The tale revolves around an individual, Utkarsh Dwivedi, who defied the pattern of failure despite facing numerous setbacks in life. Initially, he wasn't an exceptional student during his early years, but as he progressed through his educational journey, he consistently improved. Utkarsh belonged to a family of four, consisting of his parents and his younger brother, with his father holding the position of a senior manager in a company, while his mother dedicated herself to homemaking and his younger brother pursued a B.Com degree. During an interview, Utkarsh revealed that his family proved to be a pillar of support, even during times when he did not succeed in qualifying the UPSC examination for the second time. They stood by him, offering unwavering encouragement.

Age- 28

Date of birth- 30.07.1994

IAS id- no

Cast- General

height- 5.5 (ft)

what are his educational background and class 10th and 12th percentage?

In his 10th-grade examination, he achieved a remarkable score of 85%, and in his 12th-grade examination, he excelled with an impressive 90%. He mentioned that due to his father's job, he had to switch schools frequently, leading to him completing his schooling across multiple states in India. Eventually, he completed his 12th grade from DPS Indore School. Moving forward, he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering from VIT Vellore, where he secured an impressive CGPA of 8.5.

How many attempts did he take to clear the UPSC examination?

Utkarsh Dwivedi made three attempts to pass the UPSC examination. In 2019, he undertook his initial endeavor but did not succeed in clearing the interview or personality test. The following year, in 2020, he took another opportunity but once again fell short. However, in 2021, he decided to give the UPSC exam another shot and achieved success, securing the 5th position nationwide.

How does he handle his failure and negative thinking?

According to him, it took him three tries to pass the UPSC examination. When he faced failure in his first two attempts in 2019 and 2020, he experienced a significant decline in his confidence and morale. However, his family members remained steadfast in their support and motivation, and his friends from college also provided him with substantial encouragement. 

Utkarsh Dwivedi (ias /upsc) UPSC marksheet

Utkarsh Dwivedi (ias /upsc) preparation, booklist, and advice.

How did he prepare for current affairs?

He discovered an astonishing fact while perusing the newspaper - he made it a practice to read three different newspapers: The Hindu, India Today, and Jagran. These three newspapers served as his source of current affairs information, along with the PT 365 current affairs book. However, he did not advocate for reading more than one newspaper.

Regarding history, he shared his recommendation for beginners, suggesting that they start with NCERT books from classes 6 to 12. For ancient history, he highly endorsed the Old NCERT book by RS Sharma, stating that it was the best resource and there was no need to refer to any other material. When it came to medieval history, he favored the new NCERT book, along with Spectrum and the Fine Art NCERT book. He emphasized that the newer NCERT book was preferable due to its concise nature compared to the bulkier older version.

As for geography, he relied on his personal coaching notes and followed the geography lectures by Mrunal on YouTube, which he highly recommended.

In terms of economics, he emphasized the significance of Mrunal's economy videos on YouTube and utilized materials from his coaching classes and NCERT books. He advised beginners or those unfamiliar with the subject to start from the basics in order to build a strong foundation, as economics can be a technical field.

For polity, he relied on NCERT books and the book "Indian Polity" by Laxmikant, affirming that these resources were more than sufficient when combined with current affairs information.

When it came to international relations, he primarily relied on newspapers and magazines to cover this topic.

Regarding GS1 (General Studies 1), his preparation approach aligned with that of the preliminary examination, and he did not mention any specific books for this section.

In GS2 (General Studies 2), he referred to Laxmikant's "Indian Polity" book for polity-related topics and relied on newspapers for international relations.

Regarding GS3 (General Studies 3), he acknowledged the difficulty and diversity of this section. He utilized his coaching class notes and suggested referring to the Indian budget summary, visiting the NDMA website for disaster management, and exploring resources on "India after 75."

For GS4 (General Studies 4) on ethics, he studied the "Ethics Redbook" and "Ethics Luckmaan" books, along with some coaching class notes.

What is his optional subject?

Utkarsh Dwivedi chose political science and international relations as his optional subject. He meticulously studied the notes of over five successful UPSC toppers from the previous year, diligently incorporating their strategies into his own preparation.

Utkarsh Dwivedi Ias salary

Presently, he holds the position of level 10 in the pay matrix, with a basic pay of 56,100 rupees. In addition to his basic pay, he receives various allowances from the government such as House Rent Allowance (HRA), Dearness Allowance (DA), Travel Allowance (TA), and DA on TA. When these allowances are added, his gross salary amounts to 83,313 rupees. However, in accordance with government regulations, a total deduction of 6,594 rupees is applicable, resulting in a net salary of 76,719 rupees. Furthermore, the government contributes an additional 9,189 rupees to his salary.