New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) Shakti Dubey has topped the civil services examination 2024, results of which were declared on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Dubey has done her graduation (Bachelor of Science) in Biochemistry from the University of Allahabad.

She qualified for the examination with political science and international relations as her optional subject, a statement issued by the commission said.

Harshita Goyal, a B.Com graduate from MS University of Baroda, secured the second rank with political science and international relations as her optional subject.

Dongre Archit Parag, who has a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in electrical and electronics engineering from VIT, Vellore, stood third in the rank with philosophy as his optional subject.

The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages — preliminary, main and interview — by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2024, was conducted on June 16 last year. A total of 9,92,599 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,83,213 candidates actually appeared in the examination.

A total of 14,627 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (main) examination, which was held in September 2024. Out of these, 2,845 candidates qualified for the personality test or interview.

Of these, 1,009 candidates (725 men and 284 women) have been recommended by the commission for appointment to various Services.

Among the finally qualified candidates, the top five comprise three women and two men.

Shah Margi Chirag, who has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer engineering from Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, secured the fourth rank with sociology as her optional subject.

Aakash Garg, who has a Bachelor of Technology degree in computer science and has done engineering from the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, got the fifth rank with sociology as his optional subject.

The top 25 candidates comprise 11 women and 14 men. Their educational qualifications range from graduation in engineering, humanities, science, commerce, medical science, and architecture from premier institutions of the country, such as IIT, NIT, VIT, JNU, University of Delhi, and University of Allahabad, the UPSC said.

The top 25 successful candidates have opted for a wide range of optional subjects in the written (main) examination, including anthropology, commerce and accountancy, geography, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science and international relations, public administration, sociology, and literature of the Tamil language.

The recommended candidates also include 45 persons with benchmark disability, comprising 12 orthopedically handicapped, eight visually challenged, 16 hearing impaired, and nine with multiple disabilities. PTI AKV RHL