The Union Public Service Commission conducts a countrywide competitive examination in India for recruitment to several Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service. UPSC is, indeed, a tough examination to qualify for.
Every year several aspirants compete against one another to qualify for the UPSC exam. However, the percentage of aspirants who make it to the final list is very low!
Very few UPSC success stories become a source of inspiration for the new aspirants. Akshat Jain, IAS who secured All India Rank 2 in 2019 is one such name that never fails to inspire. We are sure that his biography, marks, and note-taking strategy will help you in your goals.
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Biography of Akshat Jain
Akshat Jain was born and raised in Jaipur, India. Jain’s father DC Jain and mother Simmi Jain are IPS and IRS respectively. He has one younger brother. He is one of the youngest aspirants to have successfully cleared one of India’s toughest examinations at a very young age.
Akshat Jain has always been a smart and intelligent student since his school days. He says that the quickest mantra to succeed in any exam is to have one’s strategy.
Education of Akshat Jain
He finished his elementary education at India International School, which is based in Jaipur. From a very young age, he has shown interest in studies. During his school days, he was helped by both his parents. From a very young age, Akshat Jain showed a keen interest in swimming and football.
According to sources, Akshat Jain had started to prepare for the examination when he was in his 9th standard. He scored 94% marks in his school examination. After that, he was enrolled in IIT Guwahati for his graduation.
It was in his third year of college, that he decided to attempt the UPSC Civil Service examination. However, it was in his second attempt that Akshat Jain secured All India Rank 2nd.
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Preparation Journey
Akshat Jain graduated from IIT Guwahati with a degree in design. Although he did not succeed in his first attempt, he took the failure as a learning experience. He was motivated to pursue the career of a bureaucrat after being inspired by his parents.
He didn’t join any coaching center for the preparation. Instead, he prepared using the self-study method. He chalked down his plan to study every day and made sure that the goals were achieved. He took adequate breaks between his studies and connected with his friends to beat the traps of negativity and loneliness.
Choosing the correct optional subject for the UPSC Mains exam is an important choice. Akshat Jain chose Anthropology as his optional subject, mainly due to its syllabus. He felt that the subject had a practical approach and could be applied in real-life situations as well.
Challenges Faced and Way Forward
Like every other aspirant, he also had to fight through periods of negativity and loneliness due to prolonged hours of study. According to him, one has to be diligent as well as patient to succeed in this exam.
Akshat Jain UPSC Marksheet
| Essay Paper 1 | 123 Marks |
| General Studies 1 (Paper 2) | 99 Marks |
| General Studies 2 (Paper 3) | 114 Marks |
| General Studies 3 (Paper 4) | 104 Marks |
| General Studies 4 (Paper 5) | 107 Marks |
| Optional 1 (Paper 6) Anthropology | 171 Marks |
| Optional 2 (Paper 7) Anthropology | 164 Marks |
| Written Total | 882 Marks |
| Personality | 198 Marks |
| Final Total | 1080 Marks |
Facts about Akshat Jain
UPSC Rank – AIR 2 2018
Attempt – Second
Optional – Anthropology
Education – Degree in Design from IIT Guwahati
Work Experience – Samsung R & D Bangalore
Age – 23 years
Choosing the Right Optional Subject
First and foremost, he thoroughly read the full curriculum, as every applicant should. Then he carefully studied every word of the syllabus and devised a plan for covering the entire curriculum in a reasonable amount of time.
He intended to finish the full GS and Mains syllabus before Prelims. As a result, he took brief notes because they were easier to rewrite. He did not read many materials, but he did read everything he referred to.
Anthropology was his elective course. He picked this course since its curriculum was highly practical. He feels that the majority of the topics covered in this course may be utilized in the actual world. He had planned to select Designing as an optional subject because he had completed his degree in it, but when he couldn’t locate it on the list, he altered his optional subject.
Booklist for Anthropology
He did not attend GS (General Studies) coaching, but he did attend Anthropology coaching at Valid ICS Coaching in Delhi, which was his optional subject. He conducted a set of Vision IAS tests for GS.
#Introduction to social-cultural anthropology NK Vaid
#Outlines of Physical Anthropology B.M Das
#Tribal India by Nadeem Husnain
He has also written the book, Anthropology Demystified which consists of Anthropology Paper 1 and 2 Question and Answers.
Tips to Prepare for an Interview
#The key is to be confident.
#Bluffing your way through shouldn’t be the approach.
#If you don’t know the answer then politely respond that I don’t know the answer and will try to learn about it.
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Three Pillars of Success Strategy
He explains his method in simple terms. He began by studying for the IAS main test and then moved on to the prelims test. He advised applicants to cover as much of the main test curriculum as possible before taking the IAS prelims test.
He stated that the IAS mains syllabus is an extension of the IAS prelims curriculum, therefore both may be prepared concurrently; nevertheless, for the IAS prelims test, additional study of factual material is required.
According to him, the integral part of the UPSC preparation consists of –
#Preparing short notes
#Answer writing
#Self-evaluation of written answers
Preparing Short Notes
During his preparation, Akshat prepared short notes on important topics from the UPSC syllabus. He also stressed the importance of understanding the syllabus and the previous year’s question papers.
He also stated that whilst the static portion could be easily covered by the standard NCERT books, the dynamic portion of the syllabus needs to be covered by current affairs.
Revision of Notes
Well, it is highly important to revise your notes before the exam to be sure while writing answers. He emphasized that the reason why he prepared short notes on important topics was for the ease of revision. These notes would come in handy and would save much time when the exams are near.
Answer Writing
Practicing answer writing was an important aspect if one wanted to improve the score in UPSC mains. He started his practice with current affairs at the initial stage and then gradually moved on to general studies papers.
UPSC Prelims Tricks
For the UPSC Prelims examination, Akshat Jain highly recommends that the aspirants revise the topics thoroughly.
Secondly, he also emphasized the practice of mock tests frequently. Time management is also an important factor whilst preparing for the UPSC exam.
Lastly, he emphasized the aspect of consistency. According to him, a candidate’s consistent and sincere efforts pay off in the end. Since inconsistency leads to no destination, aspirants must thoroughly enjoy the journey of preparation for UPSC.
Akshat Jain’s Recent Posting
The Department of Personnel and Training is in charge of allocating IAS Cadre positions (DoPT). The UPSC forwards the list of recommended applicants to the Ministry of Personnel, which then forwards it to the DoPT. IAS cadre distribution is a complicated procedure, and even IAS toppers do not always obtain their home cadres.
Akshat Jain is currently posted as Assistant Collector in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. If you want to become like this inspiring officer, you need to work hard in the right direction. IAS preparation for beginners is tough but if you will choose to be diligent, continuously learning, and hard-working, you will be able to achieve your dreams.
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Conclusion
After going through the biography of Akshat Jain, we are sure that you have been inspired to work hard to achieve your goal. With sheer determination, a positive outlook, and an attitude of never giving up, you will be able to reach great destinations in life.
We hope that Akshat Jain’s journey and his strategy will be of great use for your UPSC preparation. Since the UPSC 2021 examination is scheduled for 10th October, avail the benefits of UPSC Pathshala to assist you in your preparation.
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This article bhas given me the knowledge of being consistent to my dreams to achieve the goal. What do you think?