Make the plan very flexible, have a study schedule consistently, and take a short break at regular intervals. I also emphasize a continuous effort on revision which will help the examination’s success. From my experience, I learned a lot from the mock test mistakes, which the other students can also check. The candidates should not waste any time after their prelims and they need to start the preparation for the main examination.
I planned my entire study schedule and had a balanced approach towards consistent studying and taking a break at specific intervals to manage the workload. Studying at regular intervals gives more efficiency than starting for long hours and getting tired. The recipe for my success was planning each day of my preparation with a focused head and a clear mindset which helped me achieve the 19th rank on my first attempt. I did not waste any time after my diploma in 2021 and immediately started the preparation for the UPSC examination. I read all the foundation materials in the one year I had and saw all the YouTube interviews of all the exam toppers that helped me prepare.
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My only difficulty during my UPSC examination preparation was covering all the huge subjects. These were current issues, basic GS, and static bits. I also had anthropology as my optional subject. I also lost focus at specific intervals of my study, but I thought about my goal and started with a fresh approach. My family members helped me stay focused and prepare for the examination. The one year of study was very hectic, and my only fear was that the prelims examination was four days after the result day, and not clearing it on the first attempt would mean that I had to retake the prelims examination. But overcoming fears was the main approach in my mind, and that helped me do well in my papers and acquire the rank that I had always dreamed of. Making your country proud should be your main focus when you are appearing for the UPSC examinations because serving the country comes before everything.