UPSC Success Story: Third rank in first attempt, inspired by Kohli, read Ananya's success story

There are thousands of aspirants who take the UPSC Civil Services Examination every year, but only a handful of them manage to reach the list of finally selected candidates after the interview. This is why this examination is one of the toughest exams in the world. IAS-IPS officers who have cleared this test explain that to achieve this, apart from studies, hard work and determination are also needed. Today we shall share with you the story of such a woman IAS officer who is a model of this hard work and determination. This IAS's name is Donuru Ananya Reddy.

Donuru Ananya Reddy belongs to Mahbubnagar, Telangana. She bagged the All India third rank in UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023. She studied for UPSC with dedication for two years, due to which she bagged the third rank on her first try and became an IAS officer. She achieved a total of 1065 marks in the exam, including 875 marks in the written test and 190 marks in the interview (personality test).

Where did you study?

Ananya Reddy has completed her graduation from Miranda House, Delhi. She had done her graduation in Geography, but she was also familiar with Economics. The most interesting aspect is that she had picked Anthropology as her optional subject, while dropping Geography and Economics. During UPSC preparation in Delhi, she stayed in a rented house. She also underwent coaching at the same time. But she was more interested in self-study. She used to study 12 to 14 hours a day and as the exam neared, she began studying for even longer periods.

Virat Kohli is an inspiration

Ananya looks up to cricketer Virat Kohli as her inspiration. She stated in an interview, 'Virat Kohli is my favorite player and I feel he has a kind of inspiration and a never-say-die attitude. His discipline and game are an inspiration for me.' She mentions that to balance her UPSC studies, she used to read novels and watch cricket.