Aakash Garg AIR 5: Journey, Background, Optional & Strategy

Securing an All India Rank 5 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024, Aakash Garg has become a source of immense inspiration for aspirants across India. He scored 1032 marks in UPSC CSE 2024. Hailing from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and having a solid academic foundation, Aakash’s journey is a testament to disciplined preparation, smart strategy, and emotional resilience. With his eyes set on the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Aakash balanced technical precision with thoughtful introspection throughout his preparation. 

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Aakash Garg was born and raised in Meerut, a historic city in western Uttar Pradesh. A meritorious student from the beginning, he completed his schooling from Dewan Public School, Meerut, and went on to pursue Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi, one of India’s top engineering institutions.

Despite having a secure and promising career path in the engineering and corporate sector, Aakash felt a deeper calling toward public service. His exposure to social inequalities and governance issues during college discussions and internships motivated him to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

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Aakash’s UPSC journey was defined by consistency, clarity of thought, and strategic refinement. His first attempt, although not successful in securing a top rank, helped him understand the importance of answer writing practice, structured revision, and mental composure.

He used the insights from his first attempt to fine-tune his approach in the second. This time, he focused extensively on building conceptual clarity, developing a daily timetable, and mastering Current Affairs through daily newspaper analysis and Vajiram & Ravi’s resources.

Aakash’s disciplined approach, where he minimized distractions, used crisp notes, and practiced extensive mock tests, helped him tackle each stage of the exam with confidence.

Aakash Garg Number of Attempts

Aakash Garg cleared the UPSC CSE in his 2nd attempt.

• First Attempt: Though he did not reach the final merit list, the attempt gave him practical exposure to the pattern, time pressure, and answer writing techniques.
   
• Second Attempt (2024): He cracked all three stages—Prelims, Mains, and the Personality Test—with impressive scores, securing All India Rank 5.
   

His success in the second attempt highlights the power of introspection, incremental improvement, and targeted hard work.

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Aakash chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as his optional subject, despite coming from a technical background. His interest in governance, international relations, and political theory made PSIR a natural choice.

He emphasized the importance of enjoying the subject you choose as optional. His PSIR preparation included:

• Referring to standard books like Andrew Heywood, OP Gauba, and IGNOU material.
   
• Writing previous years’ Mains questions under exam-like conditions.
   
• Developing crisp notes for thinkers and theories.
   
• Following global developments and linking them to concepts in Paper II.
   
• Aakash performed well in his optional, which significantly boosted his final score.

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Aakash Garg Personality Test (Interview)

Aakash’s interview was conducted by the Smita Nagaraj board. His DAF included his IIT background, academic achievements, and interests in behavioral economics and cricket.

During the interview, he was asked about:

• Ethical dilemmas and decision-making frameworks.
   
• Civil service reforms.
   
• Behavioral aspects of governance.
   
• Opinions on international relations and India’s diplomacy.
   

He maintained a calm and confident demeanor throughout and approached each question with analytical depth and balanced articulation, earning high marks in the Personality Test.