IAS (Indian Administrative Service)

IAS is conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). The IAS full form is Indian Administrative Service, which is considered a most prestigious All India Service post, which comes under Group A of the Civil Service Examination of UPSC (UPSC CSE) conducted once a year.

In India, the IAS officer is the prominent civil service post responsible for the administration changes, implementation and shaping of policies at the senior level, managing law and order, managing public administration, and promoting development at the various levels ( at District, State and national).

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer is also in charge of control for the contribution to policy, overseas policy execution, disaster management, and financial planning and serves as a bridge between the government and the public.

Exam Pattern

The IAS exam is a process of direct recruitment method of the All India Service (AIS).

• The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination is a multiple-choice (objective type) exam used to qualify candidates for the Main examination. There are two general studies papers on the preliminary test.
•  The Civil Services (Main) Examination consists of both the written and interview sections of the exam used to select or nominate candidates for the different services and posts.

The main examination of UPSC Civil Services has 9 exam papers: 4 general studies, 2 optional and 2 language exams, along with 1 essay writing. After successfully passing the writing section of the CSE Main examination, candidates are eligible for the interview part.

• In the interview section, the candidates are classified into the categories of CSE, and chosen candidates are ranked accordingly for IAS, IPS and other posts as per the CSE category.

Exam Syllabus

For the IAS syllabus for examination, candidates can check the full details on the UPSC syllabus. For an overview of the syllabus, here is the information listed below.

Preliminary Examination

The pre-exam IAS syllabus has two papers on general studies having a maximum score of 400 marks in total covering the following topics.

General Studies I

●Indian History.

●Indian and world geography

●Indian Polity and Governance

●Economic and Social Development

●General environmental issues

●General Science

General II

• Comprehension, interpersonal skills and other mental ability skills.
• Basic numeracy.
• Data interpretation.

Note: the preliminary examination is only a screening paper; therefore, no marks sheets will be shared or supplied to the candidates (whether successful or unsuccessful).

Main Examination

The main examination covers the IAS syllabus that focuses on the topics that help to evaluate the candidates thinking capacity, understanding and knowledge. It is also considered the most crucial section of the examination and an important segment of the examination pattern or structure. Each paper of the main examination is of three hours. The question paper for the main examination is a written examination with a total of 1750 marks that are divided as per the papers listed below.

Paper I to Paper VII are counted for the merit.

• The Paper-I of the Main examination is an essay writing section that covers 250 marks in total

The Paper-II to Paper-V covers 4 General Studies papers (General Studies-I to General Studies-IV), having maximum marks of 250 for each paper.

• General Studies I paper has topics related to the Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world, and society.
• General Studies II covers topics related to governance, constitution, Polity, social Justice and international relations.
• General Studies III paper includes the topics of technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, Security and disaster management.
• The topics of ethics, Integrity and aptitude are covered in the General Studies IV paper.
• The Paper VI and Paper VII of the examination are optional subject papers. (Optional Subject 1 and Optional Subject Paper 2) with 250 marks for each paper as a maximum mark.

Two Qualifying papers: the exam syllabus for the main examination holds 

• The Paper-A is a language paper where any one of the Indian languages is to be chosen by the candidate from the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution with 300 marks in total.
• Whereas the Paper-B also holds a maximum score of 300 marks and is conducted in English language.

List of optional subjects for the Main Examination:

• Agriculture
• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
• Anthropology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Law
• Management
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Science
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science and International Relations
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Sociology
• Statistics
• Zoology

Literature in any of the following languages for the language paper as well as for the optional subject:

Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.

Interview or Personality test

The number of applicants called for the interview or personality test will be nearly twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The interview or personality test will cover 275 marks in total with no minimum mark condition.

Medium of Examination

The question papers are set in Hindi or English as a medium of examination, except the literature section of the language paper.

Marking Scheme

The papers for the pre-examination (objective type) for the IAS exam have negative marking for the wrong responses, which are as follows:

• One-third (0.33) of the points assigned to a question (which consists of 4 options) will be subtracted as a penalty for each incorrect response to the question.
• Additionally, if the candidate provides or selects more than one answer, it will be assumed or treated as an incorrect answer, even if one of the provided answers turns out to be correct, and there will be the same penalty as mentioned above.
• No marks will be deducted if the applicant left the answer blank.

The Main papers of the examination do not have any negative marking.

Paper Qualification

In the General Studies paper II of the preliminary examination, the candidate needs to attain 33% of marks as the paper II is a qualifying paper to get selected for the Main examination.

compulsory language Papers The minimum qualifying requirement in each of the two qualifying examination papers, which are English and Indian languages, as specified in the Examination Rules, is 25% currently.

Language paper Exception

• Candidates who are from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim are not required to take the paper ‘A’ on Indian Language.
• Applicants who fall under the Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) subcategory (only Hearing Impairment) will not be required to take the Indian Language paper A if they have been granted

Eligibility Criteria

The IAS eligibility criteria for the examination have been classified into various segments coving the age limit, their educational qualification conditions, relaxations as per rule and many more.

Educational Qualification

• A graduate degree or equivalent qualification from any of the universities or educational institutes constituted by an Act of the central or state legislature in India is necessary as per the IAS eligibility condition of educational requirement.

Candidates are eligible for the main examination only after qualifying the preliminary exam.

IAS Age Limit

The IAS age limit for the Civil Services Exam is 21 years to 32 years. Although candidates can have the age relaxation benefit if they fall under the following age limit criteria set by the UPSC for the CSE examinations.

Age relaxation

Here will be an upper IAS age limit relaxation for the following categories of candidates as per the rules and regulations of the examination:

• For the aspirants who belong to Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST), have the age relaxation of 5 years.
• Furthermore, for OBC category candidates, the upper limit age for examination will be extended for 3 years
• To the candidates who are from defence services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area, have 3 years of age relaxation.
• Candidates who are ex-servicemen and have served for at least five years and have been released, such as Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), or Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs), may be eligible for up to 5 years of age relaxation upon completion of their assignment (including those whose assignment is due within a year, unless they were dismissed or discharged due to misconduct or inefficiency), physical disability resulting from their military service, or invalidation.
• ECOs or SSCOs who have completed their initial five-year military service assignment and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years, and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of the offer of appointment, will have the 5-year age relaxation.
• Candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories as classified under the CSE rules and categories can have up to a maximum of 10 years.

Number of Attempt

As per the official rules for the IAS number of attempts for the examination, they are mentioned below for reference.

All the candidates who are eligible to take the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination are allowed to take up to six attempts at CSE. although, as per the rules of the examination body, there are relaxation criteria for the number of attempts for the applicants who belong to the SC, ST, OBC and PwBD category candidates who are eligible as per the guidelines of the UPSC CSE.

Check the following list for the number of attempts for the IAS officer post.

• The candidates who belongs to the SC and ST have unlimited attempts, whereas
• The OBC candidates can give the exam up to 9 times.

Moreover, for the PwBD candidates who belongs to the General, Economically Weaker Sections or OBC categories, they have 9 number of attempts

Application Fees

Candidates applying for the IAS examination need to pay an application fee of Rs. 100 for UPSC CSE in any branch of the State Bank of India by cash or by using the Net Banking facility of any other bank or by using Visa, Master, RuPay, credit, debit card, and UPI payment method.

Candidates who are selected for the Main examination after clearing the pre-exam are required to pay the further fee of Rs. 200.

There is an exemption to the application fee for female, SC, ST, and persons with benchmark disability applicants. Candidates belonging to these categories do not require to pay the application fee.

IAS Salary

The salary range of the IAS officer varies as per the level and designation. However, the basic pay scale of the salary begins with Rs. 56,100, and with growth, it can reach up to Rs. 2,25,000 or more.

Documents Requirement

The documents required by the UPSC for the IAS examinations are listed below.

Candidates need to submit the scanned recent passport-size photograph that should not be more than 10 days old from the date of the online application process.

• Make sure that the candidate’s name and the date of the photo’s capture are clearly mentioned on the photograph.
• The applicant’s face should cover 3/4th of the area in the photograph.
• During the examination, the candidate must ensure that they match the appearance with their attached photograph on each stage of the examination process, at the time of the preliminary, Main (Written) and interview or personality test.
• Valid photo ID proof such as Aadhar card, voter ID, passport number, and more.
• Scanned signature of the candidate.
• Attach the certificates of the category such as SC, ST, OBC or PwBD (if applicable).
• Provide the educational qualification documents in a readable format.

File Format

The file format for uploading the candidate’s photograph and signature is provided.

Both the documents should be in scanned JPG format in such a way that the files do not exceed 300 KB each and should not be less than 20 KB in size.

How to Apply?

• Visit the official site of the examination body, UPSC.
• Register on the portal as a new registration (one-time registration, or OTR), with a mobile number and email address.
• Write down the system-generated application number and password for the further application procedure.
• Now click on the link to apply for the CSE examination.
• Fill out the form with basic details
• Provide the educational qualification details.
• Attach the necessary documents, such as a valid photo identification, a recent passport-size photograph, and other details.
• Upload the certificates for SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and other necessary documents.
• Reread and check the form and modify the information that is required.
• Recheck the application form
• Pay the application fee.
• Submit the form.

After the submission, candidates will receive the confirmation mail on their registered email ID. Candidates can check the spam folder of their registered mail if they have not received the mail in their inbox folder. The sender main will have the email address ending with @nic.in.

Note: For the main examination, applicants need to resubmit the online Detailed Application Form-I [DAF-I] along with the scanned documents and certificates.

Preparation Tips

For the preparation to become an IAS officer, the candidate should have followed the following things to manage their time, uplift the knowledge and help the applicant in the betterment of their preparation.

• Pay attention to the syllabus, any additions, and the most recent revisions to the requirements. This will help the applicants to stay updated and stop them to avoid mistakes.
• Focus on NCERT books as primary preparation material. The NCERT books are the major element of the exam paper, as they are highly based on the same concept with enhanced details.
• Refer to the mock test papers and Specimen Question Cum Answer Booklets available on the UPSC official website or from markets.
• Make a schedule to manage time and divide the subject that will help to focus on a particular section at a time and keep all the preparation in line.
• Choose the optional subject crucially.
• Practice writing daily and solving questions to improve the speed and reduce the chances of mistakes.

Things to avoid

There are numerous common mistakes students or applicants make during the preparation and exam for the IAS officer. Here are some of the commonly found mistakes that one should avoid for the betterment of preparation.

While preparation

• Candidates should not begin their preparation without knowing the updated syllabus.
• Do not rely solely on the mock papers and reference books.
• Video learning can be helpful to some extent, but it sometimes misses the most important points; therefore, books should be used as a primary source.
• The IAS syllabus is extensive and contains many sections, so missing the practice days can lead to low motivation and forgetting the concepts.

During Examination

• Only a black ballpoint pen is prescribed for the examination; no fountain pens and other colored ink pens are accepted.
• Do not forget to take the valid photo ID proof at the examination center. It is recommended to carry the same document mentioned while applying for the paper.
• No late entries are entertained. Therefore, it is suggested to be at the venue of the examination before 30 minutes of the beginning of the exam.

Books Recommendation

Some of the standard books other than NCERT that are recommended for the preparation of the IAS paper are listed.

• Indian Polity M. Laxmikanth
• Constitution of India by DD Basu.
• India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra.
• Modern India” by Bipin Chandra
• Certificate Physical and Human Geography” by G.C. Leong
• Social Problems in India” by Ram Ahuja.
• Lexicon for Integrity, Ethics, and Aptitude.
• Environment and Ecology” by Majid Husain and more.

For the current affairs on the development and policies, candidates can follow the weekly magazines, other reports and insights such as Niti Aayog Reports, Yojana and Kurukshetra.

Disclaimer: check the official notice or release for the latest update. All the details related to eligibility, syllabus and date are subject to change as per the authority decisions. Stay connected to Naukrinetwork for all the quick updates on the same.

FAQS

What does an IAS officer do?

Handling government affairs, such as policy development, implementation, and review, along with consulting with various departments and elected representatives for the various development and implementation functions of the government and many more.

What is IAS qualification?

The candidate must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a government-recognized university or equivalent qualification to be eligible to take the UPSC exam. Even those candidates who have written the final year exams of the qualifying exam (bachelor’s degree) and are awaiting results are eligible to apply for the test.

What is the IAS salary?

The IAS salary at the beginning level per month in India begins at Rs. 56,100; with growth, the range of salary can increase up to Rs. 56,100 – Rs. 2,25,000 or more per month. The IAS salary increases significantly with promotion and year of service.

What is IAS officer rank? Among other positions, IAS officers can be secretary, additional secretary, joint secretary, director, or deputy secretary.