Meet IIT, JNU grad who cleared UPSC exam in second attempt with AIR 86, now married to IPS officer, he is...

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is known as one of the toughest exams in India. Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for it with dreams of becoming IAS, IPS, IFS, or IRS officers, but only a few succeed. Among those who cracked this challenging exam is IAS officer Tushar Singla, who cleared the UPSC CSE in his second attempt.

Tushar Singla is a bright student who graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi. Later, he pursued Pa ost-Graduation in Public Administration from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He made up his mind to appear for the UPSC exam in 2013.

In an interview, Tushar shared details about his UPSC preparation journey. He mentioned that his preparation was divided into phases. He started studying for the exam in May 2013 and continued till November 2013. After that, he took a break and did not study between December 2013 to June 25, 2014. He resumed his preparation on June 28, 2014, and focused fully on the exam scheduled for November 2014. According to him, those last five months were the most crucial and intense period of his preparation.

Tushar cleared the exam with an impressive All India Rank of 86 in his second attempt. While sharing his strategy for the Prelims, he said he attempted 85 questions in Paper I and 78 questions in Paper II. He added that there is no “ideal” number of questions to attempt. Instead, success depends on how well you answer them. He even attempted questions he wasn’t fully sure about by eliminating the wrong options and using smart guesswork.

Tushar is also known for his personal life. He is married to IPS officer Navjot Simi, who belongs to the 2017 batch. The couple tied the knot in 2021.

Professionally, Tushar has served as the Sub-divisional Officer in Uluberia. Recently, he has been given an important new role as the Chief General Manager of the Bihar Development Mission under the Cabinet Secretariat.

His story continues to inspire many UPSC aspirants across the country.