After missing out on UPSC and UPCS final lists, Viral Sharma beats Uttarakhand PCS and Bihar PCS for top spot

Viral Sharma almost realized his dream when he was interviewed for UPSC Civil Services. But he missed the final selection. He felt similar disappointment when he auditioned for UPPCS but failed to make the final list.For many aspirants, such setbacks can end their journey. The virus has chosen a different path. “My journey has been full of ups and downs. There was a lot of failure before success came,” he said.Viral belongs to Belwa Moti village in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. He was a bright student and topped both high school and intermediate examinations. Later, he completed Mechanical Engineering from NIT Allahabad and worked in Alwar, Rajasthan for almost three years.In 2023, he quit his job to prepare for civil service full time. Without formal coaching, he mainly studied in his hometown. During his preparation, he traveled to different states to appear for the civil services examination, including Uttarakhand PCS in Haridwar, UPCS in Prayagraj and Bihar PCS in Patna and Kishanganj.His persistence eventually bore fruit. Viral secured seventh rank in Uttarakhand PCS examination and was selected as deputy collector. He is also ranked 7th in the post of Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) and 16th in the post of Block Development Officer (BDO) in PCS, Bihar.Despite these achievements, Villar said his preparation strategy remains simple. He focused on solving past year question papers of 30 to 35 years, prepared one page of notes for each topic in the syllabus, revised them regularly and insisted on using one standard source for each topic.“Each syllabus heading should have one page of notes. If your review notes are concise, it will become much easier to write within the word limit,” he says.Even after landing the top job in the country’s civil service, Villar said his biggest goals still lie ahead of him. “I still feel that my UPSC journey is not complete yet. I will continue until I achieve my goal,” he said.Now preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026, Viral continues to pursue the dream that inspired him in the first place and despite setbacks along the way, he is determined to keep working hard.