How I Get UPSC Topper Data

Zaid Rakhange. Software engineer, founder of ImpicLabs. I am not a UPSC aspirant and I have never taken the exam. I am just someone who got obsessed with topper data and has now read more UPSC result PDFs than most people who actually work at UPSC.

I do not use AI to extract data. I do not outsource. I sit down with a PDF and manually copy every mark, one cell at a time. It takes hours. I enjoy it.

Every mark on this site comes from a PDF published by UPSC on upsc.gov.in. Here is my process:

1. UPSC publishes final result PDFs. Each one has name, rank, and marks for every successful candidate.
2. I open the PDF and manually extract marks — topper by topper, paper by paper. GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4, Essay, Optional Paper 1, Optional Paper 2, Interview, Written Total, Grand Total.
3. I cross-check each entry against the original PDF before saving it. If something looks off, I check again.
4. Optional subject details come from topper interviews, DAF disclosures, or coaching records. I cross-reference wherever possible.

Current count: 50+ indexed profiles from UPSC CSE 2021 to 2025. Growing with every result cycle.

Strategy pages (e.g., "How to Score 130+ in GS1") come from three things:

1. The marks data I analyze score distributions across 38+ topper profiles. Every statistic on a strategy page is computed from this dataset. I do not guess numbers.

2. Topper interviews I read and watch topper interviews to extract preparation patterns. When I say "toppers who scored 130+ in GS1 focused on World History," it is because I have seen that pattern across multiple profiles — not because I read one interview and generalized.

3. Syllabus and book research Book recommendations come from cross-referencing what toppers actually used against standard UPSC materials.

What these pages are not:

• Not AI-generated content copied from other sites
• Not affiliate marketing
• Not rewritten coaching brochures

Each topper page shows:

• Marks extracted from UPSC result PDFs, paper by paper
• Quick facts — rank, year, optional subject
• Strategy content — the topper's own words from interviews, minimally edited
• Answer copies — scanned PDFs checked against published marksheets

If a profile has answer copies, the source is marked.

I am human. Manual extraction from PDFs means errors can slip through.

If you find one:

• Hit the Report button on the profile page
• Email me with the correction and source link

I fix verified errors within 48 hours.

Things I cannot do (yet):

• I do not have marks for every rank holder — only the ones I have extracted so far
• Optional subject info may be missing for some toppers
• Strategy content is based on what toppers have publicly shared, which may not be their full picture

• Topper profiles: Within a week of any UPSC final result
• Strategy pages: Reviewed every few months, or when new data changes conclusions
• Answer copies: Added as they get verified
• This page: Updated when my process changes

Found an error? Want to contribute your strategy? Just want to say this is insane?

• Contact page on this site
• Report button on any topper profile
• Twitter/X: @zaidrakhange

If you are a UPSC topper and want to share your strategy or answer copies, I would love to add your data to the dataset.