The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the promising branch of the Indian civil service. This is one of the premier services of the Indian Government. So, how to become an IAS Officer in India? To become an IAS officer, the candidate has to pass a mandatory entrance exam. After the candidate becomes an IAS officer, they get a job with the Government setup. IAS is one of the most popular and prestigious popular career choices amongst aspirants that want to make a career in the government sector.

It is a trendy career choice that the monetary compensation that comes with the job is reasonable. And there are lots of perks and privileges that go with it too. An IAS officer frames government policies and advises the ministers on various issues.

IAS officer maintains law and order; supervises the implementation of rules in the state and central government, collects revenues, functions as the court in revenue matters, supervises expenditure of public funds as per norms of financial etiquette, and also handles the daily affairs of the Government. Now that you understand what the job of an IAS officer pertains let’s get into how one becomes an IAS officer.

How to become an IAS Officer in India- The Process

To become an IAS officer, you need to qualify for the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC every year. The exam is conducted to recruit several civil servants for about 25 services, including IAS, IPS, IFS, Central government services, and other allied services. UPSC releases the inviting notification application around January to February of each year. The first phase of the preliminary examination is usually held around the end of May or the beginning of June.

There are three stages of UPSC exams. The first is the preliminary examination. The second is Civil Services (Main) Examination. The third phase is the Personality Test or the Interview, as most people call it. 

Civil Services Prelims

UPSC Prelims consists of two papers, namely General Studies-1 and General Studies-2 or the CSAT paper. You should always make sure that you get complete information about these papers. 

UPSC Civil Services Main

UPSC Civil Services (Main) examination, the Mains paper consists of 9 papers. All of them are 3 hours long. The first paper is a compulsory Indian language; the second paper is in English, the third paper is an essay paper, the fourth paper is General studies 1, the fifth paper is General studies 2, the sixth paper is General studies 3, seventh paper is General studies four, and the final two papers are optional subjects.

How does one prepare for Civil Services Exam?

You need to make sure that you start at least 8-12 months before the actual exams. So, you need to begin studying the syllabus a year in advance. 

Know about the exam

You must know about the exam. One should be very well versed with the syllabus of the UPSC exceptionally well. You need to make a copy of the syllabus and always keep it in your reach so that you can do it immediately whenever you need to get a reference about the syllabus. You must map the syllabus in your mind. Maybe get a few old question papers to understand how questions are asked and understand the paper pattern.

Read books

You should start reading classic books that are required for UPSC preparation. You need to go through all the standard textbooks. Maybe find all the essential books that are required in order to be ready to appear for the UPSC exams. You should also look into NCERT books that are important for you to need. 

Keep up with current affairs.

Direct questions from the current affairs are asked in the Preliminary examination every year. It is essential that you read about the current affairs 12 to 18 months before appearing for UPSC examinations. You should cover all the newspapers and magazines.

Mock Tests and Answer practices

Mock tests and answer writing are critical to preparing for the UPSC examination. You cannot complete your UPSC preparations without practicing mock test and answer practices. The mock test helps analyze your preparation and gives you a good idea of where you lack in your practice. These will help you hone your writing skills and enables you to perfect your answer writing techniques. So, you must practice both of them in your preparation for the exams.

Revision

And now we get to the most essential part of your preparation for the exams, the revision. Multiple revisions of what you have studied throughout your practice are significant. You need to make sure that you remember all the important dates and events in General studies. Hence, you must revise these concepts as often as possible to make those concepts cement in your mind.

Timetable

To become an IAS office, you need to make sure that you have a well-organized daily routine. Make a timetable that works for you. A timetable will always ease your UPSC preparation and make it streamlined for you. With an efficient timetable, you will perform better and complete the syllabus faster.

Optional subjects

The choosing of the optional subject is critical. While choosing the topics, make sure that you consider the pros and cons of the subject. You need to make sure that you have an interest in the subject. Pick a topic that you have prior knowledge of. And make sure that there is a good amount of study material available for you.

Conclusion

We have gone over all the tips regarding how to become an IAS officer in India, that could help you with your preparation for the IAS exams. You need to know that becoming an IAS officer is not an easy task. Although the job comes with its perks and privileges, the road to becoming an IAS officer is very bumpy and not a great one at that. So, before deciding on pursuing this course, make sure that you have a good understanding of the work that an IAS officer has to do. And if you are up for the hard work, all you have to do is make your dreams come true.

Hope this article answered your query- how to become an IAS officer in India. if yes, then share it will your fellow aspirants.

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