According to data provided by the Ministry of Personnel in the Rajya Sabha on December 7, around 63% of candidates who were recommended by UPSC for the Civil Services Mains examination in the years 2017-21 were from engineering background.

Data on the educational backgrounds of candidates selected though the CSE conducted from 2011 to 2020 reveals that the number of candidates from engineering moved up from 46% in 2011 to 65% in 2020. In case of candidates with medical background, the numbers, however, dipped from 14% in 2011 too 4% in 2020.

Concerned about the higher number of engineers getting selected as civil servants, a parliamentary panel had recommended a comprehensive reevaluation of the recruitment process in the UPSC CS examination.

The department-related standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice, in its 31st report titled ‘Review of Functioning of Recruitment Organisations of Government of India’ emphasised that the country is losing exceptional engineers as a number of technocrats were veering away from their specialised domains due to the allure of becoming a civil servant. This trend, the committee noted, could potentially negatively impact other crucial sectors.

Experts say that the analytical skills engineers gain while preparing for the JEE exam and further during graduation give them an edge in qualifying the Prelims stage of the UPSC CS exam.

This also accounts for top ranks being grabbed by engineers in CSE. The rigorous academic training and the slew of competitive exams like JEE Main and Advanced prepare them even before college to have a pragmatic approach to problem solving.