How To Become an IAS Officer !

Sometimes the question must have come to your mind that what is an IAS officer? How to become an IAS officer?  So through this article, we have tried to give correct information and answers to all your questions.

I hope you will definitely like the article containing complete information about IAS.  So friends, let's start.

The full form of IAS is Indian Administrative Services, also known as IAS  is the administrative branch of the All India Services.  This service is considered to be the main civil service of India.

Indian Administrative Service ( IAS ) is one of the prestigious services among 24 services like IPS, IFS etc. for which the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts Civil Services Examination (CSE) to select deserving candidates.  

Officers selected in the Indian Administrative Service are given work in various roles like Collector, Chief of Public Sector Heads, Chief Secretary, Cabinet Secretary etc.

Full of experience and challenges, IAS is a unique career option for millions of youth in India.

How to Become an IAS Officer:

IAS (Indian Administrative Service) is one of the three arms of the All India Services.  Most of the Indians aspire to become an IAS officer after 12th/graduation.  In this article we have shared the step-by-step process about how to become an IAS officer.

Indian Administrative Service ( IAS)  is selected through the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Applicants who want to become an IAS officer have to appear and qualify in the examination conducted by the Central Public Service Commission.

How to Crack UPSC Exam:

This exam is generally known as the toughest exam in the world. To crack the UPSC IAS exam, applicants must work hard and put their best effort.

Every year the IAS exam is conducted in various stages including prelims, mains and final interview.

After clearing an IAS exam, one gets the post of IAS officer.

Candidates who have completed their graduation degree can apply for IAS officer posts.  To become an IAS officer candidate, you can follow the below mentioned steps.

Eligibility for IAS 

If you also want to become an IAS officer and want to serve the country, then you should have the following qualifications:

Educational Qualification

To be eligible to become an IAS officer, a candidate must have a degree from an Indian University or an equivalent qualification.  One can appear in the preliminary examination even in the final year of the degree course.

Age Limit

• The candidate must have completed 21 years of age on 1st August of the year of examination and must not have completed 30 years of age on that date.

• The maximum age limit is relaxable by 3 years for OBC candidates and 5 years for SC/ST candidates.

• There is also an age relaxation for some special employees working under the Government of India and Defense Services.

Other Eligibility Conditions

• For IAS and IPS, the candidate must be an India citizen.  For other services, a candidate must be :

• A citizen of India, or

• A citizen of Nepal, or

• A citizen of Bhutan, or

• A Tibetan refugee who arrived in India before January 1, 1962 with the purpose of establishing a permanent residence there, or

• A person of Indian heritage who has moved to India permanently from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia, or Vietnam with the idea of living in India permanently.

Process of Becoming an IAS Officer:

To become an IAS officer, one has to follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Application Form

In the first phase, applicants have to purchase the “Application Form” of UPSC Civil Services Examination, in which “Information Brochure” is to be sent to the “Head Post Office or Post Office” spread across the country.  You can do it both online or offline.

Step 2: Preliminary Examination

Candidates will have to appear for the Indian Civil Services "Preliminary Examinations" to be held in the month of May or June, now renamed as the Civil Services Aptitude Test which consists of two papers in CSAT:

Step 3: Main Examination

The candidates who qualify the “Civil Services Aptitude Test” are eligible to appear in the final examination which consists of the following papers:

Step 4: Interview

After the Preliminary and Main Examination, applicants have to appear in the Interview Test.  Interview tests are taken to test the personality and mental ability of the applicant.  After this the final list of successful candidates is prepared.

Candidates who secure very good ranks, those candidates are enrolled and admitted to the National Academy Office, Mussoorie, now known as Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), which informs the guidance for ias probationers.  After completion of training the candidates are posted as per the requirements of the respective capacity of the Central and State Governments.

How to become an IAS officer after 12th: Is it possible?

Well friends, after passing the 12th class exam, it is not possible to become an IAS officer.  To become an IAS officer, you have to clear the Civil Services exam which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.  To get selected for the training, you need to qualify for Preliminary, Main and Interview.

Basic Eligibility Criteria Required for IAS Exam – Applicants should have completed Graduation Degree from a recognized University/Institute.

So 12th pass students cannot participate in this exam.

After completing 12th, they have to complete graduation first.  One can become an IAS officer after completing graduation for the CSE exam.

IAS Officer Salary:

The Government of India has fixed the pay grade for civil servants.  But this may change with the new pay commission. Presently the range of salary drawn at different levels is as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities of IAS Officer :

Deciding on the action to be taken in your district.  Making plans on the drawing board and revising them as needed.

It is the responsibility of the IAS officer to implement the best policies and follow the rules and regulations.

IAS officers should also monitor the progress of projects across a wide range from the public sector to the corporate sectors.

 IAS officers are responsible for monitoring the allocation and proper utilization of funds for various projects.

IAS officers should evaluate projects, make recommendations and provide relevant information about the projects, especially as and when Parliament is called.

Apart from all these regular responsibilities, IAS officers represent the Government of India through the boards of public corporations or institutions at the national or international forum.

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IAS officer Career prospects :

If you become an IAS officer then there may be some other career possibilities for you which are as follows:

Dear Candidate!  We hope you are satisfied with the information on how to become an IAS officer, which we have given above.