IAS 2012

IAS - Indian Administrative Service Exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year in a pan-Indian basis. IAS is the most intelligent exams to crack and successfully join this stellar Central Govt. service. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative civil service of the executive branch of the Government of the Republic of India.It is the kind of Civil Services Examination conducted in all over India for recruitment of IAS officers.

IAS Syllabus :

IAS Exam has three stages Preliminary Exam, Main Exam, and an Interview.
The Preliminary are held around May-June.It has objective ie multiple choice questions. There are two papers (duration of each being 2 hrs). a) General studies and b)Optional subject: you can choose from Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Agriculture, Maths, Phy, Chem, Stats etc. Important: It is not compulsory to choose the same subjects of your graduation. The results are declared in July-August and the successful candidates are called for the main examinations. PS. The prelims score has no bearing for determining the final merit list for the services.

The main written examination usually takes place in Oct-Nov, it comprises of 9 papers in all (a lot more strenuous than CAT!) Duration of each paper is 3 hrs. Language: one of the Indian languages, English, Essay GK and Current Affairs: 2 papers on general studies Optionals: papers from two subjects that fall in optional-1 and two papers from optional-2 (a choice of subjects is listed by the UPSC in the prospectus) Candidates who are successful in the main examinations are eligible for an interview which plays a crucial part in the selection.

The interview calls are sent in March-April of the following year and they take place in the month of April-May. The Board of interviewers look for a well-adjusted personality with the social traits, integrity and qualities of leadership . PS. The number of candidates called for the interview is normally twice the number of vacancies.

A degree from a recognised university or equivalent

(Paper 1) (200 marks) - Duration : Two hrs.
* Current events of national and international importance
* History of India and Indian national movement
* Indian and World Geography- physical, social, economic geography of India and the world * Indian Polity and governance – constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy, Rights issues, etc.
* Economic and social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc.
* General issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity and climate change-that donot require subject specialization
* General science.
(Paper II) (200 marks) – Duration : Two hrs
* Comprehension
* Interpersonal skills including communication skills
* Logical reasoning and analytical ability
* Decision making and problem solving
* General mental ability
* Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc. (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. –Class X level)
* English language comprehension skills (Class X level)
* Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
* The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
IAS Mains Exam Syllabus 2012:-
General Studies:-

The nature and standard of questions in the General Studies papers will be such that a well-educated person will be able to answer them without any specialized study. The questions will be such as to test a candidate’s general awareness of a variety of subjects, which will have relevance for a career in Civil Services. The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio-economic goals, objectives and demands. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.

Candidates will be required to write an essay on a specific topic. The choice of subjects will be given. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.

English Qualifying:-
The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows :-
(i) Comprehension of given passages.
(ii) Precis Writing
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary
(iv) Short Essay
Indian Language:-
(i) Comprehension of given passages.
(ii) Precis Writing
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.
(iv) Short Essay
(v) Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa.