PWOnlyIAS
March 21, 2024 06:55
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Learn about eligibility for IAS Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam, including age limits, educational qualifications, and number of attempts.
IAS is one of the most prestigious career choices in India. Despite being such a coveted position, the qualification for IAS is fairly simple and easily achievable. The reason for such a simple qualification is to give a fair chance to all sections of society to become an IAS officer. This will ensure that there is wider socio-economic representation in civil services. An individual can become an IAS Officer if eligibility for IAS exam is attained.
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) refers to a category of bureaucrats who serve the union and the states in multiple capacities. Being an elite group, they are valued immensely for their contribution to administration. The IAS is the administrative arm of the All-India Services, which also consists of the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service.
The IAS Exam has kept very low eligibility criteria for candidates to appear. This is the reason why lakhs of candidates apply for the exam, compared to specific services such as Engineering Service. For a candidate to appear for the IAS Exam, he/she has to majorly fulfil two types of criteria: age criteria and educational criteria. In addition, there are limits imposed on the number of attempts a candidate can give, the physical qualifications and citizenship criteria. The minimum qualification for IAS is as follows:
The UPSC age limit for the candidates belonging to the General category is 21 to 32 years.
For being eligible for UPSC examination 2024, candidates must be at least 21 years old and not more than 32 years old as of August 1, 2024.
However, there are age limit relaxation for candidates belonging to certain categories:
| Category of Candidates | Age Relaxation |
| Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes | 5 years |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC) | 3 years |
| Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations | 3 years |
| Ex-servicemen (Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers and Short Service Commissioned Officers) with at least five years of service | 5 years |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)
(a) blindness and low vision; (b) deaf and low hearing; (c) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; (d) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; and (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness |
10 years |
There is a citizenship qualification for Grade-A Services such as IAS, IPS and IFS.
| Service | Citizenship Requirements |
| IAS | A Citizen of India |
| IPS | A Citizen of India |
| IFS | A Citizen of India or a Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, for permanently settling in India. |
| Other Services |
|
Candidates who are citizens of Nepal, citizens of Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee or a Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, for permanently settling in India, must furnish a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India for getting appointed, even though they are eligible to write exam without it.
The UPSC imposes a limit on the number of times a candidate can appear for the IAS Examination. This number varies according to the category of the candidate.
| Category | Number of Attempts | Maximum Age (Years) |
| General and EWS | 6 | 32 |
| OBC | 9 | 35 |
| PwBD | 9 | 42 |
| SC and ST | Unlimited | 37 |
| Ex-Servicemen | 9 | 37 |
| Disabled Defence Services Personnel | 9 | 35 |
| General/OBC/EWS PwBD candidates | 9 | See below Description |
| SC/ST categories PwBD candidates | Unlimited | See below Description |
| Age Relaxation for PWD Candidate
The prescribed upper age-limit of an examination (wherever applicable) is relaxable up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of candidates belonging to PwBD categories as below (a) low vision and blindness ; (b) deaf and hard of hearing; (c) Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; (d) Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; (e) Multiple disabilities from amongst person under clauses (a) to (e) including deaf, blindness. PwBD candidates, who also belong to either SC or ST or OBC or Exservicemen, are eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both categories. |
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Candidates aspiring to become IAS Officers have to maintain certain physical fitness and capabilities. Without minimum standards, they may not be considered for the service.
Candidates are required to pass a medical fitness examination to assess their physical capabilities to become civil servants.
For being appointed as IPS officers for districts, Indian Railway services and the police services of Pondicherry, candidates need to have necessary weight, height, and chest measurements.
The medical test for assessing the physical fitness will be conducted at the following hospital in Delhi:
An IAS Officer as well as a civil servant, is a very prestigious position. Due to the nature of the job, candidates are required to have certain physical standards. However, as far as educational and age criteria is concerned, UPSC has been very flexible and liberal so that people from disadvantaged sections have an equal opportunity to crack the examination.
| Must Read | |
| NCERT Notes For UPSC | UPSC Daily Current Affairs |
| UPSC Blogs | UPSC Daily Editorials |
| Daily Current Affairs Quiz | Daily Main Answer Writing |
| UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers | UPSC Test Series 2024 |
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