New Delhi: Renowned economist and Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC) member Sanjeev Sanyal has launched a sharp critique of the civil services exam culture in India, calling it a “massive misallocation of talent” and likening the coaching industry to a “mafia selling opium” to lakhs of aspirants.
In a candid conversation on a podcast hosted by CA Kushal Lodha, Sanyal raised serious concerns about the lopsided focus of India’s brightest minds on clearing an exam with a 99.9% failure rate, instead of pursuing innovation, entrepreneurship, or other meaningful careers.
“Why Recommend a 99.9% Failure Path?” Asks Sanyal
Highlighting the extreme odds of success in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, Sanyal questioned the rationale behind devoting years to a career path that rewards so few:
“Now tell me how many things are there with a 99.9% failure rate that you would recommend somebody to do unless it has a very large payoff?”
He pointed out that despite the low odds, families often borrow money to send top-performing students to expensive coaching hubs like Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi, chasing the dream of becoming a civil servant.
On ‘Professional UPSC Aspirants’: “It’s a Waste of Human Resources”
Sanyal expressed deep concern over the growing culture of multi-year preparation cycles, where individuals spend 4–6 years or more chasing a single career outcome.
“There are people who have now become professional UPSC aspirants. I think it’s a complete waste of human resources,” he said.
Targets Coaching Industry: “They’re Selling Failure”
Lashing out at the coaching ecosystem, Sanyal likened their business model to one built on delusion and false hope:
“Imagine the product they’re selling—it’s a product that is going to fail you 99.9% of the time.”
He argued that the industry preys on aspiration, convincing even the most talented students to gamble years of their youth with no guarantees of success.
Civil Services Career: ‘Mundane’ for Most
Even for those who clear the UPSC exam, Sanyal said the reality is far from glamorous:
“Only a few go on to become Cabinet Secretaries. The bulk do mostly mundane things,” he noted, questioning why young Indians aren’t channeling their ambition into fields like startups, sports, writing, or science, which offer greater room for creativity and impact.
CAT, CA Not the Same, Says Sanyal
When asked if competitive exams like CAT (for MBA) or CA (for accountancy) fall in the same category, Sanyal disagreed:
CAT: “People don’t take CAT six or seven times. They move on.”
CA: “Most students doing CA have an interest in the subject. Two to three years of prep is fine—same applies to UPSC if you’re clear about it.”
UPSC Obsession is Now a ‘Culture’
Sanyal described the UPSC preparation ecosystem as not just a career choice but a full-blown culture—one that sustains itself socially, emotionally, and financially, regardless of outcomes.
“My experience is that UPSC giving is actually a culture now. Most of those people don’t even really want to be civil servants.”
He pointed to a phenomenon where even selected candidates reappear for the exam to aim for “higher” posts—evidence, in his view, that even the winners of this race remain dissatisfied.
“So that tells me one thing—even the successful people are not happy. So they are now on the opium.”
