Every year, lakhs of young Indians invest their money, time, and dreams into UPSC. Only a tiny percentage make it.
It should be simple: work hard, get rewarded. But today's reality includes paper leaks, corruption news, fake certificates, endless delays, and political games.
No wonder students joke: preparing for UPSC sometimes feels like falling for a very legal, socially accepted scam.
Here's a comparison that's meant to be funny — but hits uncomfortably close to home.
1. Getting Started
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| Pay money upfront | Pay with years of your life, coaching fees, rent, books |
| You believe the promises | You believe "hard work wins" even when news says otherwise |
2. What You Invest
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| They take your money directly | Your money disappears slowly: ₹2-6 lakh per attempt on coaching, rent, materials |
| You waste hours on false promises | You waste years studying things that may never be asked |
3. Chances of Winning
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| Only a few "special" people win | Only 0.1% win — sometimes with merit, sometimes with leaked papers or fake certificates |
| Almost zero chance | Statistically, almost the same |
4. How They Play with You
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| Rules change after you join | Syllabus changes, answer keys confusing, cutoffs unpredictable |
| Designed to confuse you | Designed to "test patience" more than knowledge |
5. The Cheating
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| Show fake winners to attract victims | Social media shows rankers who hide their rich backgrounds or special access |
| Built-in corruption | Paper leaks, fake certificates, exam center scandals every year |
One paper leak destroys fairness — but students are told to just "move on."
6. How It Feels
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| You feel cheated | You feel cheated despite working harder than 99% of the country |
| You lose trust | Trust dies when merit loses to reservations misuse and political pressure |
7. The Payment Reality
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| You never get your money back | Even if you succeed, you only get paid for your work — not for the 3-5 years you spent preparing |
| Investment lost forever | Those years of struggle? Unpaid. Uncompensated. Gone. |
Imagine working for free for 5 years, then finally getting a job that pays you like everyone else who didn't suffer. That's UPSC.
8. The End Result
| SCAM | UPSC |
|---|---|
| Lose money | Lose money + years + health + confidence |
| Feel foolish for believing | Same feeling, but worse because you actually worked hard |
| A few victims realize and escape | Most realize too late — after 3-4 attempts, age crossed, career destroyed |
Why This Isn't Just a Joke
This comparison exists because the experience is real:
- Paper leaks decide results instead of preparation
- Fake certificates beat real talent
- Quota loopholes are misused by powerful people
- Political games affect selection
- Marking is hidden and can't be challenged
- Years of preparation are never valued or compensated
Honest players lose to people who game the system.
And even if you win? You start at the same salary as someone who got in through influence or a leaked paper.
The Truth: UPSC Destroys More Lives Than It Builds
For every 1 success story, there are thousands of destroyed lives:
- 30-year-olds with no job experience
- Broken families who invested everything
- Mental health problems from years of stress
- Wasted prime years that can never come back
The system survives by showing you the 0.1% winners while hiding the 99.9% who lost everything.
That's exactly how scams work.
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