When the UPSC declared the list of rank holders of its Civil Services Examination 2023 on Tuesday, Benjo P. Jose received a pleasant surprise, finally making it to the coveted list in his fourth attempt.
The 26-year-old from Adoor in Pathanamathitta got 59th rank in the examination primarily through self-study. “Being a public servant was my childhood dream and ambition, but I never expected this higher rank,” he says.
Benjo’s father, Jose Philip, works at the Principal Agricultural Office in Pathanamthitta, while his mother, Betty Jose, is a banker. His younger brother, Allen P. Jose, runs a tech start-up in Bengaluru.
“I had been encouraged to dream about Civil Service by my father from a young age, but I started preparing for it after completing my degree,” he says.
After earning a B.Sc (Honours) in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, the youngster swiftly returned to Thiruvananthapuram to kickstart his preparations. A vital aspect of his preparation involved attending mock tests.
Failing to qualify for the first three attempts only strengthened his resolve, leading him to prepare for the examination with renewed vigour. He credits patience, focus, and unwavering family support as the key factors that propelled him forward in his journey to crack the UPSC exam.
With no set pattern to follow, he relied on the Internet, watching a lot of videos on how to crack the exam and taking tests. He also kept reading newspapers everyday and himself updated about what is happening around. In the midst of all these, he also enrolled in a law degree programme in Thiruvananthapuram but soon dropped out to focus entirely on Civil Services.
Having achieved a higher rank, Benjo aspires to serve the country as a top bureaucrat, with the Indian Administrative Service being his first priority.
