IAS Eligibility Conditions (Are you Eligible for appearing in IAS Exams?)

The following questions are answers in this page: What is the educational qualifications for UPSC(IAS) Exam? Where from I can get the Application Forms? How many attempts are allowed? What is the cost of UPSC/Civil Services/IAS Application form? what is the Age Limit for appearing the upsc/ias exams?     ------------------------------------------------------------- 1) What is the educational qualifications for UPSC(IAS) Exam? Following are the eligibility conditions: A degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be a Deemed University under the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification. Note I) Candidates who have appeared or intend to appear for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear for the Preliminary Examination. All such candidates who qualify to appear for the Civil Services Main Examination must produce proof of having passed the said examination along with their application for the Main Examination. Note II) The UPSC may in exceptional cases treat a candidate without the foregoing requisite qualification as an eligible candidate if he / she has passed an examination conducted by other institutions, the standard of which justifies his / her admission in the opinion of the Commission. Note III) Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees. Note IV) 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. However they must submit along with their Main Examination application, a certificate from the concerned authority of the University / Institution that they have passed the final professional medical examination. At the Interview stage they must then produce a certificate from a competent authority that they have completed (including internship) all the requirements for the award of the Medical Degree. Note V) Other Eligibility Conditions for IAS Exams (1) Nationality i. Only Indian nationals are eligible for IAS and IPS. ii. For other services a candidate can be either of the following: a. a citizen of India, b. a subject of Nepal, c. a subject of Bhutan, d. a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or e. a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire or Zambia with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates belonging to either categories of b., c., d. or e., must produce an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India. Those who belong to either of b., c., or d., categories are not eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Where from I can get the Application Forms for UPSC Examinations? UPSC applications are available at the Post Offices. But NOT in ALL post offices. Only in Major Post Offices. Contact your nearest Post Office and get the details. However a list of post offices where you can upsc applications are given here. This list may vary a little. Andhra: Hyderabad GPO, Hyderabad Jubilee, Kachiguda Stn., Khairatabad, Secunderabad, Trimulgherry, Adilabad, Anantapur, Arundelpet (Guntur), Chittoor, Cuddapah, Eluru, Kakinada, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kurnool, Machilipatnam, Mahboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nellore, Nizamabad, Ongole, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vijayawada, Vikarabad, Visakhapatnam, Warangal. Assam : Guwahati, Barpeta, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Diphu, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Mangaldoi, Nagaon, Nalbari, North Lakhimpur, Sibsagar, Silchar, Tezpur, Tinsukia. Bihar :Patna, GPO, Bankipur, Arrah, Aurangabad, B. Deoghar, Bokaro Steel City, Banka, Battiah, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Biharsharif, Buxar, Chaibasa, Chapra, Daltonganj, Darbhanga, Dhanbad, Dumka, Gaya, Giridih, Gopalganj, Gumla, Hajipur, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Katihar, Madhubani, Motihari, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Purnea, Ranchi, Saharsa, Samastipur, Sasaram, Sitamarhi, Siwan. Delhi Circle Delhi: Delhi GPO, New Delhi, Indra Prastha, Ramesh Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Lodi Road, Krishna Nagar, Ashok Vihar, Parliament Street, UPSC PO. Gujarat:Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Amreli Anand, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Dahod, Godhra, Himatnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Mehesana, Navrangpura, Navsari, Palanpur, Patan, Porbandar, Rajkot, Revdi Bazar, Surat, Surendranagar, Valsad, Vadodara. Haryana:Ambala GPO, Ambala City, Bahadurgarh, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hissar, Jind, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Narnaul, Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat. HP : Shimla, Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Keylong, Kulu, Mandi, Nahan, Recong, Peo, Solan, Una. J&K:Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Jammu, Kathua, Leh, Rajouri, Udhampur. Karnataka:Bangalore GPO, Bangalore City, Basavangudi, HAL II Stage, Jayanagar, R.T. Nagar, Bagalkot, Raichur, Rajajinagar, Belgaum Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga, Devengere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Haveri, Hubli, Karwar, Kolar, Madikere, Mandya, Mangalore, Manipal, Mysore, Nanjagud, Shimoga, Sirsi, Tumkur, Udupi. Kerala:Trivandrum, Alleppey (Alappuzha), Calicut, Cannanore, Ernakulam, Kalpetta, Kasargod, Kattappana, Kottayam, Malappuram, Palghat, Pathanamthitta, Quilon, Trichur, Kavaratti, (Lakshadweep). MP:Bhopal GPO, Bilaspur, Ambikapur, Balaghat, Betul, Bhind, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dewas, Dhar, Durg, Guna, Hoshangabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jagdalpur, Jhabua, Khandwa, Khargone, Lashkar, Mandla, Mandsaur, Morena, Narsinghpur, Neemuch, Raigarh, Raipur, Raisen, Rajgarh (Biora), Rajnandgaon, Ratlam, Rewa, Sagar Cantt., Satna, Sehore, Seoni, Shahdol, Shajapur, Shivpuri, Sidhi, Tikamgarh, Ujjain, Vidisha. Maharashtra:Mumbai GPO, Andheri, Borivili, Chembur, Chinehbunder, Dadar, Girgaon, Kalbadevi, Mahim, Mandvi, Mumbai Central, Ahmednagar, Akola, Alibag, Amravati, Aurangabad, Beed, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Dhule, Jalagaon, Jalna, Karad, Kolhapur, Latur, Nagpur, GPO, Nanded, Nasik, Osmanbad, Parbhani, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Sawantwadi, Solapur, Thane, Wardha, Yeotmal, Margaon (Goa), Panaji (Goa). North East:Agartala, Aizwal, Dharmanagar, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Radhakishorepur, Shillong, Tura. Orissa:Bhubaneswar GPO, Angul, Bolangir, Balasore, Bargarh, Baripada, Berhamapur, Bhadrak, Bhawanipatna, Cuttack GPO, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jeypore (K), Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Keonhargarh, Koraput, Nayagarh, Parlakhemundi, Phulbani, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Sundargarh. Punjab:Amritsar, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar City, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur, Chandigarh. Rajasthan:Jaipur GPO, Jawahar Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Baran, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dausa, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Hanumangarh, Hindaun, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Kankroli, Kota, Nagaur, Pali Marwar, Sawaimadhopur, Shastri Circle Udaipur, Sikar, Sirohi, Sriganganagar, Tonk. Tamil Nadu:Chennai GPO, Anna Road, St. Thomas Mount, T. Nagar, Bodinayakanur, Chengalpattu, Chidambaram, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode, Kanchipuram, Karur, Madurai, Nagapattinam, Nagercoil, Namakkal, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Sivagangai, Tambaram, Thanjavur, Thiruvannamalai, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Tiruvayur, Turaiyur, Tuticorin, Udhagamandalam, Vellore, Villupuram, Virudhunagar, Pondicheerry. UP:Lucknow, Lucknow Chowk, Agra, Akbarpur, Aligarh, Allahabad, Allahabad Katchery, Almora, Auraiya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Balrampur, Banda, Bansi, Barabanki, Bareilly, Basti, Bijnor, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Dehradun, Deoria, Dhampur, Etah, Etawah, Faizabad, Fatehgarh, Fatehpur, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur, Gonda, Gopeshwar, Gorakhpur, Haldwani, Hamirpur,Hardoi, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Kheri, Lalitpur, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mau, Meerut, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Nainital, Orai, Pauri, Padrauna, Pilibhit, Pithoragarh, Pratapgarh, Rai Bareli, Rampur, Roorkee, Saharanpur, Shahajahanpur, Sitapur, Sultanpur, Tehri, Unnao, Varanasi. West Bengal:Calcutta GPO, Alipore, Barabazar, Beleghata, Belghoria, Cassipore, Park Street, Tollygunge, Balurghat, Bankura, Barasat, Berhampore, Burdwan, Chinsurah, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Howrah, Jalpaiguri, Krishnagar, Malda, Midnapore, Purulia, Suri, Siliguri, Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Gangtok (Sikkim). ------------------------------------------------------- 3.How many attempts are allowed for upsc exam? Four attempts for general category, seven for OBCs and no limit for SCs/STs. Note: if a person appears in the Preliminary Examination or even in one paper is counted as an attempt. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. what is the cost of UPSC application form? It is Rs.20. You can get the application from the major post offices. Do NOT use photocopied application forms. Do NOT purchase application form other than from post offices. List of post offices is given somewhere in this page. Detailed instructions will be available with the application form. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What is the Age Limit for appearinig in the UPSC Exams? i. A candidate must have attained 21 years and not be over 30 years on August 1 of the year of examination. ii. The upper age limit is relaxed in specific cases as mentioned below: a. upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate belongs to SC/ST. b. upto a maximum of 3 years if the candidate belongs to Other Backward Classes. c. upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate had been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir during the period between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989. d. upto a maximum of 3 years in the case of Defence Services personnel disabled during hostilities with foreign countries or in a disturbed area and consequently released. e. upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs / SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on August 1 of the year of examination and have been released: on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from August 1 of the year of examination) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or on invalidment. f. upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ECOs / SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment (5 years Military Service) as on August 1 of the year of examination and whose assignment has been extended beyond 5 years. Such candidates will have to provide a certificate from the Ministry of Defence stating that they can apply for civil employment and they will be released on a notice of 3 months, upon selection, from the date of receipt of offer of appointment. g. upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped candidates.   ---------------------------------------------------------- 6. How many papers I have to write? At what dates the exams are conducted? The exams are conducted every ever. Preliminary exams are conducted normally in May. Main exams are conducted October/November. If you have passed preliminary, then only you can go for main exam (Ofcourse, that you know) How many papers are there in preliminary? It is just TWO Papers. Each paper is of two hours duration.CSP consists of two papers containing a total of 450 marks: (1) Optional subject to be selected from the listed subjects for 300 marks. This list of optional subjects for preliminary : Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, Indian History, Law, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology. (2) Compulsory General Studies paper for 150 marks. What is the pass mark for preliminary? If there about 1000 vacancies, then they may select about 10,000 to 12,000 candidates main exam. Because, preliminary is basically a screening test. The General Studies syllabus is same for all and its standard is that of plus-two level. Optional subject is degreee level.     Main Examination has TWO optional subjects (two papers each carries 300 marks), ONE General Studies (two papers each carries 300 marks), ONE essay (carries 200 marks). Other than this, there are TWO language papers one in Indian language and one in General English at the level of 10th standard. This is to test the ability of the candidate's proficiency in his mother tongue / Indian language and English. (Total number of papers is nine). These two papers carry 300 marks each but it is not considered for ranking. Clearing these two papers is compulsory. If a candidate fails to clear these papers, his other papers will not be evaluated. Language papers therefore are of qualifying nature only.   List of optional papers for main exam(you have to choose two, but certain combinations are not allowed): Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce and Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology. The following combinations not allowed are: Anthropology and Sociology Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration Commerce and Management Mathamatics and Statistics Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Management and Public Administration Any two branches of engineering. Combination of two literatures in the above list. List of Literature subjects (You have to choose one): Arabic, Assamese, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. Interview: At interview stage, candidates between two to three-fold of the vacancies are called to appear before the UPSC Board. Interview carries 300 marks. Interview calls are sent on the basis of minimum marks fixed by the UPSC at its discretion. The overall ranking is done based on the Mains performance (i.e., 2000 marks) and interview. Therefore, the total marks involved in the ranking are 2300. Candidates are allotted various services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and preferences given by them in their main application form. Note: If a person fails in either in mains or interview, he has to appear once again from the preliminary stage.