After long debates on fine-tuning the rules governing the Union Public Service Commission’s Civil Services Examinations, restrictions have been announced on the reappearance of candidates who want to improve upon their earlier results. There is valid criticism of the earlier system of repeat attempts allowed for those who had already entered service on the ground that it merely selects for examination technique mastery over any superior administrative potential. Now, the new rules say that IAS and IFS officers appointed through an earlier examination and remaining in service cannot take CSE-2026. Similarly, after IPS recruitment, taking the forthcoming examination would mean the candidate cannot hope to enter the same service again; those who secure an IPS or a Group A service can make another attempt next year only after getting a one-time exemption from training. In general, candidates can take a shot at the central services six times, except for those from SC/ST who get unlimited appearances and OBC/persons with disability who get nine. Much as the civil services, especially the IFS, IAS and IPS, remain the pinnacle of achievement for many because of their outsize influence in society flowing from colonial foundations, they remain a distant target for the few hundred thousand aspirants; this year the vacancies are of the order of a mere 930. The remoteness of success does not prevent them, however, from making repeat attempts and spending the prime of youth preparing for them. In the future, with fewer service candidates competing, the door may open just a little wider.
In 2024, the five attempts that it took the CSE topper to succeed led to a debate on whether she had exhausted six of her best years in coaching. A year earlier, amidst the euphoria of the exam results, one candidate’s story of making 12 attempts, attending the selection interview five times, and scoring a blank struck a chord with thousands. A former RBI governor, Duvvuri Subba Rao, proposed that the number of CSE attempts be reduced to three and the upper age limit cut to 27 (now 32). This would avert the relentless pursuit of the top services across several years, with heavy investments of time, energy, and funds. On the other hand, advocates for a liberal scheme argue in favour of multiple attempts to benefit rural and less privileged candidates. The latter continue to get more opportunities when they belong to the reserved categories. In a country with many asymmetries and weak accountability systems, the civil services provide the right candidates with an opportunity to execute the national vision of post-colonial development. Sardar Patel’s ‘steel frame’ idea of the bureaucracy today calls for modernisation of the service to harness domain expertise, eliminate politicisation, and deepen the rule of law. With a growing population and a complex economy, there is a case for an expanded and responsive administrative framework.
