Meet IAS officer Rishita Gupta, who aced UPSC in first attempt after tragedy took away her ‘doctor dream’

We all set about a career plan but for many of us, the reality is different from what we desire. While some get bogged down by adversity, others take it in their stride. The path then leads to a better destination. Rishita Gupta, for example, dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood, but circumstances changed and she ended up being an IAS officer. Here’s her inspiring story.

Rishita Gupta’s family had always supported her dreams and tried to provide the right atmosphere for her to prosper and become an excellent student. Rishita completed her high school in the science stream.

She intended to pursue medical studies after completing her education, but fate led her down a different path.

That same year when Rishita was engulfed by Class 12 Board exam preparations, her father passed away due to illness. This tragedy had a significant impact on her.

As a result, Rishita was unable to obtain sufficient marks for medical school admission. Her ambition to become a doctor was never achieved.

Nevertheless, rather than becoming frustrated, she decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in English Literature. In 2015, Rishita planned to pursue a bureaucratic career and decided to clear the country's most difficult test, the UPSC examination, in the first time.

Rishita's perseverance, sheer will and effort eventually yielded rewards. She topped the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2018 with an All-India-Rank (AIR) of 18^th in her first attempt, fulfilling the endeavour she had set out on.

To ace the UPSC exam in her first attempt, Rishita went on a carefully planned study regime. She used all the knowledge she could get her hands on - from NCERT books to coaching and online resources, notes and numerous mock examinations.

This kind of preparation for the exam helped her to build a consistent foundation. Rishita also kept a small amount of the books always with her and constantly revised them.

Rishita advises students aspiring to crack the UPSC examination to concentrate solely on their preparation rather than the outcome. Besides that, for current events, one should read newspapers and monthly magazines on a regular basis.

Rishita opted for Public Administration as her optional subject. She scored 879 points in the UPSC written exam and 180 points in the interview.