Becoming an IAS officer is just like reaching out to the top of Mount Everest. It is the most prestigious government job in India. A huge number of students prepare for IAS every year. But some of the students can live their dream as there is a few no of vacancy. The entrance exam for IAS is probably the toughest competitive exam in India. The students who want to become an IAS officer must prepare hard and must know some important points. If you are here in search of your questions-"How to Become an IAS Officer", be sure all your queries will be solved, and by reading this you will have sufficient knowledge regarding IAS.
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Table of content
- What is the Full form of IAS?
- Why IAS?
- How to be an IAS officer?
- Eligibility Criteria for UPSC CSE
- Exam pattern of UPSC CSE
- Study hour and environment
- Books and online resources
- IAS officer salary
- Conclusion
- Faq
What is the full form of IAS?
The term IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. This is a
government job post of the Indian Government.
Why IAS?
Before you start preparing for IAS you have to question yourself that why you want to become an IAS officer. If it is for your parents' suggestion,
respected job profile, get a high amount of salary then please step back.
This is not for you. If you really have the zeal to serve your country as an
IAS officer then welcome, go ahead.
How to Be an IAS Officer?
If you want to become an IAS officer then the only way for achieving it by
clearing the Civil Service Exam(CSE) conducted by UPSC(Union Public Service
Commission). But before that, you must be eligible for applying this exam.
There is some eligibility which is given follows that must be followed for
applying UPSC CSE.
Eligibility Criteria for UPSC CSE
There are different kinds of eligibility criteria that must be followed by
the IAS aspirants who are going to apply for the UPSC CSE exam. The
different kinds of eligibility criteria are given below.
- Educational Qualification
- Age Limit
- Nationality
- No. Of attempts
1. Educational Qualification
The educational qualification that is needed for appearing in the UPSC CSE
exam is a degree. The degree must be done from the government recognized university.
The students who have appeared the final exam and waiting for the results
or intend to appear the exam are also eligible for the prelims exam. But
they have to submit the proof of their education along with a detailed form
for UPSC CSE.
Thre is no minimum mark or percentage is required for applying the exam the
only thing that requires is a degree from a recognized university.
2. Age Limit
The aspirants who are applying for CSE must follow the age limit criteria
given by the UPSC.
The minimum age required for appearing IAS exam is 21 years and the date
will be calculated form 1st of august of the notification year. The maximum
age for appearing IAS exam differs from category to category.
➤ For the general category, the maximum age
limit is 32.
➤ For the EWS category, the maximum age limit is 32.
➤ For the OBC category, the maximum age limit is 35.
➤ For the SC/ST category, the maximum age limit is 37.
➤ For the Physically disabled category, the maximum age limit is 42.
3. Nationality
Indian government allows even some other country students to appear the
exam. The nationality eligibility criteria of aspirants must be according to
the following rules. Candidate must follow one of the below nationality in
order to appear the exam.
- Candidate must be a citizen of India
- Candidate must be a citizen of Nepal
- Candidate must be a citizen of Bhutan
- Candidate must be a Tibetan refugee who came before 1st January 1962 and since then they settled permanently in India
- Candidate must be a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, the united republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zaire, or Zambia with the intention of permanently settling in India.
The candidate who are Tibetan refugees, a citizen of Nepal, or Bhutan can
apply for the UPSC exam but for the recruitment of IAS and IPS candidates
must be Indian citizens. The candidate of Indian origin migrated from the
above country are also eligible for this.
4. Number of Attempts
The number of attempts varies from categories to categories. Below the no
of attempts are given according to the different category.
General Catagory
A candidate of general categories is allowed to appear the exam a maximum
of 06 times in his maximum age limit.
EWS Catagory
The no of attempts for EWS category aspirants is the same as the general
category i.e 06 times.
OBC Catagory
OBC category aspirants are allowed to attempts a maximum of 09 attempts in
their maximum age limit.
SC/ST Catagory
SC/ST category candidates are allowed to appear the exam unlimited times in
the time of their maximum age limit.
Physically Disabled Catagory
The general and the OBC category students, who are physically disabled are
allowed to attempt the exam 09 times. The physically challenged aspirants of
SC and ST have unlimited attempts in the maximum age limit period.
Exam Pattern of UPSC CSE
To get qualify in any exam you have to understand the exam pattern first.
That will make study in an efficient way to qualify in the exam. As we know
the UPSC exam is the toughest entrance exam in India thus the exam pattern
is also very hard.
It is a multistage exam that carrying somewhere about 2750 marks. First, a
candidate has to appear in the prelims exam. If he gets qualified in the
prelims exam then only he/she able to appear the main exam. The prelims exam
has two Paper i.e Paper I and Paper II. Paper I is a merit rank paper while
Paper II is just a qualifying paper.
Study Hour and Environment
As this is the hardest competitive exam and quite a large syllabus to
cover, you have to invest a lot of time while preparing for the exam. For
one year you have to forget all the unnecessary work that you often do like
attending a marriage party, celebrating Holi, hang out with friends, Cinema
or something like that. You should only focus on one thing that is studying.
You have to spend at least 6-8 hours daily in the study. The study time may vary from person to person as we know everyone does not have the same memory power. But some people say that it can be achieved by studying only 2-3
hours daily, be aware of that kind of person. They really don't want you to
get success. Just think, can you prepare for the hardest exam in India that
contains 2750 marks by just spending 2 hours daily?
The environment where you study must be quiet and there is no one to
disturb you. Tell your family members not to disturb you in the studying
hour. There should be a fixed place in the studying room where you study.
You may note down some important notes which are very essential in your
study and paste it on your wall. This will make you remember that note in
better.
Books and Online Resources
There are various books that you can follow. You can buy these books from
your local book store. In the case of unavailability, you can also buy it
from an online store like Amazon. You can follow the toppers or the person
who got qualified in the exam for the choosing of the books. For you, we
make research on it and listed out some of the best books that were
recommended by many toppers are given below.
➤ India's Struggle for Independence. (For History by Bipin Chandra)
➤ NCRT books for 11 and 12 both New and Old(For History)
➤ Physical Geography (For Geography by GC Leong)
➤ NCRT books for 11 and 12 (For Geography)
➤ Indian Polity (For Politics by M Laxmikant)
➤ Indian Economy (For Economy by Ramesh Singh)
Apart from reading books, you may follow some online resources to prepare
yourself. Online resources may be YouTube videos, some website's content, or
e-newspaper. There are many YouTube channels that help you to gain some
knowledge. We listed out some of the best YouTube channels for you that have
great video content.
Visit- Best YouTube Channels for UPSC IAS Preparation
You can visit some of the websites to give the mock test, download the
previous year question paper, attempt quizzes, read some survey reports. If
the English newspaper is not available in your area, you can read it online
by visiting their official websites. The two best newspapers for IAS
preparation are The Hindu and the Indian Express. You can read one of them
thoroughly by visiting their official sites.
Visit- The Hindu E-Papers
Visit- Indian Express E-Papers
You have to pay the amount of their e-papers subscription but it is cheaper
than the hard copy of that newspaper.
IAS Officer Salary
There are many jobs for an IAS officer. According to the job they get
paid. An IAS officer salary starts from 56,100(TA, DA, and HRA are extra) per
month. It can go up to the highest of 2,50,000 per month for the Cabinet
Secretary post. This salary provided is as per the 7th pay commission.
CONCLUSION
We know this examination is the toughest entrance examination in India but
it can be cracked. If one has the burning desire to become the IAS officer
he/she can do it. You have to cover the entire syllabus and practice to
write the answer to the exam in the given time. Solve the past years'
questions, this will help you a lot in your preparation. Start preparing
from today because you have to cover all the syllabus. I wish you reach your
goal of life soon.
FAQ
In this section, I will try to answer your questions related to this topic
that are frequently asked. If you have not found your questions on this list
you can ask those questions, I will answer as fast as possible.
Q- What is the minimum qualification I need to become an IAS officer?
You need a minimum of a degree from any government recognized university.
You can also fill-up the form and appear the prelims exam if you attend your
final exam but the results not release. But you have to fill-up the form
correctly and provide the necessary documentation of your study in that
form. Please note that your mark will not play any role in the
examination.
Q- How can I become an IAS officer after graduation?
The first step towards the IAS officer after your graduation will be to
check all the eligibility criteria given by the UPSC. Then you have to fill
up the examination form correctly before the given date. Crack the exam and
you are ready to become an IAS officer.
Q- What is the IAS officer's monthly salary?
The starting salary of an IAS officer is 56,100 per month with TA, DA, and
HRA are extra. It can go up to 2,50,000 per month with an increase in the experience and the level of your posts.
Q- How to become an IAS officer after 12th?
You can't become an IAS officer right after the 12th standard. You have to
do graduation in any subject first and achieve a degree. Then only you can apply for the UPSC CSE exam and by cracking it you can become an IAS
officer.
Q- What is the retirement age of an IAS officer?
The age of the retirement of an IAS officer is 60.
Q- What is the training period of an IAS officer?
The current training period of an IAS officer is 103 Weeks but the Modi the government proposed to cut it from 103 to 75 weeks.
Q- What is the age limit of a general category student to appear IAS exam?
A general category student can appear in the UPSC CSE examination to become
an IAS officer at the maximum age of 32 years.
Q- What is the minimum age to become an IAS officer?
The minimum age limit to appear for the exam is 21 years and the date will
be calculated from the 1st of August of the notification year
Q- How many IAS officers are selected every year?
There are lakhs of Ias aspirants who are appearing in the exam every year but out of that some hundreds of students are able to crack it and become an IAS officer. The exact no of IAS officers that are selected is not fixed but roughly the number is between 700-1000.