Anudeep Durishetty: The Record-Breaking IAS Officer Who Cracked UPSC on 5th Attempt

Punit
15 Min Read

Anudeep Durishetty is an IAS officer of the 2018 batch, Telangana cadre, who secured All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2017 with record-high marks of 1126 out of 2025 — the highest total ever scored at the time in the history of the exam.

Personal & Professional Stats Table

Detail Information
Full Name Anudeep Durishetty
Date of Birth July 6, 1989
Age (2026) 37 Years
Birthplace Jagityal, Telangana, India
Hometown Metpally, Telangana
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Religion Hinduism
Category OBC (Other Backward Classes)
Nationality Indian
Height 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm)
Marital Status Unmarried (as per public records)
Father D. Manohar (Assistant Divisional Engineer, Telangana Northern Power Distribution Co.)
Mother D. Jyothi (Homemaker)
Hobbies Football, Formula 1, photography, blogging
Favourite Sport Football (Fan of Lionel Messi)
Inspiration Abraham Lincoln
Social Media Instagram: @anudeepdurishetty_ (279K+ followers)
UPSC Exam Year 2017 (Result declared April 27, 2018)
UPSC Rank All India Rank 1
Total UPSC Marks 1126 out of 2025
Optional Subject Anthropology
IAS Batch 2018
Cadre Telangana
Current Posting Collector & District Magistrate, Khammam (since June 12, 2025)
Pay Level Level 11 (IAS Pay Matrix)
Years of Service 8 years (as of 2026)

Anudeep Durishetty Age

Who Is Anudeep Durishetty? The Short Version That Says It All

  • Anudeep Durishetty is not your typical UPSC success story — he is THE success story that rewrote what UPSC success looks like.
  • Born in a small town in Telangana, he cracked BITS Pilani, landed a job at Google, joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and still was not done.
  • On his fifth attempt at the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2017, Anudeep Durishetty did not just pass — he topped the entire country and shattered the record for the highest marks ever scored in the exam.
  • His journey is the kind of story that makes you pause, breathe, and wonder: “If this man refused to quit after four failures, what’s my excuse?”
  • Today in 2026, Anudeep Durishetty continues to serve as an IAS officer in Telangana, currently posted as the Collector & District Magistrate of Khammam.
  • He remains one of the most searched and admired UPSC personalities among lakhs of aspirants across India.

Anudeep Durishetty Education: From Small-Town School to BITS Pilani

  • Anudeep Durishetty education started in Metpally, a town in the Jagityal district of Telangana.
  • He completed his schooling at Sri Suryodaya High School, Metpally — a regular school in a small town, not a famous coaching hub.
  • For his intermediate education, he moved to the big city and attended Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Hyderabad.
  • The real academic leap came when he cracked the BITSAT exam and secured admission to the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan.
  • He pursued a B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, graduating in 2011.
  • BITS Pilani is one of India’s most competitive engineering colleges — gaining admission itself requires exceptional academic ability.
  • Anudeep Durishetty education details confirm that he is a self-made scholar who never relied on expensive private coaching throughout his academic or UPSC journey.

Education Summary Table

Level Institution Subject/Degree Year
Schooling Sri Suryodaya High School, Metpally General Up to 10th
Intermediate Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Hyderabad Science Up to 12th
Graduation BITS Pilani, Rajasthan B.Tech — Electronics & Instrumentation 2011
Post-Graduation None (UPSC preparation)

Anudeep Durishetty Age and Early Life: The Small-Town Boy with Big Dreams

  • Anudeep Durishetty age as of 2026 is 37 years — born on July 6, 1989.
  • He grew up in Metpally, a modest town in Telangana’s Jagityal district.
  • His family background is solidly middle-class:
    • Father D. Manohar works as an Assistant Divisional Engineer at the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company.
    • Mother D. Jyothi is a homemaker who provided emotional support throughout his long UPSC journey.
  • Growing up, Anudeep Durishetty was always academically strong — not a prodigy in the stereotypical sense, but consistently hardworking and focused.
  • His interest in civil services began during his engineering years at BITS Pilani.
  • After graduating in 2011, he joined Google India as a Software Engineer in Hyderabad — a dream job for most engineering graduates.
  • But for Anudeep Durishetty, a Google job was not the dream. The IAS was.
  • He describes his inspiration as a deep desire to serve the country and make a tangible difference — something a tech job, no matter how well-paying, could not fully satisfy.

Anudeep Durishetty Ias

Anudeep Durishetty Attempts: The Story of 5 Shots and 1 Historic Bull’s Eye

  • Anudeep Durishetty attempts at UPSC are the most talked-about part of his biography — and rightly so.
  • He did not crack it on the first try. Not the second. Not the third. Not even the fourth.
  • Here is a clean breakdown of Anudeep Durishetty attempts year by year:

Attempt-by-Attempt Breakdown Table

Attempt No. Year Outcome Key Note
1st 2012–13 Did not clear interview stage Began preparation during Google job
2nd 2013 Cleared — selected for IRS Joined IRS as Assistant Commissioner (Customs & Excise)
3rd 2014 Did not get IAS rank Continued preparing while working in IRS
4th 2015 Cleared Mains, lower score Shared marksheet publicly to help others
5th 2017 AIR 1 — Historic Record Scored 1126/2025 — highest ever in UPSC history
  • After his 4th attempt in 2015, he actually published his own marksheet online to help other aspirants understand what good answer writing looks like versus what needs improvement.
  • That act of transparency was extraordinary and earned him enormous goodwill among the UPSC community long before he topped the exam.
  • The 5th attempt — his self-declared last attempt — changed everything.
  • On April 27, 2018, the UPSC CSE 2017 result was declared, and Anudeep Durishetty found himself at the top of the country.

Anudeep Durishetty Marks: The Viral Marksheet That Set a Record

  • Anudeep Durishetty marks in UPSC 2017 are legendary — he scored 1126 out of 2025, which was the highest total score ever recorded in the UPSC Civil Services Examination at the time.
  • His UPSC marksheet went viral on social media after it was shared publicly — the same way IAS Tina Dabi’s marksheet had done earlier.
  • What makes Anudeep Durishetty marks so special is not just the total — it is the subject-wise distribution that reflects careful, strategic preparation.

Anudeep Durishetty UPSC Marks Breakdown Table

Paper Subject Marks Scored
Essay (Paper I) Essay Writing 155
GS Paper I History, Geography, Society 123
GS Paper II Governance, Polity, IR 118
GS Paper III Economy, Science, Disaster 119
GS Paper IV Ethics & Integrity 111
Optional Paper I Anthropology 163
Optional Paper II Anthropology 155
Interview / Personality Test 182
Total 1126 / 2025

Note: Marks are as shared through widely cited media sources and Anudeep’s own blog. Readers should verify the exact paper-wise breakdown via UPSC’s official marksheet publication.

  • His Anthropology optional score of 318 out of 500 (combined both papers) was outstanding.
  • His interview score of 182 was also impressively high, reflecting his confidence and clarity in spoken communication.
  • The comparison with his 2015 attempt (4th attempt) is also instructive — his scores rose dramatically, proving that focused answer-writing practice works.

Anudeep Durishetty Education

2015 vs 2017 Score Comparison Table (Anudeep Durishetty Marks)

Paper 2015 Score 2017 Score Improvement
Essay ~110 (approx.) 155 ~+45
GS Papers Lower 471 combined Significant
Optional Lower 318 Significant
Interview 182
Total Lower 1126 Historic

Anudeep Durishetty IAS Career: From IRS Officer to Hyderabad Collector to Khammam

  • Anudeep Durishetty IAS career officially began in 2018 when he joined the Indian Administrative Service as a 2018 batch officer under the Telangana cadre.
  • Before IAS, he had already served as an Assistant Commissioner in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) — Customs & Central Excise — from December 2014 onwards.
  • After clearing the LBSNAA (Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration) training at Mussoorie, he was posted to Telangana.
  • His major administrative postings as an Anudeep Durishetty IAS officer include:

Career Timeline Table

Posting Role Duration
IRS — Customs & Excise Assistant Commissioner Dec 2014 – 2018
Bhadradri Kothagudem District Collector Early career posting
Hyderabad Collector & District Magistrate July 2023 – June 2025 (approx. 1 yr 11 months)
Khammam Collector & District Magistrate June 12, 2025 – Present (2026)

Anudeep Durishetty Current Posting: Where Is He in 2026?

  • Anudeep Durishetty current posting as of 2026 is Collector & District Magistrate, Khammam, Telangana.
  • He was transferred to Khammam on June 12, 2025, and continues to serve there as of August 2026.
  • Khammam is a significant district in Telangana — an important administrative jurisdiction with coal, forest, and developmental priorities.
  • Anudeep Durishetty current posting data is sourced from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) IAS Civil List and Executive Record Sheet.
  • His officer identity code is 01TG11701, and he is at Pay Level 11 in the IAS Pay Matrix.
  • Prior to Khammam, he served as Collector of Hyderabad for nearly 2 years (his longest single posting).
  • Total years of IAS service as of 2026: 8 years.

Anudeep Durishetty Current Posting

Current Posting Summary Table (2026)

Field Detail
Current Role Collector & District Magistrate
District Khammam
State Telangana
Effective From June 12, 2025
Cadre Telangana
Batch 2018
Service Years 8 Years
Pay Level Level 11 — IAS Pay Matrix
Data Source DoPT IAS Civil List (public portal)

UPSC Preparation Strategy: What Anudeep Durishetty Actually Did Differently

  • Anudeep Durishetty prepared for UPSC without any formal coaching — his entire strategy was self-study, online resources, and test series.
  • Here is what his preparation approach included:

Preparation Strategy Table

Element Details
Coaching Taken None — 100% self-study
Optional Subject Anthropology (scored 318/500)
Resources Used NCERT books, internet sources, newspapers
Key Focus Answer writing clarity and conciseness
Practice Method Previous year papers, self-assessment, test series
Job During Prep Served as IRS officer (2014–2018) while preparing
Blog Published notes, marksheets, and strategies publicly at anudeepdurishetty.in
Transparency Shared 2015 marksheet publicly to help aspirants

Anudeep Durishetty Attempts

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from the Anudeep Durishetty Story

  • Anudeep Durishetty is the UPSC CSE 2017 AIR 1 topper with the highest marks (1126/2025) ever recorded in the exam.
  • Anudeep Durishetty age in 2026 is 37, born on July 6, 1989 in Jagityal, Telangana.
  • Anudeep Durishetty education includes B.Tech from BITS Pilani in Electronics & Instrumentation (2011).
  • He made 5 UPSC attempts, failing four times before his historic success.
  • He served at Google, then joined IRS, then cracked IAS — a journey across multiple careers.
  • Anudeep Durishetty current posting (2026) is Collector & District Magistrate, Khammam, Telangana (since June 12, 2025).
  • He prepared without coaching, using self-study, test series, and ruthless self-evaluation.
  • His blog and public marksheets remain a priceless resource for UPSC aspirants.
  • Above all, Anudeep Durishetty IAS represents something every aspirant needs to hear: failure is not the end of the road — it is part of the road.

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FAQs About Anudeep Durishetty

Q1. Who is Anudeep Durishetty?

Anudeep Durishetty is a 2018-batch IAS officer from the Telangana cadre who secured AIR 1 in UPSC CSE 2017 with 1126/2025 marks.

Q2. What is Anudeep Durishetty’s age in 2026?

Anudeep Durishetty is 37 years old in 2026. He was born on July 6, 1989.

Q3. What were Anudeep Durishetty’s marks in UPSC?

He scored 1126 out of 2025 in UPSC CSE 2017, including 318 in Anthropology and 182 in the interview.

Q4. How many attempts did Anudeep Durishetty take for UPSC?

Anudeep Durishetty took five attempts before securing the top rank in UPSC CSE 2017.

Q5. What is Anudeep Durishetty’s current posting in 2026?

He is serving as the Collector and District Magistrate of Khammam, Telangana, a position he assumed in June 2025.

Q6. What was Anudeep Durishetty’s education?

He completed his B.Tech in Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering from BITS Pilani in 2011, after completing his schooling and intermediate education in Telangana.

Q7. What did Anudeep Durishetty do before IAS?

Before joining the IAS, he worked as a Software Engineer at Google India and later served as an Assistant Commissioner in the IRS.

Q8. Is Anudeep Durishetty married?

Publicly available information does not confirm a marriage or partner, and he has not officially disclosed details about his marital status.

For more verified information, you can refer to this trusted external source: Officerprofile

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