Success Story! Meet IAS Simi Karan, Who Got Into IIT Bombay & Cracked UPSC Exam In The Same Year

There's no dearth of hardworking students who study dedicatedly to clear difficult competitive exams like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services or the course exams of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). But now, a 23-year-old from Odisha has marked her name in the academic milieu by cracking IIT and UPSC in the same year.

When IAS officer Simi Karan cracked IIT and took admission to IIT Bombay in 2019, she also appeared for the civil services examination -- rated one of the toughest exams in the world -- and secured an impressive rank.

From Bhilai To Bombay

Simi was born in the Bhilal district of Odisha; her father worked in a steel plant while her mother was a teacher. Considered a dedicated student, she was sincere with her schoolwork and always scored decent marks in exams.

After Class 12, she decided that she wanted to pursue a degree in electrical engineering and consequently applied for a seat at IIT Bombay – an institute which has scored the second position in India as per the recent QS rankings.

While studying at the prestigious college, Simi signed up for volunteer activities where she was asked to visit jhuggis and teach underprivileged children. Her work with the needy inspired her to pursue a job in the public service sector so that she can serve and help others selflessly, News18 reports. The best way to do this would be to clear the UPSC exam and join the Civil Services, she decided.

Cleared UPSC Without Coaching

To prepare for the UPSC exam, instead of opting for coaching, Simi started watching videos and interviews of IAS toppers. She says that she compartmentalised the UPSC Syllabus into small parts so that it would become easy for her to map the syllabus and study accordingly.

She stated that she never focused on the hours of the study but on the quality of her study. She worked with limited sources and selected books, and to prevent herself from getting submersed in her studies, she took out time regularly for recreational activities like jogging or watching stand-up comedy, India Today reports.

Through hard work, consistency and determination, she cleared the UPSC exams on her first attempt and ranked 31st at the All-India level in 2019. Thus, in the year 2020, she became an IAS officer at the age of 22 and was allocated to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

In an official tweet by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Simi Karan, IAS OT 2020 North-East Cadre (Assam-Meghalaya), was awarded the LV Reddy Memorial Award and Certificate for the best performing officer trainee.

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