Meet woman, who cleared UPSC exam in her first attempt at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest IAS, her AIR is..., her preparation strategy is...

UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest exams in the world. It has three levels, Prelims, Mains and Interview. Achieving a government job in prestigious positions, like IAS, IPS, IFS officer, is a dream for many young people. Numerous candidates appear for the exam annually, but not everyone is able to crack UPSC examinations. It requires days of hard work and many sleepless nights. Today we'll look into the story of IAS Aastha Singh, who cleared UPSC exam at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest IAS. She cracked UPSC CSE 2024 in her first attempt.

Meet Aastha Singh

Aastha Singh hails from Panchkula in Punjab, where she was raised. Her father, Brijesh Singh, is the the Quality Head at a pharmaceutical company. Her mother, Shalini Singh is a homemaker. Astha's family’s ancestral home is in Kushaha Kanaura village, Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

IAS Aastha Singh education

Aastha completed her schooling from Panchkula. She opted for Commerce in her 11-12th. She, later moved to Delhi. She has completed her Bachelor's degree in Economic (Honours) from Sri ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University. Along with her graduation, Aastha started preparing for government exams.

IAS Aastha Singh UPSC journey

Aastha starter her preparations for government exams along with college. Just when her college completed, Aastha Singh appeared for Haryana Public Service Commission exam and cleared it in her first attempt, in 2024. She secured an impressive rank, 31. Aastha was selected as an Additional Excise and Taxation Officer (AETO) with the Haryana government.

However, she did not stop here, she started preparing for UPSC, which is one of the most difficult exam in the world. She relied on self-study and did not take any coaching. Finally, Astha cleared UPSC CSE 2024, in her very first attempt at the age of 21. She secured AIR 61.She scored 795 marks in the written exams, and 200 marks in the interview, making her total score 995 marks. 

In an interview she said, "I had a certain level of confidence that given I’m able to identify the right sources, I can finish the syllabus sooner than a full fledged course would allow. There began my UPSC CSE journey, full throttle."