(Success Story) UPSC 2020 TOPPER, AIR-19 Shashwat Tripurari On Cracking UPSC Exams
Shashwat Tripurari from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, secured an all-India rank of 19 in UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020. Shashwat is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and passed out from the institute in 2018. He immediately started his preparation. This was his second attempt at UPSC Examination. Previously, he had cracked UPSC Civil Services 2019 in his very first attempt with an all-India rank of 78. Currently, he is undergoing his IPS training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.
Shashwat’s Takeaways From His UPSC Journey
Initially, Shashwat had joined a coaching institute, but he soon realised self-study was the way to go for him. Since his initial year’s rank was quite good, he realized his strategy was favorable and made tweaks to his original plan to improve on the few areas where his marks could improve.
The first step he took was to work harder on his Anthropology Optional, which helped him pull his rank up. He also kept on touching on general studies, which was already his strong suit. He is a firm believer that if one stops polishing a subject they are already good at, sooner or later they will lag.
Shashwat puts a lot of emphasis on reading the daily newspaper as the UPSC Civil Services Examination has gradually become very dynamic, including in the Preliminary Stage.
He insists every aspirant Should read the news daily, instead of just relying on monthly magazines.
Shashwat’s Strategy to Clear UPSC Civil Services 2020
When Shashwat initially started his preparation, he started with the previous year’s question papers. This gave him a clear idea of which angles of a topic he must pay more attention to. He followed this up by looking through the syllabus thoroughly. This allowed him to only study topics that UPSC mentions in its syllabus, instead of getting lost in a vast array of information. Stick to standard books only and keep your sources as limited as possible.
In the beginning, even when reading a topic, you will not know about certain related topics from another area. Do not feel overwhelmed. Instead, google those little pieces of information for better understanding. Remember, the time constraint is a big factor. So proceed with set goals and time-bound targets. Do not study in bulk; map everything to the topics mentioned in the syllabus and study only what you must. Do not skip the newspaper. Most times, a big chunk of the questions asked even in static is related to events in the news.
Write as many tests as you can.
For prelims, knowing how to eliminate options is key to qualifying. Not even toppers know more than 30-40 answers for sure. You have to score the other 20-30 questions through intelligent guesswork and option elimination, which you will excel at only through taking mock tests. Remember to read the question paper multiple times and take turns solving those you know for sure and those that need elimination.
For upsc mains too, answer writing practice is key. The papers are lengthy and only through practice will you be able to write well-structured answers in a short enough period to be able to complete the papers. You have accumulated enough information for your prelims prep. Practice and awareness are how you will crack mains and interviews with the same knowledge.
Shashwat wishes you the very best.
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