The IAS exam is an annual exam by the Union Public Commission Service. It began as Imperial Civil Service under the British rule in India. It is one of the most difficult exams in the country. This exam hires officers for Indian Administrative Civil Service.
Its history dates back to 1858 when the East India Company began this initiative. It was in 1950, after independence that the name changed to Indian Administrative Service. The IAS service is on top of the hierarchy chart of government services.
The candidates passing this exam can work union and state level.
Some of the positions are collector, head of PSU, commissioner, chief secretary, cabinet secretary, and more. These officers are also eligible to become a part of an inter intergovernmental organization. Some of these organizations are the World Bank, United Nations, Indian Monetary Fund, and more.
Some of the things that candidates must go through before appearing for the IAS exams are the exam pattern, eligibility, application process, exam syllabus, and exam preparation tips. Let us look at all these elements of the UPSC IAS Exam in detail.
IAS Exam Pattern
The IAS examination takes place in three stages. All the candidates have to appear for all three stages in order to qualify in the end. The first stage is preliminary examination which is only to qualify for the mains examination. The score of IAS Prelims is applicable for the finals result.
Only 40% of the candidates clear prelims and appear for the mains examination. All those who pass this exam as well, then go for IAS Personal Interview. The three stages are explained in detail below.
IAS Preliminary Examination
IAS Prelims Exam consists of Multiple Choice Questions. There is a negative marking in only this exam. It is ⅓ of allotted marks to particular questions. It has 2 papers – General Ability Test I and General Ability Test II with a time limit of 2 hours each.
The first one has 100 questions revolving around General Knowledge topics with a total of 200 marks. The second paper is more towards logical reasoning and communication skills. The minimum score should be 33% to qualify for the next exam.
| IAS Paper | Marks | Questions | Duration |
| General Ability Test I | 200 | 100 | 2 hours |
| General Ability Test II | 200 | 80 | 2 hours |
IAS General Studies Paper I Syllabus
- Events of National and International importance
- History of India and Indian National Movement
- Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World
- Indian Polity and Governance and Constitution
- Political System and Panchayati Raj
- Public Policy and Rights Issues
- General Science
- Economic, Social and Sustainable Development
- Poverty and Inclusion
- Demographics and Social Sector initiatives
- General issues on Environmental Ecology
- Biodiversity and Climate Change
IAS General Studies Paper II Syllabus
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills
- Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
- Decision Making and Problem Solving
- General Mental Ability
- Numbers and their Relations
- Orders of Magnitude and Simplification
- Square roots and Factorization
- LCM / HCF and Type of numbers
- Data Interpretation
- Divisibility rules and Fractions
- Polynomials and unit digit calculation
- The exponent in factorial and Formula based problems
- Decimal base conversion to binary
IAS Mains Examination
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It has 9 papers in a total of descriptive type with a time limit of 3 hours each. The first two are of 300 marks and the rest are of 250 marks. The first seven papers are mandatory for all candidates. The last two papers are selected by the candidate according to their subject choice. The candidate who passes this exam will go for the final interview.
| No. | IAS Paper | Questions | Marks | Nature | Time |
| 1 | Modern Indian Language | 5 | 300 | Qualifying | 3 hours |
| 2 | English | 5 | 300 | Qualifying | 3 hours |
| 3 | Essay | 2 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 4 | General Studies I | 20 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 5 | General Studies II | 20 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 6 | General Studies III | 20 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 7 | General Studies IV | 12 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 8 | Optional I | 8 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
| 9 | Optional II | 8 | 250 | For Merit | 3 hours |
IAS Mains Paper Syllabus
General Studies I Paper Syllabus
- Modern Indian History – Mughals, Pre Independence, Post Independence, etc.
- Geographical Features and their Location
- Features of World’s Physical Geography
- Indian Society – Gender Roles, Social and economic issues
- World History – World Wars
General Studies II Paper Syllabus
- Governance – NGOs, SHGs, Society, Trust, and Cooperatives, etc.
- Polity and Constitution – Provisions, Acts, Sources, Features, etc.
- Social Justice – Issues Related to Vulnerable Sections of Society
- International Relations – Summits, Organisations, Policies, etc.
General Studies III Paper Syllabus
- Science and Technology – Prominent Indian Scientists, Intellectual Property Rights, etc.
- Security – Terrorism, Internal Security Threat, Money Laundering, etc.
- Economic Development – Industrialisation, LPG Policy, Government Budgeting, etc.
- Biodiversity and Environment – Environment Agencies, Pollution, Conservation, Agriculture, etc.
General Studies IV Paper Syllabus
- Emotional Intelligence Concepts
- Moral Thinkers and Philosophers from India and the World
- Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
- Case studies on above
The candidates have to choose from 48 given options. They can choose anyone and even literature. There are two papers on this optional subject for 250 marks each. There are 8 questions in each paper with different marking schemes.
The papers are subjective in nature. Here is the list of all IAS Optional Subjects. You can refer to Mains Optional Subjects and UPSC IAS Mains Literature Optional Subjects to see the detailed syllabus of all the mentioned optional subjects.
| List of IAS Mains Optional Subjects | |||
| 1 | Agriculture | 25 | Animal Husbandry |
| 2 | Anthropology | 26 | Botany |
| 3 | Chemistry | 27 | Civil Engineering |
| 4 | Accounts | 28 | Economics |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 29 | Geography |
| 6 | Geology | 30 | History |
| 7 | Law | 31 | Management |
| 8 | Mathematics | 32 | Mechanical Engineering |
| 9 | Medical Science | 33 | Philosophy |
| 10 | Physics | 34 | Political Science |
| 11 | Psychology | 35 | Public Administration |
| 12 | Sociology | 36 | Statistics |
| 13 | Zoology | 37 | English Literature |
| 14 | Gujarati Literature | 38 | Assamese Literature |
| 15 | Kannada Literature | 39 | Kashmiri Literature |
| 16 | Konkani Literature | 40 | Manipuri Literature |
| 17 | Bengali Literature | 41 | Hindi literature |
| 18 | Sindhi Literature | 42 | Santali Literature |
| 19 | Tamil Literature | 43 | Maithili Literature |
| 20 | Telugu Literature | 44 | Dogri Literature |
| 21 | Urdu Literature | 45 | Bodo Literature |
| 22 | Sanskrit Literature | 46 | Odia Literature |
| 23 | Nepali Literature | 47 | Punjabi Literature |
| 24 | Malayalam Literature | 48 | Marathi Literature |
IAS Personality Test – Interview
Only 1 -2 % of the total candidates reach here. It takes place in UPSC Bhawan, Delhi. The questions are asked about the candidate’s interests, current affairs, general knowledge, and situation-based questions.
This is to evaluate a candidate’s personality and critical thinking. The final score only looks at the mains exam and the personality test. The prelims are only for screening. The questions asked are usually around general knowledge or current affairs.
The interviewers may question the candidates about their career choice and the details they filled in application forms. They are looking for well-educated youth and will examine your personality and soft skills
IAS Exam Application Process
- The first step is to visit the UPSC website.
- You will see an option to “Register Now”. Click on it.
- Enter the Personal Information and Pay the Application Fees.
- Once you are done paying the fees, you can choose your nearest Center.
- You can upload your Photograph and Signature preferably in low resolution.
- Then, in the end, agree to the Declaration. By this, you agree to their terms and conditions.
IAS Exam Eligibility
For an IAS examination, the candidate has to be an Indian citizen. This is only applicable to the Indian Administrative Service exam and not other UPSC Exams. The candidate must be a graduate and have proof to prove this.
The age limit for the general category is 21 – 32 years. For SC/ST and OBC, the age extends till 37 years and 35 years respectively. The number of attempts allowed for general category candidates is 6, for SC/ST unlimited and lastly, for OBC there are 9 attempts.
IAS Exam Preparation Tips
1. Read Newspapers every day to stay updated about Current Affairs. You can also opt for watching prime time news. The current affairs are present in prelims for sure, you should not take a risk of avoiding contemporary issues.
2. NCERT books are the best basic books to kickstart your preparation. DataFlair NCERT Notes are based on these books, you can refer to them as well to save time and increase productivity.
NCERT History Notes for IAS Exam
UPSC NCERT Geography Notes for IAS Exam
NCERT Indian Polity Notes of IAS Exam
3. Start with the basic and easier topics and then get into more complicated topics. This will help you fetch extra time for the complex topic as the easier ones will take less time.
4. The IAS Prelims must not be taken lightly. It qualifies you to attempt the mains exam. The focus should be on theory subjects like History, Geography, Indian Polity, General Knowledge, and Basic Science.
5. Some important IAS Exam topics for History, Geography and Indian Polity are –
History
- British Expansion in India
- Economic Impact Of The British Raj
- Causes of Revolt of 1857
- Mahatma Gandhi Thoughts and Principles
- Rise of Separatist Trends
- Indian Freedom Struggle
- Cultural Encounters and Social Changes
Geography
- Indian Geography – Basics of India
- The Himalayas – History, Map, and Facts
- The Great North Indian Plain
- Indian Desserts
- Coastal Plains and Islands of India
- Major River Systems of India and Their Tributaries
- Major River Basins of India and River Interlinking
- Agriculture in India
- Hydropower Plants and Major Dams in India
- Climate of India
Indian Polity
- Constitution of India
- Sources of Indian Constitution – Features Borrowed
- Preamble to Indian Constitution
- Fundamental Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution
- Directive Principles of State Policy
- Union Executives of India
- Citizenship in India Articles / Citizenship Amendment Act
- Functions of Parliament of India
6. Choose your optional subject very carefully. The paper has graduation level questions. Choose if only you are not familiar with the subject. You can look at the Optional Subjects Syllabus to make the final decision.
7. You should always look at Previous year UPSC IAS question papers to understand the paper structure better. It also helps you to practice.
8. Solve as many sample papers before appearing for the IAS exams. DataFlair has one whole section attributed to free IAS mock papers to make your learning process smoother.
Conclusion
This article is the perfect guide for IAS Exam Aspirants. It will walk you through the entire process of the IAS exam from registration till the Personality Test. The article covers the eligibility, application process, exam pattern, exam syllabus, and exam preparation tips.
In order to appear for this exam, it is important to know the basic structure of it. This helps you make certain decisions in the future. If you are someone who is planning to appear for the IAS exam then this article will definitely help through the process.