(Success Story) UPSC 2021 TOPPER, AIR-5 Utkarsh Dwivedi Winning Strategy for Cracking IAS Exams

Utkarsh Dwivedi has secured the 5th rank in UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2021. Originally he hails from the holy city of Uttar Pradesh Ayodhya but he has been living in the Indore from the last 12 years. He has given the UPSC exam thrice: 2019, 2020 and 2021. He appeared for the interview twice but didn't crack. He scored 160 marks in the interview for Civil Services Exam, 2019 and 157 marks in the 2020 interview. Finally in his 3rd attempt he secured AIR 5. He opted International Relations as his optional subject. During an interview by India today, he said 

"My end goal is to contribute to the country’s development in every possible manner. Further he adds my idea of governance is to have a country with empathetic bureaucrats and administration which stands strong for the ones in need".

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

He completed his graduation from Vellore Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation he decided to opt for civil services preparation. He was offered a job in PSU but he declined it for his goal. He said, I declined the opportunity to prioritize my goal.

UTKARSH DWIVEDI’S UPSC PREPARATION STRATEGY

PREPARE A STUDY PLAN

Utkarsh used to prepare a study timetable on the basis of his subjects and followed it every day. He did a thorough analysis of all subjects and categorized it priority-wise. He prioritized optional and Ethics subjects more. He was consistent with his study schedule and also routinely monitored his progress. He sought guidance and support wherever needed.

STRATEGY FOR CURRENT AFFAIRS

Utkarsh followed daily newspapers like The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Mint to keep himself updated on the ongoing issues around the world. Reading relevant articles from various newspapers helped him in his optional subject which was International Relation. He used to prepare the notes and also collect the clips of newspapers.

PRACTICE THE MOCK TEST SERIES

Like every topper he also used to refer to previous year question papers and mock tests. He advised the aspirants, solve the previous year question papers, you get the idea about what kind of questions are asked from different topics, which areas are more important, whether questions are more from the static part or the dynamic part, etc. Regular mock test practice gives you a sense of writing the actual exam

OPTIONAL STRATEGY

He chooses International Relation as his optional subject. He advised the aspirants choose your optional subject carefully. Optional subject is one of the factors that have helped him score well in the mains examination. He scored 168 in paper 1 and 146 in paper 2. For optional, he only referred the notes of Subhra ranjan ma'am and prepared a digital notes with lots of photos, data and all.

For value addition he used to refer toppers ' copies, newspaper and YouTube videos like National Security Conversations and Bharata First Channel.

At last Utkarsh advised the aspirants, don’t give up. With right guidance and support, be consistent towards your goal. Keep your strategy simple and most important be honest towards it. For sure you will succeed.