 "Who is Shakti Dubey, Prayagraj woman who has topped UPSC in her 5th attempt?")
The wait is over, and the results are in— the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the results of the Civil Services Examination 2024 cycle, and a name from Prayagraj is grabbing national attention.
Shakti Dubey has emerged as the topper, securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 and making history as this year’s highest scorer in what is often dubbed India’s toughest examination.
Close on her heels are Harshita Goyal and Dongre Archit Parag, who have claimed AIR 2 and 3, respectively.
So, who is Shakti Dubey? And who are the other brilliant minds who’ve cracked the top ranks of this prestigious exam? Here’s a closer look
Who is Shakti Dubey, the UPSC topper?
Hailing from Someshwar Nagar Colony in Naini, Prayagraj, Shakti Dubey has been living in Delhi for the past several years to prepare for the UPSC.
According to Hindustan Times, she has been preparing for the civil services exam for the last seven years and has finally emerged as the topper in her fifth attempt.
Her academic journey began at St Mary’s Convent in Ghoorpur. After completing school, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Allahabad.
In 2016, she followed it up with a Master of Science in Biochemistry from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. There she stayed in the hostel and soaked in the various debates and discussions that campus life offered. She also became the Head of the Student Debating Committee. That exposure, she said, helped her fall in love with policy, law, and the power of structured argument.
“I’ve always been drawn to understanding how systems work — and how they could work better,” she said during one of her mock interviews
It was after completing her post-graduation that she made a life-changing decision to take on the UPSC Civil Services Examination. She chose Political Science and International Relations as her optional subjects and moved to Delhi to begin serious preparation. Alongside her studies, she also took up teaching, reports The Times of India.
Like many others, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her routine. In 2020, with the world in lockdown, she returned to Prayagraj to continue her preparation from home. Once things settled down, she moved back to Delhi to resume her coaching and focus.
Her father, Devendra Dubey, is a sub-inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police and is currently posted at the office of the additional deputy commissioner of police (traffic) in Prayagraj. Her mother, Prema Dubey, is a homemaker. She has another sister, Pragati, who is also preparing for the exam. Her brother, meanwhile, is pursuing an MCA.
Speaking to the media, Dubey gave credit for her success to her parents and teachers. She said that since childhood, her parents had motivated her to study, and teachers had always encouraged her. “It is the result of their inspiration that today I managed to top the civil services exam,” she was quoted as saying by ANI.
#WATCH | Delhi: Shakti Dubey secures 1st rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2025
She says, "I worked hard for many years. I told everyone at home they are all very happy. It was hard to believe at first, but the feeling is slowly sinking in... My brother had predicted I… pic.twitter.com/h1tKm1JzLi
Also read: CCTVs, QR code & more: How UPSC is trying to revamp its exam system
Overview of UPSC CSE 2024 Results
The UPSC CSE 2024 witnessed participation from nearly 10 lakh candidates. Out of these, 5.83 lakh appeared for the preliminary examination.
Subsequently, 14,627 candidates qualified for the mains, and 2,845 were shortlisted for the personality test. Ultimately, a total of 1,129 vacancies will be filled through this recruitment process. These include 180 posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 55 in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and 147 in the Indian Police Service (IPS), according to a government notification.
The top five ranks are as follows:
Shakti Dubey
Harshita Goyal - Originally from Haryana, residing in Vadodara, Gujarat, Goyal is a Chartered Accountant by profession. She completed her BCom from MS University of Baroda before taking the leap into civil services. Her decision to pursue Political Science and International Relations as her optional subject, India Today reported.
Dongre Archit Parag - Hails from Pune, he holds a B Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from VIT, Vellore; opted for Philosophy as his optional subject.
Shah Margi Chirag - She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer engineering from Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad. She secured the fourth rank with sociology as her optional subject.
Akash Garg- Holds a B Tech in Computer Science from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi; also selected Sociology as his optional subject.
With input from agencies
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