From 35 Failures to IAS: The Unstoppable Journey of Vijay Vardhan
UPSC is not just an exam, it is a long mental test. It breaks routines, tests patience, and demands years of consistent effort. The journey of Vijay Vardhan is a clear example of how failure does not decide the final outcome.
He faced nearly 35 government exam failures, struggled through multiple UPSC attempts, became an IPS officer, and later cleared UPSC again to become an IAS officer. His story is built on one thing—refusing to stop, even when results were not in his favor.
Early Life and Background
Vijay Vardhan comes from Sirsa in Haryana. He studied engineering and completed his B.Tech in Electronics from Hisar. Like many aspirants from technical backgrounds, he initially looked at government exams as a stable career option and started preparing for UPSC in Delhi.
Along with UPSC preparation, he also applied for several government exams as backup options. At that time, the goal was simple—secure a government job and move forward. But what followed was a long phase of continuous rejection.
Struggles and 35 Exam Failures
Before even making progress in UPSC, Vijay faced repeated failures across multiple exams such as HPSC, UPPSC, SSC CGL, CDS, and others. In total, he failed around 35 competitive exams.
This phase was not easy. Each rejection came with pressure and self-doubt. But instead of quitting, he slowly changed his approach. He started analyzing mistakes, understanding exam patterns, and focusing more on improving his preparation instead of just attempting exams blindly.
These failures became the foundation of his future success.
UPSC Journey and First Major Breakthrough
Vijay appeared for UPSC in 2014 for the first time but could not clear it. Like many aspirants, this was a difficult moment, but he did not stop. He continued preparing with more discipline and a better understanding of what the exam demanded.
After multiple attempts, his hard work finally paid off in 2018 when he secured All India Rank 104 in UPSC Civil Services Examination. With this rank, he joined the Indian Police Service as an IPS officer.
For most candidates, this would have been the final success. But for Vijay, it was only one milestone in a bigger journey.
The Decision to Aim for IAS Again
Even after becoming an IPS officer, Vijay was not fully satisfied with his result. His long-term goal was always the IAS. Instead of settling, he took a difficult decision to attempt UPSC again.
This decision required strong mental discipline because restarting preparation while already working in a prestigious service is not easy. He carefully reviewed his past attempts, identified gaps in his strategy, and focused on improving his approach instead of repeating the same methods.
Becoming an IAS Officer
In 2021, Vijay Vardhan achieved his final goal. He cleared UPSC again and became an IAS officer. This success was not sudden or lucky. It was the result of years of learning, failures, corrections, and persistence.
From 35 exam failures to IPS and finally IAS, his journey shows how improvement over time can completely change outcomes.
Conclusion
The story of Vijay Vardhan is not about how many times he failed. It is about how he responded after every failure. Most people stop after a few setbacks, but he kept going, adjusting his strategy and staying consistent.
His journey proves one simple truth: failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of it. What matters is whether you stop or keep improving until you reach your goal.