Know how IAS Soumya Pandey cracked UPSC in just 250 days of preparation

Everyone knows UPSC exam preparation is one of the toughest tasks, however, if the civil services exam preparation is done the right way, one can become successful in less time. There are many UPSC aspirants who are confused or don't know the right direction, for such people, the story of IAS officer Soumya Pandey can be an inspiration.

Soumya prepared in a unique way and achieved success in her first attempt and fulfilled the dream of becoming an IAS officer by securing an All India Rank (AIR) 4 in the 2016 UPSC exams.

Soumya, a native of Allahabad, was a meritorious student right from her schooling days. She studied in Army School, secured 98 percent marks in class 10th and 97.8 percent in class 12th and was the district topper in both classes. She also secured a Gold medal in her Engineering degree from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology. 

After she completed her engineering, she decided to become an IAS officer and started preparing for it. However, she had only eight-nine months left to prepare.

No one else in her family had ever studied for the civil services exam, so she was in a completely new profession. 

She didn't know what she was talking about, because it was all new. She didn't know what was important and what was not.

So, she decided to take coaching for GS (General Studies) along with self-study of six to eight hours daily. She also read newspapers and watched news channels to keep herself updated about current affairs.

In between, she analyzed the preparation by taking mock tests and also practiced answer writing. Her strategy worked and she got successful on her first attempt.

Currently, Soumya Pandey is posted as the Chief Development Ofiicer of Kanpur Dehat.