How Dr. Anuj Agnihotri Secured UPSC AIR 1: His Preparation Strategy, Medical Science Optional and Self-Study Journey

Dr. Agnihotri grew up in Rawatbhata, a small town in Rajasthan. He secured AIR 25 in the All India AIIMS Entrance examination and completed his MBBS at AIIMS Jodhpur. After finishing his internship in January 2023, he shifted his focus toward the Civil Services Examination.

His motivation, as described in his journey, was rooted in public service rather than a professional pivot. He chose Medical Science as his optional subject — a choice informed by his medical education rather than by topper trends or coaching recommendations.

Choosing a subject you understand deeply — because of your academic background — is a different calculation than choosing it because someone ranked well with it. Agnihotri's situation illustrates that distinction.

Agnihotri prepared from Rawatbhata rather than relocating to Delhi or another coaching hub. His approach combined independent study with online and recorded resources, used selectively alongside his internship schedule.

This is not an argument against coaching or against moving to a larger city. Both decisions depend on the candidate's specific circumstances, resources, and learning style. What his experience illustrates is that preparation outside traditional coaching centres is possible when the discipline and resources are in place.

• He limited social media use and protected his study time from routine distractions.
• He used online resources and recorded lectures where they were useful, without making them a substitute for active study.
• He built a consistent routine that could work within the constraints of his internship and later his own schedule.
• He sought guidance selectively — using coaching or mentorship when it addressed a specific need, not as a default.

Preparation from a smaller town is one approach, not the only approach. What mattered in Agnihotri's case was the discipline and structure he maintained, not the geography.

Agnihotri did not secure AIR 1 on his first attempt. His first attempt reached the Reserve List. His second attempt brought him to the interview stage, but his final score was lower than expected.

Rather than simply increasing study hours, he used the gap between attempts to diagnose specific weaknesses. The areas he identified were answer-writing consistency, planning before writing, and completing papers within the allotted time. In 2025, he secured AIR 1 with 1,071 marks.

Between his second and third attempts, he worked as a DANICS probationer. That field exposure gave him practical context that informed parts of his preparation, particularly in Governance and Ethics.

The useful lesson from his attempts is not the number of tries but the method of diagnosis. Identifying what specifically went wrong — not just that performance was lower than expected — is what created an actionable path forward.

The following five practices are drawn from descriptions of his preparation. They are presented as examples of approaches worth considering, not as a checklist to copy.

1. 1Use maps to build geographical context. Placing events, policies, and geographic features in their spatial setting improves both retention and analytical ability.
2. 2Read beyond coaching notes. Sources like Yojana, government reports and PIB reviews, Supreme Court Observer, and IGNOU study material provide depth that notes often compress or omit.
3. 3Practise answer writing continuously. Write regularly and review what you write. A well-understood concept that cannot be written clearly under time pressure is not exam-ready.
4. 4Make learning memorable through association and application rather than repetition alone.
5. 5Prepare for the interview with varied questions — not just those expected from your DAF, but those arising from current affairs, your state, and your optional subject.

On resource selection: the value of a source depends on how well you understand it and can use it, not on how comprehensive it is. A candidate who reads Yojana regularly and connects it to the syllabus will often benefit more than one who skims twelve sources without depth.

Agnihotri chose Medical Science for his Mains optional. This choice was directly connected to his MBBS background at AIIMS Jodhpur. A subject you have studied formally for five or more years is genuinely different from a subject you are approaching for the first time.

His choice should not be read as a recommendation that every medical graduate should choose Medical Science. The optional decision requires careful individual consideration.

• Your interest in the subject — not just familiarity, but genuine engagement with the content.
• The syllabus and how well it aligns with your existing knowledge.
• Time available to prepare the optional alongside GS papers.
• Availability of good study material and, if needed, guidance.
• Your ability to write structured, examiner-friendly answers in that subject within the word limit.
• Your academic background — which creates genuine depth, not just familiarity.

A familiar academic background is one important factor in this decision, but it does not automatically make a subject the best choice. Some medical graduates perform better with subjects that overlap more directly with the GS papers. The decision should be based on your complete situation.

A top rank is not the only measure of ability or worth. The UPSC Civil Services Examination is a high-stakes, competitive process where small mark differences can shift rank positions substantially. Candidates who do not secure top ranks — or who do not qualify in a particular attempt — are not thereby less capable than those who do.

Agnihotri's journey took more than one attempt. That trajectory — setback, diagnosis, adjustment, and eventual success — is common in this examination. Many candidates who ultimately secure a position in the civil services do not do so on their first attempt.

Having a Plan B is not the same as lacking commitment to the UPSC. Candidates should make decisions based on their own circumstances, values, and available time — not based on the assumption that every aspirant's path must look the same.

The most important lesson from Agnihotri's preparation is not the timetable he followed or the exact resources he used. It is the underlying logic of his approach: build an individual strategy based on your circumstances, use resources selectively, diagnose specific weaknesses rather than simply adding more hours, and create a sustainable routine.

• Build a preparation strategy around your own circumstances, not an assumed ideal.
• Use resources selectively. Depth of understanding matters more than breadth of sources.
• After each attempt or mock, identify what specifically needs to improve — not just that something does.
• Revise effectively. Coverage is not the same as retention.
• Practise under exam conditions. Timed writing and timed answering reveal problems that comfortable reading conceals.
• Create a sustainable routine. Preparation that cannot be maintained for 12 to 18 months is not a preparation strategy.
• Make decisions based on your personal goals, constraints, and circumstances.

Copying a topper's timetable is unlikely to produce a topper's result. A timetable is a tool built for a specific person's schedule, weaknesses, and strengths. What you can borrow is the principle — consistency, targeted practice, and honest self-assessment — not the specific daily schedule.