From Failures to Success: IAS Yasharth Shekhar’s UPSC Preparation Journey

January 17, 2024

5 Minutes

Picture Credits: News18

Introduction

Yasharth Shekhar, who bagged AIR 12 in the 2021 Civil Services Examination, took the internet by storm a few years ago. He is well known for his reaction video on getting his UPSC result, where his happiness was infectious to anyone who watched it. Here is his journey from failing UPSC twice to finally securing AIR 12 in the exam. 

The Beginning of the UPSC Dream

Yasharth hails from a region called Multa in Uttar Pradesh. He did his schooling in various districts in UP and  completed his graduation in Economics from St Stephens College in Delhi. Yasharth’s initial source of inspiration was his father, who was in the government service. On visiting his district, he observed that government officers were responsible for overseeing all activities related to growth and development, as well as managing services aimed at reaching out to the people of the district. However, Yasharth had the spark to go for a government job that would help him make an impact all over India. 

Initial Steps

Yasharth, armed with a vision and determination, began UPSC coaching right from his college days. In this way he started laying the foundation for this arduous exam. He took his first UPSC attempt in 2019 after completing his graduation in 2018. He could not clear the Prelims. It is said that failure is not the opposite of success but a part of it. Yasharth recognized this fact and did not allow this initial setback to stop him. He analysed his mistakes and understood that he didn’t attempt sufficient mock tests to tackle the unpredictable nature of Prelims and that merely studying from the best books for UPSC is not sufficient. Keeping this in mind, he took his second attempt in 2020, where he cleared his Prelims with a huge buffer score. 

When it was time for the Mains, Yasharth ended up making the same mistake he made in the previous attempt: not giving enough practice tests. Yasharth was conflicted between two paths: he could either focus on completing the vast Mains syllabus, or he could rely on practising test series. He decided on the former. He was still able to clear Mains and moved on to the Interview. Unfortunately, the combined score he got after the Interview was not sufficient to get his name to appear on the list. 

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The Strength Test

After his second attempt result, Yasharth only had 16 days to prepare for Prelims. He had not prepared enough for Prelims and Mains since he expected to get a good result in the previous attempt. These 16 days were a make-or-break moment for him. He was feeling very low and unmotivated. But he set his mind and refused to look back, focusing on what he could achieve in these 16 days. Hence, he would continuously take mock tests in the morning and evaluate them in the evening. Yasharth cleared his Prelims again, this time with a big margin as well. 

Learning from Mistakes

Yasharth says the only reason he was able to clear the exam with AIR 12 was because he worked on the mistakes he committed in the first two attempts. This time when he started preparing for Mains, he zeroed in on taking as many practice tests as he could. He would set a timer for three hours and would always complete his tests within that time frame. Since he was preparing from his home, he would always isolate himself from everyone while practising answer writing for UPSC. In this way, he was able to replicate an environment very similar to the actual examination environment. 

Cracking the Interview

For the interview stage, Yasharth recommended that all aspirants should constantly be updated with current affairs and be well-versed with whatever they have mentioned in their application. Apart from this, he advised aspirants to watch television debates and also to be aware of any major news going on.

Tackling Moments of Weakness 

For all the aspirants who are still unable to figure out how to prepare for UPSC or are struggling and feeling frustrated, Yasharth encouraged them to hang on. During his three year journey, he had moments when he questioned himself due to the setbacks he faced. When he cleared the exam, he felt all the struggles and mistakes were worth it and were part of a bigger plan. Yasharth reinforced the mantra of 

“Trust the process”. 

He recounted a few valuable words from the Gita: 

“Your control is only over your efforts, not the results of your efforts.” 

He also shared that whenever you’re feeling low during your preparation, imagine how you would feel when you got the service you desired and use it to motivate yourself. 

Conclusion

Yasharth Shekhar’s UPSC preparation journey is a testament to the fact that success is not always instantaneous. His perseverance is a reassurance to the fact that failures and mistakes will always come your way, and it is your duty to embrace them and move forward. His narrative stands as a shining example of how determination and grit can transform dreams into reality. Yasharth’s success is not simply a personal victory, but a source of inspiration for countless others aspiring to succeed in any area of life.

You can also check out an Indian Masterminds' article on Yasharth here.

For more inspiring UPSC success stories, visit our Toppers page.