When is the right age to start preparing for civil services?

“Tomorrow is too late, yesterday is over, and NOW is exactly the right moment. So START.”

 

UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination to select candidates for the prestigious All India Services and other high-grade services. The All India Services are – Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).

 

UPSC CSE preparation is not just about rot learning. It is a psychological journey- one needs to be mentally prepared. If one understands these facts, one’s strategy and approach to this examination will change for the better.

 

UPSC Exam Eligibility for Civil Services

 

Minimum Educational Qualifications: Any degree (graduation) from:

• any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India.
• or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament.
• or declared to be deemed as a University Under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
• or possess an equivalent qualification.

Note: Final-year students can also apply.

 

Minimum age to appear for UPSC IAS Exam

The minimum age to appear for IAS Exam is 21 years. This means that the candidate must have at least 21 years of age on 1st August of that given year when the exam is held. For example, if the candidate is appearing for 2022 prelims, he/she should be above 21 years of age by Aug 1, 2022.

 

The upper age limit is also calculated on the date Aug 1. This means if the candidate is appearing for 2022 prelims, he/she should be below the mentioned maximum limit by Aug 1, 2022. The upper age limit is fixed different for different categories, which is as given below.

• Upper age limit for General category: 32 years.
• Upper age limit for OBC: 35 years.
• Upper age limit for SC/ST: 37 Years.
• Upper age limit for Defense Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof: 35 years.
• Upper age limit for Ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service: 37 years.
• Upper age limit for blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons (general category): 42 years.
• Apart from the mentioned limits, OBC/ SC/ ST candidates will get the benefit of cumulative age relaxation. This means age relaxations gets added in special cases, say, for example, if the person is OBC + Ex-servicemen, he will get an extension of 3 + 5 = 8 years, ie his upper age limit now stands at 40 years.
• The number of attempts for the IAS exam: General Category: 6 attempts till 32 years of age.
• The number of attempts for the IAS exam: OBC: 9 attempts till 35 years of age.
• The number of attempts for the IAS exam: SC/ST: unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.
• NB: Physically Handicapped /disabled candidates belonging to the General category will get the benefit of 9 attempts till the age prescribed by UPSC – 42 years.

 

An oft-asked question by UPSC aspirants is – “When to start preparation for IAS?” To be frank, this is a tricky question. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

Basically, there are three kinds of IAS aspirants.

 

1. Those who decide early in life (during school) that they want to become IAS or IPS officers to serve the nation and her people.
2. Those who decide during or just after finishing their university education that they wish to be civil servants.
3. Those who decide rather late in life about their IAS calling and pursue it while on a job or after working for a few years in the corporate sector.

 

There are many advantages of starting your IAS preparation right from your school days:

• The most obvious is that you are studying NCERT books.
• Another benefit of starting at such a young age is that your mind is like a sponge at this age.

 

Disadvantages of starting in your school days:

• You are young and it is possible that when you reach the eligibility age for the IAS exam, your goals and dreams in life change.
• By the time you take the exams, the topics in current affairs would certainly be different.

 

Advantages of starting in college:

• By choosing an optional subject that you are studying in college you can be smart about your IAS preparation and save time and energy.
• You are generally free of ‘responsibilities’ other than studying.

 

Disadvantages of starting your IAS preparation in college:

• You may not be able to take part in your college extra-curricular activities.

 

 Advantages of starting while on a job or with job experience:

• You are mature and with more life experience.
• Your experience will also come in handy in your IAS interview.

 

Disadvantages of starting your IAS preparation late in life:

 

• You have already lost time and don’t have the luxury of many attempts.
• You might have lost touch with your studies.
• You might also have other responsibilities like family and finances to take care of.

 

The Ideal Time to Start Preparing for the IAS Exam

If you have completed your graduation then generally you are in 21-23 years of age. This is the best time to seriously prepare for the IAS exam. The right age would depend on a number of factors:

1. Passion/ Determination level of the candidate
2. Situation and background of the person- graduation, working or not, economic background, etc.

 

It is necessary to realize that the competition is enormous. Only, around 800 out of one million apply to make it to the final list. The exam needs patience and perseverance along with due diligence and dedication. Overall it takes one to two years in preparation. 3-4 months will be taken for optional and rest 1 year in General Studies preparation. There are some lengthy optional subjects like mathematics, physics which take longer time than other humanities optional.

 

Advice For Fresh Graduates

For fresh graduates who have decided to give the exam after their graduation, your right age begins with your current age. If you start preparing for the exam right away, chances are that you might succeed at attaining a post at a young age. This will have an added advantage during your career progression. So, begin now.

 

Advice For Parents

If the reader is a parent, who has decided to make his/her ward a civil servant, a word of caution.  Among young parents, a trend is being noticed. In the name of securing a safe career for their wards, they are joining their children of 12-14 years in schools that are professing to make their children IAS officers. How naive is this? At that age, your child is still exploring the world and learning the many truths it offers.

 

Advice For The Employed

If you are already employed and looking for a career change into civil services, do not wait for a specific age. You being your preparation immediately. As mentioned above, the younger you join the services, the better is your career growth.

 

The only thing you need is your determination to achieve your goal, perseverance even after failures, and commitment to your career path. If you feel you are ready, do not wait for the right age and begin now.

 

Concluding the best time to start preparations would be “the sooner the better”. This phrase does not imply that a younger person’s intellectual capabilities are better; as a person can achieve intellectual excellence at any age. The reason is the sooner the individual succeeds in the exam, the longer he or she will be given an opportunity to serve the nation and that is not a bad notion at all.