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Preparing For The Indian Administrative Services Exam

IAS Exam Preparation

The Indian Administrative Service service is one of the premier services of the government of India. It also constitutes one of the three arms of the All India Services, which includes the Indian Police Service and the Indian Foreign Service. An IAS officer is said to be one of the top-rated jobs in the Indian Civil Services. They are required to handle the affairs of the government both at the center and at the state level. Hence, IAS is one of the most sought-after government jobs in India.  


Responsibilities Of An IAS Officer

Below are some of the critical powers or duties of an IAS officer. 

  1. Maintenance of law and order.
  2. Handling daily affairs of the government and implementing policies formulated by the state and the central government.
  3. Collection of revenue and looking after the expenditure of public funds are also one of the critical duties
  4. Functioning as Chief Development Officer (CDO)/District Development Commissioner and even Executive Magistrate. 

Designations Held By IAS Officers During Field Posting

  1. SDO/SDM/Joint Collector/ Chief Development Officer (CDO)
  2. Divisional Commissioner
  3. Chairman Board of Revenue
  4. Member Board of Revenue.
  5. District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner.

Designations Held In The Secretariat of State Government/ Central Government

  1. Cabinet Secretary
  2. Deputy Secretary in Government of India
  3. Additional Secretary to Government of India / Principal Secretary in State Government
  4. Under Secretary in Government of India
  5. Joint Secretary to Government of India / Secretary in State Government
  6. Director in Government of India
  7. Secretary to Government of India/ Chief Secretary.Secretary to Government of India/ Chief Secretary

The designations mentioned above are not the only ones held by IAS officers. They can also be recruited in autonomous organizations, PSUs/UN Organizations, subordinate organizations, and international organizations like the World Bank. They can also be hired as Personal Secretaries to Ministers in Central Government or deputed in private organizations but for a fixed tenure. 


Selection and Eligibility Criteria

For recruitment into the Indian Administrative Services, the selection criteria involve passing the civil services examination conducted yearly by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Candidates appearing for the exam must confer to the below eligibility criteria. 


Nationality: The candidate must be a citizen of India or Nepal or a subject of Bhutan. People of Indian origin who have migrated from countries like Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Pakistan, Malawi, Zaire, or Zambia with the intent of settling in India can also apply.


Age Limit: The candidate should be a minimum of 21-year-old and a maximum of 32 years old. There is also a relaxation of age limit for the following

5 Years- SC/ST

3 Years- Defence Personnel

3 Years- OBC

10 Years for physically handicapped like blind, deaf, mute

5 Years- Ex-Servicemen like Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years of service.


Educational Qualification: Required educational qualification for candidates to appear for the exam is a Bachelor's Degree from any of the recognized universities. Candidates waiting for results can appear for the prelims but have to produce the passing certificate for mains. Candidates with technical or professional qualifications can also apply provided they are recognized by the government. 


Number Of Attempts: The number of attempts by the candidate also forms a vital eligibility criterion. A general category candidate can make a maximum of 6 attempts. While there is no such limit for SC/ST but they can appear only till 37 years of age. The OBC category can have nine attempts up to 35 years. Lastly, the physically disabled belonging to general and OBC can have nine attempts while it is unlimited for SC/ST. 


UPSC Exam 2020 Important Dates


  1. Official notification by UPSC will be released on 12th February 2020, and the forms also will be made available on the same date.
  2. The last date for submitting the application forms will be 3rd March 2020.
  3. The preliminary exam for the recruitment process will be conducted on 31st May 2020.
  4. After the result of the preliminary exam is announced, the main exam will be conducted in September 2020.
  5. The results of the main exam will be announced in January 2021.

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