Table of Content
- Introduction
- Aakash Garg: Background
- Aakash Garg: UPSC Journey and Number of Attempts
- Aakash Garg’s UPSC CSE 2024 Mark sheet
- Aakash Garg’s UPSC Preparation Strategy
- VisionIAS Topper Copies: A Must Read Resource
Introduction
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 results, with 1,009 candidates making it to the final list, reflecting the exam’s intense competition. Among the top performers is Aakash Garg from Delhi, who secured an impressive All India Rank (AIR) 5. His journey showcases his dedication, strategic preparation, and ability to learn from experience.
Watch: Toppers’ Talk of Aakash Garg UPSC CSE 2024, AIR 5
Aakash Garg: Background
Aakash Garg, born in New Delhi, hails from a middle-class family, with parents engaged in self-employed business ventures. Raised in a supportive environment, he excelled academically, completing his schooling in Delhi with top grades and earning a B.Tech in Computer Science from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology in 2022. His technical background sharpened his analytical skills, which he later applied to his UPSC preparation.
Choosing Sociology as his optional subject, Aakash showcased his versatility by mastering a humanities discipline. Since 2020, he has balanced self-employment in the hospitality sector in Uttarakhand, demonstrating his ability to juggle professional and academic commitments.
Also Read Blog: Harshita Goyal, AIR 2, UPSC 2024
Also Read Blog: Archit Dongre, AIR 3, UPSC 2024
Aakash Garg: UPSC Journey and Number of Attempts
Aakash’s UPSC journey is a story of resilience and rapid growth. He began with his first attempt in the 2023 Prelims, gaining valuable experience. His second attempt in 2024 resulted in an outstanding AIR 5, reflecting his ability to learn and adapt quickly. Preferring Delhi as his home cadre and prioritizing IAS, Aakash’s focused approach and structured preparation were key to his success and securing AIR 5 in second attempt.
During his journey, he enrolled in the VisionIAS Abhyaas Test Series, which allowed him to assess his performance on a national level and refine his strategy under exam-like conditions. Also he joined the VisionIAS interview programme to prepare for the personality test—an essential step that, combined with his hard work and perseverance, helped him secure a rank in the UPSC examination
Also Read Blog: Shah Margi Chirag, AIR 4, UPSC 2024
Aakash Garg’s UPSC CSE 2024 Marksheet
The UPSC CSE 2024 marks for Aakash Garg, is as follows:
Download UPSC 2024 Marksheet
Aakash Garg’s UPSC Preparation Strategy
In his Toppers’ Talk session at VisionIAS, he candidly shared the story behind his success, highlighting how structured preparation, consistent effort, and timely mentorship played a transformative role. Key Insights from his Toppers’ Talk includes :
1. Integrated Preparation from the Start:
- Followed an integrated approach for Prelims and Mains together, without preparing them in isolation.
2. Test-Based Preparation as a Core Strategy:
- Took continuous mock tests and emphasized solving papers consistently.
- Treated mock test analysis as more important than just attempting them. He focused on why an answer is right or wrong and categorized errors into: Lack of knowledge, Elimination failure, Silly mistakes, Misreading the question.
3. Emphasis on Content Over Source-Hopping:
- He avoided over-reliance on multiple sources or repeated re-reading.
- Instead, focused on writing answers and improving his own recall and articulation of concepts.
4. Notes and Revision Strategy:
- Maintained brief, bullet-based notes for last-stage revision.
- His notes were structured to enable 2–3 quick revisions before the actual exam.
5. Ethics Preparation:
- Adopted a value-integration approach in answers rather than generic moral statements.
- Worked on practicing case studies and maintaining a ready list of examples, constitutional values, and thinkers.
6. Interview Preparation:
- Focused on DAF-based questions and gave multiple mock interviews to handle diverse situations.
- Maintained a calm, confident demeanor, and acknowledged “I don’t know” when unsure.
7. Overall Preparation Ethos:
- Self-aware, practical, and consistent in efforts.
- Believed in adaptive preparation, understanding UPSC's evolving pattern and accordingly adjusting his preparation without overburdening.
Also Read Blog: UPSC 2024 Toppers Preparation Strategy]
VisionIAS Topper Copies: A Must Read Resource
Topper copies are more than just answers—they are a roadmap to understanding the art of high-scoring answer writing, showcasing clarity, structure, and strategic use of keywords that align with UPSC’s expectations. Studying these answer sheets allows aspirants to learn how to present complex ideas concisely, use diagrams effectively, and manage time during the exam.
Download High Scorer Toppers Copies
The extensive repository of toppers’ copies—featuring achievers like Aditya Srivastava (AIR 1, 2023), Ishita Kishore (AIR 1, 2022), Gamini Singla (AIR 3, 2021), and Shubham Kumar (AIR 1, 2020) among others—reflects the strength of a holistic VisionIAS learning ecosystem built over years of academic excellence. More than just isolated subject copies, this curated collection spans GS papers, Ethics, Essay, and Optionals, drawn from initiatives like the All India Test Series and Abhyaas, offering aspirants an integrated view of preparation strategies, answer-writing nuances, and the broader environment of continuous mentorship and rigor that drives success in the UPSC Mains.
Also Read Blog: Shakti Dubey, AIR 1, UPSC 2024
✅ FAQs: Aakash Garg – UPSC AIR 5, 2024
1. How many attempts did Aakash Garg take to crack the UPSC?
Answer: He cleared the exam in his second attempt.
2. What is Aakash Garg’s educational qualification?
Answer: He holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Delhi.
3. Where is Aakash Garg from?
Answer: He is from New Delhi, India.
4. What was Aakash Garg’s optional subject in UPSC?
Answer: His optional subject was Sociology.
5. Which courses did Aakash Garg join during his UPSC preparation?
Answer: He joined the VisionIAS Abhyaas Test Series and VisionIAS Interview Guidance Programme.