&gt; Some people question the merits of choosing civil servants based on such an exam but getting through a pretty impressive feat.<p>Well, in Brazil, many people do nothing but study for years for a chance at getting a government job. The competition is fierce. Not sure how to compare with the exams in India, but the issue here is the sheer number of well-qualified candidates.<p>So, many of the brightest minds are getting wasted. Instead of opening businesses, they end up doing hardly any work at one of the government agencies.