IAS, IPS Exam Eligibility | Eligibility criteria for UPSC Civil Services
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The UPSC Exam notification first and foremost requires you to check your eligibility to give this examination. Eligibility of age, education, nationality, number of attempts and physical and medical fitness need to be checked.
| Category | Age Limit | Number of Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| General | 21- 32 years | 6 |
| SC/ST | 21- 37 years | Unlimited till Age Limit |
| OBC | 21- 35 years | 9 |
| Person With Disabilities (PWD) | 21-42 years | 9 |
For general category students, they can give 6 attempts anytime between the age of 21 to 32 years. Students from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities can give the exam as many times as they want between the age of 21 to 37 years. Students from Other Backward Classes can give the exam between the age of 21-35 years and 9 times. Persons with Benchmark Disabilties can give the exam 9 times between the age of 21 to 42 years.
There are also age limit relaxations for Disabled Defence Personnel who can give the exam from 21 to 35 years and Ex-Servicemen who can give the exam from 21 to 37 years. Both these categories can give the exam 6 times. More details for who exactly qualifies for these categories are given in the UPSC Examination Notification which comes out in January every year.
Your age will be calculated form the date of birth in your Class 10th Certificate/Matriculation Certificate or equivalent certificate. Your attempt is counted when you appear for one of the Prelims Examination. If you fill the form, but do not appear for the exam then the attempt is not counted.
The candidate should be a graduate from any University recognised by the Government. Candidates who have appeared in the final year examination of their graduation and awaiting result can appear in Preliminary Examination for IAS/ UPSC Examination.
| Service | Nationality |
|---|---|
| IAS, IFS and IPS | Citizen of India |
| Other Services |
Citzen of India Person with Eligibility Certificate for being a-
|
For Indian Administrative Services, Indian Foreign Services and Indian Police Services only Citizens of India can apply. However for other services not only citizens of India, but persons with eligibility certificate can also clear. These Persons can be subjects of Nepal and Bhutan. Tibetan Refugees permanently settled in India, since before 1st January 1962 can also apply for these other services. Person of Indian Origin permanently settled in India after migrating from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam are also eligible to apply for other services apart from IAS, IFS and IPS.
Candidates must be physically fit to be effective in service. These requirements of fitness are strict for IPS, IRTS, RPF, DANIPS and PONDIPS which include height, weight, chest etc. requirements. Other services demand basic physical and mental health fitness only so that they can discharge their duties and responsibilities and serve the nation well.
You must keep these requirements strictly in mind while deciding to give the exam. Candidates should be clear before committing to this very difficult exam that they are eligible. After checking these, you are good to go and plan your journey to success.
Every year approximately 10 lakh aspirants apply for the Civil service examination and nearly
half of them appear in prelims to get into the prestigious civil services. It is a dream job for
many. Being a civil servant offers something that many top corporate jobs, businesses, and even
reputed government jobs can’t. It could be power, fame, prestige, self-actualization, perks, or an
opportunity to serve the nation.
Many young aspirants start preparing for CSE just after completing their intermediate (12th
standard) but it is very vital for a candidate, especially for a fresher to know the right time to
prepare for the civil services exam. This is not as simple as it sounds. Many deserving candidates
fall short of their attempts because they come to know about the existence of the Civil Services
Examination (CSE) very late in their life when they are on the verge of completing the maximum age
limit.
It takes time to understand the demand for this examination and everybody has his/her speed of
assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Having no time or a lesser number of attempts due to age
issues creates additional pressure on the candidate. The point is that it is crucial to know the
various eligibility criteria to prepare in the best possible way and start at the right time in
advance. Knowing all the UPSC eligibility criteria thoroughly, in fact, makes you smarter and gives
you an edge over others who are unaware (believe it or not) because then you can plan your UPSC
journey (the journey of a lifetime) in a manner best suitable for you.
In light of that, below are the various UPSC eligibility criteria you must know to give your best
shot.
For Indian administrative service, Indian Foreign Service, & Indian Police Service
For other services
If you are from Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, or other above-mentioned countries (having the intention of permanently settling in India), knowing only the fact that you are eligible for such coveted posts will boost your confidence and surely, you would not want to miss this chance.
Many youngsters from such countries live in India yet are unaware of this golden opportunity in their way.
By studying the job profiles, you are eligible for, you can choose one dream job that you’re passionate about and it will motivate you in your hard times throughout the UPSC journey.
A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him/her by the Government of India.
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You should be at least 21 years of age to sit in the Civil Services Examination. Further, you can give your valid number of attempts until you attain 32 years. (Relaxations described below excluded) |
| CATEGORY | AGE RELAXATIONS |
|---|---|
| SC/ST | Five years |
| OBC | Three years |
| Defence Services Personnel | Three years |
| Ex-servicemen | Five years |
| Number of papers | Prelims: 2 Mains :9 |
| Blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy, autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, mental illness, and multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness. | Ten years |
| If you are domiciled in U.T of Jammu and Kashmir/ Ladakh | Five years |
The candidate must hold a degree, or possess an equivalent qualification to fulfill the eligibility criteria for IAS. Your degree should be recognised either by an act of parliament or state legislature or University Grants Commission. To bring socio-economic balance in our society, the government encourages women to apply for CSE in large numbers.
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.
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.
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.
Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees can also appear for Civil Services Examination.
| Every candidate appearing at the examination, who is otherwise eligible shall be permitted six attempts at the examination. |
| Age | Educational Qualification | No. of Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| General 21-32 Years | Graduate (any stream) | Six |
| OBC 21-35 Years | Graduate (any stream) | Nine |
| SC/ST 21-37 Years | Graduate (any stream) | Any number of attempts till the age limit |
| CATEGORY | AGE LIMIT (MIN. AGE- MAX. AGE) | NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS |
|---|---|---|
| General | 21-42 years | Nine |
| OBC | 21-42 years | Nine |
| SC/ST | 21-47 years | Any number of attempts till the age limit |
What will count as an attempt at the Civil Services Examination?
An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the Civil Services Examination If:
The appearance of the candidate at the examination will count as an attempt.
If a candidate just applies for UPSC CSE but doesn't appear, that won't be counted as an attempt by UPSC.
If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary Examination, he/she shall be deemed to have made an attempt at the Examination.
A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service on the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to compete at this examination. In case such a candidate is appointed to the IAS/IFS after the Preliminary Examination of Civil Services Examination, is over and he/she continues to be a member of that service, he/she shall not be eligible to appear in the Civil Services (Main) Examination.
The UPSC prescribes some eligibility criteria for successful candidates to be appointed for service.
There are some Physical standards for UPSC civil services, specifically for the technical services
like the Indian Police Service (IPS), the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Delhi Andaman and
Nicobar Police Service (DANIPS), Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS), and the Railway Protection
Force (RPF) such as height, weight, chest, etc. But the other non-technical services don’t require
them and only some basic demands of physical health are mandatory to be satisfied by the candidates.
According to the Rule, 21 at Civil Services Examination prescribed by the Department of Personnel
and Training (DoPT) states that, “An applicant must be in a good mental and bodily health and free
from any physical flaw which is likely to interfere with the discharge of his duties and
responsibilities as an officer of the service.”
These were some of the criteria which will surely guide you in your UPSC journey. Now it's time for you to start as wise people believe that the early you start, the early you get results.