The IAS officer secured All India Rank 2 in his second attempt. His biggest mistake in the first attempt, he realised, was being risk averse.
While attempting the prelims, he just answered 70 out of 100 questions. In the second, realising the need to answer as many as possible, he attempted almost 90.
The first attempt also set a base for this second, in which he focused on revision. Doing multiple revisions from a single book instead of multiple books for one subject helped him.
2. Pawan Gupta, UPSC 2022
The IFS officer cleared the exam after five unsuccessful attempts with AIR 90. During his first two attempts, having a full-time job hampered his results due to which he quit.
He concentrated on improving his weak areas like answer writing and practising within the three-hour exam format.
He also believes that starting as early as possible, during college itself, would have better results. Using digital tools like Telegram for notes also helped him clear the exam.
3. Tejasvi Rana, UPSC 2016
The IAS officer cleared the exam in her second attempt with AIR 12. Changing her approach, presentation helped her the second time around.
She used her first attempt to understand what is expected in the exam and find her strengths and weaknesses. She watched and read strategies shared by toppers and picked one that worked for her.
She worked on her presentation skills to ensure that her answer sheet stood out.
4. Vivek Chauhan, UPSC 2015
The IRS officer cleared the exam in his sixth attempt, losing out by merely three marks in the previous one!
His attempts taught him to refrain from analysing the paper immediately afterwards. He also realised the importance of using the right study material.
He gave more time to subjects where he fared badly, like polity. Analysing his weaknesses and working on them helped him crack the exam.
5. Sonal Goel, UPSC 2008
The IAS officer secured a rank in her second attempt. She focused on mastering her weak link in the second attempt.
She devoted extra time to the general studies paper, due to which she had lost out on getting an interview call in the first attempt.
She improved her score by a well-rounded study plan, meticulous note-taking, repeated revisions, and practising answer writing.