The UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of the most popular government examinations in the country. It is the most sought after career option because of the prestige and power attached to it. As you would be aware, you have to choose an optional subject for the IAS mains exam which you can take if you clear the UPSC prelims and get the required cut off. From 2011, you have to choose only one optional as opposed to the two optional subjects you had to previously. Choosing an optional is a dicey affair with many a candidate pondering over days to pick one subject. Since there are two optional subject papers, you have to make a wise decision considering various factors. In this article, you can read about the IAS toppers and their optional subjects. When you closely look at the IAS topper list year wise, you can see a similarity in IAS toppers optional subject.
Check out the list of optional subjects offered by the UPSC.
How to choose optional subject for UPSC?
You have to consider various things like your academic background, interests, liking for a subject, current knowledge levels, and other external factors such as popularity, scoring subject or not, Optional subject of IAS toppers etc. Going through the optional subjects chosen by IAS toppers can give you a few insights while deciding on your choice of optional subject.
We bring you a list of IAS toppers with their optional subjects for your reference:
Year |
Topper Name (AIR 1) |
Optional Subjects |
Home State |
Service Opted |
2017 |
Anudeep Durishetty |
Anthropology |
Telangana |
IAS |
2016 |
Nandini K R |
Kannada Literature |
Karnataka |
IAS |
2015 |
Tina Dabi |
Political Science |
Delhi |
IAS |
2014 |
Ira Singhal |
Geography |
Delhi |
IAS |
2014 |
Gaurav Agarwal |
Economics |
Rajasthan |
IAS |
2012 |
Haritha V Kumar |
Economics & Malayalam Literature |
Kerala |
IAS |
2011 |
Shena Aggarwal |
Psychology |
Haryana |
IAS |
2010 |
S Divyadharshini |
Public Administration & Law |
Tamil Nadu |
IAS |
2009 |
Shah Faesal |
Public Administration & Urdu Literature |
Jammu & Kashmir |
IAS |
2008 |
Shubhra Saxena |
Psychology & Public Administration |
Uttar Pradesh |
IAS |
2007 |
Adapa Karthik |
Zoology & Psychology |
Telangana |
IAS |
2006 |
Mutyalaraju Revu |
Electrical Engineering & Maths |
Andhra Pradesh |
IAS |
2005 |
Mona Pruthi |
English Literature & Sociology |
Haryana |
IAS |
2004 |
S Nagarajan |
Geography & Sociology |
Tamil Nadu |
IAS |
2003 |
Roopa Mishra |
Psychology & Public Administration |
Odisha |
IAS |
2002 |
Ankur Garg |
Physics & Chemistry |
Punjab |
IAS |
2001 |
Alok Ranjan Jha |
Geography |
Bihar |
IFS |
2000 |
Vijaylakshmi Bidari |
Kannada Literature |
Karnataka |
IAS |
1999 |
Sorabh Babu |
Maths & Mechanical Engineering |
Uttar Pradesh |
IAS |
1998 |
Bhawna Garg |
Maths & Chemistry |
Punjab |
IAS |
1997 |
Devesh Kumar |
Chemistry & Geography |
Bihar |
IAS |
1996 |
Sunil Kumar Barnwal |
Physics & Maths |
Jharkhand |
IAS |
1995 |
Iqbal Dhaliwal |
Economics & Public Administration |
Tamil Nadu |
IAS |
1994 |
Srivatsa Krishna |
Public Administration & Psychology |
Karnataka |
IAS |
1991 |
Raju Narayana Swamy |
Medicine & Malayalam Literature |
Kerala |
IAS |
Also See | Ira Singhal: A Success Story in UPSC Civil Services
The list of optional subjects of a few other IAS toppers (AIR other than 1) :
Topper Name |
Rank |
Year |
Optional Subjects |
Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan
|
2 |
2015 |
Philosophy |
Roman Saini |
18 |
2013 |
Medical Science |
Amrutesh Aurangabadkar |
10 |
2011 |
Sociology & Philosophy |
Artika Shukla |
4 |
2015 |
Medical Science |
Bharti Dixit |
5 |
2013 |
Medical Science |
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