The UPSC civil services exam is considered one of the toughest exams in the country. A lot of factors contribute to this image of the UPSC CSE. First of all, the exam is indeed tough with a huge and diverse syllabus to be covered. Check the UPSC syllabus here. Secondly, the competition is severe. With lakhs of candidates taking the prelims exam, only about a thousand get selected to the services at the end. And to make matters worse, the competition seems to be increasing every year. This article talks about the competition faced by civil services candidates every year on an average.
Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the UPSC 2022.
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Despite an acknowledged shortage of IAS/IPS officers in service, the government has said that it will not raise the number of seats available for direct recruitment through the civil services exam. The reasons cited by the government are a limited capacity of the training academies and a policy not to compromise on the quality of the officers appointed to serve.
We give you an interesting table below. This table will reveal the competition levels for the last ten years:
| Year | Number applied for Prelims | Number who took the Prelims | Number who qualified for Mains | Number who took the Mains | Number who were called for Interview | Number of Vacancies |
| 2006 | 383983 | 195803 | 7692 | 7496 | 1408 | 553 |
| 2007 | 333680 | 161469 | 9158 | 8886 | 1883 | 734 |
| 2008 | 325433 | 167035 | 11669 | 11330 | 2136 | 881 |
| 2009 | 409110 | 193091 | 11894 | 11516 | 2431 | 989 |
| 2010 | 547698 | 269036 | 12271 | 11865 | 2589 | 1043 |
| 2011 | 499120 | 243236 | 11837 | 11237 | 2415 | 1001 |
| 2012 | 550080 | 271442 | 12795 | 12190 | 2674 | 1091 |
| 2013 | 776604 | 323949 | 14959 | 14178 | 3003 | 1228 |
| 2014 | 947428 | 451602 | 16900 (approx.) | 16286 | 3308 | 1364
|
| 2015 | 945908 | 465882 | 15008 | 15000 (approx.) | 2797 | 1164 |
| 2016 | 1136000 (approx.) | 550000 (approx.) | 15445 | 15440 (approx.) | 2961 | 1200 (approx.) |
| 2017 | 969065 | 462848 | 13300 | 13060 | 2564(Number shortlisted) | 1056 |
| 2018 | 1065552 | 500484 | 10419 | 10246 | 1992 | NA |
| 2019 | 8 Lakh (approximately) | NA | 11845 | NA | 2034 | 829 |
This figure shows how the final number of candidates appointed into service is a fraction of the original number of candidates who apply to take the civil services exam. The pass percentage is less than 1% here. That is how intense the competition is. The competition is bound to increase for the general category candidates who do not have any reservation. Add to the fact that a lot of candidates are graduates from IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, etc.
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Again, the IAS is perhaps the highest government job anyone can aspire to and so it is natural that the bar is high when it comes to clearing this exam.
But serious candidates need not worry too much about the increasing competition in the exam. They should only focus on their own preparation. Create and stick to a study plan, revise regularly, have a strategy to deal with UPSC current affairs, read newspapers and practice mock tests. A dedicated preparation will surely help you sail through the exams.
Candidates can check out the relevant links given below to prepare for the UPSC exam-
Visit BYJU’S Website for strategy and articles on free IAS prep and all the latest updates on UPSC IAS exam.
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