Umar Janj could not stop crying when he called his eldest brother after the UPSC CAPF 2025 results were announced.
His brother assumed that the result had gone against him again.
“It’s okay. If it didn’t happen, no problem. It will happen next time. Don’t cry, just keep going,” he told Umar.
But this time, Umar wasn’t calling to share another failure.
“Ho gaya mera,” he said.
I have made it.
For a moment, his brother could not understand why Umar was still crying after finally clearing the examination. Then came the words that Umar had probably needed to hear after years of attempts: “Then why are you crying? Please don’t cry. I am always with you.”
The tears had little to do with just one examination result.
They carried the weight of more than 15 failures, four SSBs, four CGCATs, two CDS attempts and three AFCAT attempts. They carried the disappointment of missing the CAPF interview in 2024 by just 12 marks, along with several other close misses.
And now, after four attempts, Umar Janj from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, had secured AIR 160 in the UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant Examination 2025.
For a young man who had grown up dreaming of becoming an officer in a small village in the desert, this was not simply a rank on a result PDF. It was the culmination of a journey that had repeatedly asked him to start again.
A Dream That Began in a Small Village in Jaisalmer
Umar comes from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, where his father is a farmer. Becoming an officer had been his dream since childhood. His family played a major role in shaping that ambition.
His second brother is currently serving as a Deputy Commandant in the BSF and became a major inspiration for Umar. His eldest brother, meanwhile, sacrificed his own studies and moved towards business in Pune so that he could support the family financially.
His father and brothers wanted to see the family’s children become officers, and Umar carried that expectation with him as he began preparing for competitive examinations.
He eventually completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Computer Engineering. But rather than taking up a conventional career after graduation, he chose to pursue his long-held ambition of joining government service.
The road, however, proved much longer than he had imagined.
One Examination After Another
Umar’s preparation was not limited to a single examination.
He appeared for CDS twice, AFCAT three times, and went through four SSBs and four CGCATs. He also appeared for RPSC Mains 2024, SSC CPO 2024, IB ACIO-II and UPSC CSE. Each examination brought another opportunity—and another possibility of falling short.
Some failures were particularly difficult because they came by extremely narrow margins. At times, he missed selection by one mark or a small difference in points. His SSB journey also included being screened out and conference-out.
Then came the 2024 CAPF examination. Umar missed the interview stage by 12 marks. For many aspirants, such a result could become the point at which they decide to move on. Umar returned to preparation.
“I cleared it in my 4th attempt. Whenever I failed, I just remembered my parents working hard in 45-degree temperature and telling me, ‘Ho jayega beta’,” he says.
The words of his parents became something he carried into every new attempt.
When His Friends Found His Name Before He Did
After so many near misses, the 2025 result was bound to be an emotional moment.
Umar’s hands were shaking as he prepared to check the result PDF. But he did not even get the chance to search for his name. His friends ran into his room and told him that he had cleared the examination.
For years, he had watched results bring disappointment. This time, the news came from the people around him before he could confirm it himself.
“I had faced more than 15 failures—sometimes by just 1 mark, sometimes by a small margin in points, screened out and conference-out in SSBs. So this was the moment that healed all those failures,” Umar says.
The rank made the moment even more special: AIR 160 in CAPF AC 2025. But behind that number was a family that had waited with him.
His Parents Were Already Expecting His Name
By the time the 2025 result came, Umar’s parents were confident that his name would appear in the list. That confidence was rooted in years of watching him prepare, attempt examinations and return to the books after every setback.
His father’s life as a farmer had also given Umar a direct example of hard work. He remembers his parents working in temperatures touching 45 degrees Celsius while continuing to encourage him.
For Umar, their words—“Ho jayega beta”—were not an empty assurance. They were a reason to keep trying.
His family story is also continuing beyond his own selection. One of his brothers is already serving as a Deputy Commandant in the BSF, while his fourth brother is preparing to appear for the Rajasthan SI interview this year.
No Job, Just Preparation
Unlike many aspirants who prepare for the CAPF examination alongside employment, Umar was not working during his preparation.
He devoted himself to competitive examinations and kept appearing for one recruitment process after another. The experience taught him that becoming an officer can take longer than expected and that aspirants need to be prepared for that possibility.
According to Umar, the first requirement is discipline.
“This journey takes a lot. First, be disciplined throughout. Second, hard work — these exams don’t respect talent; they respect hard work,” he says.
His advice is simple, but it comes from experience. He knows what it means to study after a failure, return after a near miss and prepare again when the previous attempt has already taken a lot out of you.
‘Think Your Parents Are Sitting on the Same Chair’
For Umar, preparation is not something that happens in isolation. He believes aspirants should remember the people who are waiting and working alongside them.
“While sitting on the chair studying, think that your parents are also sitting on the same chair with you,” he says.
It is a way of looking at preparation beyond books and examinations. Every hour spent studying, according to Umar, is connected to the sacrifices made by the family.
That thought helped him through the years when the result did not match the effort.
His Message to Those Who Are Thinking of Giving Up
Umar also believes that competitive examination preparation has an impact beyond the individual aspirant.
In smaller communities, one person’s success or failure can influence how other families and students view competitive examinations. When someone repeatedly tries and eventually gives up, others may begin questioning whether their own children should attempt the same path.
“If someone quits midway, it’s not only that person who loses — the whole society and surrounding students who dreamed of it also get affected,” Umar says.
He wants aspirants to understand that the journey may take time. His own journey proves that.
Two CDS attempts. Three AFCAT attempts. Four SSBs. Four CGCATs. More than 15 failures. A 12-mark miss in the CAPF interview stage. And finally, AIR 160 in CAPF AC 2025.
For Umar Janj, the moment he told his brother “Ho gaya mera” was not just the announcement of a result. It was the answer to every previous “not this time.”
