Pankaj Kamboj clears CAPF after three UPSC Prelims failures and repeated SSB setbacks. (AI-enhanced image)
UPSC success story: For Pankaj Kamboj, competitive examinations were never a straight road to selection. His journey involved three unsuccessful UPSC Civil Services Preliminary attempts, repeated setbacks in the Services Selection Board (SSB) process and multiple defence-exam attempts before he finally cleared the UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant examination. Kamboj has now cleared the CAPF examination and is set to join as an Assistant Commandant. At the same time, his Civil Services journey continues after he cleared CSE Prelims on his fourth attempt and moved on to the Mains stage. His story offers a different lesson for aspirants: one unsuccessful examination did not necessarily mark the end of an attempt. Instead, he repeatedly moved from one opportunity to the next.
From a farming family to Delhi's exam ecosystem
Kamboj grew up in Padampur, a village near the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border, in a family that depended largely on farming. The family had around four acres of land. His father died of a sudden heart attack in 2016, when Kamboj was in Class 9. His mother and five elder sisters subsequently shouldered much of the responsibility of supporting the family. His mother had never attended school, but education remained a priority. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Kamboj credited his mother as his biggest source of motivation. “My greatest motivation has always been my mother,” he said, recalling how she encouraged him to believe that he had a purpose in life. Kamboj eventually moved to Delhi in 2021 and began preparing for competitive examinations largely through self-study.
Self-study became his preparation strategy
Rather than making expensive coaching the foundation of his preparation, Kamboj used online resources, collected study material and prepared his own notes. He completed his graduation from Delhi University in 2023 and emerged as the topper of his batch, according to Indian Masterminds. His preparation also extended beyond UPSC CSE. He appeared for several defence-related examinations, building experience across different patterns of competitive selection.
Three UPSC Prelims failures before the breakthrough
The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination proved to be one of his biggest challenges. Kamboj failed to clear CSE Prelims in his first three attempts, with CSAT emerging as a significant hurdle. Instead of abandoning the Civil Services goal, he continued working on the areas that had held him back. On his fourth attempt, he cleared the Preliminary Examination and began preparing for CSE Mains. This happened alongside his progress in defence examinations, making his preparation unusual in that success and failure were occurring at the same time across different exams.
Four CDS clears, four AFCAT clears — but SSB remained a hurdle
Kamboj cleared the Combined Defence Services examination four times in four attempts. He also cleared AFCAT four times in four attempts. Yet clearing the written examination was not enough to secure a defence-service selection. The SSB process brought another series of disappointments, including conference-outs. Describing that cycle to Indian Masterminds, Kamboj said, “Whenever I got a conference-out in SSB, the CDS examination would come next.” He explained that another written-exam success helped him regain momentum after an SSB setback: “Then I would clear CDS and get another hope.” The cycle continued for several years, but each new examination gave him another opportunity to continue pursuing a career in uniform.
When relatives questioned the decision to continue
The repeated attempts also came with financial and family pressures. After spending years away from home preparing for competitive examinations, Kamboj faced questions from relatives about whether he should continue or return to his village. But he stayed with the preparation. His motivation was not limited to securing a government job. He also wanted to become the first person from his region to clear a UPSC examination.
CAPF finally opened the door to a uniformed career
After years of preparation, Kamboj cleared the UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant examination. The result puts him on the path to becoming an Assistant Commandant while his Civil Services journey remains underway. His preparation history spans several examinations and multiple forms of selection — from UPSC CSE and CAPF to CDS, AFCAT and SSB. That makes his journey less about a single dramatic turnaround and more about adapting after every unsuccessful attempt. For aspirants facing repeated failures, Kamboj's experience underlines one practical point: clearing a competitive examination can take more than one route. A setback in one examination does not necessarily cancel out progress in another. For Kamboj, the CAPF selection is a major milestone. But with CSE Mains still ahead, his examination journey continues.
End of Article
