Saloni Verma’s UPSC 2020 AIR 70: Lessons in Self-Study

Who is Saloni Verma, and what was her UPSC result?

According to media reports at the time, Saloni Verma secured All India Rank 70 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020 in her second attempt, without coaching.

Originally from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, she spent most of her life in Delhi and began preparing for the examination after graduation. Her story is useful for aspirants considering self-study, but it should be read as an individual experience rather than a formula that every candidate must copy.

What did Saloni Verma say about preparing without coaching?

Saloni’s reported view was that coaching is not compulsory, but guidance can help candidates who are unsure how to proceed.

She advised aspirants to first understand their own potential and interest, and then explore toppers’ interviews and preparation blogs. The purpose of such resources should be to understand possible approaches, not to collect an ever-growing set of competing strategies.

Her central message was that hard work and self-study remain necessary whether or not a candidate joins coaching. The practical question is therefore not whether coaching is universally good or bad, but whether an aspirant needs support with direction, subject understanding or preparation discipline.

• Assess whether you can understand the syllabus and organise preparation independently.
• Use topper interviews to identify useful principles rather than copy personal routines.
• Seek guidance when a specific difficulty is preventing progress.
• Treat classes or external guidance as support for self-study, not a replacement for it.

How did syllabus understanding shape her preparation?

According to the profile, Saloni understood the syllabus and organised her study material before working through her preparation strategy.

For aspirants, the broader lesson is to let the official syllabus define the scope of study. UPSC CSE comprises the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Personality Test. Preparation should account for the different demands of these stages rather than treat the examination as an unrestricted reading exercise.

A syllabus-led approach helps candidates ask what a resource covers, why they are reading it and how they will revise it. The source does not identify Saloni’s booklist, optional subject or daily timetable, so none of these should be inferred from her result.

What can aspirants learn from her second attempt?

Her second-attempt success highlights persistence, while her advice emphasises moving forward with a better strategy.

The profile states that she did not clear her first attempt but continued towards her goal. It does not specify the stage at which she fell short or the exact changes she made afterwards. Claims about a particular weakness or breakthrough would therefore go beyond the available account.

For repeat candidates, a useful application is to review the previous attempt before restarting. Separate gaps in knowledge from difficulties in revision, question interpretation or completing papers. This is a general preparation lesson, not a documented account of Saloni’s own review process.

Why did she emphasise revision and answer writing?

Saloni’s reported advice identified regular revision and answer-writing practice as important parts of preparation alongside hard work and strategy.

Revision helps consolidate studied material, while answer writing helps candidates practise expressing relevant knowledge clearly for the Main Examination. Reading alone does not provide the same practice in selecting points, organising a response and addressing the question asked.

• Revisit previously studied topics instead of continually adding new material.
• Practise answering the question asked, rather than reproducing everything known about a topic.
• Review answers for relevance, clarity and structure.
• Use difficulties noticed during practice to guide the next round of study.

How should aspirants apply her advice?

Apply the principles behind her preparation while adapting the method to your own starting point and needs.

Saloni’s message combined daily effort, an improving strategy and a positive attitude. For an aspirant, that means making steady progress, recognising difficulties honestly and adjusting the plan when necessary. Positivity is most useful when it supports practical action rather than replaces review.

Her result demonstrates that success without coaching is possible; it does not establish that self-study is the best route for everyone or guarantee a similar outcome. The lasting takeaway is ownership of preparation: understand what must be studied, revise it, practise applying it and seek help where needed.