The UPSC civil services exam is regarded as one of the toughest exams in India, but IAS officer Saloni Verma cracked it with sheer hard work, dedication and perseverance.
The IAS officer’s success story serves as an inspiration for many as she cleared the coveted exam just by self-study and without any formal coaching.
Hailing from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, Saloni grew up mostly in Delhi. She began her UPSC preparations after completing her graduation. However, she was entirely against coaching where students are reportedly forced to spend lakhs of rupees.
She focused on self-study and prepared all by herself. However, as luck would have it, she could not crack the exam in her first attempt. She didn’t give up and kept working hard towards her goal.
On her second try, she was successful and earned AIR 70 in 2020.
Saloni tells UPSC aspirants that coaching is not mandatory. But, if somebody is not clear with the direction, then they can join coaching.
She says aspirants have to primarily discover their ability and passion and believes that one has to study every day without fail.
Saloni believes that perseverance, appropriate plan, thorough revision, practice and a positive outlook are crucial to crack India’s toughest exam.
On the personal front, the IAS officer isn’t an avid social media user although she enjoys massive 16K followers on Instagram. She has just shared a couple of pictures on her Instagram.