Daijiworld Media Network - Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur, Sep 28: For Ishita Sharma, the dream of becoming an IAS officer was not a goal that emerged after graduation. It was a childhood ambition that stayed with her through school, college and years of UPSC preparation. After facing two failures in the Preliminary Examination and narrowly missing final selection in her third attempt, Sharma refused to give up. In her fourth attempt, she secured All India Rank 26 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025.
Sharma, from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, had spoken about becoming an IAS officer even after topping her class 12 board examinations. Her academic journey later took her to the University of Delhi, where she completed her BCom and MCom. Her strong academic background in commerce eventually became an important part of her UPSC preparation, with Commerce as her optional subject.
However, her journey towards the Civil Services was far from smooth. Her first two attempts ended before the Mains, as she could not clear the Preliminary Examination. The setbacks made her question whether she was capable of achieving her dream. But instead of walking away, she returned to the examination with a better understanding of her shortcomings.
Her third attempt brought her closer to the goal. She cleared the Preliminary and Mains examinations and reached the interview stage, only to miss final selection by 14 marks. The narrow margin could have been devastating, but it also showed her that the dream was within reach. She used the experience to reassess her preparation and work on the areas that needed improvement.
Sharma prepared largely from her hometown of Gorakhpur rather than moving to a major coaching centre. Her approach relied on disciplined self-study, selective online guidance, repeated revision, mock tests and answer-writing practice. In a later conversation about her preparation, she highlighted the importance of consistency, test series and learning from the mistakes made in earlier attempts.
Her academic performance had already demonstrated her ability to handle competitive examinations. She cleared the NET-JRF examination in Commerce in her first attempt, according to published accounts of her journey. Her academic grounding also helped her approach Commerce as an optional subject with greater familiarity and conceptual clarity.
Family support remained another important pillar throughout the demanding preparation. Her father, D K Sharma, is a bank manager, while her mother, Archana Sharma, is a homemaker. Her elder brother also played an important role in inspiring her towards the Civil Services. Their support helped her continue despite the emotional strain of repeated attempts.
The breakthrough finally came in UPSC CSE 2025. Sharma secured 806 marks in the written examination and 215 marks in the personality test, taking her final score to 1,021 and placing her at AIR 26.
Her journey offers a powerful lesson for UPSC aspirants: a failed attempt does not have to define the final outcome. Two unsuccessful Preliminary attempts and a 14-mark near miss could have ended her pursuit, but Sharma treated each setback as an opportunity to identify weaknesses and improve. Her fourth attempt transformed years of uncertainty, preparation and persistence into one of the country's top 30 ranks.
Ishita Sharma’s success is therefore not just a story about securing AIR 26. It is a story about holding on to a long-cherished dream, learning from failure and returning to the examination with renewed determination.