MP: 15th rank holder Swati Sharma says hard work, patience key to success in civil services exam

Jabalpur: Hard work and patience are key to success for Jabalpur's Swati Sharma, who bagged the 15th rank in the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and is keen to start her career as an IAS officer.

Anoushka Sharma from Madhya Pradesh secured the 20th position.

“My focus was not on rank, but on selection in the coveted services for which I worked hard. I succeeded in my third attempt,” an elated Swati told reporters on Tuesday.

Swati, who hails from Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur, said that hard work, patience and internal strength are key to her success in the country’s most prestigious exam.

Swati said she studied for 10-12 hours a day and gave 50 per cent credit for her success to herself and the rest to her teachers and parents.

“I always wanted to become an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer to serve the people and I got this opportunity with the blessings of my family members, mentors and wellwishers,” she said.

Anoushka Sharma, who secured the 20th position, credited her success to her family, friends, and mentors.

“Until I achieved success in my third attempt, my family, friends, and mentors boosted my morale by saying that I am capable of succeeding in this exam and should not give up on my efforts,” she told PTI in Indore.

Anoushka said she obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from a university in New York. After returning to India in 2019, she started preparing for the civil services exam.

Anoushka’s father said they never put any pressure on her. The hard work put in by her during preparation was commendable, said her mother.

Bhopal-based Bhoomi Shrivastava secured 304th rank in her second attempt.

Daughter of a journalist, Shivkumar Vivek, Bhoomi did her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bhopal, and college from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

“I am happy with my success but will appear again to improve my rank,” said Bhoomi, who aspires to be an IAS officer.

She said that she would be joining services as her current rank would fetch her entry into either Indian Revenue Services (IRS) or Indian Audit and Accounts Services, but will reappear.

Delhi University graduate Ishita Kishore topped the civil services examination, with women candidates bagging the first four ranks, UPSC declared on Tuesday.

As many as 933 candidates – 613 men and 320 women – have qualified for the civil services examination 2022, the commission said. The top 25 candidates comprise 14 women and 11 men, it said.