“Pahaad ki Choti Tak Jaana Hai” – How Neha Byadwal Cracked UPSC in Her 4th Attemp

One day, Neha Byadwal was sitting with her papa. He pointed towards a poster hanging on the wall. It had a picture of a big pahaad (mountain). Neha looked at it, confused.

Her papa smiled and said:

"You have to reach the top of this pahaad. There are two ways — either I show you the way, or you find your own."

These words stayed in Neha’s mind forever.

With her father’s guidance and her own mehnat (hard work), Neha finally cleared the UPSC exam in her 4th attempt. But her journey was full of chunautiyan (challenges).

Education + UPSC Preparation

Neha completed her B.Sc. in Economics, and then M.Sc. in Economics from IIT Kanpur. Even during her studies, her full focus was on UPSC preparation.

She knew from the beginning:

“IAS banna aasaan nahi hota. You have to focus on every small detail.”

Changing the Strategy After 3 Failures

Neha failed 3 times, but she didn’t give up.

After the third attempt, she decided to:

• Change her strategy

• Stay away from social media

• And focus on her weak areas

She promised herself:

“Ab apni galtiyon ko sudhaarna hai (Now I must fix my mistakes).”

She believes:

“Asafalta (failure) is the first step towards safalta (success).”

She listed all her past mistakes and improved them one by one.

Final Success

In her 4th attempt, Neha cleared UPSC with 569th rank.

Today, she is posted as Joint Magistrate in Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh.

Neha's Message to Aspirants

Neha says:

“Success in UPSC is not just about padna (studying), but also about self-discipline, patience, and believing in yourself.”

Her journey proves that with the right guidance, mehnat, and self-belief, anything is possible — even the toughest exam in India.