New Delhi — The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has revealed the final service allocations for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024, and the results reaffirm a consistent trend: the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) remains the most preferred choice among top-rank holders.
Top 20 Rankers Choose IAS
All top 20 rankers in UPSC 2024 have opted for and been allotted IAS, including Shakti Dubey (AIR 1) and Harshita Goyal (AIR 2), both from the General Category. Dongre Archit Parag (AIR 3) also opts for IAS.
This continued preference highlights the enduring appeal and prestige of the Indian Administrative Service among the best-performing candidates.
Breakdown of Top 50 Choices: IAS Leads Again
Among the top 50 rankers, 44 have chosen IAS. Only six opted for other services:
Rank 23: B Shivchandran chose the Indian Police Service (IPS)
Ranks 25 (GEE GEE A S), 28 (Rishabh Chaudhary), (31) Shreya Tyagi, 35 (Shreyak Garg), and 40 (Iram Chaudhary) opted for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
This overwhelming preference for IAS shows that despite a wide range of prestigious services, administrative leadership remains the top goal for most successful candidates.
Check the service allocation of Top 25 candidates list-

Service Allocation Snapshot: 875 Candidates Allotted Services
Out of 1,009 successful candidates, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has allotted services to 875 aspirants. Here’s the service-wise distribution:
- IAS: 179
- IPS: 147
- Indian Revenue Service (IRS): 274
- Indian Foreign Service (IFS): 55
- Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS): 19
- Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS): 21
- Indian Information Service (IIS): 14
- Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES): 6
- Indian Defence Financial Service (IDFS): 5
- Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS): 6
- Indian Defence Infrastructure Service (IDIS): 17
- Indian Trade Service (ITS): 5
- Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS): 13
- Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLES): 4
IAS Allocation Beyond the Top 100
While the top 100 rankers were overwhelmingly allocated IAS, the service was also secured by category candidates at significantly lower ranks:
- OBC: Gosaik P.R. (Rank 447)
- SC: Candidate at Rank 468
- ST: Candidate at Rank 456
- Divyang: Yash Kumar (Rank 990)
This demonstrates the wide reach of IAS allocation across categories, ensuring diverse representation in the country’s top administrative posts.
Indian Foreign Services
Once among the most sought-after services, the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) saw only one candidate from the top 25 opt for it this year. In comparison, last year, one candidate from the top 20 chose the IFS, while the year before that, none of the top 20 candidates opted for it.
IAS Continues to Symbolize National Leadership
The Civil Services Examination continues to draw aspirants towards the IAS, owing to its role in policy-making, governance, and nation-building. Year after year, it remains the most aspired-for service among those clearing one of the most competitive exams in the country.
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HOW SERVICES ARE ALLOCATED
While allocating services to any category, many factors are taken into consideration. They are:
- The rank of the candidate in the CSE.
- Candidate’s order of preference for service.
- Candidate’s category like General, OBC, SC, ST, etc.
- Availability of vacancy in the candidate’s category.
Findings of the Medical Board/Appellate Board with respect to the candidate.
If a candidate does not give preferences for all the civil services, and he/she doesn’t get the services for which he/she had given preferences, then he/she will be considered for the remaining services where there are vacancies after the allocation to all the candidates, who could be allocated to cadres according to their preferences.