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Anudeep Durishetty, UPSC CSE 2017 AIR 1, cleared the exam in his fifth attempt. He worked full-time and studied mainly on weekends. His strategy emphasized NCERTs, selective reading, current affairs integration, and extensive answer-writing practice for Mains. His optional subject was Anthropology.
Aspirants often seek inspiration from successful candidates. Understanding the journey of Anudeep Durishetty, UPSC topper with AIR 1 in 2017, provides valuable insights. His detailed preparation approach, including strategy and booklist, can guide many students. This summary shares his path to success, offering clear, actionable advice for Civil Services aspirants.
Anudeep Durishetty achieved All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2017. His remarkable achievement followed a long and determined effort. He is from Metpally, Telangana. Anudeep Durishetty’s journey stands as a testament to persistence and smart preparation for the challenging UPSC exam.
Anudeep Durishetty’s background highlights a blend of academic excellence and diverse work experience. He completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation from BITS, Pilani. His father worked as an Assistant Divisional Engineer. Before achieving AIR 1, Anudeep Durishetty had valuable experience working with Google and the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

| Anudeep Durishetty Rank 1 UPSC Biography and Background | |
|---|---|
| Detail | Information |
| Name | Anudeep Durishetty |
| Rank in CSE-2017 | AIR-01 |
| Anudeep Durishetty’s education | B.Tech in Electronics & Instrumentation |
| Anudeep Durishetty Attempt Numbers in CSE | 5 |
| Optional Subject | Anthropology |
| Medium of Mains Writing | English |
| Medium of Interview | English |
| Age | 28 Years |
| Home Town/City | Telangana |
| Work Experience | IRS (Batch 2013), Google, GST |
| Working While Preparing | Yes |

Anudeep Durishetty’s performance in the UPSC CSE 2017 Mains and Interview was exceptionally balanced. He chose Anthropology as his optional subject, which played a pivotal role in his success. His consistent scoring across all General Studies papers, combined with a strong showing in the Personality Test, secured his position as the All India Topper.
| Anudeep Durishetty Marksheet (CSE 2017) | ||
| Subject | Paper | Marks Obtained |
| Essay | Paper-I | 155 |
| General Studies – I | Paper-II | 123 |
| General Studies – II | Paper-III | 123 |
| General Studies – III | Paper-IV | 136 |
| General Studies – IV | Paper-V | 095 |
| Optional – I (Anthropology) | Paper-VI | 171 |
| Optional – II (Anthropology) | Paper-VII | 147 |
| Written Total | 950 | |
| Personality Test | 176 | |
| Final Total | 1126 | |
Anudeep Durishetty’s journey was long and challenging. He appeared for the exam five times. He cleared Prelims and Mains in his first attempt, but could not clear the interview. He joined the IRS after his second attempt but continued pursuing IAS. Despite setbacks in his third and fourth attempts, he persevered. His journey shows the power of learning from failures and persistent effort.
Anudeep Durishetty developed a focused strategy to balance his job and UPSC preparation. He relied on efficient study methods and thorough revision. His approach can benefit many working professionals aspiring for the Civil Services.
Anudeep stressed understanding the syllabus and the previous year’s papers. He advised starting with the NCERTs for core concepts. He also recommended selective reading of standard books.
Key Prelims Strategy Points:
| Prelims Booklist | |
|---|---|
| Subject | Recommended Books/Sources |
| Ancient & Medieval History | Old NCERTs (R.S. Sharma, Satish Chandra – selective) |
| Modern History | A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), India’s Struggle for Independence (Bipan Chandra), NCERT (Bipan Chandra) |
| Art and Culture | Fine Arts Book – Class XI NCERT, CCRT material, Heritage Crafts – NCERT |
| Geography | NCERTs (XI, XII), Certificate Physical and Human Geography (G.C. Leong), PMFIAS, Google, YouTube |
| Polity | M. Laxmikanth |
| Economy | Indian Economy (Ramesh Singh), Mrunal.org, NCERTs (Class XI, XII), Economic Survey (selective), The Hindu, Internet |
| Environment | Shankar IAS |
| General Science | NCERTs (Class IX, X), The Hindu, Google, YouTube |
| Government Schemes | Civils Daily compilation |
| Current Affairs | The Hindu, Civils Daily, ForumIAS |
For Mains, Anudeep focused on generating content for every syllabus topic. He emphasized continuous practice and current affairs integration.
Key Mains Strategy Points:
| Mains Booklist (Selective Overview): | |
|---|---|
| Subject | Recommended Books/Sources |
| GS-1 | |
| Art and Culture | NCERTs (Class XI), CCRT material |
| Modern History | A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), India’s Struggle for Independence (Bipan Chandra) |
| Post-Independence | India Since Independence (Bipan Chandra) |
| World History | World History: Patterns of Interaction (McDougal Littell – selective) |
| Indian Society | NCERT Sociology (Std XI, XII), ARC 2 |
| Geography | NCERTs (XI, XII), G.C. Leong, PMFIAS, YouTube, Google |
| GS-2 | |
| Polity, Constitution (Static) | M. Laxmikanth, ARC – 2, The Hindu, RSTV, CivilsDaily, Insights/ForumIAS, PRS India, All India Radio |
| Governance & International Relations | Current Affairs focused |
| GS-3 | |
| Economy | Budget, Economic Survey (gist), Niti Aayog 3-year Action Plan |
| Environment and Ecology | Shankar IAS Book |
| Disaster Management | CBSE book, Current Affairs |
| National Security | Vajiram Notes, Current Affairs |
| GS-4 | |
| Theory | 2nd ARC reports (Ethics in Governance, E-gov, RTI, Citizen-centric Administration, Personnel Administration), Google, Vajiram material |
| Case Studies | Previous Year Question Papers |
Essay writing requires special attention to language, coherence, and structure. Anudeep suggested enriching content from GS papers, non-fictional books, and magazines like Yojana.
Key Essay Strategy Points:
Anudeep Durishetty chose Anthropology as his optional subject. He advised focusing on conceptual clarity for beginners.
Key Optional Strategy Points:
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| Anthropology Booklist | |
|---|---|
| Paper | Recommended Books/Sources |
| Paper I | Braintree material, Physical Anthropology (P. Nath), Anthropology Simplified (Vivek Bhasme), Anthropology (Ember and Ember) |
| Paper II | Indian Anthropology (Nadeem Hasnain), Tribal India (Nadeem Hasnain), Anthropology Simplified (Vivek Bhasme), The Tribal Culture of India (L.P. Vidyarthi), Xaxa Report, Yojana (January 2014) |
The interview stage tests personality and presence. Anudeep prepared by attending mock interviews. This helped him familiarize himself with the interview setting.
Key Interview Strategy Points:
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Anudeep Durishetty secured All India Rank 1 in UPSC CSE 2017.
He chose Anthropology as his optional subject.
He achieved AIR 1 in his fifth attempt.
Yes, he prepared for the UPSC Civil Services Exam while holding a job.
He advises aspirants to try and fail rather than never trying, learning from every mistake.
Anudeep Durishetty’s optional subject was Anthropology.
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