Meet doctor who cracked UPSC exam with AIR 9 but didn’t become IAS due to…

The UPSC Civil Services Exams are touted as one of the toughest exams in the country and aspirants leave no stone unturned to ace these and land a coveted government job. There are several, who leave their lucrative careers to tread the path of the UPSC. One such individual is Apala Mishra, who was a practicing doctor and left her practice to crack the exam. 

Apala hails from Ghaziabad, her father is a retired Colonel in the army and her brother serves as a Major. Her mother Dr Alpana Mishra is a professor at Delhi University. Education and academic excellence have always been a priority in their household and she has been very serious about her studies.

After Class 12, she obtained a Bachelor's in Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from Army College. Although, she was always driven by her aspiration to become an IAS officer. Hence, after completing her studies, she began her UPSC preparations. 

It took Apala three years to finally crack the Civil Services exam in 2020 exam with AIR 9. However, she didn't become an IAS officer. Shocking as it may seem, she became an IFS officer, as this was her first choice. She secured 215 out of 275 marks in the UPSC Interview, thus becoming the highest scorer in five years. While revealing her preparation strategy, she said she studied for 7-8 hours.