“Maybe it was never about the happy ending, maybe it was about the story.” written in Dr. IAS Artika Shukla’s biography on social media.
Artika herself says that the journey, the path you traced out matters more than the destination. Her life’s journey till now has been incredible. Artika is one of those UPSC candidates who has aced the UPSC exam on the first attempt. Also, she was studying medicine at that time so she prepared for the UPSC exam in just 8 months without any coaching classes. How mind blowing is that! Keep reading to know her rank, her biography, how she managed to study both simultaneously, and some preparation tips from her which will help you to crack the UPSC exam.
UPSC rank and optional subject of Dr.Artika Shukla
Dr. Artika Shukla qualified for the UPSC exam which is one of the toughest exams in India in her first attempt in 2015. Not only did Artika Shukla crack it in the first attempt, but she also
gained AIR 4 in the UPSC exam
What was Artika Shukla’s optional subject?.
She chose Medical Science as her optional subject before the UPSC exam.
She completed her MBBS degree and was doing MD.
What was the rank achieved by Dr.Artika Shukla in the UPSC exam?
Getting AIR 4 in the UPSC exam, on the first attempt, is not everyone’s cup of tea. but Artika Shukla made it possible with only 8 months of preparation.
Biography, family background of IAS Artika Shukla
The receiver of AIR 4 of the UPSC 2015, Dr. Artika Shukla was born on 5th September 1990 in the city of culture and heritage, Varanasi. Dr. Artika Shukla belongs to an educational background in the city of culture. Her father Dr.Brijesh Shukla is a physician and secretary of the Indian Medical Association popularly known as IMA.
Artika’s mother, Leena Shukla, is a homemaker. Artika has two siblings, namely, Gaurav Shukla and Utkarsh Shukla. Gaurav Shukla is her elder brother who is also an IAS Officer by qualified for the UPSC exam in the year 2012. Her brother Utkarsh Shukla is also a qualifier for the UPSC exam and is an officer in the IRTS.
Two siblings are IAS Officers, one sibling IRTS Officer and all three of them are UPSC qualifiers that portray the discipline and valuable teachings of their parents who raised them to serve our Nation.
Early education background and experiences
Artika Shukla was a topper in her school. She has been a brilliant student since her childhood days. Artika completed her schooling at St. John school in her native town, Varanasi. Then she moved to New Delhi to follow her father’s path. From Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, Artika completed her MBBS degree.
Afterward, Artika did an internship at Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi. While Artika was doing her MD from PGIMER, her elder brother IAS Gaurav Shukla suggested that she prepare for the UPSC exam. So she took her brother’s advice and started preparing for the UPSC exam at the same time she was doing her MD. Then she quit MD and dedicated her full focus to UPSC preparation. She completed her preparation in less than a year and sat for the UPSC exam for the first time in 2015. With a brilliant rank of 4, Artika cracked the UPSC exam on her first attempt.
Dr. Artika Shukla did put up a lot of dedication and challenging work to clear the exam in her first attempt. She worked toilsomely and smartly to achieve this. Her preparation tips are worth knowing for all the candidates so keep scrolling to know her suggestions.
It is not that IAS and doctors do not have a love life!
Artika met the love of her life while she was training to be an IAS officer. She encountered Jasmeet Singh, who is an IAS officer. He also qualified for the UPSC exam in 2015 which is in Artika’s batch and got AIR 3.
Dr. IAS Artika Shukla and IAS Jasmeet Singh tied knots to each other in 2017 and are a happily married couple now.
A remarkably interesting fact is that Tina Dabi and Athar Aamir Khan, the first and second rank holders of the 2015 UPSC exam also got married to each other. So it can be officially said that 2015 was an IAS match-making year.
“Hobbies are important”- Artika Shukla
Dr. IAS Artika Shukla is a very down-to-earth person. She loves spending time with family and friends. She enjoys her time the most when she is with her close ones.
Artika loves to travel with her family and friends whenever she gets time. In her Instagram account pictures, she posts many pictures of her traveling and spending time with her favorites.
Marksheet of IAS Artika Shukla- Inspiration for all the aspirants
Let us take a glance at the mark sheet of Artika Shukla, the 4th ranker in the 2015 UPSC exam.
Paper Marks
| Subject | Score |
| Essay | 139/250 |
| GS 1 | 88/250 |
| GS 2 | 96/250 |
| GS 3 | 112/250 |
| GS 4 | 106/250 |
| Optional 1 (Medical Science) | 144/250 |
| Optional 2 (Medical Science) | 142/250 |
| Written Total | 827/1750 |
| Interview | 173/275 |
| Total (Mains) | 1000/2025 (49.38%) |
Postings of Successful IAS Artika Shukla
Dr. IAS Artika Shukla after qualifying for the UPSC exam and completing her training got her first posting in 2016 in the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh Goa Mizoram Union Territory) cadre.
After IAS Artika’s marriage to IAS Jasmeet in 2017, she was transferred to the Rajasthan cadre. Currently, IAS Artika Shukla is posted at Ajmer as the Sub Divisional Magistrate.
Booklists suggested by topper Artika Shukla
For the preparation for the UPSC exam, you need to be extremely specific about the books and notes you follow. Here are the books which are suggested by Dr.IAS Artika Shukla, AIR 4 in the 2015 UPSC exam. She read those books and sources and without taking any coaching classes, she cracked the exam. So these books and sources have proved to be absolute gems. The books are as follows:-
Ancient and Medieval History – 10th and 12th NCERT.
Modern History – Bipin Chandra, Spectrum and NCERT.
Culture Society – Nitin Singhania, Vision, and Insights IAS material, Vajiram notes.
Politics – Laxmikanth, Vision, and Insights test papers.
Economics – NCERT (10th and 12th), notes of Sriram, economic surveys.
Science – NCERT.
Environment – Vision IAS material.
Geography – 11th and 12th NCERT.
Current Affairs – Read newspapers daily, follow Hindu Daily and solve test papers of both Insights and Vision.
Mathematics, Reasoning, Comprehension, Decision Making – Previous year papers of the UPSC.
Essay in Mains – Current Affairs, quotations by great personalities. Other than that, you can practice writing essays to improve your writing.
Artika Shukla suggested not buying more than two books per subject. The forementioned books and sources are more than enough to qualify for the UPSC exam.
Top strategies to crack UPSC in less amount of time
- First, do not practice from too many books, otherwise, it creates confusion.
- Solving test papers is the most important. Even if you have completed the syllabus and revised everything, it is not enough. Test papers of coaching like Vision, and Insights are worth solving.
- Another especially crucial point is solving the previous year’s papers. By solving this, candidates can have a clear idea of the questions that come in the exam.
- Read newspapers and keep updated with current affairs. Events that have occurred very few days before the exam can also come in the exam, so be prepared.
- Do not spend more than two months preparing for the prelims because it is just a qualifier round. Focus on mains and interviews which are the rank deciding factors.
- Lastly, in the interview round, confidence should overcome your tension. Here, one’s confidence and personality are checked more than one’s knowledge. So be confident and keep a positive attitude which will help you to achieve a score in this round.
Final words
A girl born and grew up in Varanasi is now called a Doctor and an IAS Officer. The IAS Officer who cracked the UPSC exam on her first attempt preparing all by herself in 8 months with AIR 4 is not an easy task. Dr. IAS Artika Shukla has raised the bar of outstanding. But she was just an aspirant once who was determined to fulfill her dreams. Anyone who is reading this article right now can be like her and serve their own country. Artika Shukla is a true inspiration for all the students who are determined to make their dream a reality. Artika Shukla’s inspiration was Dr. APJ Kalam. Similarly, you also follow a great personality’s thoughts which will help you to keep motivated when the times you will feel low. These real-life examples are to show that people before you have achieved so many things so, can you? So keep working hard, have patience, and read more stories like these in Edukemy to keep yourself inspired.
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