UPSC Exam: Should India reconsider multiple attempts amid low success rate?

UPSC Competition Explodes: 1 Vacancy for 1200+ Aspirants

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is often described as the “Mother of All Exams” in India. Once seen as a tough path to public service, it now resembles a battlefield, where a million candidates compete for just a handful of seats.

Back in the late 2000s, the competition was intense too - about 1 seat for every 365 aspirants. Fast forward to recent years, and the numbers have become far harsher: between 2020–23, nearly 11.3 lakh people applied every year, while only around 929 vacancies were available annually. In effect, for every 1 successful candidate, more than 1,200 were left behind.

Here’s a comparison of how the competition has exploded:

This sharp rise in competition raises an uncomfortable question: Is UPSC still a fair exam of merit, or has it become a lottery where luck often decides who makes it through?

Here’s how the selection rate:

Today, the success rate hovers around 0.1%, meaning fewer than 1 in 1,200 aspirants succeed. While defenders of the system argue that such exclusivity ensures only the best make it, critics believe the structure creates artificial scarcity, leaving lakhs of youth with little to show after years of sacrifice.

The Debate

• Critics say stagnant vacancies despite rising applications have turned UPSC into a pressure cooker, fueling the growth of coaching institutes and draining aspirants’ best years.

• Supporters argue that UPSC is meant to be selective, and that its competitiveness proves the integrity of the process.

The truth lies somewhere in between: while the exam opens the door to India’s most prestigious services, the odds remain stacked overwhelmingly against the majority.

Pattern Change 2013: Did UPSC Push Students Into Endless Attempts?

The year 2013 was a major turning point in UPSC history — and not necessarily for the better. That year, UPSC suddenly changed the Mains exam pattern, just a few months before the exam. More General Studies papers were added, the weightage was shifted, and aspirants who had been preparing for years were left shocked.

Students called it unfair and discriminatory. Protests broke out across the country, demanding relief in the form of additional attempts and age relaxations. In response, the government granted two extra attempts for all candidates starting from 2014. But here’s the twist — what was meant as a temporary relief soon became the new normal.

Instead of helping students, the change pushed aspirants into longer preparation cycles, often consuming their prime youth years. Before 2014, many cleared the exam in 2–3 attempts. After the change, the average rose to 3–4 attempts, with a large number stretching to 6 or more attempts. Considering that most students also spend 2 years preparing before the first attempt, this means an aspirant could be investing 6+ years for an exam with a 0.1% success rate.

Attempts Before and After 2013 Pattern Change

This shift raises uncomfortable questions: was the pattern change really about improving the exam’s quality, or did it inadvertently push students into more attempts, benefitting coaching institutes and even the government through exam fees and GST revenues?

Many argue that instead of making the exam fairer, the 2013 reform created a generation of repeaters — students caught in a cycle of endless preparation, mounting expenses, and lost years of their youth.

Attempts Allowed vs Reality: The Long Road to Clearing UPSC

On paper, UPSC seems generous. Different categories are given multiple chances:

At first glance, this looks fair and inclusive. But the ground reality tells a different story. Most aspirants don’t clear within their “permitted attempts.” Instead, they get caught in an endless cycle of repeated failures.

• 93% of students take more than one attempt to clear.

• 70% take more than 3 attempts.

• 30% stretch to 5 attempts or more.

• 17% even cross 6 attempts.

This means the “attempts allowed” by UPSC are less of a privilege and more of a trap. Add the 2 years of preparation before the first attempt, and aspirants are spending anywhere between 6 to 12 years chasing a dream where the success rate is just 0.1% — and 99.9% fail.

The Contradiction

• Before 2014: Most cleared in 2–3 attempts.

• Now: Even toppers often take 4–5 attempts.

Instead of being an exam of merit, UPSC has increasingly become an exam of endurance. The more time, money, and mental strength you can invest, the better your survival chances. In the process, coaching institutes and the government (via exam fees & GST) benefit, while aspirants lose their prime years in return for nothing certain.

Top Rankers Need 3–5 Attempts – Freshers Almost Always Fail

Clearing UPSC in the very first attempt is often described as a “dream achievement.” However, recent results show that such cases are now uncommon.

Take the UPSC CSE 2024 results as an example:

The topper of 2024, Shakti dubey did not clear the prelims in the first 3 attempts, cleared the mains but not the interview in the 4th attempt and became a topper in the 5th attempt. She started preparing in 2018 and became an IAS officer in 2025, investing Seven years to be an IAS Officer. Her Bachelors and Masters degree is in Bio Chemistry while her subject in Civils is Politics and International Relations.

Observation: Out of the top 10, 8 candidates required 3–5 attempts to secure their rank.

• Around 93% of successful candidates overall take more than one attempt.

• Only about 7% of freshers (first-attempt candidates) su ceed.

This shows that UPSC has gradually become an exam where multiple attempts are the norm rather than the exception. While earlier many toppers managed to clear in their second attempt, now even the highest rankers often require several years of preparation.

For aspirants, this trend means that preparing for UPSC often involves longer commitment, repeated attempts, and extended preparation cycles, making first-attempt success a rare outcome.

93% Need Multiple Attempts: Is UPSC Becoming a Test of Patience, Not Merit?

The data shows that clearing UPSC in the very first attempt has become uncommon. A large majority of successful candidates take multiple attempts before finally making it to the list.

Here’s a breakdown of success by number of attempts:

Around 93% of successful candidates require more than one attempt, with the 3rd and 4th attempts showing the highest success rates.

This trend indicates that UPSC is less of a single-shot exam and more of a long-term preparation journey, where persistence and sustained effort often matter as much as knowledge and strategy.

Coaching Institutes Gain, Students Lose – Who Really Benefits From UPSC?

Preparing for UPSC has become a major life investment for lakhs of aspirants each year. Many dedicate their 20s and even early 30s exclusively to this exam, often putting jobs or higher studies on hold. While the majority of candidates face long years of uncertainty, the preparation cycle also sustains an entire parallel economy.

Here’s a snapshot of how different stakeholders are impacted:

The controversy is crystal clear: Has UPSC turned into a business model instead of a fair exam?

• Coaching giants are expanding like never before.

• Students are becoming repeat customers, year after year.

• Families are draining savings, only to watch their children fail in a 0.1% success-rate exam.

This raises an important discussion: while UPSC preparation sustains a wide ecosystem, the balance of benefits and costs is uneven. For most students, the outcome is uncertain, while coaching institutes and government revenues remain steady..

Optional Subject Trends – Is the System Favoring Certain Streams Over Others?

One of the most debated aspects of UPSC Mains is the optional subject. Candidates are free to choose from a wide list, yet over the years, certain subjects seem to dominate the top ranks.

Snapshot of Toppers and Their Optionals

• Dominant subjects: Political Science & International Relations (PSIR), Sociology, and Anthropology frequently appear among toppers.

• Less visibility for technical subjects: Engineering and medical sciences rarely feature at the very top, despite large numbers of candidates from these backgrounds.

• Perceived imbalance: Some aspirants feel that this concentration of optionals reduces subject diversity among selected officers.

While the reasons for these trends may include scoring patterns, availability of resources, and overlap with General Studies, the larger debate remains open: should UPSC continue with optional subjects in their current form, or rethink the system to encourage more academic diversity?

Wasted Youth, Broken Dreams: Is It Time to Reform UPSC?

UPSC has long been seen as a gateway to India’s most prestigious careers. But in recent years, growing concerns suggest it may also be consuming too much of the nation’s youth potential. Every year, doctors, engineers, and graduates from top universities dedicate years to preparation — often at the cost of careers, higher studies, and financial stability.

Key Concerns Raised

• Extended preparation cycles: Many candidates spend 5–10 years in the process, with only a fraction succeeding.

• Falling success rates: Less than 0.1% of applicants ultimately secure a seat.

• Limited opportunities: Vacancies have remained stagnant despite rising applications.

• Dependence on multiple attempts: A significant share of successful candidates qualify only after 3–5 attempts or more.

Ongoing Debate

Supporters of reform argue that UPSC should:

• Increase vacancies to match India’s administrative needs.

• Encourage freshers by making the process more balanced.

• Reduce excessive attempts, limiting long preparation cycles.

• Ensure fairness across backgrounds, minimizing dependence on costly coaching.

The Larger Question

At its core, the debate is about merit vs. endurance. Does selecting candidates after 5–6 attempts truly reflect meritocracy, or is it more a test of persistence and resources? And, most importantly, does the nation benefit more from this system — or lose out on the energy and talent of lakhs of aspirants who never make it?

So, the big question that we ask you is this:

Is UPSC truly selecting the best minds for India — or has it become a system that drains more talent than it nurtures?