IPS officer Ankita Sharma, who hails from Durg in Chhattisgarh, cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination on her third attempt, securing All India Rank (AIR) 203 in 2017. She is a 2018-batch IPS officer and is currently posted in Rajnandgaon. Speaking to NDTV, she shared that her father is her real-life idol and has stood by her through thick and thin. Sharma recalled that becoming a civil servant had been her childhood ambition.
Sharma completed her schooling in Durg before pursuing her graduation and postgraduation in Bhilai. She comes from a family of three sisters, and her father is a businessman.
Sharma completed her schooling in Durg before pursuing her graduation and postgraduation in Bhilai. She comes from a family of three sisters; her father is a businessman.
Sharma said her desire to join the civil services became stronger after she completed her higher secondary education. While her friends were preparing for other competitive examinations, she decided to prepare for the Civil Services Examination.
Ankita Sharma's Academic Journey
Sharma described herself as an average student during her early school years. She recalled that she found Mathematics difficult and once received a supplementary in the subject in Class 5 after scoring only five marks out of 50.
Her academic performance changed after she entered Class 9. She opted for Commerce and began studying the subjects with greater dedication. She said she consistently stood first in her class thereafter. She completed her school education at St Xavier's School in Durg, which is affiliated with the ICSE board.
Sharing the lesson from her own experience, Sharma said children should not be judged based on their academic performance at an early age. She emphasised the importance of encouraging children and allowing them to study subjects according to their interests.
She said children can perform well when they receive the right environment and are given the opportunity to pursue subjects of their choice.
UPSC Preparation And Three Attempts
Sharma said the idea of preparing for the Civil Services Examination came to her while she was pursuing her postgraduation. After completing her postgraduate studies, she initially began preparing from home.
She later moved to Delhi and prepared for around six to seven months. However, she felt that she was spending considerable time managing different aspects of life in the city, which was affecting her preparation. She eventually returned home and resumed her preparation there.
In her first attempt, Sharma had kept IPS as her first preference and IAS as her second. She cleared the preliminary examination and appeared for the Mains but could not make the final list.
Her second attempt ended at the preliminary stage as she could not clear the prelims.
Sharma eventually cleared the Civil Services Examination in her third attempt and secured AIR 203. By then, her preference had changed, with IAS as her first choice and IPS as her second.
