Daijiworld Media Network - Jharkhand
Jharkhand, Feb 12: Failing is one thing, but failing repeatedly after coming painfully close to success can take a severe mental toll. Ranchi resident Vidyanshu Shekhar Jha’s journey to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a powerful story of perseverance, patience and unyielding determination.
Vidyanshu began his UPSC journey in 2018 with the dream of entering the civil services. What followed were years of heartbreak, as he missed clearing the prelims cut-off three times—each time by a razor-thin margin. In his first attempt in 2019, he fell short by just two marks. In his second attempt in 2020, the gap narrowed further to merely 0.67 marks. In 2021, his third attempt ended with him missing the cut-off by just one mark.
These repeated failures left him completely dejected, pushing him to the brink of giving up hope. However, it was during this phase of despair that Vidyanshu discovered a new inner strength, which eventually helped him achieve what once seemed impossible.
Vidyanshu took his fourth attempt in 2022 with no expectations, having freed himself from the pressure of outcomes. This shift in mindset proved crucial. In the UPSC 2022 examination, he cleared the prelims cut-off for both the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). He went on to clear the mains examination and secured the 49th rank in the CSE reserve list, following which he received a posting in the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS).
However, the journey was still not over. In the same year, he narrowly missed making it to the final IFS list, falling short by just eight marks in the IFS mains.
Undeterred, Vidyanshu decided to focus exclusively on the IFS examination in 2023. His persistence finally paid off when he secured an impressive All India Rank 5, achieving his long-cherished dream of becoming an IFS officer.
Reflecting on his journey, he said in an interview, “UPSC is a test of very strong willpower. Never give up. The IFS cut-off is always higher than that of CSE. When I could not clear CSE in my first three attempts, IFS felt like a distant dream. But today, I am an IFS officer. So keep working hard and stay patient.”
Vidyanshu openly shared the mistakes he made during his preparation to help future aspirants. He admitted that he relied excessively on coaching magazines instead of newspapers, cautioning candidates against repeating this error. He also acknowledged that in his initial attempts, he solved several test series but ignored previous years’ question papers, calling it one of his biggest mistakes that aspirants must avoid.
Vidyanshu’s family hails from Darbhanga in Bihar and is currently settled in Ranchi, Jharkhand. His father is a businessman, while his mother is retired from the education department. He has a younger sister who is a doctor at AIIMS. Vidyanshu completed his schooling in Ranchi and went on to pursue a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Tamil Nadu, graduating in 2017.
From missing the prelims cut-off by fractions of a mark to securing a top rank in IFS, Vidyanshu Shekhar Jha’s story stands as a strong reminder that resilience, self-reflection and patience can ultimately turn repeated failures into lasting success.