Athar Aamir Khan

Athar Aamir Khan, a 23-year-old, became the 2nd Kashmiri to become an IAS officer by securing the 2nd rank on the UPSC 2015. Athar Aamir was born on 30 March 1995, and his native place is the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Athar Aamir completed his 11th & 12th from Tyndale Biscoe School in Srinagar.

He pursued his Bachelor of Engineering from IIT-Mandi and graduated with an Electrical engineering degree. Athar Aamir advises UPSC aspirants not to take too many breaks. As per Athar Aamir, 15-16 hours of study are not necessary instead 6-8 hours of study to clear UPSC is sufficient. Athar Aamir consistently gave 6 hours per day & during the UPSC exam, it was increased to 10 hours. He asked students to remain energetic with a fresh and healthy mind. Aamir listened to music & interact with family and friends during exam preparation. This helps to release pressure and relax during the UPSC journey. Athar Aamir Khan cleared the civil services exam at just 22.

A lot of students throughout India asked Athar Aamir whether Coaching classes are necessary to clear the UPSC exam. His message to UPSC aspirants was that I did not have a great exposure to UPSC coaching classes, but he was confident that even without coaching he can crack UPSC, and he did it. Aamir said that extensive reading & complete dedication made his dream into reality. To clear UPSC is not impossible; it is your confidence and self-belief that can make it possible. He always wanted to be of use to society by being and wanted change in the society with the people's cooperation.

Athar Aamir Khan's optional subject was Philosophy, and this subject is gaining popularity among UPSC aspirants. Most of the students take Philosophy is an optional subject due to its reputation for having the shortest syllabus. In general, between 800 & 1000 candidates select philosophy subject as their optional subject. There have been many toppers who have had philosophy as their optional subject for UPSC mains, and the most famous topper being Athar Aamir  Khan, who cleared UPSC in 2015 with AIR - 2.

In 2015, it was the second attempt of Aamir Khan, and he got 2nd rank. Earlier in his first attempt in 2014, he also cleared UPSC exam with 571 All India Rank, and he got selected for Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS).  Athar Aamir was undergoing training at the Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), Lucknow, but at the same time, he was also preparing for UPSC. He was not satisfied after selecting for the UPSC exam, but he wanted to clear UPSC with the IAS cadre, which he did on the 2nd attempt. Indian Administrative Services was his 1st love, and he planned to do UPSC preparation with his 1st class job. Athar Aamir khan's focus, determination, perseverance, and clarity on target resulted in Athar’s success. It is only Athar Aamir Khan's efforts that have taken him from a small village in the Anantnag district to the Indian bureaucracy.

FAthar Aamir had a different approach & perseverance to fulfill his aim; he never gave up & didn’t look back. Athar Aamir khan today is the inspiration for militancy-hit valley youth who are distracted by nefarious elements to create disturbance in their own god valley. He was a bookaholic. Aamir says - It is not the number of hours you put into the study, but the study put into the hours that matter for the UPSC exam.”

Athar’s Interview Score: 193

Aamir saw an opportunity in failure, and he corrected his mistakes on 1st attempt when he failed to get into the IAS cadre. His efforts help him to get 2nd rank in the prestigious UPSC exam -2015 with Ail India Rank 2. He was the 2nd from Jammu And Kashmir State after Shah Shah Faesal, who inspire him to clear UPSC and topped the civil services examination in 2009. Athar Aamir met Mr. Shah Faesal & took his advice on whether I should join the services. After a long discussion with Shah Faesal, he took the decision to join the Indian Civil Services.

Mohammed Shafi Khan, the father of Athar Aamir khan, who teaches economics at the Govt. Higher Secondary school in Anantnag, has a steady stream of visitors coming to congratulate Athar Aamir's success. Aamir feels proud of his father after cracking the UPSC exam.

In his 2014 attempt, with only six months of preparation, Athar Aamir got good marks in the GS Paper, but he failed to perform well in the Optionals. He Started solving previous five to 10-year papers. Khan says, During his first attempt, he even not completed the full course not talk about revision.” Regular practice of answer writing help to cover all points for scoring better marks in Mains paper

For static subjects like History, Geography, Polity, and others, Khan used standard recommended books like Laxmikanth for Polity and created more comprehensive notes. Aamir also says that it is better to read one book ten times instead of reading ten books. One time, Aathar Aamir Khan advised aspirants not to read or learn any new topic or content close to the examination. In the last phase of the examination, only revision of learned material help to get good marks.

 For the GS Paper, Khan relied heavily on two newspapers –The Hindu and The Indian Express. The student should draw up a timetable that is compatible with your schedule in maximum time on them and make notes of an important topic. As per Athar Aamir, what strategy work for him? Not necessary to work for other aspirants as well. So each student has to follow his/her schedule and strategy and remain patient.

Practicing previous year's question papers help to get a good command of the subject. UPSC aspirants should answer in writing from five to ten years.

One standard book For subjects like History, Geography, Economics, and another subject, he advised students to read one standard book of every subject to clear the basic concepts. Students should make notes from all the books that he/she referred to.

Reading Newspapers and making notes. Athar used to make notes on sheets of paper. If you are writing or making notes in a notebook, then value addition of information for the same topic is difficult, and the page gets all messy.

Every aspirant to make a timetable & goals which can be achieved instead of following what others say.