Laghima Tiwari’s journey really grabs the attention of every UPSC aspirant out there. Landing All India Rank 19 in her very first attempt at the Civil Services Exam in 2022—yeah, that’s huge. People can’t help but talk about her laser focus and how she stuck to her routine, no matter what else was happening. Pretty quickly, she became someone other future civil servants actually look up to.
She grew up in Alwar, Rajasthan, in a family that’s serious about education. By 2026, she’s in her mid-twenties. She moved to Delhi for school and graduated in 2021 from Delhi Technological University with a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Even though she came from an engineering background, she jumped right into UPSC prep after college. She had her mind set on public service from the start—didn’t waste any time second-guessing herself.
What really sets her apart? She cracked one of the hardest exams in India on her very first try and scored AIR 19 in 2022, not to mention 1033 marks in the written exam alone. Her performance was strong across the board—General Studies, the Essay, and her optional. You could see she was prepared in a really balanced way.
She went with Anthropology as her optional. Smart move. Even though she’d spent years with engineering textbooks, she’d always liked biology, and Anthropology’s focused syllabus fit her style. She’s talked about this—how important it is to pick a subject that actually interests you, not just what everyone’s flocking to. Her choice made a lot of other aspirants pause and rethink their own options.
People admire how simple her study habits are. She didn’t believe in marathon, late-night cram sessions. She just put her head down every day and did the work. Consistency was her real strength. Laghima mostly self-studied, stuck with the basics—core books, NCERTs, keeping up with current affairs, solving previous years’ papers, and piling on the mock tests. She picked up answer-writing tips from interviews with past toppers, rather than signing up for expensive coaching. For her, regular revision and honest self-evaluation worked much better than fancy courses.
When it came to the interview, she focused on making her point clearly, staying updated, and really knowing her Detailed Application Form inside out. Mock interviews made her comfortable with the pressure. Her main mantra: review what you study, fix your mistakes in practice tests, and get started on mains prep before the prelims results even arrive.
Her story shows what a solid routine and real self-belief can do. She proved to a whole crowd of new aspirants that you don’t have to burn yourself out or empty your wallet on coaching to clear this exam.
Bottom line, Laghima’s story is about discipline, real effort, and following through on your plan. She landed that top rank using strategy and constant revision, not sleepless nights or last-minute tricks. The way she ignores the chaos, stays grounded, and encourages other people—that’s what makes her so respected. She’s living proof: clearing the UPSC isn’t just about brains, it’s about grit, making a plan, and sticking to it no matter what.
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