How Akshat Baldwa Secured Rank 173 in His First UPSC Attempt with Physics Wallah

Preparing for UPSC while managing college academics and other challenges can be difficult. For Akshat Baldwa, the journey involved mostly online preparation, regular answer-writing practice and learning from feedback.

Akshat secured Rank 173 in his first UPSC attempt. His preparation also included PW resources, the Srijan Mains Programme and PW's Interview Guidance Programme. His experience shows how he managed different stages of preparation while continuing his college studies.

How Akshat Baldwa Started His UPSC Preparation

Akshat prepared mostly through online resources. For his preparation, he used material from different sources and also used some Physics Wallah resources for the Mains stage.

He also had to balance his UPSC preparation with his fifth-year studies at the National Law School in Bengaluru. The academic schedule followed a trimester system, which made managing time more challenging.

Akshat described the overall approach clearly:

"With regard to Physics Wallah. To jaise Physics Wallah ka Prahaar thoda bahut use kar liya. Thoda bahut idhar-udhar se kuch material utha ke use kar liya."

This shows that his preparation was not limited to one source. He used available online material according to his preparation needs.

Answer writing became another important part of his preparation. He started writing answers for the first time on 2 June 2025, beginning with a 10-mark answer in 18 minutes.

"Sir matlab ek PR group banaya tha jisme hum log roz matlab teen teen bande the hum aur teeno bande roz do-teen answer likhte the aur ek doosre ko review ke liye bhejte the."

The group allowed him to write answers regularly and review them with others, helping him work on answer-writing speed and completion.

Akshat Baldwa Faced Time and CSAT Challenges

The next phase of Akshat's preparation involved dealing with the pressure of completing papers within the available time. During an earlier practice paper, he could not complete the paper, but his performance improved with continued answer-writing practice.

"Challenge to sabse bada to mental challenge hota hai ki bhai roz khud ko prepare karna ki yaar consistently mereko padhna hai."

This daily pressure was particularly strong for him because he had not written Mains before. Regular practice helped him gradually become more comfortable with completing answers within the required time.

CSAT was another area where Akshat faced personal difficulties. He mentioned challenges with mathematical questions that required equations and looked for alternative ways to understand them.

His approach to Prelims was largely based on mock-test practice:

"Sir main kam se kam 50, 45-50 mock test lagaye honge last ke do months mein."

He used mock tests and their explanations as part of his preparation, especially because his college schedule left limited time for dedicated Prelims study.

How PW Supported Akshat Baldwa's UPSC Journey

PW became part of Akshat's preparation at different stages. He used Prahar material during his Mains preparation, particularly for Ethics, and also looked at Governance-related content. He was part of the Srijan Mains Programme, where he received support in Sociology through mentorship.

He specifically mentioned the support he received for Sociology:

"Pranjali Khandekar ma'am... maine unki khud ki copies mangai thi unhone bheji thi." 

The copies helped him understand how to use diagrams and improve the presentation of his answers.

PW's Interview Guidance Programme also became an important part of his journey. His first interview was with PW, and he received feedback on areas that needed improvement.

Akshat recalled his first PW interview:

"I was very nervous. Mereko bahut zyada mere aise pair kaanp rahe the jab main PW ka interview dene gaya tha, pehli baar tha. Kyunki pehla hi interview tha"

The interview helped him identify specific issues, including speaking too quickly and not taking appropriate pauses. He later applied this feedback to his main interview preparation.

How Akshat Baldwa Turned His Preparation into Rank 173

Akshat's journey also included a significant academic transition. He studied in a Hindi-medium government school until Class 12 and later moved to an English-medium environment at the National Law School. He described the transition as challenging, particularly in understanding, writing and speaking English.

Despite these challenges, he continued preparing for UPSC and eventually wrote the UPSC examination in English while giving his interview in Hindi.

"If you are persisting with something, thoda persistence hai consistently karoge mehnat to maybe ho jaaye matlab hoga nahi hoga pata nahi but shayad ho sakta hai agar thoda consistent rahoge to."

Akshat secured Rank 173 in his first attempt, turning his preparation into a successful result.

For future aspirants, however, he advised against blindly copying another student's strategy. He suggested focusing on what has already been working for an individual aspirant rather than changing the entire preparation plan because of a topper's advice.

"Jo topper bol raha hai that is not always correct. Wo uske liye kaam kiya hai. Zaroori nahi ki tumhare liye kaam kare."

His message was to understand one's own preparation needs and avoid making sudden strategy changes close to the examination.

Akshat Baldwa's UPSC journey highlights the role of consistency, regular practice and learning from feedback. His experience also shows how a student can combine different learning resources with peer practice, mentorship and interview guidance while managing academic commitments.