IAS Kajal Jawla: Inspiring Journey of a Full-time Job Holder Cracking the UPSC Exam in 5th Attempt

Cracking the UPSC exam is not an easy task. That is why many aspiring candidates join the coaching institutes for guidance which makes their life a little easier. But is there someone who is able to do it with any coaching classes? Yes! Kajal Jawla is one of the rare ones who are not afraid when the odds are stacked against them. It took her five attempts to crack the exam. Kajal did her preparation while working full time. What was her strategy and how did she make time for studies? Are you also having these questions? Read this article, we will discuss Kajal Jawla Biography. Read the article till the end to know her preparation and strategy.

Kajal Jawla Biography

Kajal Jawla is a resident of Shamil, Haryana. She did her schooling in Shamil. After school, she decided to pursue Engineering for graduation. Kajal did her graduation in Electronics and Communication Engineering from an engineering college in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. She landed Job in Wipro after her engineering. At Wipro, she was earning 23 lakh INR annually. It is a dream job for many but Kajal wanted to do something more in life. She worked there for 9 years.

Glimpse of her Journey

At first, Jawla wanted to become a Doctor, but that didn’t happen. Then her father motivated her to go for Civil Services Exam. When Kajal learned about the job that she would do in Civil Services, it became her dream job. She eventually got married to Ashish Malik who was working for the American Embassy in Delhi. Her husband supported her dream and helped to manage the household.

As all of you know a lot of work and sacrifice are required to crack the UPSC exam. Most of the candidates who crack the exam have taken coaching from top institutes.  But her financial conditions didn’t allow her to take a year drop and get into full-time preparation. Kajal Jawala was able to secure AIR 28 in her 5th Attempt, in 2019, proving that to be persistent always pays off. Her optional subject was Zoology.

Kajal Jawla UPSC Preparation

While doing her job Kajal use to study in her spare time. She started her preparation in 2014. Kajal failed multiple times. But the failures only further motivated her to crack the exam. In 2016 she sat down and analyzed her previous attempts. After analyzing she realized that as didn’t give her one hundred percent therefore there was no point in thinking that clearing UPSC is something that she couldn’t do.

In 2017 against she wasn’t able to clear prelims. At the time she felt sad but thanks to her supporting husband her sadness didn’t last for long and she again began her preparation. While still keeping her full-time job she managed to qualify for Mains in 2018. Kajal didn’t join any coaching. She completely relied on self-preparation. Kajal did opt for several test series though.

Kajal Jawla IAS Preparation Tips

Jawla’s advice for aspiring candidates is to read important newspapers. Build a foundation by reading NCERT books from 6th standard to 12th standard for each subject. Utilize your time well. She used to study one hour before leaving for work and also while she was travelling.

Learn to have an opinion on everything. Don’t write an essay like you would write answers in General Studies. An essay needs to have a proper structure that you should follow. Read essays of the previous year to get inspiration but don’t try to copy them make your own unique easy writing style.

One Should not wait for results and start practise. You will be wasting a very crucial time like this. Doing multiple revisions is important.

Learn to manage your time while solving papers. Make sure that you don’t miss out on anything and attempt to complete the paper.

Multiple revision is must if want to secure a good rank.

Tips for UPSC Interview

For UPSC the interview, give as many mock interviews as possible. Know everything about yourself from the meaning of your name to history the place where you live. Kajal wrote down the potential questions which could be asked in the interview. The most common question asked in the UPSC interview is “Why you want to be an IAS officer?”. You will have to do thorough introspection to answer this question.

Also Read: Srushti Jayant Deshmukh Biography: Srushti Jayant Deshmukh IAS Wiki & Her Current Posting

Kajal Jawla Booklist

Subject	Books
Indian Polity	Polity by Lashmikant
Ancient History	R.S Sharma
Modern History	Spectrum
Geography	Goh Cheng Leong and Majid Hussain

Kajal Jawla Marksheet

Subject	Marks
Written	850
Personality Tests	201
Total	1051

Also Read: IAS Chitra Mishra Biography: The Woman Who Cracked the UPSC in Her Sixth Attempt

Conclusion

Kajal Jawla showed that nothing is impossible. We just need strong motivation to be unstoppable. Kajal didn’t join a coaching institute showing that it not necessary to spend money and it is definitely not necessary to join a coaching institute to crack this exam. Sometimes if the people around you are supporting then it is also enough.

If you find her journey as inspiring as we do, then let us know in the comment section below!