Ex-RBI Chief's Call for UPSC Exam Reform Opens A Debate

In a newspaper column, the ex-RBI Governor asked for two broad changes to reform the Civil Services exam process, including a reduction in the upper age limit for appearing in the civil services examination and the number of attempts.

He also suggested the introduction of a structured, mid-career entry path into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for professionals in their 40s.

In the column, he wrote: “The civil service results for 2024 are out. Congratulations to the thousand-odd candidates who have got through what is arguably one of the most competitive exams in the world. For every successful candidate, there are at least ten others who too have invested years in preparation but have failed to make the grade. They are back at square one. An abysmal waste of productive years?”

Arguing further, Subbarao said that the current eligibility criteria for aspirants to take the UPSC exams up to six attempts between 21 and 32 years of age puts a huge psychological burden on them after repeated failures.

Ex-RBI Governor Argues Against Wastage Of Youth

Subbarao stated that the lure to get into civil service forces youth to spend their most productive years of their life, despite the fact that they are not suited for the civil service. He suggested that such aspirants should walk away after failing in their second or third attempt.    

Recalling his own experience from the 1970s, when only two attempts were permitted within a tighter age band of 21–24 years, the ex-RBI chief opined that “this levelling has gone too far.” According to him, a maximum of three attempts and an upper age limit of 27 years would strike a more reasonable balance.

Subbarao Bats For A Second Entry At 40+ Years

Complementing the reduction in the age criteria and the number of attempts, Subbarao also proposed a second, annual recruitment channel targeting experienced professionals in the age range of 40–42 years.

This would differ from ad-hoc lateral entries and instead function as a permanent, competitive entry tier conducted by the UPSC. “They can pursue other careers and take another shot at the exam mid-career,” he wrote.

However, when The Secretariat reached out to various stakeholders, there were mixed responses. One section agreed with Subbarao’s arguments, but many others were of the view that the existing system suits the Indian reality. It helps many small-town aspirants, as several instances are there where successes are achieved in the fourth, fifth or sixth attempt.

Former UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan, a 1983-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, when contacted, said, “As far as UPSC is concerned, it has nothing to do with reforming the system. It conducts exams and recommends to the government the list of successful candidates. If something has to be done on this, a decision has to be taken by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). A report on the subject is lying with the DoPT, and if it feels it can implement the same.”

Joining At Older Age May Affect Career Progression

A senior serving IAS officer said that it is true that officers joining at an advanced age have multiple problems, starting from his or her training to career progression as a civil servant.

“If an officer joins the service at the age of 30-32, he or she has mostly been found resistant to change and innovation, due to his or her fixed worldview. Also, motivation to perform early in a career to reach the top of the ladder gets skewed because such officers enter service at an age, after which they retire before reaching the level of Secretary or Additional Secretary,” he said.

Limiting Attempts May Hinder Small-Towners' Chances

However, a section which favours the status quo on the issue suggests that reducing the upper age limit and number of attempts will be an utter disadvantage to aspirants coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, if one goes by the UPSC exam pattern.

A senior faculty at a reputed coaching centre in Delhi, Rajeev Chowdhary, said, “Youth from small towns take time to mature, as they first take lesser exams and smaller jobs to protect their future and then aspire to take the civil service exams. Several such students have come to me in my 30 years of experience as a UPSC coach. Several of them have cracked the UPSC civil services exams in their fifth or sixth attempt in their 29-31 years age bracket. The current criteria ensure socio-economic justice.”

Still, there exists a criticism that the burgeoning coaching industry is also a factor that is blocking the reforms in the system. Coaching industry watchers are of the view that in the present system and given the nature of exams, the success ratio is 1:10, and therefore, the business thrives on failure. Repeated failures bring aspirants back to coaching centres more than once, and this makes perfect business sense!