I am Monika Srivastava, AIR 16 in UPSC CSE 2025. I hail from Aurangabad, Bihar with my ancestral roots in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. I am a Computer Science and Engineering graduate from IIT Guwahati and worked as a Software Engineer at PayPal for nearly six years after graduation. I have appeared for the CSE Mains twice and the interview twice. In 2023, I was allotted the Indian Railway Management Service (Traffic). Subsequently, I reappeared for CSE 2025 with the aim of improving my rank.

Why did I chose to write civil services?

 

When did I start ?

 

Mistakes that I did during my preparation?

One mistake that I would definitely avoid if I were to relive my preparation journey would be carrying the “IIT mindset” too deeply into UPSC preparation.

In IIT and engineering preparation, we are trained to think like specialists. We are encouraged to:
question every assumption,
look for exceptions,
solve edge cases,

That approach works fine in engineering examinations because the objective is depth and analytical rigor. However, UPSC is fundamentally different. UPSC rewards the mindset of a balanced generalist rather than a specialist.

Initially, I used to overcomplicate simple UPSC statements. If a statement in polity, environment, or economy appeared straightforward, my instinct was to search for hidden corner cases or technical exceptions. I would think, “What if this rare exception exists?” or “What if there is a highly specific scenario where this statement fails?” This habit often led to confusion in prelims, unnecessary over-analysis, and incorrect elimination.
Once I consciously shifted from a “specialist mindset” to a “generalist mindset,” I was able to excel prelims with good margin.

So, if I were to start again, I would remind myself much earlier:
“UPSC is not about proving how deeply you can dissect a topic; it is about how balanced one can understand it.”

What message will I give to younger Monika?

There will be phases when your mocks go badly, when your preparation feels insufficient, it is important to remember that uncertainty is a part of this journey for almost everyone. In one prelims mock you might score 135 and in another just 75, it is okay. Just sit back and relax when you hit your lows. DO NOT QUIT.

I would also advise aspirants not to overcomplicate the examination like I did.

Finally, protect your mental peace. Have someone by your side, be it friend, be it your mentor or be it your parents, who will listen to you. To whom you can share all your fears without any hesitation. Sometimes just venting it out helps you regain strength.

All the best folks!