Laghima Tiwari is one of the most inspiring names to be added to the list of UPSC aspirants in India. This is a testament to the remarkable performance of her disciplined preparation and consistency, as she achieved All India Rank (AIR) 19 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 on her first-ever attempt. In 2026, thousands of aspirants are still sticking to her preparation roadmap, her study techniques, and her subject choice to increase their success rate.
Early Life and Educational Background
Laghima Tiwari hails from Alwar, Rajasthan, but has studied in Delhi. She is a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Delhi Technological University. With her engineering background, she was keen on public service and realised early on after her graduation from engineering that she wanted to prepare for the UPSC examination.
Laghima Tiwari’s Age and Family
Laghima was in the age category of 23 years when she took the UPSC examination and was able to secure AIR 19, which means that she was among the youngest top-ranked candidates of her batch. Her family is supportive, as her father is a government school teacher, and her mother is a homemaker. Her achievements were also a result of her late grandfather’s lifelong desire for a family member to enter the Civil Services.
UPSC Rank and Marksheet
Laghima Tiwari’s brilliant performance was rewarded with:
- UPSC CSE Year: 2022
- All India Rank (AIR): 19
- Roll Number: 0886301
- Mains Marks: 1033
- Attempt: First Attempt
- Medium: English
Her outstanding results were achieved not only with respect to the conceptual understanding but also in terms of the quality of the answers she gave and her performance during the interview.
Optional Subject
Laghima majored in engineering in college, but chose Anthropology as her elective. Several concepts of Anthropology were understood with ease because of her background in studying Biology in school. She has described how it is important to choose a topic of interest and comfort, which helped her to succeed.
Preparation Strategy That Inspired Aspirants
Part of the reason Laghima has been so popular is her practical and realistic approach to preparing. She didn’t study for crazy long periods of time, but instead she studied consistently daily.
Her preparation included:
- Completing the basic syllabus of the UPSC before going to the advanced syllabus.
- Learning from standard reference books on each subject.
- Making short revision notes.
- Reading current affairs regularly.Answering previous years’ question papers.
- Taking part in test series and mock interviews for the three stages of the exam.
- Depending largely on self-study instead of classroom coaching.
She feels that moderate-length study sessions are more effective than long study sessions, which happen occasionally.
Advice for UPSC Aspirants
Laghima urges the aspirants to think about concepts rather than rote-learn facts. She advises the students to make changes on a regular basis, learn from the mistakes they made in the Mock Tests, and start preparing for the Mains after the Preliminary examination. Her observations are that the consistent approach, positive self-belief and disciplined execution are the key to passing one of the toughest exams in India.
Conclusion
In 2026, Laghima Tiwari’s journey towards the UPSC continues to inspire civil service aspirants across India. She has come a long way from being an engineering graduate to cracking AIR 19, the first time she ever appeared for UPSC. Her journey from engineering graduate to achieving AIR 19 in her first attempt at the UPSC exam is an inspiring one and showcases the power of determination, smart planning, and hard work. What she does to prepare herself, what she chooses to study, and the strict discipline with which she approaches it are lessons for all future civil servants.
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