UPSC 2024 sees more repeat candidates: How re-attempts are changing the game
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 results reflect a trend that has been steadily gaining momentum: a significant proportion of successful candidates are not first-timers. In fact, 13 of the top 25 rank-holders in this year's final list had previously qualified the exam in one of the four preceding years. Their return signals a broader shift in the preparation landscape-one where strategic re-attempts are becoming not only common but highly successful.advertisementRohit Pande, Co-Founder & CEO of Civilsdaily, highlights a key shift in UPSC 2024: repeat candidates are not just returning, but thriving. Their success signals a new era where strategy, mentorship, and smart recalibration matter more than ever.STRATEGIC REFINEMENT OVER REPETITIONIncreasingly, candidates undertaking second or third attempts are doing so with clear intent: to secure a better service, land a home cadre, or transition into coveted roles such as the Indian Administrative or Foreign Services.
What these outcomes suggest is the growing importance of strategic refinement over brute-force repetition in preparation strategy. And for future aspirants-especially repeaters-personalised mentorship, real-time feedback, and targeted course correction may well be the most effective approach.MENTOR-LED PREPARATIONOne emerging model that addresses this need is mentorship-led preparation, where guidance comes from recent rank-holders or Mains-qualified candidates. These mentors bring a practical understanding of the exam's evolving demands and are able to offer insights that go beyond the generic advice common in traditional coaching. Rather than focusing solely on content, these mentorship frameworks help aspirants identify preparation gaps, track progress rigorously, and adjust strategies in real time.PEER GUIDANCE OVER TRADITIONAL COACHINGadvertisementThis model of mentorship-closer in spirit to peer guidance than to conventional classroom instruction-has emerged as a powerful counter to the legacy coaching. Where the traditional approach tends to emphasise coverage and repetition, mentorship grounded in real exam experience emphasizes personalised goal-setting, feedback and course correction. It is this shift-from teaching to guided self-improvement-that is enabling a growing number of aspirants to succeed in just one or two attempts, in contrast to the five-to-seven-year journeys that were once considered the norm.DATA BEHIND THE TRENDThe success of such recalibrated efforts is increasingly visible in the data. This year, 283 candidates on the merit list-approximately 28%-had already been recommended by the UPSC between 2020 and 2023. Of these, 166 appeared just last year, highlighting the rise of "upgrade attempts." These are not driven by desperation but by clarity of goal.Amongst them, 34 secured ranks within the Top 100, reinforcing the potential benefits of experience when paired with a focused re-attempt strategy. Notably, 82% of these repeaters were on only their second attempt, showing that it's not repeated failure, but smart recalibration that can change outcomes.EXPERIENCE AS AN ADVANTAGEWhat's notable is not just the volume of returning candidates, but the quality of their outcomes-and what that means for others in the fray. These repeaters are no longer passive participants re-entering the system-they're active, informed strategists who've already experienced the pressures of Mains writing, interview boards, and sometimes even training academies.advertisementTheir edge lies in nuance: they know how to navigate the subjective terrain of essay writing, how to manage optional subjects strategically, and how to handle stress in high-stakes settings.LESSONS FOR FIRST-TIME ASPIRANTSThis creates a new dynamic, particularly for first-time aspirants, who are now competing with individuals who've already been through the grind-and the best way to stay competitive is to learn from such candidates.By seeking guidance from those who've faced the pressure, cracked the code, and navigated the unpredictability of the exam, first-timers can not only understand what to study, but also how to stay mentally resilient and strategically sharp throughout the journey.Ultimately, the 2024 results highlight a deeper truth: the UPSC exam is no longer just a test of subject knowledge-it's a test of strategy, agility, and the ability to pivot. For future aspirants, the question is no longer just what to study, but how to prepare-and most importantly, who is guiding that journey.Must Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Anudeep Durishetty assumes charge as Khammam collector
A 2018 batch IAS officer Anudeep Durishetty took charge as collector of Khammam district on Friday (June 13, 2025). In 2018, he assumed charge as joint collector of Bhadradri Kothagudem and later served as collector of the district in 2021. Mr. Anudeep worked as collector of Hyderabad from July 14, 2023 before being transferred to Khammam as part of a major reshuffle of IAS officers taken up by the Telangana government on June 12, 2025. A native of Chittapur village in Jagtial, he scored all India rank 1 in 2017 Civil Services Examination. He holds Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Instrumentation from BITS Pilani. Mr. Anudeep worked as an engineer at Google. He served as Indian Revenue Services (IRS) prior to becoming an IAS officer.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Bonn climate summit a key test ahead of UN meet
The Bonn Climate Change Conference, the meeting that serves as a midway point between the larger annual UN Climate Change meeting (COP30), is set to open on Monday and will continue till June 26. The Bonn meeting is critical to thrash out differences before the parties meet in November for a climate deal, which will take place amid severe geopolitical turmoil and renewed tensions as Israel strikes Iran. The shadow of failed climate finance talks at COP29, Baku, also shroud these meetings. There are divergent views on the Baku to Belem road map to 1.3T, which is expected to be finalised at COP30 in Brazil this November. For example, according to an analysis made by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), G77 and China demand that equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) must be at the core of climate finance, and developing countries must be allowed to self-determined pathways to use finance; the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC), another coalition of developing nations, has sought exclusion of international taxes, levies and debt approaches as they violate sovereignty. HT reported on June 3 that India has put forth its expectations, stating that without sufficient climate finance, even proposed nationally determined contributions will not materialise, leave alone any ambitious future NDCs. India has said climate finance should flow from developed countries to developing countries, and that public capital should be used strategically to crowd in private investments for climate action, pointing out that excessive borrowing poses risks to a country's fiscal stability. In an interview to HT earlier this month, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said: 'India's asks would be as articulated in Article 4.7 of the UNFCCC, i.e., economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing countries. No proposed strategies should foreclose the possibilities of accelerated social and economic development for developing countries. The principle of CBDR-RC should be reinforced. As regards India, its overarching goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 is of paramount importance and accordingly, climate actions of India should align with the goal of Viksit Bharat.' The Arab Group has also warned against approaches that reshape finance obligations from developed to developing countries. The EU, on the other hand, has said the road map should be a tool to unlock private capital for climate investments, proposing innovative financial instruments, carbon pricing etc. Canada has also proposed mapping barriers to private capital, creating enabling environments in developing countries. The difference in priorities is obvious. To be sure, the US, the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, has pulled out of the Paris Agreement. In January, President Donald Trump had signed an executive order soon after taking office directing the US' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, weakening what had, over the past four years especially, become a global movement to combat the climate crisis. The turmoil and differences come at a time when climate change impacts have become stark and urgent. HT reported on June 12 that the World Weather Attribution has concluded that climate change added 3 degrees Celsius to heat conditions in the Arctic region — which caused Greenland's ice sheet to melt 17 times the normal rate last month. Until May, the world experienced an extended phase of 21 months with global-average temperatures more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned that there is an 80% chance that a year between 2025 and 2029 will be warmer than 2024 and that there is a 70% chance that the five-year average warming for 2025-2029 will surpass 1.5°C leading to frequent and severe heat waves, droughts, and extreme weather events. The next few weeks present a rare and revealing sequence: the G7 Summit (June 15–17), SB62 in Bonn (June 16–26), and the Financing for Development Conference in Seville (June 30–July 3). Together, they expose the power dynamics that continue to stall climate finance, Climate Action Network said in a statement on Friday. 'We are facing a crisis of legitimacy and a breakdown of trust in the UN climate process. Government negotiators at the SB62 session (Bonn) must send a clear signal that the decisions and actions they take will ensure that justice is not a side conversation, but the core principle that will determine whether COP30 can succeed or not,' said Tasneem Essop, executive director at Climate Action Network International. Only 22 countries have submitted updated national climate plans (aka NDCs) due this year with only one (the UK) rated in line with the 1.5°C temperature goal set in the Paris Agreement. Among major polluters, China and the EU are yet to land their 2035 targets. 'As if things were not uncertain enough, this year has also seen a new and extreme level of political weaponisation of the global economy and trade by the new administration at the helm of the US... As geopolitics worsen and the global economy continues to teeter, the implications are being felt across multilateral spaces, including UNFCCC. The strain of the rapidly degrading sense of cooperation among countries threatens faith in the legitimacy of multilateralism and the institutions that uphold it,' CAN said. 'We're in the middle of multiple escalating crises. There are few spaces remaining where countries come together and cooperate. It's more important than ever before that multilateralism is upheld and the goals that have been set — such as the transition away from fossil fuels in Dubai and the climate finance goal in Baku. The Bonn conference must reinforce our commitment to cooperative, equitable climate action despite the current moment,' said Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change Centre for Science and Environment. 'As political crises and global conflicts dominate headlines, we must not lose sight of the escalating climate emergency. Climate disasters are intensifying, hitting the most vulnerable communities and countries the hardest. The mid-year climate talks are not a side note — they are the foundation for a successful COP30. We need urgent progress now to deliver real climate finance, accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels, and protect both people and nature. Delaying action means deepening injustice and multiplying both human and ecological costs,' said Harjeet Singh, climate activist and founding director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
1,35,969 engineering seats available in Karnataka's engineering colleges this year
The Higher Education Department (Technical Education and Planning) has released the draft seat matrix for engineering and architecture courses in the State, according to which there are 1,35,969 seats in 217 engineering colleges for the academic year 2025-26. This includes 64,047 seats under government quota. This number is 5,313 fewer compared to last year . During 2024-25 academic year, a total of 1,41,009 seats, including 66,663 government quota seats, were available in 245 engineering colleges. However, a senior official of Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) said, 'Some colleges have yet to upload the seat matrix and some colleges are yet to get the approval from the AICTE. After that, the total number of seats available may go up.' Like every year, this year too, there are a large number of seats available in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) courses. This time, a total of 33,813 CSE seats are available, including 15,754 government quota seats. Last year a total of 35,013 CSE seats, including 16,280 government quota seats, were available. There are 18,492 seats in Electronics and Communication engineering, 8,538 Information Science and Engineering seats available this year. A total of 2,75,677 students became eligible for counselling after the Common Entrance Test (CET-2025), among which 2,62,195 are for engineering stream against 2.74 lakh students last year .
