BHUBANESWAR: As many as 200 candidates, including 78 women, have qualified the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination 2024, final results of which were announced by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) on Tuesday.

Bubun Sahoo has emerged as the topper, followed by Sovna Mohanty and Jitamitra Sahu securing second and third ranks respectively. Others who figured in the top 10 included Kanak Jain, Sangram Pradhan, Aman Goyal, Santanu Kumar Satapathy, Nitesh Kumar Barik, Seetal Patra and Itishree Jena.

For the first time, the OPSC completed the entire recruitment process, from publication of advertisement to declaration of final results, within 17 months, compared to the 21-22 months in previous years. The commission said the faster completion of the examination process this year has helped synchronise the OCS examination calendar with the UPSC Civil Services Examination schedule, allowing aspirants to prepare for both examinations simultaneously and more effectively.

Exam topper Bubun expressed surprise on his achievement saying he had not expected to secure rank 1 in the examination. “I thought I would secure only a rank. I am really surprised to find that I topped the exam,” he said.

A graduate of Ravenshaw University, Bubun completed his MSc Tech in Geology from Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad. He worked as a geologist from 2018 onwards before cracking the civil services exam.

This was his second attempt at the examination. In his first attempt, Bubun had been selected for the Odisha Police Service (OPS). After clearing the civil services examination in his first attempt, he was undergoing training at Biju Patnaik State Police Academy from last year.

Bubun said he began preparing for the OPSC exam during Covid-19 period. “I was working at ONGC. However, I wanted to return to Odisha and contribute to the state. That is how I started preparing for the examination,” he said.

A total of 85,223 candidates, including 33,630 women, had applied for the examination. However, 35,165 candidates appeared for the preliminary examination conducted in October 2025. Of them, 2,405 candidates qualified for the mains examination. The written mains examination was held between January 31 and February 10, 2026, in which 2,058 candidates appeared.

Following the mains results, 385 candidates were called for document verification and personality tests/interviews conducted at the OPSC office in Cuttack between May 14 and May 20.

After completion of all stages, OPSC recommended 200 candidates for final appointment to various state civil services posts. Among the selected candidates, 70 belong to the unreserved category, 35 to the SEBC, 45 to SC and 50 to ST categories. The final recommendation list also included candidates from ex-servicemen and physically-challenged categories.