The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 results have confirmed a growing trend: repeat candidates are not just returning—they are excelling. Their success marks a new era where strategy, mentorship, and smart recalibration matter more than ever before.
Returners on the Rise
Out of this year’s top 25 rank-holders, 13 were candidates who had previously qualified the exam in one of the past four years. This shift signals a major transformation in UPSC preparation: re-attempts are no longer about persistence alone—they’re about calculated, informed comebacks.
As Rohit Pande, Co-Founder and CEO of Civilsdaily, observes, Repeat candidates are thriving because they prepare smarter, not harder. They know what to fix and how to fix it.
Strategic Refinement Over Repetition
Today’s repeaters aren’t simply redoing what they did before. They’re refining their approach to aim for better services like the IAS, IFS, or a preferred home cadre. The focus has moved from brute-force preparation to targeted strategic refinement, with an emphasis on mentorship, feedback, and course correction.
For future aspirants, especially those considering a second or third attempt, this means: personalised mentoring and continuous recalibration are far more valuable than endless revision.
Mentorship-Led Preparation: The New Norm
A growing number of candidates are turning to mentorship programs where recent rank-holders and Mains-qualified candidates act as guides. Unlike traditional coaching, these mentorship models:
- Focus on real exam strategies rather than just content coverage.
- Identify individual preparation gaps.
- Provide real-time feedback and adjustment plans.
This peer-driven model has proven far more effective than conventional classroom setups, helping aspirants sharpen their approach and accelerate success.
Beyond Coaching: The Power of Peer Guidance
Mentorship today feels less like formal teaching and more like intelligent collaboration. It’s about:
- Setting personalised goals
- Frequent performance tracking
- Immediate course correction
This hands-on style is helping aspirants succeed faster—some cracking the exam within just one or two attempts, compared to the earlier 5–7 year struggles many faced.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The impact of this recalibrated approach is clear in the data:
- 283 candidates (around 28% of this year’s final list) had already been recommended by UPSC between 2020 and 2023.
- 166 candidates appeared just last year, showing the rising trend of upgrade attempts.
- 34 repeaters made it to the Top 100, proving that experience, when combined with a smart reattempt strategy, can deliver powerful results.
- Importantly, 82% of these successful repeaters were on only their second attempt—emphasizing that it’s not about repeated failures, but about smart, focused improvements.
Experience: A Hidden Advantage
Today’s repeaters are strategists, not just survivors. They understand:
- How to manage the subjectivity of essay papers
- How to pick and handle optional subjects smartly
- How to maintain calm under interview and exam stress
Their inside knowledge of the UPSC process gives them a subtle yet significant advantage over first-time aspirants.
Lessons for First-Timers
First-time aspirants now face a new reality: you’re competing against veterans. The best way to stay competitive is to learn from those who’ve already walked the path.
By seeking mentorship, embracing flexibility, and prioritizing smart strategies over blind effort, first-timers can level the playing field—and even beat the odds.
