The Civil Services examination, also known as the IAS exam, is a highly competitive exam conducted by the UPSC. The UPSC CSE is held every year, and the process takes approximately one year to complete.
Candidates who are new to the realm of competitive exams conducted by the UPSC, especially the IAS exam, should try to understand the role of the UPSC. The full form of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission. It conducts several exams, such as NDA, CDS, Engineering Services, Civil Services, Indian Economic service etc. to recruit candidates for various posts and services under the Government of India. The Civil Services Exam (CSE) is considered the most popular and prestigious exam conducted by the UPSC in India.
The IAS exam conducted by the UPSC is held in 3 stages, namely the Preliminary exam, Main exam and Interview. The Preliminary exam is a screening test, which is of an objective type. The candidates who qualify in the Preliminary examination are eligible to appear in the Main exam. The Main examination is of subjective type and plays a major role in deciding the rank of the candidate on the merit list. The Main exam contains papers like Essay, Indian Language, GS I, II, III and IV, English and an optional subject. Aspirants who clear the Main exam cut-off marks to qualify for the Personality Test or Interview. The Personality Test is conducted by a Board, which tries to assess the suitability of the candidate for a career in Public Service.
UPSC CSE: Posts and Services
The official notification released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) comprises the names of various posts and services for which the exam is held. A list of posts and services for which the UPSC CSE is conducted is given below.
- Indian Administrative Service
- Indian Foreign Service
- Indian Police Service
- Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Information Service, Junior Grade Group ‘A’
- Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group ‘A’
- Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Group ‘A’
- Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group ‘A’
- Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Grade III)
- Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade)
- Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), Group ‘B’
- Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’
- Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group ‘B’
Aspirants who wish to apply for the aforementioned posts and services should carefully go through the official notification published by the UPSC on its website. Applicants should also ensure that they go through the eligibility criteria given in the notification before applying for the examination.
Candidates who are new to the CSE should go through the previous years’ question papers, syllabus of UPSC, and other resources available on the Commission’s official website.
IAS is a dream of many aspirants. Lakhs of young candidates appear for the exam, but only a few are selected. This shows how competitive the exam is. Therefore, aspirants who wish to embark on this journey should plan well, strategise and put their best foot forward from the very beginning.
