Warangal woman tops Civils in Telangana, sans coaching

In the results announced by the UPSC, Sai Shivani secures an impressive 11th rank; IPS officer Ravula Jayasimha Reddy emerges second topper in the State

Hyderabad: After a setback in her first attempt, Ettaboyina Sai Shivani came back much stronger, emerging as the State topper in the Civil Services Examination 2024.

In the results announced by the UPSC on Tuesday, she not only cleared the exam with flying colours, but also secured an impressive 11th rank – emerging as the top ranker from the State.

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The achievement is even more noteworthy as Sai Shivani did not opt for rigorous coaching, which several candidates choose to crack the examination, but depended on self-preparation except for guidance from an expert.

During the lockdown induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, this engineering graduate commenced her Civil Services journey. “After BTech, I started preparation. It was a debacle in the first attempt, as I could not clear the prelims. However, with support from family and friends, I successfully cleared the exam,” an elated Sai Shivani shared with ‘Telangana Today’.

The State topper who hails from Warangal said she depended on material available online. “After engineering, I did not take up a job and focused on Civils preparation,” she said adding it was always on her mind since her childhood to contribute to society.

Around 35 Telugus have made it to the final selection list released by the UPSC. Among them is 46th ranker Ravula Jayasimha Reddy, an IPS officer, who emerged as the second topper in the State.

Reddy’s determination to get into Indian Administrative Services to serve society on a large extent made him take the fifth attempt. “In previous attempts I got IPS. As this service is more focused on policing, I wanted to reach my services on a wider spectrum, which the IAS offers,” said Reddy, a Warangal native.

Former NALSAR student Kshitij Aditya Sharma, who took guidance for the exam from Brain Tree director Gopala Krishna, secured 58th rank. Overall, Shakti Dubey topped the examination, with Harshita Goyal and Dongre Archit Parag getting the second and third ranks.

A total of 1,009 candidates — 725 men and 284 women — were recommended by the UPSC for appointment to various services.