35 Failures Later, He Cracked UPSC — Twice — To Go From IPS Officer To IAS

Published 15 July 2026 · local

35 Failures Later, He Cracked UPSC — Twice — To Go From IPS Officer To IAS Published By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 13:02 IST

35 Failures Later, He Cracked UPSC — Twice — To Go From IPS Officer To IAS Published By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 13:02 IST Thirty-five setbacks could not stop Vijay Vardhan from chasing his goal. His persistence turned repeated failures into an inspiring UPSC success story Rapid Read Vijay Vardhan first became an IPS officer, then, driven by persistence, achieved his ultimate goal of becoming an IAS officer, proving that setbacks can lead to inspiring success. Success Story: The journey to becoming an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer is rarely easy, but for Vijay Vardhan from Sirsa district in Haryana, it involved overcoming an extraordinary series of setbacks. Before achieving success in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, Vijay Vardhan failed 35 government recruitment and competitive examinations, including the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPCS) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations. Despite the repeated disappointments, he continued preparing and eventually cleared the UPSC examination twice.

Engineering Graduate Chose Civil Services After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Vijay Vardhan moved to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Alongside UPSC preparation, he also appeared for several other government recruitment examinations as backup career options. However, he was unsuccessful in each of them. Instead of giving up after repeated failures, he analysed his mistakes, improved his preparation strategy and continued working towards his goal. First Cleared UPSC To Become An IPS Officer Years of preparation finally paid off in 2018, when Vijay Vardhan secured All India Rank (AIR) 104 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination. The rank earned him a place in the Indian Police Service (IPS). Although he had achieved one of India’s most prestigious services, his ultimate ambition remained joining the IAS. Cleared UPSC Again To Become An IAS Officer Determined to fulfil his original goal, Vijay Vardhan continued preparing for the UPSC examination while serving as an IPS officer.

His persistence paid off in 2021, when he successfully cleared the Civil Services Examination once again and secured a position in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). In several media interviews, Vijay has said that learning from one’s own mistakes is the key to success and that persistence is often the biggest factor in achieving long-term goals. Current Posting In Himachal Pradesh Vijay Vardhan is a 2021-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre. He previously served as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Rohru. He has now been appointed Director, Public Finance and Public Enterprises-cum-Special Secretary (Finance), Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla. In addition, he has been given the additional charge of Director, Treasuries, Accounts and Lotteries, Himachal Pradesh. An Inspiring Story Of Persistence Vijay Vardhan’s journey highlights how repeated setbacks need not define a career. Despite failing 35 competitive examinations, he remained focused on his goal, eventually clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination twice and fulfilling his ambition of becoming an IAS officer.