Didn't rely much on notes from coaching centres, made my own notes regularly from newspapers and relied on NCERT books, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) topper Shruti Sharma told NDTV about her preparation strategy in an exclusive interview. She earlier said her "extremely supportive" parents and friends helped her in her journey which required a lot of hard work and patience. Delhi-based Ms Sharma, an alumna of Delhi University's St. Stephen's College, said she was not expecting such a result and it was a pleasant surprise. "I was in disbelief. I was hoping for a positive result but not the first rank," she said.