Eligibility for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination The minimum age requirement for appearing for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination is 21 and the upper age limit is 30 years. The minimum academic requirement is graduation in any discipline from a recognised Indian University or an equivalent academic qualification. All candidates are allowed four attempts. There is a relaxation for SC/ST candidates on the number of attempts, if they are otherwise eligible.

For entry to the civil service, there’s a multi-step examination process. The entire process takes a full calendar year. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) first conducts an objective type preliminary examination for screening candidates.

The Preliminary Examination:
There are two papers for the preliminary round. There is one on general studies and another on an optional subject. The question papers are set in both Hindi and English. Each paper is for a duration of two hours. General study covers history, geography, economics and so on. The question papers have objective type multiple choice questions. The general studies paper carries 150 marks.

The syllabus for the optional subject is the same as that for graduation level. The question paper for the optional subject carries 300 marks. The optional subject for the second paper may be chosen from the following :
Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and veterinary science
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce
Economics
Electrical Engineering
Geography
Geology
Indian History
Law
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology

The Main Examination:

The preliminary round is basically a screening round. The marks obtained are not counted for in the final stage of the examination. For candidates who clear the preliminary round, there is the main round. The second stage is the main examination that includes written tests and an interview. The written test consists of nine papers (essay type answers to be written)

Paper I: One Indian language

That is included in the Eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. These languages are
Assamese
Bengali
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Kashmiri
Malayalam
Marathi
Oriya
Pali
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu.

This paper is of a qualifying nature and the marks obtained are not counted for ranking. This paper is not compulsory for candidates from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. Paper II: English. The English language paper is also of a qualifying nature and the marks obtained are not counted for ranking.

Paper III: Essay

Paper IV &V: General Studies Optional Subject I (two papers)

Optional subject II (two papers). For papers VI, VII, VIII, and IX two subjects are to be chosen. The list of subjects from which the choice may be made is
Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and veterinary science
Anthropology
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce & Accountancy
Economics
Electrical Engineering
Geography
Geology
History
Law
Management
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science & International Relations
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology

Literature in one of the following languages: Arabic, Assamese, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.Except English, the question papers are set in both Hindi and English.
The total marks secured in both the written tests and the personal interview determine the rank of a candidate. The Interview This is the last hurdle to be cleared. The interview carries 250 marks and there are no stipulated minimum qualifying marks. The main aim of the interview is to assess a candidate's overall personality. The interview is conducted by a board. The board is fully informed about the candidate and they base their questions on a record of the candidate's career, which is provided to them. The aspects that are generally looked into are the candidate's grasp of academics and general awareness as in current affairs, social issues, etc. It is basically a test of the potential of a candidate. The board tries to assess whether he or she can rise to the demands of the job of a Civil Servant.

What are the Job Prospects ?

Depending upon his rank, a candidate is recruited to services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and other departments including Finance, Post and Telegraph, Revenue, Secretariat and so on. The appointment offers executive power. Promotions are time bound and increase in privileges are automatic. Selected candidates are first put through a training session for a short period. He is usually sent to an academic staff college associated with the service to which he is allocated. The greatest thing about civil service is the job security. Special facilities include subsidised accommodation, telephone and transport facilities, medical benefits, leave travel concession, etc. After retirement, there are very good social welfare facilities. Last but not the least is the immense satisfaction one derives at being able to participate in the development process of the country.