Always Have A Plan B Alongside Hard Work: IAS Officer Ritwik Mehta Tells UPSC Aspirants | Education and Career News
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According to IAS Ritwik Mehta, an alternative career path ensures continued progress even if the first attempt does not yield the desired outcome.
Ritwik Mehta is an IAS officer from Jharkhand 2025 batch. (Image: LinkedIn)
Young people across the country dedicate years of preparation to various competitive examinations in pursuit of their dream careers. However, success in highly competitive exams such as UPSC Civil Service Exam depends on securing one of the limited vacancies available.
While an increase in vacancies would naturally allow more candidates to succeed, the real challenge lies in earning a place within the existing limited opportunities. Adding to this challenge, the evolving pattern of competitive examinations has made preparation even more demanding. Success today requires not only hard work but also a well-planned strategy, discipline, and proper guidance. With this objective, a career counseling programme was organised for students and parents in Palamu, Jharkhand.
During the counselling session, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Ritwik Mehta shared valuable insights and practical strategies for aspirants preparing for competitive examinations. He advised candidates, especially those preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, to avoid relying entirely on a single career goal. Instead, they should pursue their primary objective while keeping a strong Plan B in place. According to him, an alternative career path ensures continued progress even if the first attempt does not yield the desired outcome, reported Local18.
Mehta completed his schooling from Loyola School Jamshedpur with a 93.25% in ISC Class 12 followed by graduation BA (Honors) Geography from DU’s Kirori Mal College. He was an IPS 2024 batch officer from Rajasthan and now is an IAS officer residing in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
Restricting To Only One Exam May Limit Future Opportunities
While speaking with students, Mehta encouraged them to also appear for examinations such as the BPSC, JPSC, and other prestigious government recruitment tests. He explained that the extensive preparation undertaken for the UPSC often provides a solid foundation for success in several other competitive examinations. Therefore, restricting oneself to only one examination may limit future opportunities.
Addressing students’ concerns during the interactive session, Mehta noted that most questions revolved around syllabus management, changing examination patterns, conceptual clarity, and current affairs preparation. He emphasised that a strong command of subjects such as History, Geography, Indian Polity, Economy, and Environment is essential for the UPSC Preliminary Examination. He recommended beginning with NCERT textbooks to build conceptual clarity and referred students to standard reference books, including M. Lakshmikant’s Indian Polity, for comprehensive preparation.
He further highlighted that reading books alone is insufficient for success in competitive examinations. Regular mock tests, answer-writing practice, and solving previous years’ question papers are indispensable components of effective preparation. He also stressed the importance of reading newspapers daily and studying monthly current affairs compilations to develop a deeper understanding of contemporary issues, which plays a crucial role in both the Preliminary and Main examinations.
Speaking about the personality test, Mehta said that discipline, confidence, and personality are just as important for UPSC aspirants during the interview stage as academic preparation is for the written examinations. He reminded students that there are no shortcuts to success. Aspirants who combine the right strategy with consistent practice, patience, and perseverance significantly improve their chances of achieving their goals.
Concluding his address, IAS officer Ritwik Mehta encouraged students to dream big while remaining practical by preparing alternative career options. According to him, balancing ambition with careful planning creates a strong foundation for long-term success and enables candidates to navigate the uncertainties of competitive examinations with confidence.
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August 07, 2026, 09:46 IST
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