IAS Toppers, largely called UPSC Toppers, are the top rank holders of the Civil Services Examination (CSE). The candidate who secures AIR 1 in the CSE is termed the IAS Topper. However, for all, each of that candidates who secures the top rank in this most coveted All India Examination comes to be known as the Civil Services Exam Topper, as he/she serves as an inspiration to thousands of young people who aspire to clear the IAS Exam.
In this comprehensive article, you can read about UPSC Toppers of the last 7 years (2013-2020). IAS toppers’ success stories, marks, ranks are also shared as a tool of motivation for all the aspiring candidates.
UPSC Topper 2021
The UPSC civil services exam is one of the most competitive exams conducted in India. It is attempted by lakhs of candidates every year. However, only a fraction of those come out with flying colours in the end. Clearing this exam gives an entry into the prestigious civil services of the country. As soon as the IAS results are announced, the UPSC toppers gain the limelight in the country.
The Civil Services Examination takes place annually. The exam is stretched across three stages:
- IAS Prelims
- IAS Mains
- IAS Personality Test
It takes almost a year to complete the one recruitment process. Therefore, final result of the IAS examination that takes place for the specific recruitment year gets disclosed in the next year. For example, the candidates planning to take UPSC 2022, will get the final results in 2023.
On similar lines, UPSC 2021 recruitment is an ongoing process and its topper will be announced in 2022.
Please note that Civil Services (Main) Examination 2021 is scheduled to take place in January 2022 and the interview process is expected to start in April.
UPSC Topper 2020
Shubham Kumar is the IAS 2020 Topper who scored 1054 marks out of the 2025 marks.
- He secured AIR 1 in UPSC 2020 Exam, final result of which were declared on 24th September 2021.
- He fetched the post of IAS officer in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in his 3rd attempt.
- Earlier, he secured a rank of 290 and was recruited in the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS).
- His optional subject was Anthropology.
IAS Topper 2020 Shubham Kumar has shared his preparation strategy for UPSC Exam, which can be read in the linked article.
List of IAS Toppers 2020
761 candidates have been recommended for the UPSC Posts through CSE 2020. The IAS toppers 2020 come from different backgrounds. There are engineers, arts graduates, doctors, teachers, etc.
The list of UPSC Toppers 2020 who secured All India Rank 1 to 5 is given below:
| UPSC Civil Services Topper | All India Rank |
| Shubham Kumar | 1 |
| Jagriti Awasthi | 2 |
| Ankita Jain | 3 |
| Yash Jaluka | 4 |
| Mamta Yadav | 5 |
AIR 2 Jagriti Awasthi – IAS Topper 2020
- She has cleared the exam in her 2nd attempt.
- Sociology was her optional subject.
Read about UPSC 2020 AIR 2 Jagriti Awasthi and her success story in the linked article.
AIR 3 Ankita Jain – IAS Topper 2020
- Though she had cleared UPSC Exam in her second attempt which landed her to the Audit and Accounts Services; she secured the third rank in her fourth attempt.
- Philosophy was her optional subject.
Read about UPSC 2020 AIR 3 Ankita Jain and her success story in the linked article.
AIR 4 Yash Jaluka – IAS Topper 2020
- He has bagged the fourth position in the Civil Services Examination in his first attempt.
- Economics was his optional subject.
Read about UPSC 2020 AIR 4 Yash Jaluka and her success story in the linked article.
AIR 5 Mamta Yadav – IAS Topper 2020
- She secured 556 rank in her first attempt only to rank at the 5th position in her second attempt.
- Physics was her optional subject.
Read about UPSC 2020 AIR 5 Mamta Yadav and her success story in the linked article.
You would love to read about a few other candidates who cracked the Civil Services 2020 Examination with their sheer hard work:
Check marks scored by IAS Toppers, cut-off and answer-key from the links below:
IAS Topper Videos
Learn about the UPSC Toppers preparation strategies from them. Have a look at the Civil Services Toppers sharing their tips and guidelines about the examination.
UPSC Topper – AIR 2 (2020) – Jagriti Awasthi
UPSC Topper – AIR 19 (2019) – Shrestha Anupam
UPSC Topper – AIR 80 (2018) – Khushboo Gupta
UPSC Topper – AIR 9 (2017) – Jagriti Awasthi
List of UPSC IAS Toppers (2013-2021)
Find below the names of top three UPSC toppers of various years:
| UPSC Toppers | |||
| (Year) | IAS Topper Rank 1 | IAS Topper Rank 2 | IAS Topper Rank 3 |
| UPSC Toppers 2020 | Shubham Kumar | Jagrati Awasthi | Ankita Jain |
| UPSC Toppers 2019 | Pradeep Singh | Jatin Kishore | Pratibha Verma |
| UPSC Toppers 2018 | Kanishak Kataria | Akshat Jain | Junaid Ahmad |
| UPSC Toppers 2017 | Anudeep Durishetty | Anu Kumari | Sachin Gupta |
| UPSC Toppers 2016 | Nandini K R | Anmol Sher Singh Bedi | Gopalakrishna Ronanki |
| UPSC Toppers 2015 | Tina Dabi | Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan | Jasmeet Singh Sandhu |
| UPSC Toppers 2014 | Ira Singhal | Renu Raj | Nidhi Gupta |
| UPSC Toppers 2013 | Gaurav Agrawal | Munish Sharma | Rachit Raj |
IAS Toppers & their Optional Subjects
2019 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2019 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional Subject |
| AIR 1 Pradeep Singh | Public Administration |
| AIR 2 Jatin Kishore | Economics |
| AIR 3 Pratibha Verma | Physics |
| ​​AIR 4 Himanshu Jain | Anthropology |
| AIR 5 Jeydev C S | Law |
| AIR 6 Vishakha Yada | Political Science & International Relations |
| AIR 7 Ganesh Kumar Baskar | Mathematics |
| AIR 8 Abhishek Saraf | Civil Engineering |
| AIR 9 Ravi Jain | Psychology |
| AIR 10 Sanjita Mohapatra | Sociology |
2018 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2018 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional Subject |
| Kanishak Kataria | Mathematics |
| Akshat Jain | Anthropology |
| Junaid Ahmad | Geography |
| Shreyansh Kumat | Anthropology |
| Shruti Jayant Deshmukh | Sociology |
| Shubham Gupta | Law |
| Karnati Varunreddy | Mathematics |
| Vaishali Singh | Law |
| Gunjan Dwivedi | Political Science |
| Tanmay Vashishta Sharma | Mathematics |
2017 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2017 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional |
| Anudeep Durishetty | Anthropology |
| Anu Kumari | Sociology |
| Sachin Gupta | Anthropology |
| Atul Prakash | Mathematics |
| Pratham Kaushik | Geography |
| Koya Sree Harsha | Anthropology |
| Ayush Sinha | Geography |
| Anubhav Singh | Mathematics |
| Saumya Sharma | Law |
| Abhishek Surana | Physics |
2016 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2016 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional |
| Nandini K R | Kannada Literature |
| Anmol Sher Singh Bedi | Political Science |
| Gopalakrishna Ronanki | Telugu Literature |
| Saumya Pandey | Geography |
| Abhilash Mishra | Public Administration |
| Kothamasu Dinesh Kumar | Political Science |
| Anand Vardhan | Political Science |
| Shweta Chauhan | Geography |
| Suman Sourav Mohanty | Public Administration |
| Bilal Mohi Ud Din Bhat | Veterinary Science |
2015 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2015 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional Subject |
| Tina Dabi | Political Science |
| Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan | Philosophy |
| Jasmeet Singh Sandhu | Punjabi Literature |
| Artika Shukla | Medical Science |
| Shashank Tripathi | Sanskrit |
| Ashish Tiwari | Public Administration |
| Sharanya Ari | Sociology |
| Yogesh Kumbhejkar | Mathematics |
| Karn Satyarthi | Political Science |
| Anupam Shukla | Physics |
2014 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2014 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional Subject |
| Ira Singhal | Geography |
| Renu Raj | Malayalam Literature |
| Nidhi Gupta | Physics |
| Vandana Rao | Sociology |
| Suharsha Bhagat | Geography |
| Charusree Thiagarajan | Geography |
| Lok Bandhu Yadav | Sociology |
| Nitish K | Mathematics |
| Ashish Kumar | Electrical Engineering |
| Arvind Singh | Sociology |
2013 UPSC Toppers with their Optional Subjects
| IAS Toppers 2013 | |
| UPSC Toppers Name | Optional Subject |
| Gaurav Agrawal | Economics |
| Munish Sharma | Law |
| Rachit Raj | Zoology |
| Akshay Tripathi | Mechanical Engineering |
| Bharti Dixit | Medical Science |
| Sakshi Sawhney | Law |
| Chanchal Rana | Geography |
| Johny Tom Varghese | Sociology |
| Divyanshu Jha | Physics |
| Medha Roopam | Psychology |
Preparation Tips & Strategy by IAS Toppers
Aspirants can check the next table containing the links to the biographies (background, marks, preparation journey) of the IAS Toppers:
IAS Topper Marks
While candidates slog day in and day out, they would want to know the benchmark set by the previous years’ UPSC toppers in the IAS exam. Here, we are listing down the final marks achieved by the Civil Services Exam Toppers over the years:
| UPSC Topper | Final Marks in UPSC (out of 2025) |
| IAS Topper 2020 AIR 1 Shubham Kumar | 1054 |
| IAS Topper 2019 AIR 1 Pradeep Singh | 1072 |
| IAS Topper 2018 AIR 1 Kanishak Kataria | 1121 |
| IAS Topper 2017 AIR 1 Anudeep Durushetty | 1126 |
| IAS Topper 2016 AIR 1 Nandini KR | 1120 |
| IAS Topper 2015 AIR 1 Tina Dabi | 1063 |
| IAS Topper 2014 AIR 1 Ira Singhal | 1082 |
| IAS Topper 2013 AIR 1 Gaurav Agarwal | 1072 |
9 Golden Tips from IAS Toppers
| Don’t mug up anything. Be strong in your basics, read NCERTs. [Ira Singhal – AIR 1, 2014] | Every topic in every subject must be revised at least three times. What is studied in a week must be revised in the very next week. [Tina Dabi – 1, 2015] | Instead of reading many books for a single topic read one book many times. [Nandini K R – 1, 2016] |
| Mock papers work wonders for you. Do practice them. [Renu Raj – 2, 2014] | In the essay paper, cut down on excessive idioms, metaphors and flowery language. Keep it simple. [Nikhil B – 107, 2016] | On NCERTs: These books are lucidly written and provide a foundation for any subject. Only after clearing one’s basics does it make sense to refer to advanced books. [Kanishak Kataria – 1, 2018] |
| On medium of exam: If you are confident enough to articulate your thoughts, then no one can hinder your success. No language is superior or inferior. [Govind Jaiswal – 48, 2006] | Learn from your mistakes, enjoy the preparation process, and put in your heart and soul into it. [Dinesh Kumar C – 24, 2016] | On interview: Don’t argue with the UPSC interview chairman, and take his questions very seriously. [Akash P – 63, 2013] |
Have a look at the below-mentioned links:
Did you know?
The average age of UPSC toppers is about 26 years. Read more about the average age of UPSC toppers in the linked article.
IAS Topper Blogs
Aspirants can find the blogs of IAS Toppers from past years to learn more about their preparation strategy and tips for success in the Civil Services Exam. (Just copy the blog address in the browser – new tab)
| IAS Topper | Blog |
| Kanishak Kataria (AIR 1, CSE 2017) | anudeepdurishetty.in/blog/ |
| Nandini KR (AIR 1, CSE 2016) | iasnandinikr.blogspot.com/ |
| Tina Dabi (AIR 1, CSE 2015) | tinadabi.wordpress.com/ |
| Ira Singhal (AIR 1, CSE 2014) | irasinghal.blogspot.in/ |
| Renu Raj (AIR 2, CSE 2014) | ghatotkacha-nair.blogspot.in/ |
| Nitish K (AIR 8, CSE 2014) | nitishhebbar.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/about-this-blog/ |
| Ashish Kumar (AIR 9, CSE 2014) | billano786.wordpress.com/about/ |
| Nishant Jain (AIR 13, CSE 2014) | nishantjainias.blogspot.in/ |
| Gaurav Agrawal (AIR 1, CSE 2013) | thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com/ |
| Divyanshu Jha (AIR 9, CSE 2013) | jhinujha.wordpress.com/ |
| Sriram V (AIR 2, CSE 2012) | sriramv.wordpress.com/ |
| Divya Mittal (AIR 68, CSE 2012) | divya-mittal.blogspot.in/ |
| Shweta Mohanty (AIR 2, CSE 2011) | scraps.oriyaonline.com/blog/tag/shweta-mohanty/ |
| Prakash Rajpurohit (AIR 2, CSE 2010) | prakashrajpurohit.wordpress.com/ |
| Anay Dwivedi (AIR 5, CSE 2010) | anaydwivedi.wordpress.com/ |
| Tanvi Sundriyal (AIR 6, CSE 2010) | thecivilservicesdream.blogspot.in/ |
| Garima Mittal (AIR 8, CSE 2010) | garima-mittal-ias.blogspot.in/ |
| Prabhjot Singh (AIR 16, CSE 2010) | prabhjotsinghgujral.blogspot.in/ |
| Ghanshyam Thori (AIR 25, CSE 2010) | ghanshyamthori.blogspot.in/ |
| Abhijeet Aggarwal (AIR 24, CSE 2009) | abhijeetagrawal.blogspot.in/ |
Check our Get Inspired page for more articles on IAS Toppers.
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