21/08/2025
Meet Disha Dwivedi from Lucknow, who secured AIR 672 in UPSC CSE 2024—after failing Prelims five times in a row! Her journey proves that consistency, strategy, and self-belief can change everything.
📚 How It Started
Disha began preparing in 2018 during her B.Tech days, inspired by friends who felt she was fit for civil services. But clearing prelims became her toughest hurdle. On her 6th attempt, she finally cracked Prelims, Mains, and the Interview.
⚡ What Went Wrong (and How She Fixed It):
🔹 Strategy mistakes – too much focus on current affairs, scattered notes, and treating PYQs like quizzes.
✅ Fix: Daily/weekly/monthly revision, concise notes, focusing on static subjects, and deep PYQ analysis.
🔹 Practice mistakes – ignored OMR practice, chased high scores, attempted too many questions.
✅ Fix: Practised with OMR sheets, balanced attempts with accuracy (69 Qs in 2023, 84+ in 2024).
🔹 Emotional struggles – isolation, suppressed stress, no mentor in early years.
✅ Fix: Open communication with family, finding mentors, valuing consistency over perfection.
Alongside UPSC prep, Disha managed home duties due to her mother’s health—studying 5–6 hrs daily while handling chores. “It taught me time management and focus,” she says.
📝 Her UPSC Mains Tips:
✔ Understand the demand of the question
✔ Use structure + subheadings
✔ Add data, reports & examples
✔ Write optimistic conclusions linked to SDGs/schemes
✔ Manage time (7 mins for 10 markers, 10 mins for 15 markers)
🌟 Disha’s Message to Aspirants:
“Trust yourself. Stay consistent, learn from mistakes, and surround yourself with positivity. This exam is about proving to yourself that you can do it.”
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