By Saurav Pandey | April 22, 2025
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Shakti Dubey secured All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024, outshining over a thousand selected candidates and emerging as the top aspirant in the country.
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Born and raised in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh—known for its educational legacy—Shakti was nurtured in an academically rich environment that shaped her early learning habits and ambitions.
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She pursued a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Allahabad, followed by an M.Sc. in Biochemistry from BHU, laying a strong academic foundation while slowly gravitating toward governance and public service.
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Before preparing for the UPSC, Shakti briefly took up teaching, which helped hone key skills like communication and leadership—traits critical for a career in the IAS.
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Despite her science background, Shakti opted for Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as her optional subject, combining scientific precision with socio-political insight.
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Her UPSC journey stretched across seven years, reflecting her unwavering dedication, strategic consistency, and belief in long-term goals.
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From the Prelims (June 2024) to the Mains (September 2024) and Personality Test (Jan–April 2025), she excelled through each stage, with her confident interview performance being a clincher.
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Her scientific training played a key role in developing analytical and problem-solving abilities, which helped her tackle the vast and complex UPSC syllabus.
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The scholarly culture of Prayagraj and her educational experiences helped shape her vision for public service, encouraging her to take the civil services plunge.
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Shakti’s journey—from a student in a small town to India’s top civil services rank-holder—stands as a compelling inspiration for aspirants, especially from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.