How To Become An IAS Officer In India

IAS Exam

The Indian Administrative Service is one of the country's most prestigious services. Lakhs of people struggle to become IAS officers. For this purpose, they need to pass the UPSC Civil service Exam. Though this exam is considered the toughest, it leads to the best job posts in the country.

What is an IAS Officer in India?

The "All India Services," within the Civil Services of India, assists both the Central and State governments in executing and administering policies, as well as giving essential feedback for any government decision-making process. The All Indian Services system includes three primary services: the Indian Police Service (IPS), the Indian Forest Service (IFS), and the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which is considered the most competitive of all.

IAS officers function as the permanent bureaucracy of the Indian government's executive branch. The IAS and affiliated services carry out the executive decisions made by the government's elected bodies.

How to Become an IAS Officer?

To become an Indian Administrative Service officer, you must pass the CSE (Civil Services Exam). Every year in India, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) organizes the Civil Services Examination. This exam is a means of recruitment for IAS and other services like All Indian Services, Central Services, and Group B Services. But before this exam, you first have to fill the UPSC application form, which is available on Sarkari Result.

This exam is widely regarded as one of the most difficult in the country. Only a few thousand candidates can make their way into the Indian bureaucracy out of voluminous candidates who apply for the exam. As a result, the UPSC Civil Services Exam has a success rate of less than 1 per cent. But despite all these challenges, people still prefer IAS and other Government Jobs as they come with many benefits.

The CSE has three stages:

1. Preliminary Examination

It is the first step in becoming an IAS officer. Here candidates will have two papers (MCQs based), both having a duration of 2 hours and 200 marks each. Paper-I mostly has questions related to history, geography, current affairs, etc., while Paper-II questions are related to comprehension and analytical ability. There is also negative marking for wrong answers.

To sit for the UPSC main exam, the candidate must score 33 per cent in the CSAT (Paper-II) and meet the requisite cut-off in Paper-I.

2. Main Examination

After clearing the first exam, candidates strive for this second stage, where they must take nine papers. Out of these nine papers, two are language-based, one is essay-based, four are general studies papers; however, two are optional.

If you pass the main exams and meet the specified cut-off, you will be invited to take the UPSC personality test or interview.

3. Interview

After clearing the preliminary and main exams, you only need to take one more step to become an IAS officer in India. This round entirely depends on the candidate's confidence and how they portray themselves in front of the interviewer.

Here, you will be judged based on different aspects of your personality, including your thinking, capacity to express and dealing with stress, general knowledge, and others.

After clearing your interview, you can check your name on the merit list.

Eligibility Criteria for IAS Exam

Like all other exams, the IAS exam also has specific criteria that the candidates must follow. The first requirement is that the candidate should be an Indian citizen.

Candidates should have an undergraduate degree (any course) from a renowned campus (Central, State, or Deemed) or a foreign university acknowledged by the Association of Indian Universities. Applicants with a correspondence education or government-recognized qualification are also appropriate. Students in their last year can also apply for the first stage of the exam.

One of the most crucial factors in the IAS qualifying criteria is the Civil Services age limit. The age limit is between 21 to 32 years for a general category candidate. Candidates in this category can make six attempts to clear the paper.

Relaxation in age limit is provided for applicants from other classes.

If an applicant comes from Other Backward Castes (OBC), the age limit is 21 to 35 years, and nine attempts are allowed.

Applicants from Schedule Castes (SC) or Schedule Tribes (ST) can have an age limit of 21 to 37 years and have no limits to taking the exam.