Mayur Hazarika: 5 Brilliant Facts About India’s Most Inspiring IFS Officer

His Key Study Principles

1. Quality Over Quantity of Resources Mayur was ruthless about limiting his study material. He wasn’t the kind of aspirant who’d collect 47 different PDFs and then never open them. He stuck to standard, trusted sources — like Laxmikanth for Polity — and revised them multiple times. For current affairs, he relied on monthly magazines and curated online content.

2. Self-Study Over Coaching This might be the most surprising part: Mayur Hazarika cleared UPSC CSE 2022 with AIR 5 without joining any formal coaching institute. He used online video lectures strategically — especially when he got stuck on a complex concept — as a supplement to his self-directed learning.

As he himself said: “UPSC is a challenge in and of itself, but anyone preparing for it should focus on smart work rather than hard work. An aspirant should first try to determine what should be focused on and what should be ignored.”

3. Consistent Answer Writing Practice For Mains, Mayur maintained a disciplined timetable focused heavily on answer writing practice, especially for Anthropology. He understood that in UPSC Mains, how you write matters as much as what you write.

4. Mock Tests Without Obsessing Over Results Given his tight schedule as a working doctor, Mayur couldn’t afford to take dozens of mock tests. But he did take them selectively to gauge his preparation levels and identify weak areas.

5. Managing Stress Productively Mayur openly admitted to experiencing exam-related stress. But instead of letting it paralyze him, he adopted a solution-oriented mindset. “There is no point in complaining about your challenges; rather, find a solution to them,” he said. Wise words from someone who was balancing a pandemic-era medical job AND preparing for India’s most competitive exam simultaneously.

The IFS Dream: Why Mayur Chose Diplomacy Over IAS

• This is perhaps the most fascinating part of the Mayur Hazarika IAS (well, actually IFS) story.
• When Dr. Mayur Hazarika secured AIR 5 in UPSC CSE 2022, he had a free pick of services. The IAS — India’s most coveted administrative service — was right there, waiting for him. And yet, he said: “My first preference is the Indian Foreign Service.”
• His inspiration? None other than S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, who is widely regarded as one of India’s most intellectually formidable diplomats. Mayur has explicitly credited Jaishankar as a source of motivation in multiple interviews.
• “I did not expect to get such a good rank. I am satisfied with the result now,” he said, with the kind of calm that most people never achieve even after a normal good day at work.
• The interest in foreign diplomacy and international relations had developed during his third and fourth year of medical college — which means while other students were cramming pharmacology, Mayur was also reading about geopolitics and India’s foreign policy landscape. Talk about multitasking at a different level!
• His decision to choose IFS Mayur Hazarika over IAS reflects something important: knowing yourself well enough to resist the default path. In India’s UPSC culture, “IAS is the dream” is practically a social script. Choosing IFS over IAS, especially with a rank that easily qualifies you for IAS, takes genuine self-awareness.
• The Indian Foreign Service involves representing India in embassies and consulates across the world, negotiating international agreements, managing bilateral relations, and contributing to India’s global standing. For a young man from Tezpur, Assam, who was inspired by watching Jaishankar navigate the world’s most complex geopolitical challenges — this wasn’t just a job choice. It was a calling.

Mayur Hazarika’s Place in UPSC History

• Let’s talk numbers and context, because the achievement of Mayur Hazarika UPSC deserves to be understood in its full scale.
• The UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 result was declared on 23rd May 2023. Out of hundreds of thousands of candidates who attempt the exam every year, only 933 candidates qualified for appointment to various Group A and Group B Central Government services.
• Mayur Hazarika ranked 5th overall — and was the only male candidate in the top 5, with positions 1 through 4 taken by women: Ishita Kishore (AIR 1), Garima Lohia (AIR 2), Uma Harathin N. (AIR 3), and Smriti Mishra (AIR 4).
• Think about that. He became the male topper of one of the world’s hardest examinations. On his first attempt. While working as a full-time doctor. Without any coaching.
• If this were a movie script, someone would say it was unrealistic.
• But this isn’t a script. This is Dr. Mayur Hazarika from Tezpur, Assam.
• The result also made national news because it highlighted the dominance of women candidates in the UPSC 2022 cycle, and Mayur’s rank brought additional pride to Northeast India — a region that doesn’t always get the spotlight in national achievement stories.
• The Chief Minister of Assam congratulated Mayur publicly, and his story went viral across social media platforms, inspiring countless aspirants from similar backgrounds who often feel disadvantaged without big-city coaching institutes or elite college networks.

Lessons from Mayur Hazarika’s Journey (That You Can Actually Use)

Okay, we’ve told you the story. Now let’s extract the gold.

1. Clarity beats confusion every time. Mayur knew he wanted IFS, not IAS. That single clarity probably saved him years of misdirected effort. Do you know what you’re actually chasing?

2. Smart work > Hard work — but both matter. Studying 4–5 focused hours beats studying 12 distracted hours. Quality over quantity is a cliché because it’s true.

3. Your current job is not your identity. Mayur was a doctor. Then he became a diplomat. Your current profession doesn’t have to define your ceiling.

4. Geography is not destiny. Tezpur, Assam, is not Delhi. Not Hyderabad. Not a coaching hub. And yet, here we are.

5. Stress is data, not a stop sign. Mayur felt stress. He acknowledged it. Then he solved his way through it. That’s the move.

6. Revision is the real secret weapon. If you read one book 10 times, you’ll outperform someone who reads 10 books once. Mayur’s multi-revision approach is backed by both his rank and cognitive science.

Conclusion: The Mayur Hazarika Effect

If you’ve made it this far, you probably already know that Dr. Mayur Hazarika is more than just a UPSC topper. He’s a walking, talking rebuttal to every excuse we make for not pursuing what we actually want.

He’s proof that you don’t need a coaching center in Karol Bagh to crack UPSC. You don’t need to be from a metropolitan city. You don’t need to quit your job and study 18 hours a day. You need clarity, consistency, smart strategy, and the guts to pursue your own dream — even when the “conventional dream” is right there for the taking.

The story of Mayur Hazarika — from a determined student at Don Bosco School in Tezpur, to a doctor serving Assam’s communities, to AIR 5 in UPSC CSE 2022, to the Indian Foreign Service — is the kind of story that India needs more of.

In the words of the man himself: “My utmost preference lies in joining the Indian Foreign Service as it aligns perfectly with my desire to serve the nation.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Who is Mayur Hazarika?

Dr. Mayur Hazarika is a doctor-turned-IFS officer from Tezpur, Assam, who secured AIR 5 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022, becoming the male topper of that batch.

Q2. What is Mayur Hazarika’s All India Rank in UPSC?

Mayur Hazarika UPSC rank is AIR 5 in UPSC CSE 2022, declared in May 2023.

Q3. What were Mayur Hazarika’s total marks in UPSC?

According to the Mayur Hazarika Marksheet, he scored a total of 1054 marks — 861 in the written exam and 193 in the personality test/interview.

Q4. What was Mayur Hazarika’s optional subject?

He chose Anthropology as his optional subject, scoring 154 in Paper 1 and 129 in Paper 2.

Q5. Did Mayur Hazarika take coaching for UPSC?

No. Mayur Hazarika UPSC preparation was entirely self-directed. He did not join any formal coaching institute and relied on self-study, standard books, and online resources.

Q6. Why did Mayur Hazarika choose IFS over IAS?

Despite being eligible for IAS with his AIR 5, IFS Mayur Hazarika chose the Indian Foreign Service due to his passion for international relations, foreign policy, and his desire to represent India globally. He is inspired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Q7. Where did Dr. Mayur Hazarika complete his MBBS?

He completed his MBBS from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam, graduating in 2020.

Q8. Was this Mayur Hazarika’s first attempt at UPSC?

Yes! Dr. Mayur Hazarika cleared UPSC CSE 2022 in his very first attempt, which makes his achievement even more extraordinary.

Q9. Where is Mayur Hazarika from?

He is from Tezpur, Assam, and completed his schooling at Don Bosco School, Tezpur, and Class 12 at Ramanujan Junior College, Nagaon.

Q10. How many hours did Mayur Hazarika study daily?

While working as a Medical Officer, Mayur Hazarika dedicated approximately 4 to 5 hours daily to his UPSC preparation after completing his professional duties.