From Small Town to Top Cop: IPS Ayesha Fatima's Story of Perseverance in UPSC

February 20, 2024

4 Minutes

IPS Ayesha Fatima: The First Muslim Woman IPS of India

In the small town named Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, there was a little girl who dreamed of getting into the civil services. Growing up in a family where her mother ran a school in a rural area and her father served as a government headmaster, Ayesha witnessed the struggles of children unable to afford school fees because their families did not have enough money for food. She recognized that meaningful change required efforts not just in education but across various sectors including health and finance, and that stepping into civil service was the only way to bring those changes. She worked very hard. Guess what? She did amazingly well and secured an All India Rank of 184 in the Civil Services Examination 2022. 

The Dream of Civil Service

She knew about the challenges and the hard work it would take to become a civil servant. Understanding the competitive nature of the UPSC examination, it was important for her to be financially independent. She really liked mathematics so she completed her graduation in engineering at SGS ITS Indore in 2019. While she was in Indore, she started preparing for the civil servant exam by joining a beginner’s course at KSG UPSC Coaching, which had just opened there.

A Journey of Persistence

Passing the UPSC exam was very hard for Ayesha. It took her four attempts to qualify for the exam. In her first attempt, she was not prepared at all. She was unsuccessful in the prelims exams. In the next two years, 2020 and 2021, she almost made it but missed by just one point.  These failures made her very sad and she started to doubt herself. She realised a big mistake she kept making was changing her answers at the last minute, which often led to mistakes she could have avoided. 

Learning from Failure

Ayesha got a lot of support from her family, especially from her mother and sister. They helped her deal with her problems. They pointed out that she has a good knowledge of things but her weakness was she gets nervous easily and makes mistakes. They motivated her to think about what she was doing wrong and to improve. Listening to them, Ayesha changed how she answered questions and worked hard to write better answers. 

The Path to Success

In 2022, Ayesha’s hard work finally paid off. She cleared the prelims and dedicated herself to preparing for the mains with a proper plan. Understanding the importance of thorough revision, she made it a point to go over her entire syllabus three times and chose specific books to learn from. For the interview stage, she went ahead with good planning with the help of her coaching institute. She focused on data and personality. 

Overcoming Controversy

There was a controversy regarding her All India Rank of 184. People thought there was a mistake with two students having the same roll number. But later it was clear that Ayesha Fatima did earn the 184th rank. This situation showed how strong and determined she was to keep going after her goals, even when things got tough outside of her control.  

Lessons and Advice

Looking back on her experience, Ayesha talks about how important it is to be confident and stay calm during tests. She thinks that besides working hard and preparing well, it is very important to keep a positive attitude to succeed. She tells people who want to become civil servants to learn from their mistakes, never give up, and keep working hard towards their dreams. 

Also read: From Stethoscope to Strategy: Dr. Aditi Patel's Remarkable UPSC Story

An Inspiration for Many

Ayesha Fatima’s story gives a lot of hope and encouragement to many people, especially those from small town who have big dreams. Her path from a little town in Madhya Pradesh to becoming a civil servant shows how important it is to keep trying, work hard, and have the strong support of family and friends. Ayesha’s success is not just about her win, but it also shows how strong will and wanting to help others can lead to great achievements.

Click here to know more about IPS Ayesha Fatima and how her journey unfolded.