IAS Full Form: Learn About Salary & Eligibility Criteria to Pass the Indian Administrative Service

Do you want to know the full form of IAS and what it takes to join the renowned Indian Administrative Service? So, you’re in the right place. In this piece, we’ll look at the full name of IAS and learn more about this prestigious career path and to pass the competitive exam, civil service exam. 

The Indian Administrative Service is a dream for many people who want to help their country and make a difference. Join us as we discover IAS’s secrets, such as what you need to do to pass the test and how much money it pays.

IAS is one of the three India Services, and the others are the Indian police service (IPS) & Indian Forest Service (IFS).

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IAS Full Form

The full form of IAS is Indian Administrative Services, one of the most-wanted jobs in the Indian government. The Union Public Service Commission gives the UPSC Exam every year. This is how people are chosen to work for the Government of India in group A and B jobs. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the government of India’s top administrative, civil service and a key part of the country’s management and government.

Many people want to be an IAS officer, but only a few make it to the final list. To pass the civil service examination, you must study hard and follow the rules for a year and a half.

Read more: How to become an IAS officer in India?

Responsibilities of an IAS Officer Includes

All India Civil Services members called “cadet officers,” work for the national government and the states. IAS officers can also be in charge of different government bodies, such as independent bodies, auxiliary bodies, statutory bodies, staff and line agencies, regulatory bodies, and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) at the national and state levels. But an IAS officer’s tasks and responsibilities depend on the assignment from the law, rules, and government departments. They have three kinds of work to do:

• Field
• Central Secretariat
• State Secretariat or Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

Field positions are considered the most difficult jobs for an IAS officer. IAS officers do the following most of the time:

• Responsible for government business, like making, implementing, and reviewing laws.
• Supervising how different government plans and policies are carried out.
• Rules about how to spend money should be used to monitor how public money is spent.
• Regarding money, the court collects taxes and handles tax cases.
• Keep the law and order.
• Serve as the District Development Commissioner/Chief Development Officer (CDO).
• An IAS officer is responsible for responding to natural disasters, riots, and big accidents in their area.

Even though most IAS officers’ field assignments stop at the district level, many of them move on to jobs in the Central and State governments, where they work in the Central and State Secretariats, respectively:

• Secretarial jobs in the central government review, make and carry out policies for different departments.
• IAS officers have jobs in the State Secretariat. They use their experience and knowledge to help elected officials make decisions about policy and how the government works.
• Many IAS officers are sent to work in the top management of PSUs like power plants and industrial facilities after being sent to PSU cadres.

Monthly Salary of an IAS Officer

The Central Government chooses a Pay Commission to decide on the salaries of people who work for the Central Government. But it’s up to the Central government to accept or reject the Pay Commission’s suggestions. The rate of inflation also changes salaries. It means that IAS officers’ pay changes constantly based on the economy. But the pay keeps going up as time goes on. And everything, from travel to help around the house, is paid for by the government.

On June 29, 2018, the Central Government signed off on the 7th Pay Commission. At the starting level, an IAS salary that includes basic pay is Rs. 56,100 (TA, DA, and HRA are extra). Then the grade pay is Rs.16,500. Also, a Cabinet Secretary can make up to Rs. 2,50,000 if they are a senior IAS worker.

And the extra benefits are the following:

• The government often raises the amount of Dearness Allowance. It can raise the base pay by more than 100%. So, DA can directly raise the salary of an IAS member.
• The IAS Officer’s House Rent Allowance (HRA) depends on where they are placed. It is usually between 8% and 24% of an
• officer’s base pay.
• Allowance for travel
• Allowance for transport
• Medical Allowance: If an IAS worker needs medical care, they can get money back.

Job Benefits after you Become an IAS Officer

IAS officers get a lot of perks and rewards, which makes it one of the most popular jobs in the country. Indian Administrative Services Officer is the full name of an IAS Officer.

Some of the perks of being an IAS are:

• A lot of confidence in their jobs.
• IAS can get study leaves and apply to colleges outside of India. If accepted, the Indian government would pay the fees, but only under certain conditions.
• IAS are given perks like housing, government cars, drivers, security officers, etc.
• Most of the bills IAS pays are free and paid for by the government.
• An IAS gets a pension and perks for life, and they may be put on commissions.

Indian Administrative Service Officer Eligibility Criteria

Before taking any test, the most important thing a candidate needs to know is whether or not they are qualified to take the test. So, to make things easier for people who want to work for UPSC, a summary of the IAS eligibility requirements is shown in the table below. This includes the UPSC educational requirements, the IAS maximum age limit, the number of tries, any exemptions, and more. Candidates must meet the following standards to be able to take the UPSC IAS Exam:

Qualification

• A graduate degree from any university that is known. Students in their last year of college can take the UPSC prelims test. There are, however, a few rules:
• Candidates must prove they passed their university test to take the UPSC Mains.

Age Limit

• Unreserved group and EWS: Candidates must be at least 21 years old and no older than 32 years old.
• OBC: Candidates must be at least 21 years old and no older than 35 (3 years age waiver).
• ST/SC: Applicants must be at least 21 years old and no older than 37 years old (there is a 5-year age break).

Nationality

Must be a citizen of India or a person from Bhutan, Tibet, or Nepal who came to India as a refugee before January 1, 1962.

UPSC IAS Exam (Civil Service Exam)

The UPSC gives the IAS Exam every year in May and June to find qualified people. There are three parts to the UPSC Exam: the Prelims, the Mains, and the Interview/Personality Test.

Many people take the IAS Exam, but only a small number (around 800-1000) are chosen. People think the IAS Exam is one of the hardest tests in the country.

Prelims Stage

The hardest part of the test is the UPSC Prelims. Even though it’s just a screening test and the marks don’t count towards the final score, candidates should be careful now. There are two multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on the IAS Prelims: GS Paper 1 and CSAT. The UPSC Prelims Syllabus is detailed and mostly covers everything, and the CSAT Syllabus covers the analytical and basic language skills needed for the test.

You must get at least a 33% on this paper to pass the CSAT. So, your UPSC Cutoff score will be based on your General Studies test.

Mains Stage

The UPSC Mains is a written test with 9 questions. It is a descriptive test. Two of the language papers are just for qualifying, while the other seven are used to make the final scores for the UPSC Exam.

The UPSC Mains Syllabus has a complete list of all the GS tests that need to be studied and a list of the optional subjects that candidates for the IAS Exam can choose from. UPSC gives you a choice of 48 topics for their “Optional Subjects.”

Interview Stage

The UPSC Interview or Personality Test is held at the Dholpur House in New Delhi for those who pass the UPSC Mains. During the Interview Stage, the chosen candidates are put in a group with a board member/UPSC Chairman and 4-5 other top, well-known people from different fields. This group is called the Board Group. The interview questions can be about many different things, but they will mostly be about your DAF.

IAS Exam Syllabus

Before starting to study, students must closely examine the syllabus to understand how deep it goes and what UPSC wants. The courses for Prelims and Mains are mostly the same, but they ask for different information. 

The Prelims test covers History, Geography, Polity and the Indian Constitution, the Economy, the Environment, and current events. In the Mains test, there are more sections than in the Prelims. For example, GS paper 1 has a World History and Society section. GS paper 2 has an extra section on International Relations. GS paper 3 has a section on Security and a whole new paper. The 

Mains test also has GS Paper 4 (Ethics), Essay, and Optional. The preliminary exam has objective questions, the main exam has subjective questions, and the interview is a viva exam that checks the candidates’ personalities. 

The candidate is picked based on their performance on the Main Exam and the Interview. There are 1750 points for the Mains test, which has 4 General Studies papers, 2 Optional Studies papers, and 1 Essay paper. The interview step is worth 275 points. 

The student should study carefully because of how big the UPSC CSE syllabus is and how questions can come from various topics.

Prelims – First Paper (General Studies)

• Recent events that are important nationally and internationally.
• Indian History and the Indian Nationalist Movement.
• Physical, economic, and social geography of India and the rest of the world.
• Indian Polity and Government: Constitution, Panchayati Raj, Political System, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Social and Economic Development: Sustainable Development, Inclusion, Poverty, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General questions about environmental ecology, climate change, and biodiversity that don’t need subject-specific knowledge
• General Science

Prelims – Second Paper (CSAT)

• Engish Comprehension
• Communication skills are part of interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think logically and analyse things
• Making decisions and fixing problems
• General thinking ability
• Basic math skills (numbers and their relationships, ordering, average age, etc.) – Class X level
• Class 10 level: Data analysis (charts, tables, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.)

Mains Exam

• Compulsory The Indian language is listed in Schedule VIII of the Indian Constitution. To pass, you only need 25% of the marks. Total 300 Marks)
• English is necessary (but you only need 25% to pass). Total 300 Marks)
• Essay Paper (Total 250 Marks)
• Current affairs
• GS Paper 1 (250 Marks) covers Indian and world history, geography, art and culture, and society.
• Part of GS Paper 2 (250 marks) is Polity and the Indian Constitution, Government, Social and Economic Development, and International Relations.
• GS Paper 3 (250 Marks) is about the economy, the environment, Security, and science and technology.
• GS Paper 4 (250 marks) is about ethics.

Extra Paper

There are 26 subjects, but you can only choose one as your Optional Paper for the UPSC CSE Exam (Optional includes two papers from the same subject, each worth 250 points, for 500 extra marks).

The English language paper and the Indian language paper that are required are not counted towards the final selection list. For checking the rest of the Mains test, you must pass these two required papers with at least 25% of the total 300 marks (75 marks).

Each of the other seven tests is worth 250 Marks, for 1750 Marks.

Interview Stage

UPSC wants to test more than just your knowledge in the last part of the CSE exam. Your knowledge has already been tested in the Mains writing exams. So, candidates for the interview stage should read as much as possible about what’s happening in the world to brush up on their knowledge. Because of this, you will do well.

Number of attempts allowed for the IAS Exam

If you’ve ever thought about how many chances you have to take the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam, we can tell you. How many times you can try depends on what group you are in. So, let’s dive in and find out how many times you can try in each category.

You have six chances to pass the IAS test if you are in a general category or belong to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). That means you can try up to six times to become an IAS officer if that is your dream.

If you are from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), you have a little edge because you can take the test nine times. This gives you more freedom and chances to show off your skills and knowledge.

Here’s something interesting! Candidates from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) can take the exam as often as they want. You did read that correctly! The number of times they can take the IAS test is not limited. But it’s important to remember that this right comes with a catch. SC/ST candidates can keep taking the test until they hit the age limit that the authorities have set.