24-Year-Old Woman Wardah Khan from Noida Ranks in UPSC Top 20 After Quitting Corporate Job

Wardah Khan pursued her Bachelors in Commerce (Honours) from the Khalsa College of Delhi University. She shared her excitement with PTI, expressing her disbelief at placing in the top 20 and her family’s pride in her achievement.

She currently resides in Noida with her mother, as her father passed away nine years ago. During her college days, Ms Khan’s interest in geopolitics, history, and polity led her to engage in debates and MUNs (mock United Nations), although she had not initially considered pursuing a career in civil services.

It was during her brief corporate job that she realized her desire to make a difference in society and serve her country. Ms Khan prepared for the UPSC examination at home and also received online coaching from a private institution for a year.

She emphasized the importance of thorough knowledge of basic materials such as NCERT and Polity by Laxmikant, and advised aspirants to create proper syllabus heads for mains and prepare notes for their optional subjects. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recommended 1,016 candidates for appointment to various services, including 352 women.

Aditya Srivastava topped the 2023 civil services examination, with Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy, P K Sidharth Ramkumar, and Ruhani securing the next four ranks.