Meet Wardah Khan, UPSC AIR-18, Noida girl who quit her job to pursue her civil services dream

Wardah Khan, a resident of Noida, quit her corporate job to pursue her dream of cracking the civil services and has now secured her space in the top 20 by securing 18th rank in the UPSC exam 2023, the results of which were announced on Tuesday.

"Like every other aspirant, when we start our journey we dream of finding our name on the result list. But getting into the top 20 was unimaginable, I had not imagined to be able to be in the top 20. It's a dreamy feeling right now. Everybody in my family is very happy and beaming with pride," Khan told PTI.

Khan, 24, has opted for the Indian Foreign Services as her first preference. She says she wants to make her nation proud on global platforms.

"I have opted for Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as my first preference, so I would like to further the image of India across global platforms and multilateral institutions and help our Indian diaspora abroad," she added.

Khan is a resident of Vivek Vihar in Noida's Sector 82. She pursued her Bachelor's in Commerce (Honours) from the esteemed Khalsa College of Delhi University. The only child of her parents, she lives with her mother. Her father passed away nine years ago

Her inclination towards civil services blossomed during her college days, sparked by her interest in geopolitics, history, and politics. Despite engaging in debates and Mock United Nations (MUN) sessions during college, the idea of taking up civil services as a career path had not come to her.

Driven by a strong desire to contribute meaningfully to society, Khan boldly decided to transition from her corporate job to civil services. She dedicatedly prepared for the UPSC exam from the comfort of her home, supplemented by online coaching from a private institution for a year.

On tips for UPSC aspirants, the AIR 18-holder said there are a few postulates that every candidate should consider.

"First and foremost, you have to be very thorough with the basics like NCERT and Polity by Laxmikant. These are the basic books that you have to be thorough with," she said.

"You also must have made proper syllabus heads of your mains and your optional should also be prepared with notes before the cycle communities. These are some of the things that must be kept in mind," Khan added.

A total of 1,016 candidates, comprising 664 men and 352 women, have qualified for various services as recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Aditya Srivastava secured the top position in the civil services examination 2023, followed by Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy, P K Sidharth Ramkumar, and Ruhani, who secured the second, third, fourth, and fifth ranks, respectively.

(with inputs from PTI)