(Success Story) UPSC 2021 TOPPER, AIR-6 Yaksh Chaudhary Strategy for Cracking IAS Exams

Yaksh Chaudhary has secured the 6th rank in  UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2021. He is a native of small district Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. He appeared in UPSC Civil Services exam in 2019 but didn't clear the prelims. Again in 2020 he appeared for the interview for both the exam Civil Services and Forest Services but failed to make it to the final list. Finally, in 2021 he secured AIR 6 in his third attempt. During an interview by India Today he said,

“His rural background and the challenges he faced gave him a clear picture of what needed to change to really help people. While living in Amroha, he engaged with the administration. He became a member of the youth empowerment club and used to conduct a lot of activities for people who belonged to the marginalized section of society and worked for their welfare. During that time, he got inspiration to work in the administration and contribute his part for the people of this country.”

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND HIS UPSC JOURNEY

Yaksh completed his schooling from Sarvodya Saraswati Academy, Amroha. He completed his graduation from IIT Guwahati in Civil Engineering. He was also the secretary of the youth empowerment club where several activities were conducted to generate awareness about social issues. He was also selected as an assistant commandant in 2019 in UPSC CAPF.

He started his UPSC preparation in 2018 and even joined a coaching centre in Delhi. Due to Covid 19, he had to return home. After that, he continued his preparation from home. Now, he was preparing full-time for this exam. He opted for online classes and subscribed to Unacademy which gave him access to quality learning materials with the flexibility to learn anywhere. He kept Sociology as his optional subject.

YAKSH CHAUDHARY'S UPSC PREPARATION STRATEGY

HOW TO COMPLETE THE Syllabus ?

First of all, read the Syllabus thoroughly. After that Yaksh advised the aspirants they should cover all the topics and subtopics of the syllabus thoroughly. The focus should be more on understanding and conceptual clarity. The theoretical part of any subject should be connected to the practical applications in society. It will help not only in remembering for a long time but also become aware of our surroundings and how our different systems work.

GIVE MORE IMPORTANCE TO NEWSPAPER

Yaksh said, newspapers play a more important role in his preparation than books. Editorials are a very important source for answer writing for UPSC Mains. Hence, give it to the time, for editorials, aspirants should make notes. And keep revising them regularly to retain the relevant information. Yaksh advised the aspirants to read the newspaper in such a way that it aids your preparation without taking a lot of your time.

MOCK TESTS FOR SELF EVALUATION

Yaksh said, the mock tests are the best way to assess one’s performance before the actual UPSC exam. By attempting the mock test, aspirants can understand in which areas they need to improve. Accordingly, they can accelerate their preparation before the UPSC Exam. He also joined a few online mock test series for prelims and mains.

CONSOLIDATE YOUR STUDY MATERIAL

Yaksh was very careful about the study materials. He consolidated his study materials and revised them as many times as he could. He believed in 3 R's Read, Revise and Re-Revise. He also prepared the short notes for the last moment revision.

Yaksh didn’t follow any super different strategy of planning but he executed the same strategy differently. Yaksh advised the aspirants to prepare in the right direction and with hard work. Trust in the process and study with all interest. Understanding and conceptual clarity are the keys to crack the UPSC exam. He also said inner motivation is the only thing which will sustain a person till the end of the UPSC journey.

Yaksh wishes you all the best.