IAS Exam, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus

IAS Exam also known as the UPSC Civil Service Examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India to recruit civil servants for the nation. Anyone wishing to become an IAS officer needs to ace this extremely difficult examination.

Indian Administrative Service Examination Comprises three parts, which are Preliminary examination, Main examination and followed by Personal Interview. Candidates qualifying in all three parts can enter into the Field of Prestigious Civil services to serve in the roles of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and various other administrative job roles in the country. IAS is a highly regarded and respected profession in India.

The UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination 2024 will be conducted on 16th June 2024. Candidates who clear the CSE Prelims with the required Cut-Off will be allowed to set for the CSE Mains Examination which will be conducted from 20th September 2024, for 5 days

IAS Examination is one of the toughest competitive examinations in India, written by lakhs of people every year. With the right kind of preparation and approach, one can manage to crack the IAS Exam.

IAS 2023 Exam Overview

Name of ExamIndian Civil Service Examination
Other nameUPSC CSE
Exam PurposeTo recruit officers for Civil Service Jobs
Exam Conducting AuthorityUnion Public Service Commission
IAS full formIndian Administrative Service
Mode of the ExaminationPen and Paper Based test (Offline)
Age Limit21 – 32 years (Relaxation for reserved category applicable)
UPSS CSE 2024 Prelims Exam Date16th June 2024
UPSC CSE 2024 Mains Exam Date20th September 2024

IAS Exam Eligibility

  1. Candidate should be a minimum of 21 years old.
  2. The Candidate must be a citizen of India.
  3. Should have at least a graduate degree.

What is the age limit for IAS Exam?

The candidate Should be of age between 21 to 32 years for the general category. The upper age limit is 35 years Other Backward Caste (OBC) category 37 years for the ST/SC category and 40 years for Defence Services Personnel disabled during operations. Age Relaxation of up to 5 years is given for candidates belonging to various other reserved categories.

How many attempts are allowed for the IAS Exam?

General Category candidates are allowed to make 6 attempts in IAS Examination till the age of 32 years, nine attempts are allowed for OBC candidates till the age of 35 years, and no limit of attempts for SC/ST candidates till the age of 37 years.

Exam Pattern

  1. Preliminary Examination
  2. Mains Examination and
  3. Personal Interview

IAS Preliminary Examination

S. NoName of the IAS ExamExam DurationNo of QuestionsTotal Marks
1.IAS Exam Preliminary Paper – I2 Hours100200
2.IAS Exam Preliminary Paper – II2 Hours80200

IAS Main Examination

S. NoPartName of the IAS Exam PaperExam DurationTotal Marks
1.Paper – ACompulsory Indian Language3 Hours300 Marks
2.Paper – BEnglish3 Hours300 Marks
3.Paper – IESSAY3 Hours250 Marks
4.Paper – IIGeneral Studies I3 Hours250 Marks
5.Paper – IIIGeneral Studies II3 Hours250 Marks
6.Paper – IVGeneral Studies III3 Hours250 Marks
7.Paper – VGeneral Studies IV3 Hours250 Marks
8.Paper – VIOptional Paper I3 Hours250 Marks
9.Paper – VIIOptional Paper II3 Hours250 Marks

Final – IAS Personal Interview

Candidates who cleared the IAS Main Examination with top rankings are directly qualified for Personal Interview. Those candidates will be summoned by the Union Public Service Commission, Delhi to appear for a face-to-face Interview before the UPSC panel members. Candidates shortlisted by the UPSC panel will be inducted by the government for Civil services.