How Twinkle Arora Turned Multiple UPSC Attempts into AIR 91 with PW Support

For many UPSC aspirants, the journey is rarely straightforward. Every attempt brings new lessons, every setback highlights areas that need improvement, and every stage of the examination demands a better approach to preparation.

Twinkle Arora’s journey reflects this process. After facing setbacks in Prelims and Mains, she continued to refine her strategy instead of giving up. By working on areas such as PYQ analysis, mock tests by PW, structured notes and targeted preparation, she gradually changed the way she approached the examination.

How Twinkle Arora Started Her UPSC Preparation

Twinkle Arora decided to prepare for UPSC in 2019 and started her preparation in 2020. She appeared for her first attempt in 2021 and continued appearing in subsequent attempts until 2025.

Looking back at her first attempt, she felt that she could have given herself more preparation time.

"2019 mein socha tha ki UPSC karenge phir 2020 mein prepare kiya tha. 21 mein maine first attempt de diya tha wo mujhe thoda mistake lagta hai khud ka ki mujhe thoda time dena chahiye tha."

She continued with her preparation despite the early setback.

"Uske baad maine subsequently attempts deti gayi thi main till 2025 jo ki mera fifth attempt raha hai."

This phase gave her multiple opportunities to understand the examination and identify areas that needed improvement.

Twinkle Arora Faced Setbacks in Prelims and Mains

Twinkle's preparation journey included setbacks at different stages. Her major setback came in 2023 when she could not clear CSAT. In 2024, she cleared Prelims and appeared for Mains but could not clear the Mains examination.

A major issue she identified was her answer-writing speed.

"2024 Prelims Mains likha tha but Mains clear nahi hua tha. Major usme issue tha ki meri writing speed bahut slow thi."

The slow writing speed affected her ability to complete papers within the examination time.

"Mera har paper chhoot raha tha. Koi bhi paper aisa nahi tha ki I can say ki poora karke aayi hoon ya poora achhe se complete hua hai."

This experience helped her understand that Mains preparation required not only content knowledge but also better execution within the given time.

How Twinkle Arora Changed Her Preparation Approach

After her 2024 Mains experience, Twinkle made changes to her preparation for the next attempt. She updated her Mains notes and worked on pending areas, particularly Economics.

"2025 mein maine thoda sa changes bhi le aayi thi. 24 mein mujhe learnings aa gayi thi ki haan padhte kaise hain Mains ke liye."

She also focused on completing pending notes so that gaps would not create additional pressure during Mains preparation.

"Maine Mains ke notes update kiye the jo jo mere pending the. Mere economics ke notes bahut zyada pending the. To wo maine cover up kiya."

This change helped her move from simply covering the syllabus towards preparing material that could be used during answer writing.

How PW Helped Twinkle Arora During Interview Preparation

Twinkle also used PW's support during her interview preparation. She joined PW's IGP and appeared for a mock interview.

One suggestion from the mock stayed with her and influenced her interview presentation.

Twinkle recalled:

"Aur PW ke andar mein PW mein maine IGP join kiya tha. Maine mock diya tha."

The mock helped her work on her expressions and presentation during the interview.

She shared the specific feedback:

"Sabse achha suggestion mujhe ek raha tha ki smile kijiega. Aap smile karenge aapke 20 marks extra hai."

She said that she worked on this aspect and felt that her expressions improved during the interview.

Twinkle Arora Used PYQs and Mocks to Strengthen Prelims Preparation

For Prelims, Twinkle highlighted the importance of understanding PYQs rather than only attempting them. She focused on analysing how questions were framed and understanding the examiner's approach.

"PYQ analysis kiya ja sakta hai. Analysis ka matlab ye nahi hota ki aap PYQ attempts kar rahe hain but PYQ kaise aap soch rahe hain ki unka sentence formation kaise hai."

She also used mock tests regularly in her preparation.

"Maine 2023 ke baad jo attempts the main mocks laga liya karti thi ki mujhe hota tha mujhse read nahi ho raha number aise."

Over time, she used mistakes from tests to identify topics that needed more revision. She also mentioned attempting around 5,000 to 6,000 questions on average during this phase.

Twinkle Arora Used PW Material for Mains Content

During Mains preparation, Twinkle also referred to PW material for selected topics. She specifically recalled using PW material for off-budget borrowings and livestock.

"Maine ek PW ka material to dekha tha but usse maine key points use kiye the. Mujhe yaad hai maine off budgeting borrowings ki thi aur livestock tha."

She found the material useful for understanding the content and converted it into shorter points for revision.

"Content material achha tha. Maine usko short kar liya tha. Maine usko highlight karke short points mein convert kar liye the ki bas itna yaad karna hai."

This approach helped her create concise points that could be recalled and used during Mains answers.

Twinkle Arora's Mains Strategy Focused on Notes and Value Addition

Twinkle's Mains preparation involved making topic-wise notes that could directly support answer writing. She included introductions, keywords, positive and negative points, charts and other relevant elements in her notes.

She also worked on adding recent examples and case studies to her answers.

"Pehle to maine static portion jo maine pichle saal ignore kiya tha uske notes banaye the. Notes mein maine improvement le aayi thi."

She also used diagrams, graphs and case studies as part of her answer presentation.

"Particularly maine diagrams jo hote hain, graph pattern jo ho jata hai comparison dikhane ko wo use kiya. Case studies maine prepare ki thi."

Her preparation therefore focused on making notes that could be converted into answers within the limited time available in the Mains examination.

Twinkle Arora Prepared for Her First UPSC Interview Through Mocks

The 2025 interview was Twinkle's first UPSC interview. Since she did not have prior interview experience, she used different sources to understand how candidates presented their answers.

"Since ye mera first interview tha to mujhe koi idea nahi tha prepare kaise karna hota hai kaise nahi karna hota hai."

She watched interview-related videos and mock interviews to understand content delivery and communication.

"YouTube pe maine kaafi dekhe the kaafi logon ke mocks bhi dekhe the to isiliye dekhe the ki how they are delivering the content aur kaise bol rahe hain."

She also scheduled mocks every three to four days from January until her interview day, using them as an opportunity to revise the content she had studied.

Twinkle Arora's UPSC Journey: Key Learnings for Future Aspirants

Twinkle's journey shows how preparation can evolve through repeated attempts and self-analysis. Her experience included identifying gaps in writing speed, revising pending notes, analysing PYQs, taking regular mocks and improving interview presentation.

Her approach also involved using study material selectively and converting detailed content into concise revision points. For aspirants preparing for UPSC, her journey highlights the importance of reviewing one's preparation regularly and making changes based on specific gaps rather than following the same strategy throughout every attempt.