UPSC Annual Report 2023-24: Top Optionals

UPSC Annual Report 2023-24 offers important insights into Civil Services Examination trends. Released under Article 323(1), the report highlights key data on successful candidates, such as top optional subjects, success rates, gender-wise performance, age groups, number of attempts, educational background, and medium of examination. 

This analysis helps UPSC aspirants understand important selection patterns, performance indicators, and factors that may influence final results in the Civil Services Examination. 

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Analysis of Optional Subjects Performance

The report provides detailed performance of various optional subjects in the CSE, indicating the number of candidates who appeared for Mains with a specific optional and their final selection rate. 

To assess an optional’s success rate, focus on subjects taken by at least 100 candidates to get a more reliable percentage, rather than subjects with very few candidates where a single selection can skew the percentage significantly (Memory Tip: For reliable success rates, look for subjects with over 100 candidates).

Key Insights:

• Hindi Literature showed a strong performance with a 14.6% success ratio among subjects chosen by a significant number of candidates (288).
• Electrical Engineering and Medical Sciences also exhibited high success rates (12% and 11.6% respectively), often due to specialized academic backgrounds.
• Success in an optional subject is strongly correlated with a candidate’s interest in that subject. Every optional subject produces selected candidates, showing that no single optional guarantees selection or disadvantage.

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Gender-Based Selection Trends

Analysis of the 2022 exam data within the 2023-24 report reveals distinct gender-based selection trends across the different stages of the CSE.

Prelims Examination Data (2022)

• Total Applicants: 11,35,000
• Candidates Who Appeared: 5,75,000 (roughly half of applicants)

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Mains & Interview Examination Data

This section compares selection rates for candidates who reached the Mains stage and were eventually recommended in the final list.

Overall Gender-Based Trend (Summary):

• Prelims: Male candidates show a significantly higher selection percentage.
• Mains & Interview: Female candidates show a significantly higher selection percentage.

This trend is consistent across various categories (SC, ST, OBC, EWS, General) and has been observed in previous annual reports, indicating a long-term pattern.

Age Group and Selection Success

The report analyzes the age groups of successful candidates.

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Attempt Number and Selection Success

The report also provides insights into the attempt number at which candidates achieve success.

• Approximately 15% of selected candidates are in the 21-24 age group, implying they are often in their first or second attempt.
• The highest percentage of selections occurs for candidates in their third or fourth attempt.
• While candidates from all attempts (first to eighth) can succeed, the peak success rate is observed in the third and fourth attempts, a trend consistent with previous years.

Educational Background and Selection Success

The report analyzes the selection rates based on candidates’ educational backgrounds.

Degree Level and Selection Success (Bachelor’s Versus Post-Graduation)

• Bachelor’s Degree holders: Approximately 40% selection ratio.
• Post-Graduation holders: Their percentage chance of selection increases.

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Medium of Examination (English Versus Hindi) and Selection Trends

The report highlights a trend in the number of candidates writing Mains in English versus Hindi, and their respective selection percentages.

Key Insights:

• The number of candidates writing Mains in Hindi Medium is consistently decreasing, while English Medium candidates are increasing. This disparity in the pool size significantly impacts the absolute number of selected candidates from each medium.
• Although the UPSC does not explicitly release selection data by medium for the final list, analysis from various coaching institutes suggests that Hindi Medium candidates who reach the Mains stage have a higher selection percentage in Mains and Interview combined compared to English Medium candidates.
• Conversely, English Medium candidates tend to have higher selection chances in Prelims compared to Hindi Medium candidates.

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