Pakshal Secretry, AIR-8, UPSC CSE 2025: Journey, Attempts & Marks

Pakshal Secretry, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, has secured an All India Rank 8 in the 2025 UPSC Civil Services Exam, marking his 3rd attempt. Hailing from Bagh in the Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. His remarkable journey from the interview stage in 2023 to achieving the AIR-8 in 2025 speaks volumes of hard work & determination amid academic ups and downs.

• Pakshal comes from a middle-class background from Bagh, Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It is an area inhabited by a large number of tribals with very low literacy rates.
• The personal details of Pakshal are mentioned in a table below.

• Born in 2001 in Bagh in Dhar, Pakshal was academically brilliant since his childhood in a supportive family environment.
• His father Nilesh Secretry, is a cloth trader, and his mother is a homemaker.
• He completed Class-X at the SICA Senior Secondary School (CBSE) with high marks.
• He pursued Class-XII in Science stream from a government school.
• In 2023, he graduated with a Bachelor in Science (B.Sc.) at IIT Kanpur with a Director’s Gold Medal for community service. He also won the best Paper on Trade Theory.
• He also won the Best Paper Award in International Trade Research.
• After his graduation in 2023, he was given two attempts in 2023 & 2024 of the Civil Service Exam but unfortunately did not get selected.
• He failed Prelims in 2024, had self-doubts but finally succeeded in CSE 2025 with Prelims (May), Mains (Aug), and Interview (Feb 2026).
• Inspired by tribal welfare and women’s education in Dhar (80% tribal population and 39% literacy rate), Pakshal devoted 10–12 hours of focused study every day before coming up with flying colors.

Pakshal's brilliant academics formed the base of his economics optional and General Studies (GS) answers in the exam.

UPSC declared marks for CSE 2025 on March 10, 2026. Pakshal scored 837 in Mains (written) and 198 in Interview or the Personality Test. He scored 1035 in total for AIR 8. His detailed marks information is available in the table below.

• Being a CSE 2025 topper, Pakshal’s strategy included learning to be resilient, particularly after the failure in the 2024 Prelims, and learning with PYQ analysis and test series.
• Current affairs were included in the static notes, and answer writing was practiced daily with a routine of 10–12 hours with intermittent breaks for sustainability.
• Pakshal’s IIT background also came handy for Economics, which had similarities with GS-3.

1. Prelims Strategy of Pakshal

• Pakshal recreated Prelims strategy after failing in 2024 with five pillars which are as follows.

• Understanding the concept clearly with NCERT books or standard books.
• PYQ analysis for high-yield subjects.
• Selective content reading.
• Full-length mocks every week.
• Finally, multiple revisions before the exam.

• He prepared for the CSAT section to qualify with the minimum qualifying marks required.

2. Mains Strategy of Pakshal

• For Mains, he focused on structured answers such as introduction with hook, multi-dimensional body part of the answer (social/economic/political), current linkages, diagrams, and forward-looking conclusions.
• He practiced GS Mains Test Series for feedback & self-analysis.
• The Economics optional leveraged his IIT base with standard books.
• Daily 2-3 answers build speed & quality in answer writing.

3. Interview Strategy of Pakshal

• Conducted in English, Interview Guidance Program (IGP) format.
• He deeply prepared his Detailed Application Form (DAF) on hometown, Economics optional, and tribal motivation themes.
• Given mocks to build composure, current affairs opinions and genuine narrative on Dhar welfare work.
• With a combination of all his efforts, he managed to score 198 marks in UPSC CSE Interview.

• Study a few standard books thoroughly & revise them minimum 3 times.
• Analyze PYQs to focus on syllabus topics.
• Current affairs to be included from static notes: The Hindu & PIB.
• Answer writing within the time limit to be practiced daily from month 4.
• Take test series for Prelims & Mains for feedback.
• Optional to be focused on academic strengths. For Pakshal, it was Economics.
• Create a cycle of revisions in order to retain for a longer time period.
• Include mind maps or flashcards.

• In his UPSC Civil Service Exam preparation journey, Pakshal Secretry has completed the Interview Guidance Program (IGP) and GS Mains Advance Course with Current Affairs Value Addition (CA-VA) in NEXT IAS.
• This has been very helpful for improving answer writing skills and personality test for the UPSC CSE 2025.
• The GS Mains Advance Course has been very helpful for writing answers with dynamic-static linkages, which is essential for 40-50% of Mains questions, particularly in Polity, Economy, Environment, and Governance.
• The Current Affairs materials from NEXT IAS have been very helpful for revising GS 1-3, IR, Ethics, and other sections of 40-50% of the syllabus, resulting in enriched answer writing skills and his high Interview score of 198, getting an AIR-8.

• It is worth mentioning that during the journey of UPSC preparation, Pakshal Secretry had taken the GS Mains Advance Course and Current Affairs Course (CA-VA) from NEXT IAS.
• These courses have played a significant role in all stages of UPSC Civil Services, whether it was Prelims, Mains, or Interview.
• Advanced courses have played an important role in the Mains stage of the exam, where more than 50% questions are asked more or less from such courses.
• The weightage of such courses is very high in Mains, and answers have to be given with a static and current approach.
• Knowledge of current issues is very important for the final stage of UPSC Civil Services Exam, i.e., Personality Test or Interview.
• The GS Advance and CA-VA courses from NEXT IAS help in connecting important current events and issues with the static syllabus.

How many attempts did Pakshal take in the UPSC exam?

He took third attempt to score AIR-8 in UPSC CSE 2025. He appeared in Interview in 2023 & failed in Prelims in 2024.

What optional subject did Pakshal opt for?

Economics optional, which suited his IIT Kanpur graduation degree.

What were the daily study hours of Pakshal?

He used to study daily for about 10–12 hours with utter focus. He preferred quality over quantity.

What was the turning point in Pakshal’s preparation journey?

He took failure as feedback with test series & multiple revisions.