Full Name
Chalavadi Sravana Soumya
Rank
951(2024)CSE
What is your reaction immediately after seeing your rank on the list
Disappointed as the hardwork i put wasnt reflected in the rank
Family Background.
Bankers. i have good family support which i think is the most important factor in this long preparation process of ups and downs.
Who were the key people behind your success story?
My parents are like living gods to me. In this long battle filled with self-doubt and failures, they have always believed in me and provided unwavering moral support. My husband, who was also a UPSC aspirant, has been a constant source of strength and guidance throughout this journey.
Educational Background. (School/College)
Studied in small school- Sri Gurudatta high school, then narayana college.
Graduation
I got admitted to IIT Guwahati and later completed an M.A. in Anthropology. I also cleared the UGC-NET (Assistant Professor), which I had kept as a backup in case I didn’t clear the UPSC exam.
Working Experience
Worked in pharma company for few years then Currently working as teaching faculty at one educational institution in Hyderabad
Coaching/Guidance/Test Series
Vajiram foundation,
Vision IAS crash courses and test series , Forum tests.
Guidance from Late muniratnam reddy sir and paparao sir for anthropology.
Mohan sir(earlier part of unique shiksha) for ethics which helped me get 120+ in all my attempts.
Prelims Strategy
Just standard books and multiple revisions. attempted 95+ questions always as the questions are very random. No one knows more than 30-40 questions for sure. So have to take risk and take intelligent guesses. Only way out is to keep command over static syllabus
Prelims Books
Polity: Lakshmikant + PM bakshi
Economy: Shankar Ganesh + SRIram
Environment: Old NCERT Environment + Shankar ias
Ancient and medieval : NCERT + Lucent
Modern India spectrum: Art and culture- Nitin singhania+ CCRT rest current affairs books of vision and newspaper regularly
Mains strategy
One page notes for revision of all topics (Facts, committess, data,graphs) PYQ and test series
Mains Books
Standard books and Vision IAS material
Optional Strategy:
Anthropology –
Since this optional has high competition, I spent a lot of time making notes from multiple sources and enriched them with insights from topper notes and answer copies, including those of Mandar Patki, Narayana Amit, and Laghima Tiwari.
Optional Books and Coaching
Coaching was not useful – vaid ICS from delhi,
Books – taken from Anudeep Durishetty blog
Interview Strategy
I have scored very less 140s 150s all my 3 attempts. so my strategy was not doing good for me
What were the mistakes you made during your preparation that others should avoid?
I made the mistake of attempting the exam immediately after coaching, without proper revision and self-introspection. I relied too heavily on coaching material and neglected standard books. I also failed to revise multiple times and didn’t prepare crisp, consolidated notes—especially for Mains, where we’re expected to revise the entire syllabus in just two days.
What message or advice would you like to share with new aspirants and those who are facing challenges in clearing the exam,
We don’t need to be highly intelligent to crack this exam. What truly matters is spending time analyzing the patterns, being consistent, and combining hard work with smart work. That’s the real key to success.
Did you have a Plan B in case things didn’t go as expected? If yes, could you share it with us?
I had always wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and become a professor in Anthropology. However, due to a gap of four years, I couldn’t return to my previous job.