India’s Power Corridor: What It Takes To Be Part Of The Elite Civil Services Club? 

The greener pasture of a job offering a high six-figure salary and working as Vice President in a big Indian corporation was too good to resist. But that has not taken away the pride I wear for having cracked “the exam".

Let me give you a peek into what it takes to become a "civil servant in India”, how difficult the process is, and why Indians across all sections of society put their hat into giving all that they can to be selected as civil servants, headed by IAS, IFS, and IPS officers.

UPSC, A Tough Ask

The Indian Civil Services Examination, which selects candidate for three All India Services, namely the IAS, IFS and IPS — along with the many Central Services (Indian Revenue Service, Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, Indian Railway Management Service, etc) — remains among the most prestigious and competitive of careers, despite the lure of corporate life that offer spectacular salaries and a cushy life.

Let me share the firsthand experience of writing the UPSC Indian Civil Services Exams. I appeared thrice (1983,1984, 1985) and cleared the Prelims and Mains every time. Naturally, I appeared for the interview thrice as well. 

Having been selected twice (Railways in 1984; missing IAS by a whisker with rank 123 in 1985), I can vouch that it is the most difficult exam I have written in my life. Almost everyone who has appeared in it and made it will agree with me.

Even those who fail to crack the exam, despite many attempts, come out much wiser and stronger in life. 

Ultra-Low Success Rate

Undoubtedly, for decades, the Indian Civil Services Examination has remained extremely difficult, with a success rate hovering around an ultra-low 0.1-0.2 per cent.

The latest data released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) testifies that. In the 2024 Civil Services exam, 9,92,599 candidates applied to sit for the Prelims, 5,83,213 appeared for the exam, and only 14,627 qualified for the Mains.

Out of them, just 2,845 were selected for the Personality test. Eventually, 1,009 made it to the haloed list. This puts the success rate at a mere 0.13 per cent.

From Tough to Tougher

Whether it was pre-Kothari Commission reforms (1979) or now, the civil services exam has always been tough to crack. 

I wrote the exams in the early 1980s. In those days, candidates got only three chances. The maximum age to write the exam was capped at 27 years.

It has been substantially relaxed now. Since 2014, the number of attempts and prescribed age limits have been relaxed to:

1. General Category: 6 attempts until the age of 32
2. OBC Category: 9 attempts until the age of 35
3. SC/ST Category: Unlimited attempts until the age of 37
4. Persons with Benchmark Disability (General/OBC): 9 attempts until the age of 42
5. Persons with Benchmark Disability (SC/ST): Unlimited attempts until the age of 42

Despite the above relaxation, the UPSC Civil Services exam has become tougher, retaining its character of a low success rate, owing to (a) high and ever-increasing number of candidates attempting the exam multiple times (b) very challenging and unreliable nature of the exam, demanding persistent effort and effective preparation strategies, and (c) relatively static number of annual vacancies (650-1,000; it seldom crosses 1,500).

With such stringent criteria, it would not be wrong to say that once a candidate is selected after several rounds of exams and interviews, they are hit by the heady feeling of invincibility. 

A Marathon Process

As seen above, the UPSC Civil Services exam is a marathon. The calendar of just one exam cycle — Prelims, Mains, and Personality test — is over a year.

And, given the low number of seats (every applicant wants to become an IAS, IFS, or IPS), it often takes many enervating attempts and years of hard and smart studies to reach the summit. 

Sparkling Diamonds

Cracking the Civil Services exam calls for relentless endurance and monkish sacrifice at an age when many don't have a clue about what to do with their lives. It is mentally enervating and needs a near-total withdrawal from the world during the long period of preparation and examination.

Still, in a country like ours where excellent and fulfilling high paying, private sector jobs are limited, and the State has an overwhelming presence in everyday life, the role of a civil servant — more particularly the coveted and most powerful IAS, IFS and IPS cadres — bring a heady feeling of power and an array of perks that are attached to them.

The civil service also brings unparalleled cultural capital with it, especially for applicants from lower echelons of society or those hailing from smaller towns. A ticket to the Indian Civil Service is the fastest way of upward mobility to rise above one's station of birth. 

A civil service job is often seen as a matter of pride for the entire family and community, elevating the social status of the individual and their family.

It is interesting to note that women in civil services have broken the glass ceiling much before it became the “done thing” in the corporate sector, which is talking of inclusivity and gender parity only today. 

While the private sector is now turning out to be more lucrative, power will remain primarily with bureaucrats, who will continue to run the country.

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 focuses on why civil servants quit after tasting success and power)

(The writer is a former civil servant. Views are personal)