New Delhi: In an inspiring tale of perseverance, hard work, and never quit attitude, Madhya Pradesh’s Gunjita Agarwal managed to crack the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Exam on her fifth attempt and realize her dream of becoming a high-ranked public servant.
The daughter of an assistant engineer at Madhya Pradesh Employee Selection Board, Gunjita scored an All India Rank of 26 in UPSCE CSE 2022 examination. Gunjita, who is the youngest of three siblings, credits her family, especially her mother, for her success as they always supported her and kept encouraging her when she was feeling lost after being unable to crack the civil services exams in her previous four attempts.
Recalling her preparations for attempting to pass the prestigious UPSC exams, Gunjita says she always dreamt of becoming an IAS officer even as her peers and classmates were still unsure about which profession to train for after finishing high school.
Thus, in order to better prepare for the ultra-tough exam, Gunjita decided to stay in Bhopal, close to her family, which she believes helped her prepare meticulously for the UPSC.
Gunjita started to devote more time to the UPSC prescribed syllabus as she entered her third year in college, however, she wasn’t able to study effectively due to college and other academic obligations.
After graduation, Gunjita focussed all her academic prowess and time to prepare for the UPSC test for three years but owing to varied reasons, failed to crack the CSE in her first four attempts. Gunjita says she was shocked when she found out she had passed the CS 2022 Prelims and started studying even harder.
Finally, after almost having given up on her dream to become an IAS officer, Gunjita finally passed both the UPSC Mains and the Interview with flying colours, securing an AIR-26. Gunjita picked Sociology as her major in UPSC Mains as she says that her desire was always to fight for women empowerment, address caste system ills, and end hunger and poverty in the country.
Talking about the UPSC selection process, Gunjita reveals that while mock interviews barely scratch the surface of your knowledge, UPSC panels, on the other hand are a different ball game that focus on how aware you are of each and every aspect of your life, people, neighbourhood as well as environment.
Gunjita revealed that the interviewers asked her whether the time was right to adopt a mixed-gender cricket team. Another question posed to her was related to the popular saying “Kahan Raja Bhoj aur Kahan Gangu Teli” and the real lives and histories of the two monarchs it refers to.
The new IAS officer says tackling regional issues in different states and communities is her primary focus as she believes it will empower underprivileged citizens and move the nation forward.
The daughter of an assistant engineer at Madhya Pradesh Employee Selection Board, Gunjita scored an All India Rank of 26 in UPSCE CSE 2022 examination. Gunjita, who is the youngest of three siblings, credits her family, especially her mother, for her success as they always supported her and kept encouraging her when she was feeling lost after being unable to crack the civil services exams in her previous four attempts.
‘Always wanted to be an IAS officer’
Recalling her preparations for attempting to pass the prestigious UPSC exams, Gunjita says she always dreamt of becoming an IAS officer even as her peers and classmates were still unsure about which profession to train for after finishing high school.
Thus, in order to better prepare for the ultra-tough exam, Gunjita decided to stay in Bhopal, close to her family, which she believes helped her prepare meticulously for the UPSC.
Gunjita started to devote more time to the UPSC prescribed syllabus as she entered her third year in college, however, she wasn’t able to study effectively due to college and other academic obligations.
After graduation, Gunjita focussed all her academic prowess and time to prepare for the UPSC test for three years but owing to varied reasons, failed to crack the CSE in her first four attempts. Gunjita says she was shocked when she found out she had passed the CS 2022 Prelims and started studying even harder.
Success at last
Finally, after almost having given up on her dream to become an IAS officer, Gunjita finally passed both the UPSC Mains and the Interview with flying colours, securing an AIR-26. Gunjita picked Sociology as her major in UPSC Mains as she says that her desire was always to fight for women empowerment, address caste system ills, and end hunger and poverty in the country.
Talking about the UPSC selection process, Gunjita reveals that while mock interviews barely scratch the surface of your knowledge, UPSC panels, on the other hand are a different ball game that focus on how aware you are of each and every aspect of your life, people, neighbourhood as well as environment.
Gunjita revealed that the interviewers asked her whether the time was right to adopt a mixed-gender cricket team. Another question posed to her was related to the popular saying “Kahan Raja Bhoj aur Kahan Gangu Teli” and the real lives and histories of the two monarchs it refers to.
The new IAS officer says tackling regional issues in different states and communities is her primary focus as she believes it will empower underprivileged citizens and move the nation forward.