Priyanka Goyal, a resident of Delhi, completed her schooling up to Class 12 at Maharaja Agrasen Model School, located in Pitampura. She then pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Delhi University.
After graduation, Priyanka fully dedicated herself to preparing for government services, especially the UPSC Civil Services Examination. She appeared for the UPSC exam a total of six times. Had she not succeeded in the 2022 attempt, her dream of becoming a government officer might have remained unfulfilled.
Her optional subject in the UPSC exam was Public Administration, in which she scored an impressive 292 marks. In an interview, Priyanka shared that her journey through the UPSC exams was extremely challenging. At one point, she wasn’t even sure if success was ever going to be possible for her.
In her first attempt, she couldn’t even clear the prelims as she was unaware of the complete syllabus. In her second attempt, she missed the cut-off by a narrow margin of just 0.7 marks. During her third attempt, she failed to qualify the Mains exam. In the fourth, she fell short in the CSAT section. The fifth attempt was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her mother suffered 80% lung damage. Priyanka couldn’t clear prelims that year either.
She later reflected that she probably shouldn’t have taken the fifth attempt amid such a personal crisis, as preparing for a competitive exam under those conditions was nearly impossible.
Over the years, Priyanka also had to deal with increasing pressure from society and expectations around marriage. With only one final attempt left, she knew she had to give it everything she had to secure her future.
And finally, all her perseverance and hard work paid off. In UPSC CSE 2022, Priyanka Goyal secured an All India Rank of 369.
Not only is Priyanka a brilliant IAS officer, but she’s also often praised for her graceful appearance — many say she looks no less than a model. See for yourself in the photos!
