Read about Vandana Chauhan, who bagged an impressive rank 8 in the UPSC civil services exam 2012. She became an IAS Topper with her medium of the exam as Hindi. This disproves the myth that only English medium candidates can perform well in the IAS exam. Another factor that distinguishes her success is that she did not go for any coaching, and this was her very first attempt.
Candidates can also read about other IAS Toppers from the links mentioned in the table below:
| IAS Topper Tina Dabi | IAS Topper Nandini KR |
| IAS Topper Anudeep Durishetty | IAS Topper Kanishka Kataria |
IAS Topper Story – Vandana Chauhan
- Vandana was born and raised in a village called Nastullagarh in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, into an orthodox family.
- In her family, the education of girls was not a priority. But Vandana harboured the IAS dream from a young age itself.
- Her father, Mahipal Singh Chauhan, broke some norms and sent her outside the village for further studies.
- Vandana graduated in Sanskrit (Hons) from Kanya Gurukul, Bhiwani, and completed her LL.B. from BR Ambedkar University, Agra.
- After her law degree, Vandana immersed herself in civil services preparation right from her home.
- Her family’s financial status made her decide against coaching. Also, having looked at the UPSC syllabus, she was sure of completing it by herself.
- She got support from her elder brother who is a lawyer by profession. She left no stone unturned in her IAS preparation.
IAS Preparation
- According to Vandana, she made the mistake of overlooking the negative marking scheme in the IAS prelims exam and attempted all the questions.
- But, somehow, she made it through the prelims.
- She studied doubly hard for the IAS mains and interview.
- She studies 20 hours a day and was confined to her room.
- Vandana was rewarded very well for her efforts on 3rd May 2013 when the UPSC CSE results were out. She had bagged a stunning AIR 8 aged just 24!
Also read the story of Gaurav Singh Sogarwal, another Hindi medium candidate who cleared the IAS exam.
Vandana Chauhan Facts
- Rank: 8
- CSE: 2013
- Native State: Uttar Pradesh
- Attempt: First
- Medium: Hindi
- Age when cleared the exam: 24
Related Links:
| UPSC Books | Current Affairs Quiz |
| NCERT Notes for UPSC Exam | Monthly Magazine for UPSC Current Affairs |
| UPSC Calendar 2023 | IAS Eligibility |
Comments