IAS 2020 Eligibility (Preliminary), Age Limit, Qualification, Medical test

IAS Exam is a test conducted by the Union Public Services Commission to recruit eligible candidates to All India Services which includes IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, and many other Group A and Group B services. Candidates applying for IAS Exam must hold a Graduation degree in any discipline from any recognized University.

• Candidate must be more than 21 years of age and the upper age limit is 32 years for general candidates.
• IAS Exam Pattern consists of three stages namely IAS Prelims followed by IAS Main exam and Interview round.
• IAS Prelims Exam tests candidates’ General knowledge, Mental Aptitude, and knowledge of their specialized field. Read IAS Main Syllabus
• Final Interview for those who successfully clear IAS Main will be conducted in the month of September 18, 2020. Check IAS Cutoff

IAS Exam 2020 Eligibility: Minimum Qualification

IAS Exam sets eligibility criteria for the candidates who wish to get recruited in All India Services. Candidates who wish to sit for UPSC Civil Services Exam must hold a graduation degree from any University which has been incorporated by Act of Parliament or which is to be declared as a Deemed University by University Grants Commission or he/she must possess an equivalent qualification for IAS Exam. However, there are several exceptions which may be treated by the commission under the following conditions:

• Candidates who are waiting for the result of their graduation exam are eligible for the IAS Prelims exam but they will have to present the degree at the time of appearing for the IAS Main Exam.
• IAS Exam Eligibility is considered on the basis that he/she has passed an exam conducted by other Institutions, the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies his/her admission to the IAS Exam 2019.
• Candidates with professional and technical degrees as recognized by the Government of India will also be eligible to appear for IAS Exam.
• IAS will provisionally admit candidate with a professional MBBS degree or candidate who has passed any other medical examination but has not completed internship. This is applicable only if he/she submits a copy of the certificate from the concerned authority of the University/Institution along with the IAS Online Application.

IAS Exam 2020 Eligibility: Age Criteria

There is an age limit set by IAS for candidates who will appear in the IAS 2020. A candidate must have attained 21 years of age but the upper limit of age limit is set on 32 years. Candidate must not be born earlier than August 02, 1987 and not later than August 01, 1998.

Some relaxations have been given to candidates belonging to certain reserved categories as mentioned below:

• Candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe category will be given maximum age relaxation of five years.
• Candidates who can avail reservation applicable in Other Backward Classes (OBC) category shall be given relaxation of up to three years.
• Relaxation of a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof, will be given.
• Five years age relaxation is provided to the Candidates belonging to ex-servicemen including Commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered Military services for at least five years as on August 01, 2019 and have been released

1. on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from August 01, 2019 otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or
2.  on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service or
3. on invalidment or

• Relaxation of up to a maximum of five years will be given in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on August 01, 2019 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

Read About IAS Exam Admit Card

IAS Exam Eligibility: Nationality

For recruitment as an I.A.S or I.P.S officer, a candidate must be a citizen of India. Apart from I.A.S or I.P.S services, the candidate must be any of the following:

1. a citizen of India
2. a subject of Nepal
3. a subject of Bhutan
4. a refugee from Tibet who came to India with the intention of permanently settling before January 01, 1962 or
5. a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India provided that a candidate belonging to categories Nepal, Bhutan, Tibetan refuge and other Indian origin candidates from countries mentioned above shall be given a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.

Note: Candidate who is a subject of Nepal, Bhutan, or is a Tibetan refugee will not be considered eligible for appointment to Indian Foreign Services. Also, candidates who need to produce a certificate of eligibility will be admitted to the IAS Exam but the appointment will be given after submission of certificates issued by Government of India.

Check IAS Exam Pattern

IAS Exam Eligibility: Physical Standards

Candidate who wishes to seek employment at any post of All India Services has to appear for and clear a physical test which is conducted by the commission as per rules and regulations laid down by the Government of India.

• It is very important to be physically fit for the efficient discharge of duties and services.
• For recruitment in civil services, a candidate must also be mentally fit.
• If the candidate fails to satisfy the requirements of being mentally and bodily fit to discharge duties, he/she will not be appointed.

Hospitals conducting medical test for Civil Services Exam

Seven hospitals have been designated for conducting medical tests of candidates wishing to get employed in civil services posts in Delhi. Names for the designated hospitals are:

• Safdarjung Hospital
• Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
• Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital
• Succheta Kriplani Hospital
• Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital
• BR Ambedkar Hospital

Female candidates will also be examined in the above-mentioned hospitals.

For candidates with Physical Disability, the following hospitals will be conducting medical examination as per their IAS Prelims:

• Safdarjung Hospital
• Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
• LHMC
• Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital
• Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital

Candidates who will require Appellate Specialized Medical Board for eye conditions will be sent to Guru Nanak Eye Centre, New Delhi for medical examination.

Read IAS Syllabus

Non-Eligible Candidates for IAS Exam

There are several cases in which candidates will stand non-eligible for IAS Exam. The conditions of Non-Eligibility for IAS exam have been mentioned below:

• A candidate who has been appointed as Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S) officer or Indian Foreign Service (I.F.S) officer by the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to sit for IAS Exam.
• If such is the case then candidates will be appointed to the IAS/IFS after the conduction of IAS Prelims. Candidate of such a case will continue to be a member of that service and he/she shall not be eligible to appear in IAS Main exam.
• If a candidate is appointed to IAS or IFS after he/she sits for IAS Main before the announcement of IAS Exam Result thereof and continues to be a member of that service, he/she shall not be eligible for appointment to any service on the basis of IAS Result.