The following is drawn from verified, publicly available information on four toppers across successive years.

Aditya Srivastava — AIR 1, CSE 2023 | Interview: 200/275 Aditya scored 899 in Mains and 200 in the Interview for a total of 1099. His optional was Electrical Engineering (IIT Kanpur). His interview covered current affairs (national and international), situational questions on administrative problem-solving, ethics and governance, and personal background including his hometown Lucknow and prior service as IPS (AIR 236, CSE 2022). He emphasised thinking carefully before responding rather than rushing.

Shakti Dubey — AIR 1, CSE 2024 | Interview: 200/275 Shakti scored 843 in Mains and 200 in the Interview for a total of 1043. Her optional was PSIR. She credits the PW OnlyIAS Interview Guidance Programme as playing a critical role in refining her communication skills and mock interview performance. Her declared hobbies — debating, writing poetry, and playing badminton — reflect the kind of specific, genuine interests that generate productive interview discussion.

Anuj Agnihotri — AIR 1, CSE 2025 | Interview: 204/275 Anuj, an MBBS graduate from AIIMS Jodhpur, scored 867 in Mains and 204 in the Interview for a total of 1071 — the highest topper total in eight years. His optional was Medical Science. A key question in his interview was why a doctor would choose civil services; his answer centred on the scale of societal impact available through administration versus clinical practice. He used a '30-second mantra' — delivering an answer concisely, then pausing to allow all board members to interact.

Shubham Kumar — AIR 1, CSE 2020 | Interview: 176/275 Shubham, an IIT Bombay civil engineering graduate, scored 878 in Mains and 176 in the Interview for a total of 1054. His optional was Anthropology. A key question was what he would do as DM of his home district Katihar, Bihar — a question that directly tested home-state preparation depth. He completed only 2 formal mocks and supplemented them with close peer discussions.

Common threads across all four

• Genuine interest in their optional subject, reflected in confident depth during the interview
• Specific and honest DAF entries that generated productive board discussion
• Opinion practice on current affairs — not just knowing facts but having a reasoned view
• Composure and clarity rather than speed when answering
• Strategic use of mock interviews, not obsessive repetition