The Indian Administrative Service is a section of the Civil Services of India. Being an officer in the Indian Administrative Service is a dream job for most individuals throughout the country, as it is one of India’s premier government agencies. More than 8 lakh aspirants appear in the UPSC examinations, and only 10,000 students can crack it. It is not easy to clear these exams, and you need to be focussed and determined throughout your preparation process. It can be difficult to concentrate at all times so it will help reading biographies and success stories of individuals who have cleared the UPSC examination.
Ashima Goyal is one of those candidates who have cleared the UPSC examination. She secured an All India Rank of 65. Clearing the IAS is no easy feat and that too in your second attempt is a big achievement. Continue reading to know more about IAS Ashima Goyal preparation strategy, mark sheet, posting, age and wiki.
Also Read: IAS Anjali Birla Wiki: Learn all about Her Marksheet, Strategy and Obstacles
Ashima Goyal’s Wiki
Aashima Goyal is yet another Engineer turned civil servant as the youth increasingly try to find their calling in the services that allows them to contribute more directly to society. Hailing from an encouraging middle-class family from Faridabad, Aashima has done her MTech in Biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
It was during her final year in IIT Delhi, that she witnessed many of her seniors securing top ranks in UPSC Civil Service Exams and got interested in the services. During her first attempt at UPSC Civil Service Exams, Aashima was still having a job. It was difficult to find time to study during the weekdays and she could barely manage more than four hours daily.
Glimpse from Her Preparation Journey
On the weekends, she gave it her best. However, she admits that the time restraint and the work pressure got to her and Aashima was unable to crack the preliminary stages in her very first UPSC attempt and missed the cut off 15 marks.
It was after this that she decided to pursue her UPSC preparations full-time and resigned from her job. She got full support from her family. She joined classroom tuition and started her preparation at full speed. Devoting at least 10 hours daily, Aashima cleared her second attempt, securing an all India rank of 65.
Ashima Goyal UPSC Preparation Strategy
Ashima is one of those candidates who does not believe in separate preparation strategies for both prelims and mains.The UPSC Civil Services examination is like a marathon. Both Prelims and Mains preparation are part of the same track. “Integrated studying is the only way to achieve success in this examination” is what she mentioned in an interview. After all, the prelims exam is just a qualifier, it is the mains examination that will decide an aspirants rank.
Aashima herself gave herself 90 days to prepare right before her Preliminary Exam date. Even then, she took out 15 days of her schedule to finish off her optional preparation. She believed that she would not be able to secure a good rank without her optional scores being on top and she took the risk, which later paid off.
Insight into Her UPSC Preparation Journey
The first thing Aashima did when she started her preparation was to make short notes on each topic in the syllabus. After that, she delved into recommended textbooks and started completing the UPSC syllabus in depth. One must have a thorough understanding of the syllabus to achieve an excellent All India Rank in the UPSC exams.
Towards that end, Aashima also enrolled in a mains mock test series. She started with small sectional tests where she would write 10 answers in 90 minutes, get an analysis of her answer writing skills, and then improve herself based on that feedback.
Aashima’s Suggestions to Aspirations
Writing an answer is an important aspect of the UPSC mains exam, and if a student has had enough practice then he can write excellent answers. Candidates should start writing answers in the gap between prelims and mains. Instead that three month gap should be dedicated to revising as much as possible. The answers should be written and practiced all year long.
The same goes for the Essays papers. It counts for 250 marks in your final total hence you should treat it with the same importance and respect as the GS papers. Writing and practicing at least 10 essays before you appear in the mains will give you a clear idea on how to answer these questions. One should always go through previous year papers.
Also read: IAS Gaurav Dwivedi: Know the Man Behind MyGOV Initiative Who is also an IAS Officer
Ashima Goyal UPSC Marksheet
Below is the UPSC Mains examination marksheet for Ashima Goyal. You can go through it.
| Subjects | Marks |
| Essay | 132 |
| General Studies – I | 88 |
| General Studies – II | 102 |
| General Studies – III | 75 |
| General Studies – IV | 140 |
| Optional I | 136 |
| Optional II | 146 |
| Written Total | 819 |
| Personality Test | 187 |
| Final Total | 1006 |
Conclusion
Ashima Goyal’s IAS journey has taught us that it is not easy to clear the IAS exam. You need to burn the midnight oil in order to clear the prestigious test. IAS officers like Ashima Goyal were able to clear the IAS exam even after doing a job side by side because they had a clear focus and vision. You can take tons of lessons from Ashima’s journey.
You can read more about IAS preparation and courses at UPSC Pathshala or click here.
