Meet IAS officer who scored less than 50% in class 10, failed several times, then cracked UPSC exam with AIR…, name is…

He became an IAS officer in 2009 and is currently serving in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. He often shares motivational stories and personal experiences to inspire others.

Becoming an IAS officer is not easy—it comes with many challenges. But the joy of clearing the UPSC exam makes all the struggles worth it. Every aspirant’s journey is different, and not everyone succeeds on their first try. One such inspiring journey is that of IAS officer Awanish Sharan, who didn’t let failure stop him. Despite scoring low marks in school and failing multiple exams, he persevered and cleared UPSC in his second attempt.

Awanish studied in a government school in Bihar. He scored just 44.7 per cnt in his Class 10 exams, securing 314 marks out of 700, which placed him in the third division. However, he didn’t let his academic setbacks define his future. He went on to score 65 per cent in Class 12 and 60 per cent in his graduation.

Determined to succeed, Awanish attempted various competitive exams, including the CDS, CPF, and the State PCS preliminary exam. Unfortunately, he failed the PCS exam 10 times. But he refused to give up. In his first attempt at UPSC CSE, he reached the interview round. Finally, in his second attempt, he cracked the exam with an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 77.

Awanish became an IAS officer in 2009 and is currently serving in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. He often shares motivational stories and personal experiences to inspire others. In 2022, he even shared his Class 10 marksheet on social media, showing that he had scored only 314 out of 700. His post went viral, proving that marks are just numbers and do not decide one’s future.

To help UPSC aspirants, Awanish advises them to stick to a limited set of books and notes, avoid social media, minimize distractions from friends and relatives, not compare their progress with others, and stay updated with current affairs by reading newspapers daily. His story is a reminder that persistence and hard work can turn any dream into reality.