Archit Dongre's UPSC strategy: How AIR 3 cracked the exam with VisionIAS' guidance, smart planning and passion
For aspiring candidates, learning how All India Rank 3 Archit Dongre achieved success can offer valuable insights and serve as a true eye-opener. Archit, who ranked third in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024, is among the best performers in all India. His achievement shows a path defined not only by intelligence but also by clarity of thought, disciplined effort, and a consistent approach over all stages of the exam.
Archit, a student of the VisionIAS Classroom Foundation Course, recently spoke with candidates at VisionIAS during a Topper's Talk event. He revealed in this insightful discussion important techniques that influenced his exam readiness.
Watch: Archit Dongre (AIR 3) – VisionIAS Topper Talk
A careful review of Archit's long-term goals helped him to define his path to civil services. Working in the IT industry, he discovered he was attracted to the larger influence and variety of public service. Following a first effort that barely missed the Prelims cutoff, he persisted with fresh intensity and obtained All India Rank (AIR) 153 in his second effort, joining the Indian Police Service (IPS).
Driven to help more broadly and armed with insightful knowledge, he gave it another go and came out with All India Rank 3.Underlying this consistent performance was a well-crafted UPSC preparation path anchored in foundation-building, time management, and frequent assessment.
Archit credits the disciplined learning and thorough support he received at VisionIAS for a major component of his success. The basics he needed to succeed was regular classroom sessions, planned test series, and tailored mentoring feedback.
Speaking at the VisionIAS Toppers' Talk, Archit Dongre (AIR-3) explained: "Fundamental concepts and clarity will come from your Foundational Class Notes.'
VisionIAS General Studies Foundation Course
Consistent, high-quality study hours should take front stage. For GS, a set schedule including optional answer writing, even physical exercise helps build momentum.
Equally crucial is the extensive post-test analysis, in which strategy is refined and gaps are found to indicate actual improvement. Using high-intensity simulations like Abhyaas, which improve mental readiness to negotiate uncertainty, help exam temperament. At last, PYQ's analysis reveals UPSC's main areas of concentration, thus guiding more intelligent and coordinated preparation.
While using reference to toppers copies can help further improve content depth and presentation, regularly practicing with PYQs helps match your writing with UPSC's expectations.
From a working professional to IPS and ultimately securing AIR 3, Archit Dongre's UPSC preparation path reflects the power of strategic planning, consistent effort, and real passion. His UPSC strategy was based on structure, introspection, and a delight of learning rather than on short cuts. Archit's timeless UPSC guidance—stay disciplined, enjoy the process, and never stop evolving—offers whether you're just starting or honing your road map.
After reviewing his long-term objectives, he quit his IT job, joined VisionIAS foundation course and cracked UPSC in his third attempt with AIR 3 after securing AIR 153 in his second.
He focussed on conceptual clarity, practiced PYQs and mocks like Abhyaas to develop exam temperament, and improved through detailed post test analysis.
Archit's sincere interest in philosophy led him to pursue it, which supported extended periods of concentrated study and a deeper comprehension.
He started writing answers early, used diagrams and statistics, organised them logically, and improved the content with daily practice and PYQs.
To stay consistent, he prioritized mental fitness through exercise, breaks, and peer support, used cyclical revision, and took brief notes.
Disclaimer: This article has been written in collaboration with Vision IAS.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
₹1 lakh assistance provided to 178 Civil Services aspirants from Telangana preparing for UPSC Mains exam 2025
Aspirants from Telangana who cleared Civil Services Examination (Preliminary) 2025 held by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and preparing for the Main examination, were provided with ₹1 lakh financial assistance under Rajiv Gandhi Civils Abhaya Hastham launched by the State government. On Monday (August 11, 2025), 178 aspirants were handed over the cheques at a programme held in Hyderabad. Government run Singareni Collieries Coal Limited (SCCL) provided the assistance, from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund. Besides this, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that candidates who clear the Mains exam and prepare for the Interview round too would be provided with ₹1 lakh assistance. The scheme was launched in 2024. Of the 140 people provided with the assistance last year, 10 were selected for All India Services (AIS). They were honoured on the occasion. Backward Classes (BC) Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, SCCL chairman and managing director N. Balram and others were present on the occasion.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
ICMAI CMA toppers 2025: Hans Amresh secures first rank in June Final exam, check list of top 10 here
ICMAI CMA Intermediate and final result 2025: The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) today announced the toppers of the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) June 2025 Intermediate and Final examinations, marking the culmination of one of India's most competitive professional accounting assessments. The results, released on the official portal have confirmed a new merit list that spans multiple states, reflecting the examination's national reach. At the top of the list is Hans Amresh Jain from Surat, who secured All India Rank 1 under the 2022 syllabus framework. His performance stands out in an examination where overall pass percentages remain in low double digits, underscoring the exceptional preparation and resilience required to claim the top spot. ICMAI CMA June 2025: Top 10 All India Ranks for Final exam The 2025 merit list highlights a strong representation from both metropolitan hubs and Tier-2 cities. Alongside financial centers like Mumbai, Surat, and Bangalore, names from Jaipur, Rajahmundry, and Serampore reflect the widening geographic base of CMA achievers. Notably, Jaipur secured two positions in the top 10, reaffirming its growing prominence in professional commerce education. Ranks Name Gender City 1 Hans Amresh Jain Male Surat 2 Chirag Kasat Male Mumbai 3 Trishir Goyal Male Jaipur 4 Priya Babbar Female Faridabad 5 Nikhil Jain Sait Male Rajahmundry 6 Saurav Kumar Male Serampore (West Bengal) 7 Kunta Hari Charan Reddy Male Hyderabad 8 Swati Agarwal Female Jaipur 9 Poojitha Reddy P Female Bangalore 10 Mumal Bhagwan Shekhawat Female Palghar (Maharashtra) Candidates can check the official list of the toppers as provided here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: Why is the IMF's World Economic Outlook relevant for UPSC Exam?
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your UPSC current affairs knowledge nugget for today on IMF's World Economic Outlook. (Relevance: International reports and organisations, especially the International Monetary Fund, form a crucial part of the UPSC CSE syllabus. Previously, various questions have been asked with regard to the IMF and its facilities and reports. Thus, knowing about it and its recently released report becomes important.) On July 29, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the latest update of its World Economic Outlook (WEO). The WEO is the IMF's benchmark publication as it provides a comprehensive picture of the global economy as well as details of individual countries. In this context, knowing about the WEO, its highlights becomes important. 1. The IMF releases the WEO twice every year, in April and October, apart from updating it twice — in January and July. The document released on 29th July is the July update to the WEO released in April. 2. The broader message of updated WEO is captured by its title— 'Global Economy: Tenuous Resilience amid Persistent Uncertainty'. There are two main takeaways for the state of the global economy. 3. First, the global economy has proven to be resilient, albeit tenuous, and second, the outlook is plagued by persistent uncertainty. 4. Despite all upheavals (such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the tariff onslaught unleashed by the second Trump Administration), the global economy has managed to continue growing. That is the meaning of resilience. 5. According to the latest update by the IMF, 'Global growth is projected at 3.0 percent for 2025 and 3.1 percent in 2026. The forecast for 2025 is 0.2 percentage points higher than that in the reference forecast of the April 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) and 0.1 percentage points higher for 2026.' 6. However, this resilience is 'tenuous' (that is, unstable or with weak foundations). That's because, while the tariff situation isn't as bad as it appeared in April when US President Donald Trump first announced them on Liberation Day, it is not as if there is enough clarity about the eventual tariff rates. 7. Another big downside risk comes from the geopolitical tensions (such as the ones in the Middle East and Ukraine), which could 'disrupt global supply chains and push commodity prices up'. 1. The US, from where most of the policy uncertainty is emanating at present, is expected to lose growth momentum in 2025, as against the past two years. By the end of 2025, US GDP would be close to $31 trillion. In 2026, the US growth is expected to slow down even further to just 1.2%. 2. In sharp contrast, China, which is the main economic threat to the US, is expected to slow down only marginally and still manage to grow at a respectable rate of 4.8% for an economy with an annual GDP of over $19 trillion. 3. India continues to be a bright spot in the global economy. It is expected to grow 6.4% in 2025. While this rate is substantially slower than 2023, the fact is that by growing at over 6% in a world where competing economies are struggling to grow even at one-third that rate, India is fast bridging the gap and ensuring that it overtakes one developed economy after another, at least in terms of total GDP. 1. Set up in 1945 , the IMF works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 191 member countries. It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being. 2. It has three critical missions: (i) Furthering international monetary cooperation, (ii) Encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and (iii) Discouraging policies that would harm prosperity. 3. According to official website of IMF, 'Unlike development banks, the IMF does not lend for specific projects. Instead, the IMF provides financial support to countries hit by crises to create breathing room as they implement policies that restore economic stability and growth. It also provides precautionary financing to help prevent crises.' 4. Board of Governors is the highest decision-making body of the IMF. It normally meets once a year. It consists of one governor and one alternate governor for each member country. The governor is appointed by the member country and is usually the minister of finance or the governor of the central bank. 5. All powers of the IMF are vested in the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors may delegate to the Executive Board all except certain reserved powers. 6. As per the IMF, the Executive Board is responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the IMF. It is composed of 25 Directors, who are elected by member countries or by groups of countries, and the Managing Director, who serves as its Chairman. IMF funds come from three sources: member quotas, multilateral and bilateral borrowing agreements. Quotas are the IMF's main source of financing, wherein each member of the IMF is assigned a quota, based broadly on its relative position in the world economy. Kristalina Georgieva has been serving as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund since October 1, 2019. She began her second term on October 1, 2024. The IMF lends money to the economies in peril in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which is a basket of five currencies — US dollar, Euro, Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen and British Pound. It can be executed in the form of loans, cash, bonds, or stock purchases. Released by the IMF, the Global Financial Stability Report provides an assessment of the global financial system and markets and addresses emerging market financing in a global context. It focuses on current market conditions, highlighting systemic issues that could pose a risk to financial stability and sustained market access by emerging market borrowers. It draws out the financial ramifications of economic imbalances highlighted by the IMF's World Economic Outlook. (1) 'Rapid Financing Instrument' and 'Rapid Credit Facility' are related to the provisions of lending by which one of the following? (UPSC CSE 2022) (a) Asian Development Bank (b) International Monetary Fund (c) United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (d) World Bank (2) 'Global Financial Stability Report' is prepared by the (UPSC CSE 2016) (a) European Central Bank (b) International Monetary Fund (c) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (d) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Sources: ExplainSpeaking: Key takeaways from IMF's latest World Economic Outlook on India, the US, and the world, Knowledge Nugget: Why IMF, its Bailouts, and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) should be in focus for your UPSC Exam) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
