IIT Kanpur alumnus Aditya Srivastava secured the top rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023. Before embarking on his UPSC journey, Srivastava was employed at Goldman Sachs in Bengaluru and was drawing a hefty monthly salary of ₹2.5 lakhs. Following the announcement of the results by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on April 16, a mock test attempted by Srivastava gained traction across social media platforms.
Read| UPSC topper Aditya Srivastava got ₹2.5 lakh monthly salary at Goldman Sachs. Explains why he quit Bengaluru job
The mock test was shared on X handle @UPSC_Notes with the caption, “IAS topper Aditya Srivastava CSE AIR-1. Essay mock test copy.”
According to the mock test, Srivastava attempted the second question: “A mind all logic is like a knife all blade, it makes the hand bleed that uses it.”
He begins his essay with a reference to Oppenheimer's idea of the Manhattan Project and discusses the balance between logic and emotion.
He wrote, “In the 1940s, the World War II was at its peak. During such challenging times, a country and specifically one person, had the ‘brilliant’ idea of the Manhattan Project. The ensuing devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made the bigoted brilliance an agent of doom. That man was Oppenheimer and his brilliance of logical exposition had created a void so deep for USA, it can’t be filled by putting the Burj Khalifa in it!”
Take a look at the mock test here:
The mock test was shared on April 17 on X. It has since then gone viral with over 3.3 million views and the numbers are still increasing. While a section of users found the mock test “brilliant”, others said that the essay was “bizarre”.
Check out how people reacted to his mock test here:
{{/usCountry}}The mock test was shared on April 17 on X. It has since then gone viral with over 3.3 million views and the numbers are still increasing. While a section of users found the mock test “brilliant”, others said that the essay was “bizarre”.
Check out how people reacted to his mock test here:
{{/usCountry}}“Thanks for sharing,” posted an individual.
Another added, “I’ll work harder to write answers like this. Truly inspirational man.”
“Never saw a person that much good in an essay. Brilliant writing,” expressed a third.
A fourth commented, “One of the best essays I have read in my life.”
A few even criticised his answer writing skills.
“Not at all impressed,” shared a fifth.
A sixth joined, “This is so trash.”
“It’s a bizarre topic and equally bizarre response. Most unexpected,” chimed in a seventh.
Disclaimer: HT.com cannot independently verify if this test was actually attempted by UPSC topper Aditya Srivastava.