Coaching not mandatory to crack competitive exams: UPSC 566 ranker Buddhi Akhil

Siddipet: Buddhi Akhil (24), who secured 566 rank in the union Public Service Examination (UPSC)-2021, has said that attending coaching classes was not mandatory for cracking the UPSC examination. The 24-year-old Civil Engineering graduate, who was expecting to get either IRS or IPS service, said he would certainly give another attempt to get better service […]

Siddipet: Buddhi Akhil (24), who secured 566 rank in the union Public Service Examination (UPSC)-2021, has said that attending coaching classes was not mandatory for cracking the UPSC examination. The 24-year-old Civil Engineering graduate, who was expecting to get either IRS or IPS service, said he would certainly give another attempt to get better service i.e IAS this year.

Unlike other candidates, who cracked civil services examinations, Akhil never attended coaching classes either for preliminary or main examinations. However, he attended mock interviews conducted by the CSB IAS Academy founder Balalatha.

While most of the aspirants either spend time and money in New Delhi or Hyderabad throughout their preparation, Akhil stayed at his residence in Kondapaka, a village in Sididpet district, for the past three years. While he even failed to crack the preliminary examination in 2019 in his first attempt, Naresh managed to clear the preliminary examination in 2020 and got 566th rank in his third attempt.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Akhil has said that he would feel attending the coaching classes is a waste of time and money if you were well aware of the examination. Saying that there was abundant material available on the internet, Akhil said that he would regularly follow the notes prepared by the toppers of the Civil Services examination. Stating that he had also prepared his own notes following the newspapers and some magazines, Akhil said that senior IAS officer from Telangana Smitha Sabharwal and his father Buddhi Naresh were sources of inspiration for him.

When he was in school, Akhil said that he used to see Smitha Sabharwal efficiently discharging duties as Collector Medak when he decided to get into the Civil Service to do something for society. “My father holds just three acres of land, but he had given the best possible education and facilities to me throughout my student life which made me work better in studies to make my parents Naresh and Lalitha happy, he said. Apart from cultivating the three acres of land, Naresh and Lalitha, who hold the NREGS employment cards, would regularly attend the works of NREGS in the village to earn some additional income.

Akhil had studied in Sai Public School in Kondapaka until 7th class. Later, he was admitted to Ravindra Public Schol in Siddipet town. After securing a 9.8 CGPA in 10th Class, Akhil joined Master Minds Junior College in Siddipet. He had scored a record 972 marks in intermediate in 2012. After cracking the EAMCET, he joined Civil Engineering at Kakatiya College of Engineering and Technology Warangal in 2014.

However, he said that he was always used to following the newspapers and other developments because he had an eye on Civil Services from the very beginning. Immediately after passing Engineering with 80 percent in 2018, Akhil said that he had shifted from Warangal to Kondapaka and started the preparation. Despite his failure even in clearing the preliminary examination, the Civil Engineering graduate said that he was very much confident of cracking the UPSC examination.

Though he had cleared the preliminary examination in 2020, he had failed to crack the mains. Realising his long-cherished dream, Akhil had cracked the UPSC in his third attempt. He further hoped that he would get a much better rank this year. After coming to know about the results, the Akhil, his brother Ajay and his parents erupted in celebration. A festive atmosphere prevailed at the his house as relatives and friends gathered to congratulate Akhil.