UPSC

“What kept me going with each attempt was the incremental success which I got with each exam I attempted. With that conviction I kept preparing,” he says.

Optional papers (Paper VI and Paper VII) of the UPSC Mains examination carry 500 marks. This accounts for almost 25 per cent of the total marks (2025), which is a combination of the written and personality tests.

Today, we bring you stories of five differently-abled Indians who beat all odds to crack one of the toughest examinations in the country, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams.

From AIR 2 Anu Kumari to AIR 4 Shreyas Kumat, UPSC toppers share their strategy for cracking that all-important interview.

Fifteen days before his exams, Vivek learnt that his father had passed away but that just made his resolution stronger. For he knew that as a civil servant, he would be able to help hundreds of kids overcome situations like his.

Inspired by his father, an IPS officer, Ishan began his preparations for UPSC in the final year of his engineering. He began preparing in June 2013 and secured rank 144 in his first attempt.

He says that aspirants must remember that the interview not only checks your knowledge but your aptitude towards service.

K Elambahavath is a school dropout who completed his bachelors through distance learning. He appeared for 5 Mains and 3 interview rounds and failed to clear them. But he did not give up and instead worked harder till he achieved his dream.

The first attempt in 2010 was one without any preparation. Recounting that experience, he says, “I felt bad that I had lost one precious attempt that way. At that time, we had only four attempts to clear the examination.”

"One of the girls, who had come home from Bengaluru, was present with her baby during my visit and she informed me that they are being provided safe accommodation, dining, crèche facilities and a good salary of more than Rs 8,500."