UPSC Success Story: First taught himself by selling eggs and mopping floors, then became a civil servant and gave free IAS coaching

Story by Manoj Kumar Rai

Manoj also used to work as a delivery boy. Once he/she went to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to deliver some goods to someone. This is where his/her life changed. Some students of the university told him/her about UPSC.

Manoj says, ‘he/she advised me to complete my studies. I thought a degree would help me get a good job. So I joined Sri Aurobindo College (evening classes) and completed my BA in 2000. During this time, I kept selling eggs and vegetables.’

After graduation, he/she started preparing for UPSC in 2001. he/she says, ‘To be honest, I wanted to study more but I did not have the money. I spent a few days thinking if I really wanted to join the civil services and become an officer, and finally, I decided I would try.’

kept trying without giving up

Manoj chose Geography as his/her optional subject and moved to Patna. There he/she studied under a renowned teacher, Rashmi Bihari Prasad Singh. he/she prepared for three years and gave his/her first attempt in 2005. To meet his/her expenses, he/she started teaching tuitions to school children and also joined a UPSC coaching institute. However, he/she failed in his/her first attempt of UPSC.

In his/her second attempt, the English language proved to be a big hurdle for him/her. he/she says, ‘In UPSC, it is compulsory to pass English and a regional language paper. So if one does not clear even one, other papers like general studies and optional subject will not be evaluated. Language papers are qualifying papers whose marks are not added to the final mark sheet. I could not clear the English paper and my year-long hard work was wasted.’

Even in his/her third attempt, he/she could not clear the main exam and interview. Then with unwavering determination and hope, he/she gave his/her fourth attempt at the age of 30. This time he/she changed his/her learning style to clear the exam.

Keep trying without giving up

Manoj chose Geography as his/her optional subject and moved to Patna. There he/she studied under a renowned teacher, Rashmi Bihari Prasad Singh. he/she prepared for three years and gave his/her first attempt in 2005. To meet his/her expenses, he/she started teaching tuitions to school children and also joined a UPSC coaching institute. However, he/she failed in his/her first attempt of UPSC.

In his/her second attempt, the English language proved to be a big hurdle for him/her. he/she says, ‘In UPSC, it is compulsory to pass English and a regional language paper. So if one does not clear even one, other papers like general studies and optional subject will not be evaluated. Language papers are qualifying papers whose marks are not added to the final mark sheet. I could not clear the English paper and my year-long hard work was wasted.’

Even in his/her third attempt, he/she could not clear the main exam and interview. Then with unwavering determination and hope, he/she gave his/her fourth attempt at the age of 30. This time he/she changed his/her learning style to clear the exam.

The journey from selling eggs and vegetables to civil service

Manoj says, ‘Instead of studying for the preliminary exam, I completed the syllabus of the main exam first. By doing this, I automatically covered 80 percent of the syllabus of the preliminary exam. I also read the NCERT textbooks of class 6-12 diligently. This strengthened my basic concepts required for general studies.’

This strategy proved to be effective and Manoj finally cleared the UPSC exam with a rank of 870 in 2010. his/her first posting was as an administrative officer at the Rajgir Ordnance Factory in Nalanda, Bihar.

Remembering his/her struggles, Manoj decided to give free coaching to poor students like him/her. For this, he/she used to travel 110 km from Nalanda to Patna on weekends.

Currently, Manoj is posted as Assistant Commissioner in IOFS in Kolkata, and is a living example of how you can succeed even in adverse circumstances.