How to Become an IAS Officer

It is the dream of millions of Indian students to become an IAS officer. IAS is an acronym that stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is a tough and very competitive exam that is conducted by Union Public Service commission. Only the finest and the most talented of young boys and girls are able to beat this exam as the selection procedure is rigorous and grueling. Becoming an IAS officer gives you superb career options as you become a part of the bureaucratic system and get a chance to work from the inside. The salary of an IAS officer may not be too high, but there are many perks provided by the government that makes IAS career the most-desired one among the students.

How to Become an IAS Officer?

To become an IAS officer you have to face the Civil Services Exam. However, you can take the civil service exam conducted by UPSC only after graduation. This means that you have to pass undergraduate level degree course after completing your 10+2 exam. It is a one year long exam divided into preliminary and mains exams. While the preliminary exam is objective in nature where you have to tick the right options against multiple choice questions, mains exam is theory based where your true knowledge of subjects is tested. More than a hundred thousand students appear in the preliminary exams every year, but only about 170 are finally selected to be IAS officers. Your knowledge on Indian history, polity, economics, geography, environment and current affairs is thoroughly tested in this exam.

Eligibility Criterion for the Civil Service Exam

• You must be an Indian citizen between the age of 21 and 30.
• You must have passed your undergraduate level degree course in any stream.

Preliminary and Main Exam of CSE

Preliminary exams are objective while main exam is theoretical in nature. Preliminary exam is held in the month of May/June while the main exam is held in the month of November/December. The personal interviews are held in April next year and the successful candidates are intimated about their interview dates through post. Preliminary exam tests your knowledge in one subject of your choice and general studies. After passing the prelims exam, you have to appear in the written exam. This examination is theory based and consists of following 

• Any Indian language (300 marks)
• English language (300 marks)
• Essay (300 marks)
• General Studies (300 marks)
• Two subject papers of your choice (300 marks each)
• Personal interview

Merit list of successful candidates is prepared on the basis of marks obtained and the result is announced on the internet and all leading newspapers. You can choose your optional subjects on the basis of the stream that you undertake in your graduation. Even engineers, doctors, MBA degree holders and other students appear in this prestigious exam every year with the aim of becoming an IAS officer. You can take a look at list of the optional subjects from which you can choose any two.

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