How To Become IAS Officer

How to Become an IAS Officer

To become an IAS officer, applicants are required to qualify for the Civil Services Examination that is conducted by the UPSC yearly.

UPSC sends out a notification inviting candidates around January and February every year. The preliminary examination or first phase is held around the start of June or the end of May.

Eligibility Criteria to Become an IAS Officer

• Candidates with a graduation degree from a recognized university are eligible.
  
  
• Candidates appearing for the final year graduation examination are also eligible.
  
  
• Correspondence candidates are also available.
  
  
• The minimum age to appear for the UPSC CSE exam is 21 years.
  
  
• The maximum age for the general category is 32 years.
  
  
• The maximum age limit for the OBC category is 35 years of age.
  
  
• 37 years is for SC/ST category.
  
  
• Technical degree candidates, other professionals, and even medical students are eligible for this exam.
  
  
• Candidates who have cleared ICWA, ICSI, and CA are also eligible for the exam.
  

Exam Paper Pattern

The examination is conducted in three phases:

• Preliminary Examination
  
  
• Civil Services Examination (Main)
  
  
• Interview or Personality Test
  

Preliminary Exam Paper Pattern

UPSC Civil Services Examination Paper Pattern

Personality Test

In this round, candidates will be interviewed by the board and then judged accordingly.

Apart from your knowledge, you will be judged on various aspects like clarity, expression, leadership, general awareness, presence of mind, how you tackle stress, etcetera.

How to Prepare for the Civil Services Exam to Become an IAS Officer?

It takes around 8 to 12 months for candidates to prepare for the Civil Services Examination. So, you need to start preparing for the examination at least one year in advance.

Below are some of the steps you would need to follow to prepare for the Civil Services Examination.

Step 1: Know Everything About the Exam
You must know everything about the Civil Services Examination. This would include the paper pattern and exam syllabus.

Always have a copy of the paper pattern and syllabus with you while preparing for the examination, so that you can refer to it whenever needed.

Also, go through previous years' question papers to get an understanding of the different questions that will be asked.

Step 2: Build a Strong Foundation
This is extremely important when preparing for the Civil Services Examination. Always begin with the basics.

To prepare for the examination, NCERTs are very useful and helpful. They are a good source of information that introduces you to various subjects that you have to study in-depth.

So, make sure to refer through NCERTs before you prepare for the examination.

Step 3: Read Standard Books
Standard books mean the books that you need to study cover to cover. So, make sure that you’re reading all the important books thoroughly while preparing for the Civil Services Examination.

Step 4: Get Well-Versed with Current Affairs
For the preliminary examination, questions will be asked about current affairs. Hence, make sure that you are well-versed with current affairs for at least 12 to 18 months for the examination.

You can either collect important information from magazines and newspapers or join some current affairs courses that will help you to remember the information better.

Step 5: Writing Practice and Mock Tests
These are the two important pillars when preparing for your examination. You cannot move ahead in the preparation process with them.

A mock test will help you to analyse yourself and also give you insights into weak areas. With writing practice, you get the practice for improving your writing skills and techniques. Hence, always include them in your exam preparation process.

Step 6: Revision
This is the last step in the preparation process, and it plays a very important role when preparing for your Civil Services Examination. You must complete multiple revisions for information retention.

Events and dates are not easy to remember, so revising multiple times will cement the concepts in the mind.

Also, for topics that are difficult to remember, ensure that you’re reading and studying them over and over again so that it stays in your mind for a longer time.

IAS Salary and Other Facilities

According to the 7th Central Pay Commission, the pay of an IAS Officer is around INR.56,100. However, the top position can earn a salary of 2.5 lakh a month. Other facilities of an IAS Officer include:

• Government accommodation along with subsidy facilities.
  
  
• Security and all other necessary staff depending on requirement and situation.
  
  
• Reimbursement of telephone, mobile, and internet charges.
  
  
• No charges for residing at bungalows or government hotels while on duty.
  
  
• House assistance such as gardeners, cooks, etc will be provided.
  
  
• Government transport facilities for district and state level officers.
  
  
• Monthly pension after retirement.
  

 Pros and Cons of Becoming an IAS Officer

Every job comes with its own set of pros and cons, and the same is true for an IAS Officer as well. Here are the pros and cons of being an IAS Officer.

Pros

• Job security: This is the number one advantage of becoming an IAS Officer in the country. An IAS Officer will rarely be suspended.
  
  Even if the government is looking to suspend an IAS Officer the case will be looked into in detail.
  
  The contributions and dignity of the IAS Officer will be looked at and only the president along with the Central Government has the power to suspend an IAS Officer.
  
  
• Respect: The IAS Officer position is considered to be a highly respected job in society. So, becoming an IAS Officer will get you a lot of respect.
  
  
• Perks: An IAS Officer job comes with a lot of perks and facilities that are not available with other types of jobs.
  
  Residence facility, transport facility, house assistance, security guards, and pension after retirement are some of the perks received when you become an IAS Officer.
  
  
• Power: The IAS Officer position gives you the power to control the district administration.
  
  Your actions and decisions can bring about a positive change in society and also influence the lives of many.
  

Cons
Political threats and interference: These are one of the biggest disadvantages of becoming an IAS Officer.

Since you have the power to control the administration of a district, there will always be constant interference from politicians.

In some cases, this could get even more serious and you could face the problem of threats as well.

• Transfers: Another disadvantage of becoming an IAS Officer is the problem of constantly being transferred.
  
  This can cause a lot of issues in the family life of IAS Officers as they would be staying away from their families.
  
  Also work life could be affected as you need to constantly accommodate and adapt to changing situations and conditions.
  
  
• Work pressure: As the saying goes, “with great power comes great responsibility”. And this is true when you become an IAS Officer too.
  
  Since this position gives you a lot of power, you also face the problem of work pressure.
  
  
• Salary: This could be a problem for many benefits and perks are not taken into consideration. The initial pay of an IAS Officer is INR 56,000 and the highest position could earn INR 2,50,000.
  
  However, due to gradual and slow promotion, this could often cause frustration, after all, you have worked so hard to clear one of the toughest exams.
  
  
• No Privacy: Due to constant transfers and work pressure, you are left with no privacy at all. Since you’re always solving the problems of others, you have less time for yourself.
  
  If this goes on for a long time, it could lead to serious health issues that aren’t good in the long run.

Conclusion

Being an IAS officer is one of the most prestigious jobs in the country. The main role of ias officer is to giving valuable feedback for all decision-making processes of the government. So, an IAS officer assists and helps the government to make better decisions.

The IAS Officer position is considered to be a highly respected job in society. So, becoming an IAS Officer will get you a lot of respect.

The IAS Officer position gives you the power to control the district administration.

I hope you liked our article on how to become an ias officer, if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.

FAQs

1. Is becoming an IAS Officer easy?

The IAS exam is said to be one of the most difficult exams in the country due to its diverse range of subjects, unlike other types of exams where you require expertise in only just one or two subjects.

However, with the right plan, mindset, and strategy, you will be able to crack the exam.

2. What is the qualification for becoming an IAS Officer?

Candidates should have a graduate degree from a recognized university. The minimum age for candidates to appear for the UPSC Civil Services Exam is 21 years and the maximum age is 32 years.

3. What is the salary of an IAS Officer?

The basic salary of an IAS Officer per month is INR 56,000. This excludes allowances like DA, TA, and HRA). The pay can also go up to INR 2,50,000 for Cabinet Secretary.

4. How many years is the IAS Officer Course?

The total duration of the IAS Officer training period is 2 years.This is everything you need to know about becoming an IAS Officer. 

Though it is a tough exam to crack, it’s not impossible if you have the determination to win. It’s important to have a proper understanding of this position before you start preparing for the examination.

Also, you must understand that this career choice comes with a lot of disadvantages as well, so you must be ready to take up the challenges that come with this job.

Make sure to start preparing for the exam at least a year in advance, so that you have enough time to refer to NCERTs and other important books to prepare for the examination.

Also, revision is key when you are preparing for the examination, so make sure to complete multiple revisions to keep things fresh in the mind.