Preparing for the UPSC Civil Service Exam can be a long and tiring process. The syllabus and the resources available themselves are so vast that the aspirants need to trim down and pick selective topics while preparing for UPSC exams. To do that they need to have a proper guide or a mentor.
In this article, you will read about one such mentor or guide who has helped hundreds of aspirants secure a good rank in the UPSC Civil Service Exams. IAS Dr Vikas Divyakirti is the founder-director of Drishti IAS, the largest centre for IAS preparation not only in Delhi but in India. In this article, you will get to know everything about Vikas Divyakirti Biography, journey and strategy.
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Vikas Divyakirti Rank
Dr Vikas Divyakriti is the founder and director of the Drishti IAS Coaching in Delhi. He is known for his unique teaching style and for how he helps his students prepare for the UPSC preparation. He explains the topics in Hindi, which are easily understood by most of his students.
Vikas Divyakirti belongs to a humble family from Haryana. His parents were professors at Delhi University of Hindi Sahitya. Dr Vikas Divyakirti’s IAS journey began one he completed his undergraduate degree. He always wished to serve the nation, hence he started preparing for the IAS exams. He was selected for the Indian Administrative Service but decided not to join the IAS, instead, he wanted to teach students at Delhi University. Due to some technical difficulties, he wasn’t able to pursue this dream, so he founded Drishti IAS.
IAS Dr Vikas Divyakirti Biography
Dr Vikas Divyakirit completed his BA in History from Delhi University. He then completed an MA in Hindi literature, M. Phil and a PhD. He even completed an MA in Sociology and also has an LLB degree. He has also received a Postgraduate degree in English to Hindi translation from both Delhi University and Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. Psychology, philosophy, social issues, cinema studies and political science are other subjects he has interests in. Other than Drishti IAS, Dr Vikas Divyakirti also has a Youtube Channel with more than 1.2 million subscribers.
Dr Vikas Divyakirti started his career as a teacher at Delhi University. He cleared the UPSC Civil Service Exams in 1996, which was his first attempt. He was assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs and worked in the department for a year.
He soon after resigned from his post, founded the ‘Drishti Sansthan’ and is currently the principal editor of a current affairs monthly magazine called the ‘ Drishti Current Affairs Today’ and a mentor to Drishti Media. He is also in the process of editing and writing some books. He plans on making new inroads in the field of education and media.
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How to Prepare for IAS Prelims by Dr Vikas Divyakirit
Dr Vikas Divyakirti believes that IAS Prelims is just a qualifying exam, so don’t try to top the prelims. You just have to qualify for the prelims exam to appear in mains. Another thought that will cross your mind is whether you should attempt the exam or not? This is a thought that will not cross your mind today, but 3-4 months later. You have to be sure about the journey you are going to undertake.
You will have to idealize a target score, which will lead to you selecting a target segment. He constantly stresses the fact that prelims are just a qualifying exam and there is no need to apply all your energy just in prelims preparation. Dr Divyakirti also believes that you don’t have a lot of time in your hands while preparing for prelims, hence you need to decide which topics you need to study and which to leave.
Every aspirant must prepare a schedule or a time-table while preparing for prelims. You must also read and listen to success stories of toppers and officers who have already cleared the IAS exams to keep yourself motivated.
How to Write Good Answers by Vikas Divyakirti
Dr Vikas Divyakirti believes that one skill that you need to become an IAS officer is ‘ How to write good answers?’. He has mentored a lot of candidates who did not study thoroughly but still were able to secure a good All India Rank in the UPSC Civil Service Exams because of the answer writing skills they had. He believes that once the examiner reads your answer they should realize that the whole system was developed to find this particular candidate. Solving previous year papers will give you a good sense of how to answer questions in the IAS Mains Exam.
A good answer must fulfil some specific criteria. You should answer the questions in detail and you should cover each topic. The answer should contain both the negative and positive aspects of the points being discussed. The answer should be authentic and the facts given by you should be correct. Your presentation should be up to the point and you should highlight all the important parts of your answer.
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How to Choose an Optional Subject?
Choosing an optional subject is an important aspect of the UPSC Civil Service Exams. The optional subjects carry a lot of weightage in the exam, and choosing the correct subject can be a make or break decision for each candidate. Before deciding which optional subject to choose, the candidate must know what is an optional subject, or where will this optional subject help them and how should one choose an optional subject. If you have made all these decisions then you can choose the correct optional subject.
There is not a lot of material available on the internet to guide you for UPSC preparation in an optional subject. So it is recommended that you solve previous year papers thoroughly. Once you solve these papers you will get a fair idea about the types of questions asked and the different manner in which you should answer these questions. This will help you secure a better rank in the UPSC exams.
Conclusion
IAS Dr Vikas Divyakirti’s journey has been an inspiration for every candidate preparing for the UPSC exams. He is a role model and guide to most of the students he has taught, and most of them credit him for the position they have achieved. The satisfaction and fulfilment he receives after helping out students cannot be matched by any other profession as mentioned by him. You can read the success stories of multiple IAS, IPS, and IFS officers at UPSC Pathshala website.
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Vikas Divyakirti sir is an inspiration for each IAS aspirant. He has done a lot to help students get selected in the UPSC.
The success story of this person is really admiring.