For the first time in seven decades, Kartik Jivani has created history by securing an AIR rank 8 in the most sought-after competitive examination – UPSC.
Coming from a typical Gujarati household from the diamond city of Gujarat, Surat – Kartik prepared for the exam from his hometown itself through online coaching classes unlike the majority, who prefer going to Delhi and other academic hubs for special coaching.
Kartik’s personal and academic background
Born in 1994, when the diamond city was going through a plague pandemic, Kartik had heard stories of how the then Surat Municipal Commissioner S.R. Rao transformed Surat. Listening to Rao Saheb’s performance inspired him to become an IAS. He studied at PP Savani School and Ryan International School in Surat after gaining primary education in his mother tongue. After completing school, he graduated from IIT Mumbai as a Mechanical engineer. His primary education was in his mother tongue Gujarati.
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Preparation strategy
He used to read for eight to ten hours – just as much as a Board exam aspirant would. He credits his parents for his success. Paying credit to his mom, he said that his mom used to stay awake with him during late nights at the time of preparation and also made him tea in the middle of the night.
With IPS training underway in Hyderabad in 2019, he had little to no time to prepare for the exam. However, after passing the exam – he witnessed a spike in his confidence level. Talking about how he kept himself motivated, he said that whenever he felt bored, he used to motivate himself by watching videos of UPSC passed officers.
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UPSC journey
He had appeared for the exam, however failed to clear it in the first attempt after which he found himself grieving for weeks. It took him a while to see things objectively and after analysing, he realised that his weak point lied somewhere in the writing speed. He then started practicing writing test papers and improved his pace.
Along with paying credit to his parents, Kartik considers his hard work and faith in his abilities also as factors contributing to his success.
