Who is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer?
Are you looking for all information about how to become an IAS Officer? then read this whole detail below. IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service and is the administrative arm of the All India Services. Candidates who aspire to be an IAS Officer are recruited in various government offices. Being an IAS officer not only gives you power but also a lot of responsibilities. If selected into the Indian Administrative Service, you will serve the Indian government and can become head of public sector units plus many other varied roles like the collector, commissioner, chief secretary, cabinet secretary, etc. Below you will find how to prepare for IAS Officer.
Eligibility Criteria for IAS Officer (IAS Age Limit and etc)
Just like other civil service examinations in order to sit for this exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) you have to be an Indian citizen. At the same time, you should be a graduate. You should hold a valid undergraduate degree issued by any recognized university- Central, State, Private, Deemed, or a foreign university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.
If you have a correspondence degree or you have pursued a degree via distance education by an institute recognized by the Government of India then also you will be eligible to sit for the exam. If you are in the final year of your graduate course, then also you can sit for the first stage of the exam, but you will have to provide your previous year's mark sheets. Many people look for how to become an IAS officer after 12 but it is not possible.
IAS Age limit
Students who are between the age group of 21 to 32 are eligible to sit for the exam. UPSC is quite strict regarding the age limit and if it is brought to their knowledge that you have used unfair means to hide your age then your eligibility can be canceled and you can be debarred from sitting for any more attempts. Minorities though get some age relaxations, if you fall under the OBC category then you get a relaxation of 3 years, and candidates under the SC/ST categories get a relaxation of 5 years.
The number of attempts
Seeing the competitiveness of the exam, you get a finite number of chances to clear this exam. Candidates under the general category have allowed a total of 6 attempts. Candidates under the OBC category get 9 attempts while SC/ST candidates get unlimited attempts until they reach their upper age limit i.e. 37 years.
How to become an IAS officer?
Though people just call it the IAS exam, it is officially called the UPSC Civil Services Exam. The whole process is grueling and requires a lot of dedication and hard work. In order to become an IAS officer, you have to sit through a number of exams and interviews. Firstly, you have to clear the preliminary exam, and then only after you clear the preliminary exam you can sit for the Mains exam. Finally, after you have cleared the mains exam, you can sit for the interview which is the final milestone in your journey to becoming an IAS officer.
What is the Civil Services Examination (CSE)
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is the government agency responsible for conducting all exams to recruit candidates who serve the Indian government. Every year around 1000 candidates selected for all 24 services combined. According to yearly aggregates, only 5 lakh candidates appear out of the 10 lakh registrations received for the UPSC Civil Service Exam. It is considered to be one of the toughest exams not only in the country but also in the world owing to its huge syllabus and competition level.
The exam has divided into three stages as follows:
1. Preliminary – This exam is usually conducted around June and consists of multiple-choice questions.
2. Mains – This exam is conducted around September-October and is theoretically based.
After clearing the Preliminary and Mains examination, the candidate has to sit for the personality/interview test during the March to May period. The final result normally comes in June end on which everything rests.
Syllabus of Civil Services Exam
If you are serious about joining the Indian Administrative Services then you have to become dedicated and hard-working. You need to have a long-term strategy and start your preparation one year before the examination. Now you can achieve top ranks with a few months of devoted hard work.
You need to have a well-organized and focused time-table to clear the examination. The UPSC Civil Services exam is more a test of the presentation skills and analytic along with knowledge built up by the candidate rather than a test that checks the candidate’s verbal skills or mathematical. It asks questions on all facets and doesn’t have any defined syllabus.
What is the salary of IAS officer?
Being an IAS officer is one of the most desired jobs in the country because not only does it come with a lot of power but also it is financially rewarding. Post the 7th Pay Commission, a junior IAS officer can make about INR 60,000 (per month) and at the same time can also avail of additional allowances like House Rent (HRA) or Travel (TA).
Sometimes officers are provided accommodation in their deputized location which comes with travel perks. Whereas a senior IAS officer, such as a Cabinet Secretary makes up to INR 2.5 lakhs per month.
To clear IAS, There are two entities that require:
Right guidance for prelims and mains.
Right study materials and books.
“Clear IAS” is a humble attempt to provide candidates with these two basic institutions straining to study themselves.
