The Inspirational Story of Soumya Sharma: 2017 UPSC Topper, AIR 9

About Soumya Sharma 2017 UPSC Topper, The journey of Soumya Sharma, UPSC 2017 Topper, UPSC Preparation Strategy, UPSC topper Soumya Sharma

The Inspirational Story of Soumya Sharma: 2017 UPSC Topper, AIR 9

After the result of UPSC 2017 is out, the stories of toppers are also coming out. So among many inspirational stories, another is of Soumya Pandey who secured rank 9 & made her parents proud.

Also read: All about 2017 UPSC Cut- Off.

About Soumya Sharma

Name: Soumya Sharma
Mother’s Name: Leena Sharma
Father’s Name: Ashok Sharma
Brother’s Name: Abhishek Sharma
Date of Birth: 1994
Age: 24
Rank: AIR 9
Year: CSE 2017
Birthplace: Delhi, India
Nationality: Indian
Optional Subject: Law
Caste: Brahmin
Religion: Hinduism
Residence: Nangloi, Delhi
Hobbies: Reading, Travelling
Educational Qualification: Graduation in Law from National Law University, Delhi

Also read: The journey of Koya Shree Harsha: 2017 UPSC Topper

Early Life

Soumya was born & brought up in Delhi. She is a physically disabled person. She has a hearing impairment in spite of all these difficulties she never gets demotivated from her flaws & she started preparing for CSE. She took admission in the UPSC from the general category rather than physically disabled category. She topped the exam in general category because of her hard work & dedication.

Her mother Leena Sharma is a doctor & played an important role during her preparation for civil services examination. Her father Ashok Sharma is also a doctor. Her parents always supported her decision to prepare for civil services.

At the time of mains examination, she was suffering from a viral fever of 103 degrees. But at that also she didn’t stop & she appeared in the exam. She always fought with the situation & do her best in every manner. Her journey is totally motivational being a physically disabled candidate she took admission in general category & hence after a high fever she cleared the examination on her own.

Also read: The preparation strategy for Anthropology Optional for Main Examination.

Educational Qualification

She is a resident of Delhi so she completed her schooling from a school in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar. She is a brilliant student since her school days. In school, she topped the 10th standard. She was always interested in law. That’s why after completing her schooling she decided to go further in law. She completed her graduation in Law from National Law University, Delhi.

Also read: The journey of Sachin Gupta: 2017 UPSC Topper

The journey of Soumya Sharma

She comes from a family where her parents are doctors. She wanted to become a neurologist as she gets motivated by her parents as they are doctors. But later on, she changed her decision & started studying law. When she was in the final year of her graduation she started preparing for UPSC civil services examination.

When she was 16 years old, she got to know that she had a hearing aid & she lost her hearing ability. Her ability is still not diagnosed. But she wears hearing aids to hear. For the UPSC CSE preparation she used to study 16-17 hours daily & she dedicated her time to the studies. She used to sleep 5-6- hours only.

There are many candidates who took admission in coaching centers for the UPSC preparation. But she didn’t take admission in any coaching classes & she prepared on her own. She joined mock test & test series online. She studied with the help of internet. She regularly followed the insights & various online sources available.

Also read: The journey of Anu Kumai: 2017 UPSC Topper

Preparation Strategy

The preparation strategy she used to follow during her preparation is discussed below:

She started her preparation with the static portions of the syllabus by reading the books. When you were reading books it is necessary to make notes wherever possible. After doing that start following all the online sources available for the CSE preparation. The test series will help you to know about the pattern of the exam & the types of questions asked in the exam. You should take the advantage of the test series.

The most important thing is the revision. Always do revision after regular intervals of time. This will help you to remember the things which you have read. Try to highlights the important points so that at the time of revision at least you should go through them.

After that prelims come. Do not take CSAT lightly, it is the first step & on the basis of this you will be able to go further in the selection process. Buy some CSAT books available for SSC or Bank PO exams. This will help you as the questions of both the exams are similar.

Another most important thing is time management. You have to manage the time properly so that you can cover the entire syllabus in a specific time. Start with focusing on one subject at a time. After completing a subject properly move to another subject. This will help you to finish your target at the time. Time management is not only important during preparation but it is also important during the examination hall. To manage your time during the exams you have to attend multiple tests or attempt various mock tests.

Last but not the least is never stop believing in yourself. UPSC CSE is a very long journey, so you have to be self- confident & self- motivated during the journey. You have to handle many obstacles during the journey so be ready for it. Give time to your studies but also give to yourself. Do the things which help you to remain calm & relax.

Also read: The journey of Anudeep Durishetty: 2017 UPSC Topper

Reference Books/ Reference Materials

The books for general studies which she used to follow are:

Ancient History: Old NCERT by RS Sharma, New NCERTs
Medieval History: 7th class NCERT, selected chapters from Old NCERT
Modern History: Spectrum, Old NCERT by Bipan Chandra, India after Gandhi
Art and Culture: CCRT, NCERT 11th class book on Art, NIOS
Geography: Goh Cheh Leong, NCERTs, Oxford India Atlas
Polity: Laxmikant, DD Basu, Our Parliament
Environment: Shankar’s, Down to Earth magazine
Economy: Mrunal’s videos, Sriram IAS material
Science and Tech: Arihant
Current Affairs: The Hindu, Insights Daily Current Affairs, Vision monthly magazine

So this is the motivational journey of Soumya Sharma & the strategy she used to follow during her preparation.

Also read: The preparation strategy for Geography Optional for Main Examination.

List of 2017 Toppers

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The Inspirational Story of Soumya Sharma: 2017 UPSC Topper, AIR 9