Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Dr Duvvuri Subbarao has called for major reforms in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE). He recommended significant changes, including an age cap, limits on the number of attempts, and the creation of a new entry channel for professionals in their 40s.
In his opinion piece in The Times of India, Dr Subbarao highlighted what he described as a "colossal waste of human potential" under the current system, where aspirants spend years preparing for a highly competitive exam with limited chances of success.
"For every successful candidate, there are at least 10 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?" he wrote.
Dr Subbarao proposed two key reforms. First, he advocated a reduction in both the maximum number of attempts and the upper age limit. Currently, aspirants can take the exam up to six times between the ages of 21 and 32. He suggested this should be limited to three attempts and the age cap reduced to 27.
"Lakhs compete for a thousand-odd positions, making the chance of success extremely small. Yet candidates keep at it till they exhaust all their allowed attempts, even as the odds are stacked against them. This is a colossal waste of human potential. It also pushes many candidates into deep financial and psychological turmoil," he said.
He warned that the current framework leads aspirants to fall prey to the 'sunk cost fallacy'. "After all, they are susceptible to the 'sunk cost fallacy'-'I've invested so much time, money and effort. All that will go waste if I give up now. Maybe I will succeed this time round.'"
Reflecting on his own experience in the 1970s, when the exam allowed only two attempts within the 21-24 age band, Subbarao said the system has now "gone too far" in the other direction. He also cautioned that too many attempts favour those who master exam techniques over those with genuine aptitude. "Any examination that allows as many as six chances is likely to privilege mastery of exam technique over inherent merit," he wrote.
His second proposal is the introduction of a structured, annual Tier-2 recruitment channel for experienced professionals aged 40-42. Unlike current lateral entries, this route would function as a permanent part of the UPSC system.
"They can pursue other careers and take another shot at the exam mid-career," he wrote, adding that such candidates would bring valuable external perspectives to governance. "Tier-2 recruits will make up for these lacunae and make the civil service collectively more relevant and useful, and maybe even more caring."
Dr Subbarao emphasised that his proposals are not aimed at dismantling the existing entry route for younger candidates. "There is a lot to be said for continuing to recruit young people into the IAS. They bring in youthful spirit, raw enthusiasm, and unspoilt enterprise into administration."
While acknowledging that the civil services examination has evolved significantly over the decades, the former RBI Governor said, "The civil service exam has vastly improved from the time I took it over 50 years ago. But there is still a need to push the envelope."
