EXPLAINER: Why UPSC is a NON-SENSE Exam? And 1 thing every UPSC aspirant should know about the IAS

EXPLAINER: Why UPSC Civil Services is a NON-SENSE Exam? And 1 thing every UPSC aspirant should know!

🚩 Why is upsc considered the toughest exam in the whole world?
A few days ago, a 24-year-old IIT Delhi grad wrote an email to me - he has been contemplating committing suicide for the past 1 month.

He started his UPSC preparation in his fourth year in college, and ever since then every aspect of his life took a back seat.
He failed the exam 3 times - including 2 mains and 1 prelim.
For the past 4 years, he's been studying 10-12 hours on a daily basis, without earning a dime.
He is NOT alone, there are many like him.
The UPSC exam has ruined many lives and has broken the confidence of innumerable bright youngsters.
India’s young talent could be building startups, creating products, and could be making a huge impact in the age of infinite leverage. But that doesn’t happen.
Coaching institutes thrive on selling the UPSC dream, and Bollywood movies/TV Series glamourize this dream.
It is high time that UPSC brings in the following changes in the civil services exam. Or else, India's demographic dividend will turn into a demographic 'disaster'.
It is a travesty that millions in India waste their 20s appearing and re-appearing for 'Government' exams.
There's a humongous opportunity cost for the nation and the youth.
1. Bring down the time period (low-hanging fruit): 99.5% fail this exam.
India’s youngsters waste 24 months give or take to prepare and attempt prelims, mains, and interviews. If for some reason they fail the exam, it is practically impossible to transition into a great MBA school or private sector.
2. UPSC shouldn’t be a zero-sum binary game where the winner takes all :
If a person has cleared Prelims or Mains - this component should be accounted for in the next year's attempt cycle.
3. There should be a specialized recruitment process for different services:
It is ludicrous to have a foreign service aspirant write the same exam conducted to recruit a Railways officer or a Tax Collector, or a Police Officer.
Except for India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh - this nonsense doesn’t happen anywhere else in the modern world.
4. Create exit opportunities for those in the top 10%ile:
This could be done via partnering with organizations such as BCG, Global Governance Initiative, The World Bank, etc - who are expanding the scope of work in the impact sector.
5. Increase the number of questions asked in the Prelims exam:
Over a million candidates appear for Prelims. The mass scale elimination is based on just 100 Objective Type Questions - where one wrong guess leads to a 1 year wasted.
***
If anyone in your family is frustrated with the uncertainty of UPSC and other such ‘life-defining’ exams. Feel free to write to me.
From a career in the United Nations to McKinsey to getting laterally hired - you can do a million things to create a large-scale impact.
Do write to me, if you are crumbling under pressure because of a few bad decisions you made in your 20.

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[namanshrivastava]

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[learnerforlife]

loved ur take on the upsc exams and the effect on aspirants who devote multiple years of their precious life to just cracking this exam..without any plan B

[studyryt]

I also strt preparing for upsc when I was 22 but in 6mnth i realise this ...nd i switch to Cgl i cleared my SSC CGL in 2years nd got a good job at 24 nd now I m 26 nd strt preparing for upsc without any tension nd feels free while preparing.

[sandeepa]

True, until we turn back and see we never realize how many years have lost for just nothing.

[deepakr]

It’s very important to know this. This is an exam where winner takes all! There are no rewards if you clear prelims or mains or if you make it all the way till interview stage and still don’t make it to final list. A lot of people get into this exam cycle blindly thinking about the end result and the glory. It is a wonderful thing to make it into the list and get into service and serve the country.

But at the same time it’s equally important to realise the capabilities of oneself, identifying mistakes and making corrections in next attempt one’s endurance to see oneself all the way through as this exam is a marathon not a sprint or else you will be trapped in a vicious cycle.

Last but not least one should know when to pull back and say enough! Let me try something else in life, something bigger and better!! . It’s very important for the people who could not make it despite giving it your all. Dust yourself and start an amazing journey which awaits you. Good luck

[singhsingh-vsqs]

It's very true....we need to think these things and we should have back up plan like what will we do in case of fail...

[vanigupta]

All are adults who preparing for this exam, he/she know what he/she do, i think aspirant make a move yourself, in which year he /she end up for preparing, and switch on something, upsc doesn't come to you and not forcefully tell anyone to fill the form, do whatever person want

[animeshsingh]

Please Naman Guide me if I have wasted my 5 attempts but yet I couldn't make it to the CSE Final list??

[king_]

I checked out the syllabus of UPSC and the subjects designed. its all ultimately a big indoctrination of mine of misconceptions and misinformation about all aspects.... Course curriculum is designed by atheists, godless, humanistic, antagonists and all those people who created a wrong narrative about all the topics asked as "questions" and you have to "answer" and you get "marks". ultimately IAS or IPS or any field of UPSC stream is just servant of those ministers or party governing... although media and people lot of videos with BGM of many many IAS and IPS officers.... they are all servants of

[siddharth]

It’s so easy to say that ideally it should be a one year plan..

[PLANB-]

i quit upsc in three years and started a new journey . and made a youtube channel to give hope to others that exam is not reality nd we can start over

[Incredible_Leathers]

Sir, I am preparing self for 2 years but couldn't make in to it .
Feels like negativity in the air and now thinking to go for coaching !
No plan B at all !

[roxforlife]

Totally agree
Your channel is a hidden gem for aspirants

[Abhishek-ewkg]

2025 would be my first attempt (n only 1 attempt that's a promise to myself)
N also i have plan b which is (Banking sector). Coz right now I'm doing my graduation in Economics.

[ESAM]

Never put all the eggs in one basket 😂😂

[vikasinsights]

Why such distress for this exam ? don't u think that the youth who are watching u might step back from the same ? Even It takes 5 year, it's all worth it .

[roshnikumari]

Sometime student preparing for exams last 15 years on parents expenses. In starting they prepare for upsc and now they prepare for pcs in age of 30.
That student totally destroyed they life and valueable time without any plan B.
I'm only suggest that student don't waste your time and think plan B and excited it.

[EquallyIndian]

I'm a upsc aspirant myself. I have bachlors degree only. (in Business)
If I want to join global companies "being a part of India only" is it possible?

[satyamnayak]

What shd the aspirant do then after failing multiple attemps in UPSC

[Apar--]

Shouldn't you remove the 75 percent attendence in schools and colleges in India .If you are working so hard and colleges come in the way inspite of paying fees and not delivering and i find internet and tutions are better.Shouldn't there be enough flexibility rather than attending lousy lectures in school .