The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the premier civil service of India, and thousands of aspirants dream of joining it every year. However, the journey to become an IAS officer is never easy, and the first step on this difficult path is cracking the IAS exam. The IAS exam is considered to be one of the toughest exams in the world, and its pattern can be quite confusing for the uninitiated. In this article, we will try to unravel the mystery of the IAS exam pattern and provide a comprehensive guide to aspirants.
The IAS exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year, and it consists of three stages, namely the Prelims, the Mains, and the Interview. The Prelims stage is an objective type examination, while the Mains stage is a subjective type examination. The Interview stage is a personality test.
The Prelims stage consists of two papers, Paper-I and Paper-II, each of which carries 200 marks. Paper-I is on General Studies, and Paper-II is on Aptitude Test. It is important to note that Paper-II is just a qualifying paper, and its marks are not counted for determining the eligibility of the candidates for the Mains stage. Candidates who score a minimum of 33% in Paper-II and an aggregate of at least 66% in Paper-I and Paper-II are eligible for the Mains stage.
The Mains stage is a written examination, and it consists of nine papers, two of which are qualifying papers, and the remaining seven are counted for determining the final ranking of the candidates. The first qualifying paper is on any Indian language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, and the second qualifying paper is on English. The seven papers that are counted for ranking the candidates are as follows:
• Paper-I: Essay (250 marks)
• Paper-II: General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society) (250 marks)
• Paper-III: General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations) (250 marks)
• Paper-IV: General Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, and Security) (250 marks)
• Paper-V: General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude) (250 marks)
• Paper-VI: Optional Subject Paper-I (250 marks)
• Paper-VII: Optional Subject Paper-II (250 marks)
Candidates who score the minimum qualifying marks in the two qualifying papers are eligible for evaluation of their seven papers. The top-ranked candidates are then called for the Interview stage.
The Interview stage is a personality test, and it carries 275 marks. The Interview is conducted to assess the candidate’s overall personality, including mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, the balance of judgment, variety, and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
