Aayushi Bansal Rank-7

Aayushi Bansal, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, achieved the prestigious All India Rank 7 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024. Hailing from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, Aayushi’s journey is marked by exceptional resilience and focus, having overcome personal challenges from an early age. After initially securing AIR 188 in CSE 2022 and joining IPS training, she consistently improved her ranks, culminating in this remarkable achievement. Known for her disciplined study plan, strong conceptual clarity, and balanced mental approach, she chose Sociology as her optional subject and extensively utilized guidance from premier institutes like Vajiram & Ravi and LevelUp IAS.

• Aayushi Bansal completed her schooling from the prestigious Delhi Public School (DPS), New Delhi, where she consistently demonstrated academic excellence.
• For her undergraduate studies, she pursued B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur, one of India's premier engineering institutes, securing strong academic credentials.
• During her time at IIT Kanpur, she actively participated in extracurricular activities, particularly those related to leadership and social causes, laying the foundation for her interest in governance and administration.
• Her technical background and structured analytical skills developed during engineering contributed significantly to her systematic approach to UPSC preparation.
• After graduation, she briefly worked with McKinsey & Company, a leading consulting firm, before deciding to pursue her passion for public service through the Civil Services Examination.

• Aayushi hails from a modest but academically driven family in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
• Her father tragically passed away in a road accident when she was just 10 years old, leaving her mother as the sole breadwinner of the family.
• Her mother, Radha Bansal, worked at the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), demonstrating resilience in raising two children.
• Aayushi’s brother, Aman Bansal, is a qualified doctor, further reflecting the family's strong emphasis on education and service-oriented careers.
• The hardships faced by her family instilled in her a deep sense of responsibility, resilience, and the aspiration to make a meaningful impact through public service.

• Aayushi's inclination towards public service grew during her formative years, shaped by personal experiences of hardship and exposure to systemic issues.
• During her engineering studies at IIT Kanpur, she developed a strong interest in socio-economic policies and governance frameworks, prompting her to explore civil services as a viable career path.
• Her brief stint at McKinsey & Company gave her insights into structural inefficiencies in both the private and public sectors, further motivating her to work directly at the grassroots level.
• Witnessing her mother’s struggles to secure a stable life for the family, she realized the transformative role an efficient and empathetic civil servant can play in society.
• Aayushi viewed the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) not merely as a prestigious job but as an opportunity to drive systemic change, ensure social justice, and empower marginalized communities.
• Her choice of Sociology as an optional subject reflected her deep interest in understanding societal dynamics and human behavior, essential qualities for effective public administration.
• Inspired by the motto of "Service before Self," Aayushi aspired to become an agent of change by being part of India's bureaucratic structure.
• Her long-term vision includes working in the fields of education reform, women's empowerment, and healthcare policy to bridge inequalities.

• Personal Loss: Losing her father at a tender age was an emotional blow that reshaped her childhood, compelling her to mature early and assume greater responsibilities.
• Financial Constraints: Despite having a modest background, she managed her coaching, education, and living expenses through scholarships and careful budgeting.
• Work-Life Balance: After joining IPS training (after securing AIR 188 in 2022), balancing demanding training schedules with self-study for the next attempt posed a serious challenge.
• Mental Health: Dealing with self-doubt, anxiety, and the uncertainty inherent in the long UPSC journey required immense emotional strength and resilience.
• Multiple Attempts: Her journey through three serious attempts, improving from AIR 188 to 97 and finally to 7, is a testimony to her perseverance and ability to learn from failures.
• Changing Strategies: She had to recalibrate her preparation techniques at every stage, especially refining answer writing, ethics preparation, and time management.
• Social Expectations: Being from a service background, societal expectations to secure a stable career early created additional psychological pressure.
• Consistency: Maintaining sustained motivation over multiple years of preparation while seeing peers move ahead in corporate and other sectors was mentally taxing.

• Conceptual Clarity: Focused on building strong fundamentals through NCERTs and standard reference books like Laxmikanth, Spectrum, GC Leong, and standard Economy texts.
• Mock Tests: Regularly attempted sectional and full-length Prelims Test Series by institutions like Vision IAS and ForumIAS to improve accuracy and eliminate silly mistakes.
• Error Analysis: Maintained a detailed error log to analyze mistakes and avoided repeating them in the actual exam.
• Current Affairs: Daily newspaper reading (The Hindu) supplemented by monthly compilations for current affairs revision.
• Revision Cycles: Adopted a strict 3–4 revisions policy before the Prelims exam.

• Structured Notes: Created crisp and comprehensive notes for every GS paper, ensuring quick revisions.
• Answer Writing: Regularly practiced answer writing with a focus on content structuring, using introductions, subheadings, and impactful conclusions.
• Test Series: Enrolled in Mains Test Series (ForumIAS, Vajiram & Ravi) to simulate exam conditions and receive expert feedback.
• Enrichment Material: Integrated data, reports (like ARC, NITI Aayog reports), government schemes, and quotes into answers to make them more dynamic.
• Essay Preparation: Practiced at least one essay per week, focusing on philosophical and governance-based topics using multidimensional perspectives.

• Personality Refinement: Worked on improving articulation, maintaining calm demeanor, and developing balanced opinions on contentious issues.
• DAF Preparation: Thoroughly prepared questions based on her Detailed Application Form (DAF), including questions on Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Gwalior, hobbies, and previous IPS training.
• Current Affairs: Stayed updated on national and international developments till the date of the interview.
• Self-Awareness: Focused on authenticity, maintaining humility, and demonstrating administrative aptitude.