How to Become an IAS Officer After Class 12th

PWOnlyIAS March 20, 2024 03:59 1829 0

Learn how to pursue your dream of becoming an IAS officer after class 12th with strategic planning and effective preparation strategies.

How to Become an IAS Officer After Class 12th

Introduction: Becoming an IAS Officer After Class 12th

Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) is becoming a popular career choice for many youngsters who are currently in school. This is because of the awareness generated about the profession.

The rise in popularity for IAS can also be attributed to pop culture, especially movies and TV shows that have managed to capture imagination across the country.

Youngsters have been positively inspired to consider IAS as a profession. Despite the motivation and encouragement, IAS as a profession is not easy to achieve. In a vastly populous country such as India, an elite profession such as IAS is highly desired and thus the competition is also very high. However, people with the right motivation, guidance and a clear-cut approach can ace the examination and achieve their goal of becoming an IAS officer.

Understanding the Significance of an IAS Officer

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is a category of bureaucrats who serve the union and the states in various capacities. They are the cream among the bureaucrats and hence 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.

Responsibilities of an IAS Officer

  • To collect revenue, and in matters of revenue and crime, function as court officials.
  • To maintain law and order in their administrative area.
  • To implement the policies of the union and state government at the grass-roots level.
  • To function as an agent of the government in the field.
  • To handle day-to-day proceedings of the government such as formulation and implementation of policy in consultation with elected representatives and other employees.
  • To make certain policy decisions by consulting with the concerned minister or the council of ministers when posted at the higher level.

Functions of an IAS Officer

The IAS is a part of the permanent bureaucracy of the nation, ensuring continuity in administration regardless of the political party in power.

An IAS officer serves in various authorities such as constitutional bodies, government agencies, auxiliary bodies, government-run companies, state and central regulatory bodies, statutory bodies and other autonomous bodies. IAS officers can also represent the country at international level in organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, or the United Nations, or its agencies.

IAS officers also head important statutory and constitutional bodies such as Election Commission of India, Comptroller and Auditor General, Reserve Bank of India etc.

How to Become an IAS Officer After Class 12th?

The most common way of becoming an IAS officer is by passing the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Such officers are called direct recruits.

There are IAS officers recruited from the state civil services, and, in some cases, selected from non-state civil service.

The success rate of IAS is about 0.02%. This is the reason IAS officers are highly coveted and respected in the society. Once a candidate is selected for IAS, he/she will undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.

IAS officers are required to provide their cadre preferences beforehand so that they serve their respective states/UTs. IAS officers remains in their allocated cadre or are deputed to the Government of India. Change of cadre is allowed only in exceptional circumstances.

Can I Become an IAS Officer After Class 12th?

For an individual to become an IAS officer, he/she should have attained the age of 21 years. In addition, they must have an undergraduate degree from a recognised university.

So, immediately after 12th, an individual cannot become an IAS officer. However, candidates in their final year of graduation can appear for the examination.

Aspirants who have passed 12th standard can plan for their future by choosing courses that can help them in their UPSC exam preparation. 

How to Effectively Utilise Time Before Becoming an IAS Officer?

If you are a candidate who has passed 12th standard and wants to become an IAS officer, then it is the optimal time to plan your strategy for the future.

The strategy for becoming an IAS officer can be divided into multiple methods, some of which are as follows:

  • Selecting Graduation Course: A candidate’s graduation course after 12th will decide the nature of preparation for IAS examination. In case the candidate graduates with humanities subjects such as Polity, History, Geography etc, their preparation will be fairly simple.
    In case the candidate selects a non-humanities graduation course, he/she will require extensive orientation sessions for building up the foundation for the future knowledge. So, a candidate has to decide what graduation course he/she will choose if their primary goal is to become an IAS officer. 
  • Understanding Examination Requirements: The most critical aspect in preparation of IAS examination is having a clear-cut knowledge about the UPSC exam syllabus. UPSC has clearly given the subjects that they expect a candidate to know. It becomes a responsibility of the candidate to understand the requirements for acing the examination. Without proper knowledge of the examination, a candidate is bound to focus his/her attention in the wrong direction.
  • Selecting Resources for Studying: The development of digital infrastructure has enabled easy access to high quality materials to excel in the IAS examination. With minimal efforts, a candidate can select the core and supplementary materials that are needed for preparation. If they face any problems, they can always join a suitable institute for preparation, such as PW OnlyIAS.
  • Optimal Time Management: The candidate has to create a study plan depending on their attempt year. The time table must not be too exhaustive, but instead it must focus on realistic goals. Subjects that carry the most weightage must be prioritised. Similarly, conceptual static subjects can be finished early. Efforts should be made to dedicate a fixed time for studying for the IAS examination along with academics. If the right process is followed, results will come automatically.
  • Regular Testing: Preparation for IAS examination is incomplete without testing. Candidates are advised to enrol in a quality test series for both Preliminary examination as well as Mains examination. Testing will help in identifying weak and strong areas. It will also help in boosting the confidence of the candidate before the actual examination.
  • Consistency: The key to success is the level of consistency. Consistency is a feature that separates a serious aspirant from casual ones. In the beginning of the preparation, every candidate dedicates his time and efforts but they are not able to build consistency. Without consistency, knowledge becomes superficial and directionless. The efforts you put in during the final phases cannot yield results if you are not consistent.
  • Motivation: The solution for consistency is motivation. The level of motivation of a candidate is usually inversely proportional to the time. With the passage of time, an individual’s hunger and motivation goes southwards. During such a phase, it is essential to remain motivated and keep the fire burning.
  • Alternative Planning: Becoming an IAS officer or any other posts under UPSC is not easy. The chances of success are less than 1%. In such a skewed probability scenario, it is necessary that an individual has an alternative career option to fall back in case of failure.  This sense of assurance can act as an additional booster to your IAS preparation.

Preparation Strategy after 12th Standard 

IAS Officer After Class 12th

Conclusion

The examination for selecting IAS officers is considered to be one of the toughest. It is therefore necessary that a candidate has the right aptitude and approach while attempting the examination.

Preparing early, say immediately after 12th standard, can be a good strategy. But for that to actually give results, one has to plan meticulously. There have been instances where proper planning has helped candidates to qualify the examination and become IAS Officers. Hard work has to be prioritised. There is no alternate way.

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

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is a category of bureaucrats who serve the union and the states in various capacities.

No. The minimum age requirement is 21 years in addition to an educational qualification of under graduation. However, candidates can start preparation immediately after 12th standard.

It depends on the attempt year as well as preparation level. If you're a candidate looking for a long-term approach, you need not study for 12 Hours daily.

Not necessary. Humanities stream helps better understand the core subjects of IAS examination. However, students from non-humanities backgrounds have also performed equally well.

Not compulsory. If candidates already possess the core knowledge they can join value-addition courses instead of foundational courses. PW OnlyIAS is one such institute that offers foundational as well as specialised courses.

Test series are absolutely necessary to gauge the level of preparation. It also offers a simulation before the actual examination.
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