This 22-Year Old IITian Cleared UPSC In Her First Attempt; How Did She Do It?

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This 22-Year Old IITian Cleared UPSC In Her First Attempt; How Did She Do It?

Getting into the IITs, the top engineering institution in India, and clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination are educational milestones that every student dreams of achieving at some point in their lives. Clearing either IIT or UPSC is not an easy feat while clearing both consecutively is something only a few can imagine.

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IAS Simi Karan, however, cleared the IIT entrance examination and two months later, at the age of 22, went on to clear the UPSC CSE examination of 2019. She achieved the seemingly impossible with hard work and dedication, and now serves to make her nation a better place!

Finally the construction of ladies’ toilet complex was completed at Dhekiajuli BDO Office! Maybe a small but very meaningful change for all ladies of GP and Block office!!#SBM2022 #assam pic.twitter.com/mxnYkF3JmC
— Simi Karan, IAS (@_SimiKaran_) April 15, 2022

Simi Karan: State Topper At 12th!

Hailing from Odisha, Simi spent most of her childhood in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. Her father, D.N Karan, worked at the Bhilai Steel Plant, and her mother Sujata worked as a teacher at Delhi Public School, Bhilai. Simi completed her Senior Secondary as well as Higher Secondary education at DPS Bhilai itself. She cleared the 12th Board Exams with an astounding score of 98.4%, enough to make her the state topper!

Next Goal: IIT Bombay

Initially, Simi had no plans to indulge herself in the state commission sector or any government service, so she joined IIT Bombay after class 12 by clearing the entrance exam and continued her studies in Engineering.

It wasn’t until Simi, during her internship period, had to visit the nearest slum area to teach the children there, that she decided that she had to do something for the welfare of the people, that she had to devote herself to the service of the common public.

Simi couldn’t do much though, so she decided that she would join a field that would help her achieve her goal to be a social worker. It was then that she decided to join the Civil Service.

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Preparation For UPSC

During her final year at IIT Bombay, Simi prepared for the UPSC Civil Service Exam(CSE). She decided to take out as much of her time as she could, and opted to do self-study instead of coaching. In her own words, Simi states that she used to reflect on interviews of previous UPSC toppers and made full use of the internet to prepare the list of necessary books.

Simi kept the number of books in her possession to a minimum and opted for continuous revision. To make the syllabus hassle-free, she divided it into small parts to properly revise through the sections. Simi says that continuous revision is a necessity for clearing the Civil Service Exam.

Hard Work Is The Only Path To Success

Simi completed her graduation at IIT Bombay in May 2019, and the CSE exams were due in June 2019. With little time in hand, Simi had to use her smart wit to properly revise and prepare for the Civil Service Exam. Without any coaching, with self-study as her only aid, Simi cleared the UPSC CSE 2019 Exam in her first attempt itself, with an all-India rank of 31, and joined the Civil Service at the young age of 22!