Meet Srushti Jayant Deshmukh (AIR 5) – IAS Topper 2018 Batch

Srushti Jayant Deshmukh has created history in the Civil Services Exam conducted in 2018 by scoring a whopping AIR 5 (All India Rank) and stands ‘First’ among women candidates. It is exciting to note that among the 25 toppers of the exam, 15 happen to be male candidates, whereas the rest of 10 are female candidates. Women like Srushti are driven by courage and wit that has helped them achieve their dreams. We should draw huge inspiration from such people who can show us the path to success and teach us how to get there.

Srushti Jayant Deshmukh Wiki

Srushti was born in the year 1996, and her hometown is Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. She completed her schooling in Carmel Convent, BHEL campus in Bhopal. Right from her early days, Srushti was a hard-working and dedicated student in her studies. She excelled in academics, and in her 10th board examinations, she achieved a CGPA of 8. Later in her 12th class board exams, she scored an impressive percentage of 93.4%, bringing glory to her parents and college.

Srushti was a determined student right from her early days. She had dreamt of seeking admission in one of the IITs and pursued hard work in that regard. Despite her best efforts, she could not make it to the IITs. But she didn’t lose hope. She joined Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya at Bhopal and pursued a Chemical Engineering course.

Srushti’s biggest strength is her family; they are her backbone and pillar of support. Her father, Jayant Deshmukh, is an engineer and employed in a private firm. Her mother is a kindergarten teacher by profession. Her younger brother is studying in grade 7. Srushti draws inspiration from all her family members – parents, grandmother and brother to stay strong and move ahead in the race.

She credits her success to her teachers and mentors who guided her in every step of preparation and test. She also thanks her close relatives, friends, and acquaintances for believing in her and motivating her to climb the ladder of success.

Srushti’s Marksheet

The scorecard released by UPSC during the result declaration shows the following marks for Srushti. She scored an impressive 1068 marks out of 2025 marks. She stood fifth for the whole country. She chose Sociology as her optional subject. Chemical engineering was not one of the subjects in the optional list; hence she chose Sociology.

Srushti Jayant Deshmukh Current Posting

Srushti has been lucky to be posted at Madhya Pradesh state as an insider. Based on the IAS cadre allocation for CSE 2018 batch, she received the above appointment. Her allocation to the above cadre has been on the rolls of the publication made by All India Services Division, under Department of Personnel and Training serving at the Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievance and Pensions, the government of India.

Srushti’s IAS Preparation Strategy

Srushti is a multi-tasker. She aimed to crack the UPSC exams in the very first attempt. So she began preparation while she was pursuing her final year engineering exam. She was so persistent in attempting the exam just once that it led her to be too tough in her studies. As a backup plan, she excelled in engineering if her UPSC attempts did not give her the desired results.

Srushti adopted a two-point strategy to crack the UPSC exams in the very first attempt itself. She believed in consistent preparation and revision in the form of test series. One of the golden rules for success is to be self-disciplined in one’s goal. If we plan up a study routine for six hours per day, we must inculcate that routine every single day in our lives without fail. We should practise that routine every single day.

We may need to sacrifice many remarkable events through the preparation journey, but it’s all worth the effort when we achieve fruitful results in the end. Apart from consistency, the other part that matters is reviewing what is already studied. Even if we spent 8 hours per day in preparation but fail back to assess ourselves, the whole thing goes for a toss.

From time to time, we need to attempt test series from reliable websites and online channels to analyse, review and improve our preparation. She believes that in today’s fast-paced internet world, resources can be found from different sources. There is no need to rely on coaching centres in Delhi to clear the IAS exams. Just like how studying for long hours is crucial, reviewing them is equally important too!

Sitting back and attempting online test series was her supplementary study tool. She enrolled for many online tests and found where she had to improve. She was a focused candidate all along. She chose to stay away from social media and away from all related distractions.

Srushti’s Study Material

Srushti formed her resource pool for UPSC preparation by consulting expert peers; some of them she relied on are:

• Online resources
• NCERT class 1 to 12 Social Science textbooks.
• Subject-specific books by recommended authors.
• Competitive magazines like Yojana and Kurukshetra
• Two daily English newspapers – Hindu and Indian Express
• Web information from PIB and Rajya Sabha TV.

Srushti’s Message

Srushti is a big success story and an inspiration for the present generation. She has made her point clear that we need not rely on IITs or prominent coaching institutes to make a mark for ourselves in our career. It all depends on how smartly we make use of the opportunities available to us. We should focus on our goals with grit and determination. We should have patience and practice our way through success. We should always remain on track, come what may.