'The WRONG Optional' Costed IAS Varjeet Walia Three Attempts Before He Finally Secured AIR 21 In CSE

Even after graduating with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT-Delhi, Varjeet Walia didn't want to do a normal engineering job. He always wanted to be a civil servant and continued to hustle with his UPSC preparation till he finally got the opportunity in 2017. However, in his first, second, and third attempts, he did not qualify for his dream position, simply because he chose the wrong optional subject. Finally, in 2017, he came up with the right strategy and secured 21st rank in the UPSC IAS exam.

A resident of Jalandhar, in Punjab, Varjeet Walia was supported by his parents throughout the preparation period. He started preparing for the exam in 2013, but it took him four more years to finally crack it.

Lessons learned in UPSC first-attempt

When Varjeet attempted the exam for the first time, he chose Sociology as his optional subject. According to him, he had spent around 60 - 70 % of the preparation time studying Sociology. However, his strong area was the CSAT exam, and he was confident of clearing the prelims that year.

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He did clear the prelims but fell short when it came to the Mains examination. He was disappointed, especially because he had invested a lot of time and effort in preparing for the Mains, but that didn't lead to anything productive in the end.

"I was very desperate to know where I made the mistake and came to the conclusion that Sociology was responsible," says IAS Varjeet Walia. Naturally, in his next attempt, he decided to choose a different optional subject.

Changing UPSC Optionals

From Sociology, he moved to Physics and managed to clear the Mains. Even though his preparation was not that good, he qualified in the interview round as well and secured a rank of 577 in UPSE CSE. Varjeet got into Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), but he always believed that he could do better in UPSC.

So, he decided to sit for the exam again next time with better preparation. Everything went well and he cleared both prelims and mains. However, after the interview round, he got the news that he didn't even get selected. It was a moment of complete breakdown and hopelessness, but Varjeet stood strong on his resolve.

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The success mantra of Varjeet Walia

He appeared for the exam for the fourth time in 2016, leaving all the previous disappointment behind. This time, when the final results came, Varjeet was delighted to see that he had secured the 21st rank and was all set to become an IAS officer.

The best part of this attempt was the fact that in the optional paper Varjeet secured 319 marks. It was just 4 short of the highest marks in Physics that year. "It was a roller-coaster ride for me," admits Varjeet.

For aspirants who are attempting the exam for the first time, Varjeet says that it is very important to choose the optional subject carefully. "It's all about whether it suits you or not," Varjeet said.

"I am not saying that Science optionals are better or Humanities optionals are better. Both are good for people whom it suits. It depends on the temperament," IAS VArjeet Walia added.