Arpit Chauhan (AIR 20)- IAS Toppers 2021

IC: Indian Masterminds

Among the 685 candidates who passed the Civil Services Exam 2021, the results of which were announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on 30th May 2022, Arpit Chauhan from Uttarakhand secured an AIR 20. Clearing the IAS Exam is a life-altering moment for the candidates as Civil Services is considered the most prestigious service in the country. Hailing from Uttarakhand, Arpit qualified for the exam on his third attempt, making his parents and state proud. Prior to this, he had been selected for the Indian Defence Account Service in UPSC 2020 after securing AIR 297.

Here, in this article, we provide you with Arpit Chauhan’s background, preparation strategy, number of attempts, UPSC optional subject and more.

Arpit Chauhan- Bio and Background

Family Background-

Arpit Chauhan is brought up in a family of teachers as both his parents are teachers. Arpit’s father Balkaran Singh is the headmaster of the Government Primary School. His mother Anita Chauhan is an English teacher at GGIC Jaspur. They are residents of Mohalla Chaman Bagh Colony of Jaspur in Udham Singh district in Uttarakhand. He has an elder sister, Ankita Chauhan who has done her MTech from Pantnagar Agricultural University and currently working in the private sector in Mumbai. Arpit has brought laurels to Uttarakhand by becoming one of the UPSC Toppers.

Educational Background- 

Arpit Chauhan is an engineer by profession. Arpit was a bright student throughout his schooling and college days. 

• He studied up to Intermediate from Maria School Kashipur. 
• After completing his schooling he did his B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar.
• Arpit made up his mind to appear for the UPSC CSE exam in his schooling days only. 
• He started preparing for the exam in the third year of college and gave his first attempt in 2019, during the last year of his engineering. 

• Arpit failed in Prelims in his first attempt and secured an AIR 297 rank in his second attempt. He was selected for the Indian Defence Account Service in UPSC 2020.
• Keen to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming an IAS Officer, Arpit worked hard and secured AIR 20 in his third attempt.

Optional Subject-

Arpit chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as his optional subject. On being asked about his performance in the previous exam, Arpit said,

Check out the list of UPSC optional subjects by visiting the link attached.

The success stories of various IAS toppers in 2021 are provided in the links given below. Aspirants can go through them to assist their CSE preparation-

Arpit Chauhan’s Preparation Tips

• Among various suggestions and tips for future aspirants, Arpit Chauhan said aspirants need to make up their minds early to appear for the exam. 
• Once it is done then aspirants should study with a goal. He advised the aspirants to first go through the UPSC Syllabus and then divide the syllabus into monthly, weekly, and day-wise targets. 
• Next, he asked aspirants to be very selective while choosing the resources to follow because there is an abundance of study material in the market. 
• He asked aspirants to have a proper strategy for all the three stages: Prelims, Mains and Interview. 
• He emphasised multiple revisions of the syllabus and answer writing practice for mains. 
• He also said that the optional subject should be given enough time while preparing for the exam, as the total marks for optional in the final exam is 500 marks.
• On being asked how to manage the failures in the exam, Arpit said, 

If you are wondering about How to Start UPSC CSE Preparation, visit the linked article.

Must-Follow Tips for CSE Preparation 

• Create a preparation strategy and rigorously follow it. The preparation strategy for the UPSC Exam would vary from level to level. Get to know the exam pattern better and understand the needs and expectations of the UPSC exam at three different levels.
• Comprehensively understand UPSC syllabus and work accordingly to each subject step by step
• Having a Time table will let you know whether you are heading in the right direction and with the right speed. Your timetable must have short term and long term goals.
• Develop the knowledge base from the basics. Reading the fundamental books of the General Studies papers is important and the sources for the basics are the NCERT Books. 
• Refer to credible sources of study materials and make notes with the right analyses. Without easily accessible simplified notes, the battle is long lost even before it has begun. At the very end of the preparation, one cannot go through an ocean of material and make accurate analyses of all the topics.
• Emphasise on newspaper reading and give particular emphasis on editorials from where you can gather good opinions and multiple views on a single topic. Also, indulge yourself in reading a good magazine like Yojana and Kurukshetra.

Note: UPSC Mains 2022 is approaching closer, supplement your preparation with the following articles:

Note: You can make your current affairs revision robust using Free Monthly Magazines by BYJU’S.

All it takes is determination, unwavering focus and of course, a smart and guided approach to the IAS exam. Aspirants of UPSC 2022 can go through the following links for assistance in their preparation.