Over 200 UPSC 2025 qualifiers had ranked earlier too, new rule may stop repeats

A quarter of 2025 UPSC rankers had already held ranks in 2023 or 2024, underscoring the squeeze on repeat attempts. The new UPSC 2026 rule limits the number of attempts for rankers. Thus, 2025 rankers were the last privileged batch who could better their ranks.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the final results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 on Friday where Anuj Agnihotri emerged as the topper with AIR 1 with a total of 918 candidates qualifying in 2025.

But this year's result revealed an important pattern in India’s toughest recruitment test. Out of the 918 candidates who secured rank this year, 239 had already appeared on the final merit lists of either 2023 or 2024.

In other words, more than a quarter of the successful candidates had previously cleared the exam but returned for another attempt to improve their rank or secure a preferred service.

This long-standing practice has shaped the final merit list for years, where candidates often reappear after entering a service in the hope of getting into the Indian Administrative Service or another preferred cadre.

However, the 2026 result is likely to mark the end of this pattern in its current form. New rules announced in 2026 have introduced stricter limits on repeat attempts for candidates already selected in the civil services, potentially changing the dynamics of future results.

The data from the 2025 list therefore offers a glimpse of what may be the last large batch of repeat rankers benefiting from the older system.