Cassian Baliarsingh

The success stories of IAS, IPS and IRS officers are examples of grit and determination. Touted as one of the toughest exams in the country, it is no easy feat to crack it with lakhs of aspirants taking the exams each year.

Today, we will talk about IFS Pujya Priyadarshini who had almost given up after three unsuccessful attempts. Heartbroken with consecutive failures, she decided to abandon her pursuit for UPSC before her fourth attempt and finally secured an inspiring AIR-11.

After completing her B.Com in Delhi, she went on to pursue her post-graduation in Public Administration from Columbia University in New York.

After her post-graduation, she was offered a lucrative job in a company. She was well-paid and worked there for about two years. But, she always wanted to become an IFS officer and was preparing for UPSC.

She made her first attempt in 2013 but ended in failure. She was so heartbroken that she took a three-year gap. She made her next attempt in 2016 after three years. Even as she cleared the Prelims and Mains round, she had to face a major setback in the interview round.

She appeared for the third time in 2017 and narrowly missed cracking the exam. This left her so heartbroken that she contemplated quitting the UPSC journey. However, with unwavering support from her family and friends, Pujya decided to give it another shot.

Undeterred, she resolved to persevere and her determination bore fruit as she achieved AIR-11 in her fourth attempt in 2018. Instead of IAS, she chose to become an IFS officer.

When asked about her advice to aspiring aspirants, Pujay Priyadarshini advised candidates not to panic in the face of failure but to learn from mistakes and make a dedicated effort.

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