The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Exam is a Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission UPSC for the recruitment of officers for the All India Administrative civil service.

IAS Exam Eligibility Criteria

Bachelor's Degree from any of the recognised universities

Candidates who have appeared for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results or those who are yet to appear for the qualifying examination are also eligible for the Preliminary Examination. Such candidates have to produce proof of passing the said examination along with the application for the Main Examination.

Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government or its equivalent are also elgible to apply

Candidates who have passed the final year of MBBS or any Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship can also appear for the Main Examination.

Age Limit :

A candidate should be minimum 21 years and maximum 32 years

The upper age limit prescribed above is relaxable for the following candidates:

5 years - Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST)

3 years - Other Backward Classes (OBC)

5 years - if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from the 1st January, 1980 to the 31st December, 1989.

3 years - Defence Services personnel

5 years - ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least 5 years Military Service as on 1st August, 2017

5 years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs

10 years - Blind, deaf-mute and orthopedically handicapped persons

Nationality:

Candidate must be a citizen of India.

Candidate must be a citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan

Candidate must be a Tibetan Refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 to be settled permanently in India

Candidate must be person of Indian Origin who has migrated from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zaire, or Zambia with an intention of permanently settling in India

IAS Exam Pattern

IAS Prelims Exam Pattern

The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of objective type (multiple-choice questions) carrying a maximum of 400 marks.

The Question Papers (Test Booklets) are set in English & Hindi

General Studies Paper – I 200 Marks
General Studies Paper – II 200 Marks

Mains-

Paper Subject Marks
Paper A (One of the Indian languages listed below, to be selected by the candidate (from the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India) (Qualifying) 300
Paper B English (Qualifying) 300
Paper I Essay 250
Paper II General Studies I (Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world and society) 250
Paper III General Studies II (Governance, constitution, polity, social justice, and international relations) 250
Paper-IV General Studies III (Technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security and disaster management) 250
Paper V General Studies-IV(ethics, integrity, and aptitude) 250
Papers VI, VII Two papers on subjects to be selected by the candidate from the list of optional subjects below (250 marks for each paper) 500
TOTAL(WRITTEN TEST) 1750