Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 18: Abhimanyu Gahlaut, a native of Bahadurgarh in Haryana, secured an impressive All India Rank of 38 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2015 and emerged as the topper in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) category. What makes his achievement stand out is that he accomplished it in his very first attempt, with just six months of preparation while holding a full-time job.
With a lifelong aspiration to work on the international stage, Gahlaut found the IFS a natural fit, although he says it took thoughtful consideration before deciding. He comes from a modest background — his father is a retired sub-divisional engineer with the Haryana government, and his mother serves as a headmistress in an elementary school.
A graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University, Gahlaut pursued an MPhil. in Economics from the University of Cambridge. His international exposure includes working as an economist for the Ministry of Finance, Government of Rwanda, under a fellowship scheme for 1.5 years. He later worked for three years as a country economist with the International Growth Centre, a research organisation linked to the London School of Economics.
At 25, Gahlaut began reflecting on his long-term career goals. Though content in his profession as an economist, he felt the urge to contribute directly to India. He began gathering information on the UPSC Civil Services Examination in December 2014 and started preparation in earnest from January 2015. He appeared for the preliminary examination in August that year.
Focused strategy amid time constraints
Given the constraints of a full-time job, Gahlaut approached the vast UPSC syllabus with precision. He studied 6–8 hours a day, narrowing down reading material based on relevance and value. For subjects like history and polity, he relied on standard UPSC books, while for others, he sourced materials online. His optional subject was Economics — a natural choice given his academic expertise.
He maintained electronic notes for both current affairs and static subjects and used them strategically for revision. Confident in his command over English, Indian language, and the CSAT paper, he focused more on other high-scoring areas. He took the essay paper seriously, practising ten essays under exam conditions before the actual test.
For the Ethics paper, he advised avoiding jargon and writing straightforward, relatable answers.
Smart answer-writing approach
Time management was central to his Mains strategy. Gahlaut carried a stopwatch during the exam and limited himself to 8.5 minutes per question in the general studies papers and 7 minutes for ten-mark questions in his optional paper. His answers were structured with short introductions, bullet points, and concise conclusions — a format that helped convey clarity and earn marks.
Abhimanyu Gahlaut’s journey from a global economist to IFS topper within half a year showcases how focused planning, disciplined preparation, and clarity of purpose can lead to remarkable success, even under tight time constraints.