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Bhagat's writing style tends to be simple, with linear narratives and vivid storytelling. His protagonists tend to be named after avatars of the Hindu deity Vishnu, like Hari, Shyam, Govind or Krishna. All his books have a number in the title (e.g. 'five' in the first, 'one' in the second, 'three' in the third and 'two' in his latest book.) When asked about this Bhagat replied "I'm a banker, I can't get numbers out of my head."

He is a columnist with Dainik Bhaskar & The Times Of India, and writes on political issues.

Novels

1. Five Point Someone — What not to do at IIT! was his first book about three students- Hari, Ryan and Alok who come from three different backgrounds. The book is about their years in IIT Delhi and how they cope with the pressures of studies, family and relationships. The book was well received by the public, especially among the younger generation, and brought Bhagat a large following. It was adapted into a play by the theatre group Madras Players, and also by Evam . This book was adapted into a movie called 3 Idiots, though Bhagat has stated that he was not involved in the scriptwriting in any way. and was involved in a controversy with the director and producer of the movie over crediting of his contribution to the script. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, and starring Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, and Boman Irani in pivotal roles, it was released on 25 December 2009..

2. One Night @ the Call Center was released in India in October 2005 also to popular demand. This book was about six people who work at a call center and about a night when they receive a call from God. Noted Bollywood film director Rohan Sippy bought the rights from Bhagat, but later Sippy let the rights pass on to director Atul Agnihotri, brother-in-law of Salman Khan. The movie version of the novel is titled as Hello starring Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Amrita Arora, Esha Koppikar, Gul Panag, Sharman Joshi. Bhagat worked directly on the script of the movie, moulding it to fit the silver screen. However, the film did not succeed commercially.

3. The 3 Mistakes of My Life is Bhagat's third book, about cricket, religious politics and rebellious love. About how 3 friends get caught in a tangle to earn some money and fame, and how they sort it out. The book was published in May 2008 and had an initial print-run of 200,000. The novel follows the story of three friends and is based in the city of Ahmedabad in western India. making him the best selling English Novelist in India's history. Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment has bought the rights for making a movie based on this, and it will be directed by Abhishek Kapoor of Rock On! fame.

4. The Story of My Marriage is about how love marriages work in India and is again typical of him in the first person. It is like his first book Five Point Someone expected to be inspired by his own life.The publishers Rupa & Co. have ordered an unprecedented two hundred tonnes of paper for the first print of this highly anticipated book.

As a columnist

Bhagat has an op-ed column in Dainik Bhaskar, a large Hindi newspaper and another at The Times of India, an English daily. He says "The main purpose of the books and films is to entertain, but the columns allow me to give my views on how the nation should be run." His articles are written in simple English to achieve mass appeal. He also visits Educational Institutions in India to give motivational talks.

On Television

Bhagat was a judge on a reality show by Star News called Star Anchor Hunt