The UPSC Civil Services Examination is considered one of the most prestigious and difficult competitive exams in India. Lakhs of aspirants dedicate years of their lives in pursuit of this dream. On the other hand, gambling is often viewed as a vice—driven by luck and laced with risk. And yet, there are eerie parallels between these two pursuits, especially when viewed through the lens of human psychology, uncertainty, and obsession.
This is not to undermine the seriousness of civil services preparation, but to highlight how certain human behaviors and emotions repeat—whether you're sitting in a casino or an exam hall.
1. 🎯 The Illusion of Control
Both UPSC aspirants and gamblers often believe they can "crack the system."
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The UPSC candidate might believe that mastering certain strategies or solving 100 test series ensures success.
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The gambler thinks if they count cards or follow a pattern, the jackpot is just a matter of time.
In both cases, a large portion of the outcome is outside one's control:
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A surprise UPSC paper pattern, an unexpected essay topic, or a difficult interview board.
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A bad hand at poker or a run of black on the roulette wheel.
The illusion of control keeps both groups going—and often, keeps them coming back.
2. 🧠 Addiction to Uncertainty
There’s a psychological term called "variable reward schedule"—rewards that come at unpredictable intervals are the most addictive.
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In gambling, you win just often enough to keep playing.
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In UPSC, you might clear Prelims one year, fail Mains the next, and still get a sense that you're “close.”
This intermittent reinforcement creates an addiction to hope, where every attempt feels like “maybe this is the one.”
3. 📉 High Failure Rate, Yet Mass Participation
Despite a success rate of less than 0.2% in UPSC and an even worse one in gambling, both industries thrive.
Why?
Because both tap into:
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The "just one shot and everything changes" fantasy
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The "if not me, who?" mindset
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A social narrative that glorifies success stories while burying failures
We celebrate the one person who made it to IAS from a village, much like we idolize the guy who won a crore in Goa. We rarely hear from the thousands who didn’t make it.
4. 💸 Financial and Emotional Investment
UPSC preparation can cost years of your prime, coaching fees, and lost income.
Gambling can drain entire savings.
In both cases, there's often a point where people continue not because of hope, but because they’ve already invested too much to walk away. This is known as the sunk cost fallacy.
5. 😵 Identity Crisis After Failure
When you invest your identity into a single pursuit—whether IAS or winning big—the consequences of failure aren’t just financial. They are existential.
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“If I don’t clear this year, who am I?”
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“What will society think?”
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“I’ve wasted the best years of my life.”
Just like gambling addiction can ruin families, UPSC obsession can hollow individuals—unless handled with perspective.
6. 🍀 The Role of Luck
Hard work is essential in UPSC, no doubt. But even top scorers agree: luck plays a role.
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Your optional subject may or may not be favored that year.
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A biased interview panel can break a perfect run.
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Getting stuck in a tricky MCQ during Prelims can knock you out.
Similarly, gambling thrives on randomness. The difference is: gamblers accept it. UPSC aspirants often don’t—until it’s too late.
7. 🏁 The Promise of Salvation
UPSC and gambling both sell a dream:
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That one moment can rewrite your destiny.
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That one exam or one bet can make you “successful.”
This is what makes both systems simultaneously dangerous and seductive.
They attract the desperate, the ambitious, the dreamers—and often, the lost.
🧭 So, What’s the Way Out?
Unlike gambling, UPSC is not a con. It is a system designed to test merit, depth, and resilience. But when approached with blind obsession, ego, or societal pressure, it can mimic the emotional and psychological traps of gambling.
To break this loop:
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Detach your identity from outcomes.
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Have a time-bound plan—how many attempts, what backup?
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Focus on learning, not just cracking.
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Define your own success, not society’s version of it.
🏠 The House Always Wins—So Does the Coaching Industry
🎓 Final Thoughts
The UPSC exam is not gambling—but the way we approach it can sometimes mirror a gambler’s mindset. Recognizing this helps us treat the process with more wisdom and less desperation.
Because at the end of the day, life doesn’t end with a failed attempt, and success isn’t limited to a three-letter acronym.
