IAS Eligibility is a certain set of criteria required to be fulfilled by a candidate before applying for the IAS exams. The requirements are issued in the official notification of UPSC on the official website. The failure to meet them results in the application’s cancellation.
The official notification for IAS 2021 is supposed to come out on February 10, 2021. The notification is a long list that mentions all the factors that make a candidate eligible or non-eligible for the exam. Along with the requirements, the aspirants must check out the restrictions too to avoid any disqualification.
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Age Criteria | 21- 32 years |
Age relaxation | 3-10 years as per category |
Educational Qualification | Graduation (Minimum) |
Nationality | Indian |
Physical Standards | As per the Rank or post |
Attempts | 6 attempts |
There is an age limit set by IAS for candidates who will appear in the IAS 2021. A candidate must have attained 21 years of age but the upper limit of age limit is set at 32 years.
Some relaxations have been given to candidates belonging to certain reserved categories as mentioned below:
Note: No age relaxation will be provided to candidates who are domiciled from Jammu and Kashmir from 2020 onwards.
Category | Maximum Age Limit |
---|---|
General | 32 Years |
Other Backward Castes (OBC) | 35 Years |
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 32 Years |
SC/ST | 37 Years |
Physically Disabled Candidates | 42 Years |
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 the Act of Parliament or which is to be declared as a Deemed University by the University Grants Commission or he/she must possess an equivalent qualification for IAS Exam. However, there are several exceptions that may be treated by the commission.
For the recruitment of candidates for All-India Services like IAS, IPS, or IFS officer, a candidate must be a citizen of India. For Central Civil Services, the candidate must be any of the following:
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 the Government of India.
Candidates who wish 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.
There is a specified number of attempts that the candidate can take for the IAS Exams. However, the limitations vary according to the reservation of category.
Category | Number of Attempts |
---|---|
General | 6 Attempts |
Other Backward Castes (OBC) | 9 Attempts |
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 6 Attempts |
SC/ST | Till the age limit |
Physically Disabled Candidates | For General and OBC aspirants: 9 Attempts SC/ST Aspirants: Unlimited times till the age limit |
There are several cases in which candidates will stand non-eligible for the IAS Exam. The conditions of Non-Eligibility for the IAS exam have been mentioned below:
Ques. Which branch of engineering is eligible for the IAS?
Ans. Any candidate holding technical degrees of any kind from a central or state government recognized institute can apply for IAS too.
Ques. Is the AMIE degree considered for IAS eligibility?
Ans. AMIE is considered equivalent to B. Tech. and hence it is an eligible degree for applying for exams like IAS.
Ques. I am pursuing a Dual degree in M.Tech. Am I eligible for UPSC 2021?
Ans. Yes, you will be eligible as according to UPSC, candidates who have appeared in their final exam or will be completing the degree course they are pursuing, this year are also eligible to apply for IAS 2021.
Ques. I am in my 3rd year of engineering. Can I apply for UPSC?
Ans. No, if you are in the third year of engineering you cannot apply for UPSC 2021 as you have to complete the graduation before the application procedure of UPSC 2021 starts, which means if you were in the last leg of your 8th semester in 2020, you could consider applying for IAS 2021.
Ques. Is graduation necessary to appear in the UPSC exam?
Ans. Yes, the minimum qualification required for IAS educational qualification is graduation. You can check the detailed IAS eligibility criteria here.
Ques. Will my graduation marks affect the UPSC examination?
Ans. There are no minimum marks required for applying for the UPSC exam and hence, your graduation marks will not affect the UPSC exam either. However, if you are in the final year of your graduation and apply for IAs but fail the final exam, then you cannot appear for the IAS.
Ques. What is the eligibility for the medical fitness test for IAS?
Ans. There no no height, weight, and chest girth specifications for IAS candidates but in the case during the medical checkup, they seem disproportionate, the candidate will be sent for further tests and even X-rays. Stable mental and physical health is required for the IAS postings and the medical checkups will be done at a different government recognized medical centers. You can find the detailed physical fitness criteria for IAS here.
Ques. What is the maximum age limit to appear in IAS exams?
Ans. The maximum age limit for IAS is 32 years. However, there are age relaxations for reserved categories as well which you can find in detail here.
Ques. I am doing B.SC (IT). Am I eligible for IAS?
Ans. Yes, graduation is the minimum required educational qualification for IAS and hence, B.Sc. in IT is eligible. If you have already graduated or in the final year of your graduation, you can apply for IAS.
Ques. Is a diploma holder eligible for UPSC?
Ans. No, a diploma degree is not enough for UPSC eligibility as the minimum required qualification is graduation.
Ques. Is a BA without honors eligible for the IAS exam?
Ans. Yes, BA without honours is eligible for the IAS exam provided it is completed from any recognized central or state university.
Ques. How many marks are required in 12th for IAS?
Ans. There is no minimum marks requirement in class 12 for IAS as the exam is conducted based on the graduation level qualification.
Ques. Will my graduation marks affect the UPSC examination?
Ans. No, the graduation marks do not affect the UPSC examination which is entirely based on your preparation of the prelims and mains syllabus.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.