After missing UPSC and UPPCS final lists, Viral Sharma cracks Uttarakhand PCS and Bihar PCS with top ranks

When Viral Sharma reached the UPSC Civil Services interview, he came close to achieving his dream. But he missed the final selection list. A similar disappointment followed when he reached the UPPCS interview but could not make the final list.For many aspirants, such setbacks could have ended the journey. Viral chose a different path. "My journey has been full of ups and downs. There were many failures before success arrived," he said.Viral belongs to Belwa Moti village in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri. He was a bright student and topped both his High School and Intermediate examinations. He later completed Mechanical Engineering from NIT Allahabad and worked in Alwar, Rajasthan, for nearly three years.In 2023, he resigned from his job to prepare for the civil services full-time. Without joining formal coaching, he mostly studied from his village. During his preparation, he travelled to different states to appear for civil services examinations, including Uttarakhand PCS in Haridwar, UPPCS in Prayagraj, and Bihar PCS in Patna and Kishanganj.His persistence eventually brought results. Viral secured Rank 7 in the Uttarakhand PCS examination and was selected as a Deputy Collector.

He also secured Rank 7 in the Bihar PCS for the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) post and Rank 16 for the Block Development Officer (BDO) post.Despite these achievements, Viral says his preparation strategy remained simple. He focused on solving 30 to 35 years of previous years' question papers, preparing one-page notes for every topic in the syllabus, revising them regularly, and sticking to one standard source for each subject."Every syllabus heading should have one-page notes. If your revision notes are concise, writing within the word limit becomes much easier," he said.Even after securing top ranks in state civil services, Viral says his biggest goal is still ahead of him. "I still consider my UPSC journey incomplete. I will continue until I achieve my goal," he said.Now preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026, Viral continues to pursue the dream that first inspired him, determined to keep trying despite the setbacks he has faced along the way.