‘Want to inspire more women to join civil services,’ says UPSC all-India rank 17

There is no one secret to crack the civil services, said Swati Sharma, 25, who secured all-India rank 17 in the prestigious examination, results for which were announced on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

There is no one secret to crack the civil services, said Swati Sharma, 25, who secured all-India rank 17 in the prestigious examination, results for which were announced on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Ms. Sharma, who cleared the exam in her third attempt, spent one and a half years in Karol Bagh preparing for the exams. She said she mostly studied on her own and joined coaching classes only for mock tests.

Apart from that, YouTube videos also helped her, she added. Ms. Sharma, who hails from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, said her interest in the civil services was sparked by Political Science classes in school. “The hard work and skills involved in working long hours on tight deadlines and handling complex issues fascinated me,” she said, adding that her interest in human rights motivated her to crack the exams to be able to serve the underprivileged sections of society.

The daughter of a retired Army officer and a homemaker mother, Ms. Sharma said not many women from her State are in the civil services. “I hope my success will inspire more women from Jharkhand,” she said.

Among the top 25, there were 10 women this year. For some of these aspirants, it was multiple attempts and years of hard work that helped them clear the exam. Ruhani, 28, a resident of Gurugram and an Economics graduate from Delhi’s St. Stephen’s college, secured the fifth rank on her sixth and last attempt. Her father Suresh said that she had been preparing from Hyderabad for the past few years. “She worked very hard... it is a matter of great pride and joy for us. We hope that she can serve the country and society,” he said.

As many as 31 candidates from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) Residential Coaching Academy cleared the civil services this year. Nausheen, 24, an alumna of Delhi’s SGBT Khalsa College and a student of RCA, secured the ninth rank. A native of Gorakhpur, this was Ms. Nausheen’s fourth attempt. Prerna Singh from Giridih, Jharkhand, another student of RCA, said, “My rank of 670 is a big deal as very few women from my hometown even make it to college.”