BCom student weighing BPSC as a stepping-stone career want honest experiences from people who've actually done it

Quick context on me: I'm a BCom student, no prior coaching or exam-prep experience. I've already gone through the official syllabus, salary structure, and selection process on paper what I can't get from the notifications is what it's actually LIKE so I'm hoping people here who are preparing or already selected can fill that in.

A couple of honest things about where I'm coming from so the advice actually fits my situation:

- This isn't my end-goal career. I'm treating it as a stepping stone toward financial stability something with real income and decent work-life balance while I figure out / work toward other things later.

- I'd genuinely rather hear realistic odds now than find out the hard way, so please don't sugarcoat it for me.

Questions I'd love real answers to:

1. If you started from scratch with self-study (no coaching), how long did it actually take you to get exam-ready?

2. What are honest selection odds for a first-time general-category candidate? Is consistent effort actually enough, or does it realistically take most people multiple attempts?

3. What's it actually like dealing with the exam body itself process reliability, communication, exam-day experience, that sort of thing?

4. For those who cleared it and are working now is the work-life balance actually what it's made out to be? Any specific posts/roles you'd recommend or steer clear of?

5. Knowing what you know now, would you take this same path again, or do it differently?

Not looking for hype or discouragement either way just what it's actually been like for you. Really appreciate any experience you're willing to share, good, bad, or mixed.