Shruti Sharma, UPSC Civil Service Topper Shares Her Strategies, and Success Mantra

Shruti Sharma expressed her delight by saying that she had not expected such good results. Although the UPSC Topper had hoped for great results, achieving All India Rank 1 was not what she had expected.

As a UPSC applicant, Shruti Sharma had a unique journey. She has been preparing for this exam for the last four years. Shruti had always aspired to work as an IAS official. However, she began with the fundamentals. She began her UPSC IAS preparation by studying the NCERTs. 

Shruti Sharma Relied on Her Notes & Newspapers

For UPSC preparation, she solely relied on newspapers and her own notes. "You should do what you enjoy," Shruti Sharma stated while prepping. Shruti appears to have ignored what others advised her to do. Instead, she developed her own procedures and strategies that were tailored to her cognitive abilities.

Failed in First Attempt, Secured AIR 1 in Second

Shruti failed in her first UPSC attempt. When questioned, she stated, "This is the second time I've attempted it. I had to take my Mains exams in Hindi due to certain complications with the medium of teaching. 

She was inspired to work even harder the next time after missing her interview by one mark. Shruti learned from her mistakes and improved in her second attempt, achieving AIR 1 in UPSC CSE 2021.

Shruti’s Advice to UPSC Aspirants

Shruti advises UPSC CSE candidates to be patient during their journey. Shruti focuses on the quality of her learning and advises candidates not to be concerned with the number of hours they spend studying. "It's not about how many hours you spend studying; it's about how well you study," she told a news agency. 

Counting hours is not as crucial as studying. Since strategy is important, students should limit their sources while studying. Aside from the literature, notes, newspapers, and practice answers, writing helped her a lot.

Shruti Sharma has made her parents proud and is a role model for many female Civil Service candidates. 685 people have been shortlisted for the IAS, IPS, IFS, and other administrative and civil services this year.