The UPSC exams have always been touted to be the toughest exams in the country. Hence, cracking this multiple level examination has been the dream as well as desire for many civil service aspirants. However, very few hold the academic merit and professional grit to crack them. This year 3 notable names have come to the limelight as the results of the UPSC exams recently surfaced. Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal, and Gamini Singla are the deadly lady trio that have been placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively this year.

Shruti Sharma IAS and UPSC topper in 2022 gives interview for ANI

Where did Shruti Sharma come from?

  • As a student of history both at the graduate and postgraduate level, Shruti Sharma has always had a knack for learning about new cultures. However, it was not only this that enabled Shruti Sharma to achieve the highest pinnacle of civil services in the nation. Here’s a glimpse into her splendid educational background.
  • She did her primary schooling from the Cambridge Primary School at Delhi where she studied till the 5th grade.
  • After this, her parents moved her to the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, also in Delhi where she completed her 10+2.
  • She joined the St. Stephens College and is also an alumni of the famous (or infamous, depending on your political affiliation) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
  • There she completed her Bachelor of Arts in History Honours.
  • Following this she also pursued a Master of Arts in Modern History.
  • However, she soon realised that the civil services are where her passion lies.
  • She enrolled into the Jamia Millia Islamia Residential Coaching Academy to prepare for the UPSC exams.

Interesting Facts about Shruti Sharma

  • One of the most tried and tested strategies that Shruti Sharma deployed for her IAS preparation was studying NCERT textbooks.
  • Shruti Sharma has not disclosed her relationship status or whom she is currently seeing but we guess that she is more focused on her career.
  • She originally hails from the Bijnor region of Uttar Pradesh.
  • She migrated to Delhi for her higher education where she enrolled herself into the St. Stephens College.
  • Born in 1996, Shruti is just 26 years old and has a long way to go.
  • She is part of the recent upheaval in UPSC and IAS toppers, wherein almost every year, the topper is a woman.
  • Although she scored just 54.56% marks overall in the UPSC, this was surprisingly the highest score attained, giving her the first rank across the nation.

How did Shruti prepare for the UPSC?

Shruti used several study methods to prepare for her UPSC exams. While some believe that the UPSC can be cracked just with a fortnight’s worth of gulping down facts from books, this is not the reality. Shruti has been studying to crack these exams for the past 4 years. It was only in 2022 that she was able to secure the first rank. This too, she is known to have done in her second and not first attempt. Here’s a peek at a mock interview conducted of Shruti Sharma by India’s leading online educator, BYJU’S.

Takeaway

You too can aspire to be like Shruti Sharma. If you’re a girl aiming to bag that first rank in the UPSC and become an IAS officer, she can be your real role model. On the other hand, if you’re a guy, you may want to recall that last year, Niranjan Kumar topped the UPSC. Go ahead, choose whichever role model you want. But the ultimate result will always depend on your hard work and dedication.