IAS is the short form of the Indian administration service. It is one of the prestigious services among the 24 services such as IPS, IFS, etc. for which UPSC conducts Civil Services Examination (CSE) to select candidates. An officially elected to the Indian Administration Service is presented in very different roles such as the collector, commissioner, head of public sector units, chief secretary, cabinet secretary, and so on. But not only the experience and challenges, but also the opportunity to create positive changes in the lives of thousands in India tends to make IAS an unique career choice.
Becoming an IAS officer is such an achievement which is prestigious amongst all the government in Indian Government.
Although the examination to be conducted is commonly known as the IAS exam, it is formally known as UPSC Civil Services Exam.
The UPSC CSE comprises of 3 stages - Prelims, Main Exam and Interview.
Getting into the administrative services is a tough challenge considering the level of competition, but not unachievable for a candidate with a correct attitude and approach.
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is the public agency accountable for recruiting the right candidates for administrative service. Each year, nearly 1000 candidates are appointed for all administrative services. The large number of candidates applied for the UPSC Civil Service Exam in 2017.
This exam is commonly considered to be the toughest exam in the world, given the duration of the exam (extended 1 year), the depth of the curriculum and related competition.
The first phase of the examination - Preliminary (objective) - is normally carried out around June.
The second phase, Mains (written), is held around October.
Those who clear Mains must undergo an interview/personality test from March to May. The bottom line usually comes in June.
The academic qualification required to appear in UPSC CSE is a degree or post graduation (graduation) in any field. Last year college students can also apply.
A candidate should be at least 21 years old and at most 32 years old, as on 1 August 2018. But he/she must have been born at the earliest on 2 August 1986 and no later than 1 August 1997. Necessary measures are taken corresponding changes of the respective rules/regulations for different services.
The number of admissible attempts for a general category candidate in UPSC CSE is 6.
For OBC candidates the number of trials allowed 9.
SC / ST category candidates have unlimited attempts until they reach the upper age limit in order for UPSC CSE to appear.
The minimum age for the UPSC Civil Services exam is 21 years. The highest age limit for the general category is 32 years, for OBC this is 35 years whereas for SC/ST it is 37 years.
A good understanding of the syllabus and exam pattern of the UPSC is the first step for all candidates.
The preliminary design of Civil Services consists of two mandatory papers of 200 points each (General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II). The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type. The points in the prelims are not counted for the final ranking, but only for the qualification for the main exam.
The rank of a candidate in the UPSC Civil Service exam only depends on the grade scored in Main and Interview. The written exam (head) consists of the following nine papers, but only 7 papers are counted for the final earnings grade. For the remainder of the two papers, the candidate must achieve minimum marks every year that are prescribed by UPSC. The main test has 1750 points, while the interview has 275 points.
Students need other books also like mock test, reference books, practice books
Syllabus for IAS Examination
The Syllabus for the examination is vast and divided as per the examinations. Thus, UPSC CSE is conducted in two phases and i.e Preliminary Examination and Main Examination.
Syllabus –Union Public Civil Services Preliminary Exam
The preliminary exam of Civil Services consists of two mandatory papers of 200 marks each General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II. The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type. The points in the prelims are not counted for the final ranking, but only for the qualification for the main exam.
The Commission will draw up a list of candidates who are qualified for the (central) civil service survey based on the criterion of minimum qualification levels of 33% in General Studies Paper II of Civil Services (preparatory) research and the total qualification numbers of General Studies Paper-I of the (preliminary) investigation into public services, as determined by the Commission.
Paper- I
Paper- II
IAS prelims books suggested by toppers
Syllabus –Union Public Civil Services Main Exam
Your rank in UPSC CSE depends only on the main exams and your interview (personality test). Your UPSC CSE Main has 1750 points, and the Interview (Personality Test) section is 275 points.
Your main exam UPSC curriculum contains nine papers, but only seven papers are considered for final ranking. In the remaining two papers, you must ensure minimum brands declared by UPSC each year.
The main exam of UPSC Civil Services is the full written exam and consists of the following papers mentioned below.
Books recommendations for Civil Services Exams
With the help of Topper books recommendations, we prepare a detailed list of the best UPSC books available in the market according to the latest UPSC syllabus for each subject in Prelims and Mains. Aspirants can click on any link to buy books at discounted prices online.
IAS mains books suggested by toppers:
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