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. A Hindi-medium student who scored 92 per cent in Class 10 and 90 per cent in Class 12, Sharma went on to become a 2018-batch IPS officer and is currently posted in Rajnandgaon.
UPSC Success Story: IPS officer Ankita 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.
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. In an interview with a YouTuber, Sharma recalled that becoming a civil servant had been her childhood ambition. she decided to prepare for the Civil Services Examination While her friends were preparing for other competitive examinations. Ankita Sharma’s Academic Journey Sharma described herself as an average student during her early school years. She opted for Commerce and began studying the subjects with greater dedication. 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. By then, her preference had changed, with IAS as her first choice and IPS as her second. Marriage During UPSC Preparation Sharma also got married while preparing for the Civil Services Examination. she remained focused on her preparation While managing marriage-related responsibilities.
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. Sharma eventually cleared the Civil Services Examination in her third attempt and secured AIR 203.
She said that whenever someone asked her as a child what she wanted to become, she would say that she wanted to be like former IPS officer Kiran Bedi. Sharma said her desire to join the civil services became stronger after she completed her higher secondary education. She said she consistently stood first in her class thereafter. 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. Recalling whether marriage affected her preparation or her dream of becoming a civil servant, she said her husband supported her decision to continue preparing. She said hers was an arranged marriage and that her husband encouraged her to pursue the career she had chosen. Her husband is an Army officer, and Sharma said she received his support throughout her journey towards the civil services.
