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From Four Prelims Failures to Civil Services Success: Inspiring UPSC Journey of Hearing-Impaired Aspirant A hearing-impaired differently-abled candidate, Sanjay S., has secured All India Rank (AIR) 953 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2025, overcoming multiple challenges during his preparation journey. Sanjay cleared the prestigious examination after facing four consecutive failures in the Preliminary stage. In his fifth attempt, he successfully cleared the Prelims and went on to qualify the Mains and Personality Test (Interview) in the same attempt, eventually securing AIR 953. One of the major hurdles in his journey was the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). His marks in the paper show a gradual improvement over the years. In his earlier attempts, he scored 31, 48.6, 51.3, and 63.8 marks, before finally improving to 74.68 marks in the attempt in which he cleared the examination. Sanjay comes from a single-parent family and was raised by his mother, who works as a tailor. His grandmother, a fruit vendor, also contributed to supporting his education despite financial constraints. Due to his hearing impairment, he relied on a hearing aid, which was arranged by one of his seniors and played a crucial role in helping him continue his studies. Currently, Sanjay is working as a Group C official in the Income Tax Department. Alongside his professional responsibilities, he has also been actively involved in community service through the Rotaract movement. During his tenure as President of his Rotaract Club, he led several initiatives including anemia awareness programmes for women and activities supporting persons with disabilities. For his leadership and service, he received the Best President Award. He also organized the first sports meet for differently-abled persons in his district, aimed at promoting inclusion and empowerment. Sanjay was also recognised as an Inspired Icon Awardee for his contributions during the 2018 Kerala floods relief efforts, where he actively participated in humanitarian activities. He attributes his success to the constant support and encouragement from his mother, grandmother, teachers, friends, and well-wishers, who stood by him throughout his journey. His achievement highlights a story of perseverance, resilience, and determination in overcoming personal and academic challenges to achieve success in one of India’s most competitive examinations.

Aspirants preparing for Prelims 2026; You need to give more importance to subjects like Environment and Science & Technology. Nearly 30 questions of Prelims paper are from these two subjects. Students generally don't put enough time and effort on these two subjects.

Aspirants preparing for Prelims 2026; You need to give more importance to subjects like Environment and Science & Technology. Nearly 30 questions of Prelims paper are from these two subjects. Students generally don't put enough time and effort on these two subjects.