Performance of Candidates from Different Academic Backgrounds in the UPSC Exam

“It doesn’t matter who you were or what you’ve done in the past. The only thing that matters is who you are right now-” Shelly Crane. The adage very well goes with lakhs of aspirants who come from different academic backgrounds and sit for the most challenging IAS Exam. There has been a lot of doubts when it comes to the success rate in UPSC Exam and one such is related to the performance of candidates from a different academic background. Arts, Science/Engineering graduates, commerce students have a question as to which academic background really helps to succeed in the IAS Exam.  This article analyses the profile and performance of candidates who take the civil services with respect to their academic disciplines.

This data would reveal that success in the IAS exams does not depend on your educational qualification or your academic background. All it takes is UPSC-oriented preparation with single-minded devotion and discipline. The following data has been taken from the 2017 UPSC mains exam. [The latest UPSC Annual Report/69th UPSC Report]

IAS Candidates Academic Background

The tables below will mention the success rate of the aspirants who appeared for the exam, having a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree:

#Candidates having Bachelor’s Degree (Success Rate – 41%) – 1996 candidates took the UPSC interview while only 821 were recommended. Check the number of candidates who appeared for the interview against the numbers of the candidates who were recommended:

1. Humanities – 241 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 106 were recommended.
2. Science – 74 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 31 were recommended.
3. Medical Science – 145 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 47 were recommended.
4. Engineering – 1536 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 637 were recommended.

#Candidates having Higher Degrees (Success Rate – 41.5) – 568 candidates appeared for the exam while only 235 were recommended. Check the number of candidates who appeared for the interview against the numbers of the candidates who were recommended:

1. Humanities – 308 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 124 were recommended.
2. Science – 86 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 37 were recommended.
3. Medical Science – 19 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 12 were recommended.
4. Engineering – 155 candidates appeared for the interview out of which 62 were recommended.

Candidates should know that the right strategy for the IAS Exam will lead to success regardless of the academic background one belongs to. To get general studies strategies to cover the UPSC syllabus, check the links below:

Key points to note from the table:

1. For the UPSC 2017 examination, the rate of success for the candidates with higher degrees was comparatively more than the candidates possessing bachelor’s degrees.
2. 821 candidates or 77.7 percent of the total number of candidates who appeared for the interview were graduates.
3. 235 or 22.3 percent of the total number of aspirants who took the interview were the ones with higher degrees.
4. Out of the total recommended students in the UPSC Results of 2017, the percentage of the students with their academic background is as given below:
   • Engineering – 66.2%
   • Humanities – 21.8%
   • Science – 6.4%
   • Medical Science – 5.6%

Note: This is the latest data available on the official website of the UPSC (https://upsc.gov.in/). The subsequent examinations’ data will be updated here with the official release of the latest UPSC 70th annual report.

Aspirants should also refer to the Success Rate of the Optionals in the UPSC Exam mentioned in the linked article.

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