IAS Neha Byadwal said she took a call to avoid mobile phone usage and social media during the course of her UPSC preparation for nearly 3 years, and devoted all her time to preparing for the civil services exam.
UPSC success story: Mobile phones and social media have become an inalienable part of our modern lives without which we would be hard-pressed to manage our daily affairs, but on the the other hand, this amazing piece of modern technology can prove to be major source of distractions, diverting our attention from from working on achieving our career and life goals.
While many try to limit their screen time and focus on other goals in life, IAS Neha Byadwal did something rather remarkable, when she failed in her first attempt in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE). After the setback, Neha realised that mobile phone and social media was consuming too much of her time and distracting her from properly studying for the country’s toughest exam, and hence made the tough call to avoid social media and restrict her mobile phone usage for three years while she prepared for her next UPSC CSE attempt.
Who is IAS Neha Byadwal?
Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, but raised in Chhattisgarh, Neha Byadwal, started her schooling in Jaipur and later went to Kidzee High School, Bhopal. Due to the nature of her father’s government job, Neha had to frequently switch schools, and studied at DPS Korba, and later completed her schooling at DPS Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.
Neha’s father, Shravan Kumar, is a senior Income Tax officer, and it was his service to the country and its people, that inspired her to become an IAS officer. After her early education, Neha Byadwal joined the DB Girls College in Raipur, and later emerged as a university topper.
Avoided mobile phone, social media for 3 years
After completing her education, Neha Byadwal started preparing for the UPSC CSE, however, the path to success was paved with setbacks as she failed to clear the test in her first three attempts.
In an interview, Neha revealed that after failing in her first attempt, she realised that social media and mobile phone usage was distracting her from studying in a diligent manner, so she took a call to avoid these during the course of her UPSC preparation for nearly 3 years. During this period, Neha devoted all her time to preparing for the civil services exams, and even became distant from friends and relatives.
Notably, Neha Byadwal managed to clear the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exam several times while she was preparing for UPSC CSE, but decided not to join a government job as her ultimate goal was to become an IAS officer. However, the path proved to be more difficult than she might have imagined, as she failed to clear the CSE in her first three attempts.
UPSC success
After years of setbacks and making the sacrifice of shunning her social life, Neha Byadwal ultimately achieved success as her hard work and perseverance paid off, and she cleared the UPSC CSE in her fourth attempt in 2021, with an All India Rank (AIR) of 569, and finally achieving her dream of becoming an IAS officer. She was only 24 at the time.
Neha secured a total of 960 marks in the UPSC Civil Service Examination, including 151 marks in the interview.
After her UPSC success, Neha Byadwal has become sort of a celebrity on social media, having amassed over 28,000 followers on Instagram where she often gives tips to UPSC aspirants on how to prepare for the tough test.