OT (mods please excuse, also delete if you think so)
FYI... I have a confession to make.
I once took IAS exam. My degree is in engineering but I took Sociology as subject paper, Heck got a degree from Sadhu Vaswani College, though I never took a single class and only sat for exams. Cleared Prilims Mains and when I was preparing for Interview this is what I was taught : NEVER Portray yourself as someone who has a strong opinion which is against established conventions. It will *censored* up your interview and EVEN if you got in, it will *censored* up your career. Full stop! To reach the coveted position of Principal Secy, you need to qualify early, and keep your record squeaky clean.
Went for interview. One question on strengths of materials. One question on Ghotul among Gonds, since I was a native of that region and claimed to have studied sociology. Then one question on current affairs, specifically Seventh Pay Commission. I opined that it should be mandetory for PSCs or Public Sector Bank employees to be paid in stock options after a certain point in cash with majority of vesting starting 5 years after end of service. The look from panel was interesting. There was just one comment. Indian Government don't pay in stock options. That was it. I knew I disqualified. Results was not surprising. Anyways, I was not exactly top ranker and without a smashing interview was not going to make it.
IAS selects and promotes for those who gel well with the system.