24-year-old Noida woman who quit corporate job joins top 20 in UPSC

Wardah Khan received her Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Khalsa College, University of Delhi.

Noida:

Noida resident Wardah Khan, who quit her corporate job to prepare for the Civil Services Examination, secured 18th rank in the UPSC Examination 2023, the results of which were announced by the UPSC on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old UPSC qualifier said she has chosen the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as her first choice and wants to make India proud on a global platform.

“Like other aspirants, when we started our journey, we dreamed of getting our name in the result list. But getting into the top 20 was unthinkable and I didn’t expect to be in the top 20. It was kind of dreamy It feels like, right now, everyone in my family is very happy and full of pride,” Ms. Khan told PTI.

“I have chosen the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as my first choice so I want to further enhance the image of India in global platforms and multilateral institutions and help the Indian diaspora abroad,” she added.

#watch | Uttar Pradesh | Noida resident Wardah Khan has secured 18th rank in UPSC 2023.

She said: “I never thought I would make the top 20. I just wanted to make the (qualifiers) list. This is a big moment for me and my family. This is my second try. I already…… pic.twitter.com/2KoPdlDPmV

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2024

Ms. Khan, a resident of Vivek Vihar, Sector 82, Noida, holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Khalsa College, Delhi University. She is the only child of her parents and lives with her mother. Her father died nine years ago.

About how she gravitated toward UPSC, Ms. Khan said that during college, she had always been interested in subjects like geopolitics, history and politics.

She participated in debating and Model United Nations (MUN) during college, but even then she did not think of civil service as a career path.

It was during her employment that Ms Khan realized she wanted to become a civil servant.

“I worked in a business for eight months. It didn’t satisfy me. I wanted to give something back, I wanted to work for my country and make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

“I realized that the syllabus and opportunities offered by this career (civil service) suited my interests, so I decided to pursue it and resigned within eight months,” she added.

I prepared at home but also took online coaching from a private institute for a full year, she said.

Talking about advice to UPSC applicants, the AIR 18 holder said there are some assumptions that every candidate should keep in mind.

“First and foremost, you have to know the basics like NCERT and Laxmikant’s Polity very thoroughly. These are the basic books that you have to know very well,” she said.

“You also have to prepare a proper syllabus for your mains and your electives too and should have notes prepared before the cycling community. These are some of the things that have to be kept in mind,” Khan added.

A total of 1,016 candidates, including 664 males and 352 females, passed the examination and were recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for appointment to various departments.

Trainee police officer Aditya Srivastava of the Indian Police topped the 2023 civil services examination, the results of which were announced by the Union Public Service Commission on Tuesday.

Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy, PK Sidharth Ramkumar and Ruhani finished second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.

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