No Coaching, No Social Media: Hisar Woman Secures 5th Rank in Haryana Civil Services

Chhavi Sardana, a 23-year-old resident of Dogran Mohalla in Hisar, Haryana, has secured the fifth rank in the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) examination 2025, scoring 385.80 out of 675 marks. She prepared for the examination without joining any coaching institute and has become the first person in her family to secure a government officer's post.

Ms Sardana completed her BA LLB in Patiala. She had initially aspired to practise law, but also held a long-standing goal of joining the civil services. She therefore began preparing for the examination while still pursuing her law degree, working towards both objectives at the same time.

Rather than enrolling at a coaching centre, she relied on self-study. She said she devoted about eight hours a day to preparation, usually starting between 6 am and 7 am and spending most of the day on her subjects.

She also stayed away from social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram during this period. To understand subjects and gather information, she used the AI chatbot ChatGPT as a study aid — a practice that has become more common among candidates for competitive examinations in recent years.

According to Ms Sardana, consistent preparation, effective time management and sustained dedication to her goal were the main reasons for her success.

The HCS examination is conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission, which recruits candidates for various state government posts. Around 60,000 candidates appeared in the initial stage of this year's selection process, according to Ms Sardana, after which successful candidates moved through the subsequent stages to reach the interview round.

The first stage of the examination was held in April, followed by the second stage in June. Interviews were conducted at the commission's office in Panchkula from October 3 to 8. Ms Sardana secured the fifth rank in the final results.

She has also appeared for the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) examination and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. The results of both are awaited. She said she would give priority to the responsibility she has earned in Haryana while continuing to pursue opportunities for further growth.

Her achievement has brought joy to her family. Her father, Chirag Sardana, runs a printing press shop, while her mother, Suman Sardana, is a homemaker. Soon after the results were announced, relatives and well-wishers began visiting their home in Hisar to congratulate her.

Her case illustrates, in her own account, how focused preparation, steady effort and self-discipline can help candidates succeed in competitive examinations without formal coaching. It has also drawn attention to the changing ways in which aspirants in smaller cities prepare for such tests, often using a mix of printed material, online resources and quiet, sustained study at home.