Dear Students Who Didn’t Ace Exams, Check This IAS Officer’s Marksheet. He Got a 24 in Chem, But No One Cares Now

It’s result season. After the CBSE Class 12 results were declared on Monday, today it’s the turn of Class 10 students to deal with all the marks-related anxiety. For those who don’t score brag-worthy marks, don’t get bogged down. Life doesn’t stop at board exams. This IAS officer’s marksheet is proof,

Nitin Sangwan shared his 2002 CBSE marksheet with Twitter, with the timely reminder that good grades are not the only metric to judge success. The IAS officer, who scored only 24 in Chemistry, and 33 in Physics went on to clear the civil services, which many believe to be the toughest exam in the country.

“Don’t bog down kids with the burden of marks. Life is much more than board results,” Sangwan said in a tweet that was shared tens of thousands of times.

In my 12th exams, I got 24 marks in Chemistry – just 1 mark above passing marks. But that didn’t decide what I wanted from my life

Don’t bog down kids with burden of marks

Life is much more than board results

Let results be an opportunity for introspection & not for criticism pic.twitter.com/wPNoh9A616

— Nitin Sangwan, IAS (@nitinsangwan) July 13, 2020

Despite his poor performance in Class 12, Sangwan made it to IIT-Madras and went on to clear the civil services examination in 2012. He was posted as an IRS officer for a brief period and is now the Deputy Municipal Commissioner and the CEO of the smart city, Ahmedabad.

Delhi’s deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia was among those who hailed the IAS officer’s message on Twitter, agreeing that one exam wasn’t a guarantee of either success or failure.

Very powerful and much needed message from IAS officer @nitinsangwan on a day when marks obtained are making families happy or sad.

Life is about confidence and courage, marks in one exam can’t be guarantee for success or failure. https://t.co/CsKpFGXJZR

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) July 14, 2020

Marks aren’t everything. It’s okay to have not scored 90+, it’s okay to have scored just 35. It’s okay even if you couldn’t pass this exam. Exams don’t define who you are. 🙂 https://t.co/C89nGjXdUV

— Anusha Ravi Sood (@anusharavi10) July 14, 2020

Several other social media users shared the hopeful message and thanked the officer for speaking up.

Thank you the encouraging message👇♥️ @nitinsangwan https://t.co/wiGEdGpVGL

— The Better India (@thebetterindia) July 14, 2020

Replying to Sangwan’s tweet, IFS official Praveen Keswan confessed that he sucked at English and still struggles with it.

English did same for me. Still struggling 😉

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 14, 2020

Last year, another IAS officer had a similar message for his followers.

Days after finding out that a boy from Chhattisgarh had taken his own life over his low grades in the 2019 CBSE exams, officer Awanish Kumar Sharan, who was posted as a District Magistrate in the state shared his marksheet on Facebook.

With over 38,000 students scoring over 95 per cent in this year’s exam, and some even managing perfect scores, the IAS officer’s assurance couldn’t have come at a better time. As Sangwan said in his tweet, exam results should be an opportunity for introspection and not criticism.