Kanishak Aggarwal, a Mechanical Engineering graduate and alumnus of IIT Delhi from Faridabad, Haryana. He achieved All India Rank 72 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 in his 5th attempt. He previously got All India Rank 279 and selected for the Indian Revenue Service. He maintained his official responsibilities as an IRS trainee while he dedicated 7-8 hours each day to self-study. The process of Kanishak Aggarwal becoming an IAS officer from his IRS position demonstrates his dedication to studying because provides answer copies together with mock interviews to help students prepare for their exams.

Kanishak Aggarwal's inspiring UPSC CSE 2025 journey (AIR 72) began in Faridabad, Haryana, after he completed his schooling in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi. At first, he achieved AIR 279 under IRS assignment, but on his 5th attempt, he improved his score by studying 7-8 hours daily. During that period, he trained for IRS while he studied independently and he avoided all social media except for family WhatsApp. He acknowledged his success to his parents Satinder and Meenakshi Aggarwal and his teachers. He took coaching from Current Affairs Programme (CA-VA) and test series from Next IAS to boost his preparation to get to the final tough.

The preparation journey of Kanishak Aggarwal who studied for UPSC CSE 2025 to achieve AIR 72 demonstrates how he maintained discipline through self-study while he underwent IRS training.

Pre-Mains Strategy

He spent 7-8 hours each day on dedicated self-study while he fulfilled his official IRS responsibilities because he chose to stop all social media activities and use digital devices only for family WhatsApp communication. His study method which kept him away from all distractions enabled him to improve his AIR score from 279 to 72 during his fifth attempt.

Interview Preparation

Aggarwal participated in several mock interviews and platforms to practice DAF-based responses while developing his ability to handle pressure and answer situational questions. He practiced 100-150 DAF questions through mirrors and peer interactions which helped him develop his expression skills and answer techniques while he needed to create a specific mindset for real-panel testing. His mechanical engineering education from IIT Delhi together with his Faridabad background enabled him to deliver composed and organized responses.

How did Kanishak Aggarwal balance IRS training with UPSC prep?

Dedicated 7-8 hours daily to self-study post-duty; avoided burnout via focused sessions.

What was Kanishak Aggarwal's key distraction-elimination strategy?

Quit all social media except family WhatsApp; maximized retention through digital minimalism.

How did Kanishak Aggarwal prepare for the interview?

Practiced 100+ DAF questions via mocks, mirrors; simulated real panels for confidence.

Which courses were taken by Kanishak Aggarwal at Next IAS?

During the journey of UPSC preparation, Kanishak Aggarwal had taken the Current Affairs (CA-VA) course and Test Series from NEXT IAS. This plays a significant role in the preparation of UPSC Civil services be it prelims, mains or interview.

In Prelims, CA-VA plays an important role because more than 10-15 questions are asked directly from here. The applied weightage of the test series is significantly higher in the mains because answers are to be written with a static cum current approach. The knowledge of current issues is essential for the final stage i.e Personality Test or Interview.