Indian Administrative Service Exam: The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) handles the administrative arm of All India Services. Considering the leading civil service of India, the IAS is one of the 3 arms of All India Services along with Indian Police Services (IPS) and Indian Forest Services (IFS). An IAS officer may also be deployed to various PSU’s. Hierarchy-wise IAS stands at the top of administrative post among other 24 services like IPS, IFS etc.
- Founded: 1858 (as Imperial Civil Services)
- January 26, 1950 (as Indian Administrative Service)
Most widely known as the IAS exam, officially known as Civil Services Exam (CSE) is conducted on annual basis by the central recruiting agency, the Union Public Service Commission. Every year lakhs of people appear for this examination in order to get through one of these prestigious positions. Any officer selected into the IAS can be employed by the union government, state government or different PSU’s. Now let’s take a look at who is eligible to become an IAS officer.
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Indian Administrative Service Exam: Eligibility
Cracking the exam and becoming an IAS is not an easy task as there is a huge competition involved. However, if you have the right attitude and approach you can be an IAS officer after qualifying UPSC Civil Services Exam (UPSC CSE) that involves 3 stages – Prelims, Mains, Interview.
- Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized university.
- Candidates who have appeared for the final examination and are waiting for the results can also apply for the Preliminary examination. However, the degree has to be attached to the application for the main exam.
- The minimum age of a candidate appearing for the IAS exam should be 21 years the maximum should be 32 years.
- Nationality – The candidate must be a citizen of India.
Number of attempts for an Indian Administrative Service Exam
If a candidate appears in any one exam of IAS Prelims, then he has made an attempt for the IAS exam.
- General or Economic weaker sections (EWS): 6
- Other backward classes (OBC): 9
- SC/ST: Till the age limit
- Anyone with a disability: Till the age limit
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UPSC Exam Fee Details
- General, OBC and other categories are charged an amount of Rs.100 for the Preliminary exam fee and Rs.200 for the Mains exam fee.
- Females, SC/ST, PH are exempted from CSE fee payment for both the exams.
Average Fee Structure:-
- Complete course – Includes GS pre cum mains + CSAT, optional subject
Amount – 1,98,500 to 2,00,000/-
Duration – 11 months
Pre cum mains course– Includes GS pre cum + CSAT
Amount – 1,25,000/-
Duration – 10 months - Foundation course – Pre and main (CSAT essay and optional subject)
Amount –2,35,000/-
Duration – 36 months - Optional course- Includes history and public administration, political science, geography
Amount – 48,000/-
Duration – 4.5 months - Weekend course – Weekend batches
Amount – 1,25,000/-
Duration – 15 months
TOP 10 Qualities of an Indian Administrative Service Officer
- Hardworking and committed
- Administration
- Leadership
- Knowledgeable
- Able to think out of the box
- Decision maker
- Work ethics
- Patriotism
- Honest
- Good communication skills
Indian Administrative Service Exam: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Is 1 year enough for IAS preparation?
The answer is Yes. A year is sufficient to crack IAS exam even with a difficult UPSC exam. You must study 9-10 hours on a daily basis. However, the most important thing is to be consistent.
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- What is the average salary of an IAS ?
The monthly salary of an Indian Administrative Service officer starts with Rs.56,000 and can reach Rs.2,50,000 for a cabinet secretary.
- What subjects to prepare for IAS exam?
- History
- Geography
- Political science/civics
- Environmental science
- General science – physics, chemistry, biology
- Sociology
- Economics