There are nine engineers in the top 25. Interestingly, Shubra Saxena, 30, is herself a graduate of IIT Roorkee but took psychology and public administration as optional subjects for her second shot at the UPSC. “I have been preparing since 2006. Prior to that, I worked in the IT industry for four-and-a-half years. I am successful today because of my family's support,'' she said as sweets were distributed and cameras flashed in her home.

She seemed relieved rather than excited. “I thank God for making me so fortunate,'' said Shubhra.

At present, she is undergoing training in Shimla for the Indian Audit and Account Services. Her subjects in the mains were psychology and sociology.

Nearly 3.19 lakh candidates had sat for the examination, of whom about half took the prelimnaries. Almost 12,000 qualified for the main exaination in October-November and 2,140 of them were chosen for the personality test.

A total of 791 candidates have finally been selected, of which 625 are men and 166 women. They will now be recommended for appointments to the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services.

Of the 791 candidates, 364 are from the general category, 236 belong to Other Backward Classes, 130 are from the Scheduled Castes and 61 from the Scheduled Tribes.

Aditi Singh, an alumnus of Delhi University who secured the 12th rank in the mains, said, “It's really nice that so many women have made it to the top this time.'' After doing her graduation, post-graduation and M Phil in political science, Aditi was successful in the mains in the third attempt. She says strategy matters a lot in clearing the civil services exam. “There are three levels - objective, subjective and personality test. I did not give much attention to general studies in the earlier two attempts. But I changed my strategy this year.''

Besides, strategy, perseverance and hard work saw Aditi through. “I had been putting in endless hours every day. My husband is an IAS officer from the Nagaland cadre while my father, DP Singh, is a retired IAS officer who is now the chairperson of NIFT. They both supported me throughout.''

Family support also helped 16th-rank holder Varnali Deka. Varnali, who did not reveal her age, was perhaps the most experienced candidate for the civil services. She did her BTech from Bangalore followed by an MBA degree from IIT Bombay and got through the IPS last year. “I am currently undergoing training at the National Police Academy. But I wanted to shift to the IAS as my mindset is inclined towards the administrative rather than the preventive, as in policing,'' she said.