IAS Toppers from Kerala: Strategies and Ranks

In the UPSC Civil Services 2023 exam, Keralites once again demonstrated exceptional expertise; the results were released on Tuesday. Kochi native P.K. Sidharth Ramkumar topped the list of Keralites who took home the medals, earning the fourth position.

Although Sidharth had been selected for the Indian Police Service (IPS) twice, in 2021 and 2022, this was his fifth attempt at one of the most competitive exams in the nation. He had decided to retake the exam in the hopes of getting into the Indian Administrative Service. He is currently a trainee IPS officer in Hyderabad.

The final list includes 1,016 individuals who have been recommended for various central government services.

IAS Toppers from Kerala: Ranks

Some of the Keralites who made it to the top 300:

Name of the IAS Toppers from Kerala	Ranks
Vishnu Sasikumar	31
P.P. Archana	40
R Ramya	45
Benjo P. Jose	59
Fabi Rasheed	71
S. Prashant	78
Annie George	93
G. Harishanker	107
Febin Jose Thomas	133
Vineeth Lohithakshan	169
Amrutha S. Kumar	179
Manjusha B. George	195
Anusha Pillai	202
Anjit A. Nayar	225
Anakha K. Vijay	220
Nevin Kuruvila Thomas	225
Manjima P.	235
Jacob J. Puthenveettil	246
Megha Dinesh	268
Parvathy Gopakumar	282

14,624 of the 5,92,141 candidates who took part in the Civil Services Prelims exam 2023 in May of last year qualified for the written Mains exam, which was held in September of the same year.

Also Read: How Many UPSC Aspirants Selected Every Year?

Out of them, 2,855 applicants advanced to the final round of the demanding examination, which consisted of either the personality test or the interview.

The achievement of Parvathy Gopakumar from Alappuzha is remarkable as she is among the top 300 rank holders. Despite facing an accident in her seventh grade that led to the amputation of her arm at the elbow, Parvathy’s determination and willpower shaped her destiny as she had to learn how to write with her left hand.

Although writing with her left hand had slowed her substantially, she had written all of her exams. This was her second attempt at the Civil Services exam.

Annie George, a Kannur native from Alakode, accomplished a noteworthy feat by placing 93rd on her first try. “Despite my optimism, I never imagined how I would do in the rankings, especially since it was my first time. She exclaimed, I feel excited and on top of the world.”

Meera K IAS: AIR 6 2020-2021 – Success Story

In 2016, Meera obtained her Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College, Thrissur.

She was hired through campus selection in Bengaluru. She did, however, tend public service. Without much preparation, she took the UPSC Civil Services Examination for the first time in 2017. The outcome was predicted: it was ineligible.

She became increasingly focused and considered taking her UPSC CSE preparation much more seriously. She left her lucrative career.

She did not, however, board a plane for Delhi. Rather, she returned to Kerala to begin her UPSC career. She had taken up coaching, but she didn’t rely solely on it.

She always had confidence in herself and attempted to develop a plan taking into account both her advantages and disadvantages. She qualified for both the Prelims and Mains on her second try. However, fortune was not entirely in her favour. She was just 12 marks away from making the final cut. Her bad luck persisted throughout her third effort as well. She only failed prelims by one mark this time. Meera became even more driven as a result of her setbacks.

“Apart from good training in Thiruvananthapuram, I never actually spend hours and hours of my time preparing. I just kept studying whenever I could find some spare time,” said Meera.

Advice to the UPSC Aspirants

She advises UPSC candidates to create their own winning strategy. You can learn from toppers, mentors, or coaching facilities. However, don’t just copy or mindlessly follow any tactic. Know your advantages and disadvantages and create a customised study schedule.

Also Read: Who Takes UPSC Interview: Get Panel Info, Significance and Location

Strategy to Prepare for IAS Exams

Here is a list of tips and suggestions for candidates looking to enhance their UPSC exam preparation.

• Learn more about the format of the examination and the requirements and standards of the UPSC Exam at three distinct levels. Level-by-level variations exist in the UPSC Exam preparation methods. For example, the exam’s preliminary level assesses candidates’ knowledge and critical thinking abilities. While detailed information about every topic covered in the curriculum is required at the mains level, it may not be necessary at the preliminary level. 
• You would have an advantage over applicants who don’t consistently monitor the news developments in the UPSC when they read the newspaper every day.
• Build up the foundational knowledge first. The NCERT books are the sources for the fundamentals.
• Determine your subject’s strengths and weaknesses by answering a large number of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Strengthening your areas of strength and continuing to improve on your weaknesses is one of the key preparation tactics for the IAS. 
• Because of the extensive syllabus, creating notes for the UPSC is an art. The immense number of notes generated causes the notes to become exceedingly disorganised and confused in the end. Additionally, applicants shouldn’t waste a lot of time taking notes on everything. If the notes are well-organized, it is a superior UPSC technique; if not, the review process will take a long time.
• Last piece of advice to strengthen your UPSC strategy: The secret to success is consistency – Approach each day with the same mindset and prepare with the same zeal and intensity. 

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