Hi Guys, My name is Dwij Goel, and in the UPSC CSE 2022, I got AIR 71. I’m from a small town near Meerut, India, called Kharkhauda. After I got my basic schooling in Meerut, I went to NIT-Bhopal to get my B.Tech in mechanical engineering. After I graduated in 2019, I worked as an assistant manager for a year at Hero MotoCorp limited in Gurgaon.
I quit my job in September 2020 to study for the U.P.S.C. full-time. On my first try, in 2020, I passed the prelims but not the mains. But in the meantime, I was chosen for state services (UPPSC), but I wasn’t happy with it, so I didn’t join.
In 2021, I got better, closed all the holes, and tried mains with all my heart in January 2022. In addition to UPSC, I started working on some of my own plans after the mains.
Between my Mains and my interview, a friend and I started an EdTech startup and worked on it for 3–4 months, but it failed because of a problem with the marketing, which was a blow for me.
In the meantime, I got a call for an interview with the UPSC, but I missed the final list by 5 points. I was so sad because I couldn’t go because I didn’t do well enough in the interview.
I had been sitting in the same place for 2.5 years since I quit my job, and nothing was helping. This is when I started to have doubts about myself. My best friend and the person I couldn’t live without also left me. But “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” as the saying goes.
I didn’t make the final list, and neither did my friends Shubhratosh and Asad. We were all sad about it. With prelims coming up soon (in just 5 days), we three got all the courage we could muster for our third try and tried again. After I tried UPSC for a week, I also tried UPPSC.
Then I went on a week-long trip with my friends to rest up for mains, which I thought would be my last chance. Together, the three of us passed the prelims and retook the mains in September 2022. When one of us feels down, the other is there to help. We got ready together, took notes together, and made moments that will last a lifetime.
This was probably the best thing of all, that UPSC kicked us all out together. Now, in our ideal dreams, we hope to go to LBSNAA together next year, which is unlikely (0.0033%). We worked together to prepare for and take the mains.
Just one day after UPSC mains, I took UPPSC mains to become a deputy collector. I thought this would be my last chance to get into government service.
Things didn’t work for me until October 9, 2022. Then, all of a sudden, on October 10, UPSC announced the reserve list for the 2021 test, and luckily, my name was on it. I was given PONDICS, and right now I work in Pondicherry as Commissioner Municipality.
Then, on April 8, 2023, I got the final results from UPPSC. I got Rank 19 and was chosen as Deputy Collector (also called SDM). I finally went to the UPSC exam on April 17, 2023, and I now have AIR 71.
So, this has been an emotional roller coaster of fear, worry, failures, and hope. Victor Frankl said, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and nothing good ever dies.” I was looking forward to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
And yes, Asad has AIR 86, Shubhratosh has AIR 358, and we are all going to LBSNAA together!!! “Lite hai”
Dwij Goel UPSC Marksheet
How I got 124 in the GS2
I got 124 points in GS2 this year, which is better than the 100 points I got last year. Here is what I plan to do. GS2 is mostly about three things: politics, government, and foreign relations. Here, I would write in detail about each of them.
Dwij Goel Booklist (Polity)
1. M. Laxmikant for the basics, since it was the only book I had for the prelims.
Added value: a key decision: only the IAS booklet Atish Mathur sir’s mains-specific notes are free to get from his Telegram account. Good value as a side dish. Strategy: Q. How to read Laxmikant in less time for mains (after prelims)? I read the basics from Laxmikant to review all the basic ideas like federalism, center-state relations, etc., but the study strategy for mains is different.
It should be easy to remember catchy sentences, like how N. A. Palkhivala called the Preamble the “identity card of the constitution.”
Pay attention to the key areas that the UPSC often asks about, such as the separation of powers, decentralisation, etc.
Remember important articles, judgements and changes Example: When asked about cases about the environment, I brought up the MC Mehta case.
I used a booklet from Only ias and notes from Atish Mathur sir to cover all of the topics on the course in a complete way. It helped me get good information, too. For example, if the question was about “separation of powers,” I knew I had to talk about the articles and court decisions in the constitution that deal with that topic.
I used some of Mandar patki sir’s (AIR 22, CSE 2019) notes for some topics. His notes are in pdf format and easy to find.
EdSarrthi, a mentoring platform: I used their ready-made templates for the introduction and end.
I wrote down the names of important committee members and tried to use them in my answers.
Dwij Goel Booklist (Governance)
The basic source was Vision value-added materials, which I used to make notes for each item on the syllabus. 2.I added value by using examples, case studies, and catchy sentences from the Only IAS Prahaar booklet and the Edsarrthi material for the mains mentorship programme.
2nd ARC: I read a summary of some of the 2nd ARC’s chapters and tried to use them in the way forward, recommendations, etc.
Dwij Goel Booklist ( IR – International Relations)
Newspaper stories are very important, and I used to keep good ones in a separate file.
Static: EdSarrthi has given information, and Vision mains 365 covers it in detail. Vision mains 365 and my own story clippings are what I’m reading right now.
I took notes from the videos on Sansad TV: diplomatic report from the last 6-7 months.
I was very interested in international relations, so after my mains I read a lot of books on the subject. “The India Way” by Dr. S. Jaishankar is a great book to read if you want to understand how India handles its foreign policy.
Dwij Goel Test Series & Answer Writing
When I took the 2022 test, I did practise tests online at Edsarrthi, and they were good. I took part in the mains coaching programme, which included live answer writing and test series. I also took some ForumIAS tests that I got from somewhere else. I took them at home and then had them graded on my own because I didn’t want to pay for another expensive test set. My copies are not in the public domain, so I would share them on my Telegram group so that people could use them as a reference.
I took Vision and EdSarrthi in my 2021 attempt, and Forum and EdSarrthi in my 2020 try. How many tests should you give? I think you should write two full-length practise tests for each GS course. I used to take tests from different teaching programmes, like Forum and Vision, and write them down. It helps with both building the answer’s material and organising it.
Ever since I joined Edsarrthi’s live answer writing session, I followed it carefully and always tried to improve my answers.
