How many services are there in the UPSC IAS Exam 2020?
All India Services
- Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
- Indian Police Services (IPS)
- Indian Forest Services (IFoS) [Prelims Only]
Central Civil Services
| Indian Foreign Services(IFS) | Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ |
| Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’ | Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’ |
| Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration) | Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ |
| Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’ |
| Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’ | Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’ |
| Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ | Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’ | Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade). |
| Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group ‘B’ | Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’ | Pondicherry Civil Service, Group ‘B’ |
| Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group ‘B’ |
UIAS Exam Highlights
| Exam Name | Civil Services (IAS) Exam 2020 |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Exam Level | National |
| UPSC Vacancies | 796 |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Exam Mode | Offline – Pen and Paper Mode |
| Exam Stages | Prelims – Mains(Written) – Mains(Interview) |
| Application Fee(Prelims) | 100 |
| Language | Prelims – English and Hindi |
| No. of Test Cities | Test centres across the nation |
| Exam Helpdesk No. | 011-23098543 / 23385271 / 23381125 / 23098591 |
| Official Website | https://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
IAS Exam Dates
Candidates can go through important UPSC IAS exam dates 2020 below:
| Event | Dates | S alient Features |
|---|---|---|
| IAS Exam 2020 Notification | 12-Feb-2020 | The UPSC issued the Civil Services (IAS) Exam Notification 2020 for 796 vacancies |
| Last date to apply for IAS Exam 2020 | 3-Mar-2020 | The IAS online application will be accepted until this date. |
| IAS Prelims Exam 2020 | Postponed | IAS Prelims 2020 Exam postponed due to coronavirus pandemic. New exam dates will be released on May 20. |
| IAS Prelims 2020 Result | To be announced | The result of the IAS Prelims Exam 2020 will be announced by UPSC. |
| IAS Main Exam 2020 | 18-Sep-2020 | The IAS Main Exam 2020 will be conducted by UPSC |
IAS FAQs
Q. What is the age limit for IAS Exam?
A.IAS is considered as one of the toughest exams in India. The Age limit for IAS exam is different for the different categories. It is defined as follows
The Lower Age limit is 21 years.
The Upper Age Limit is 32 years.
The age of the candidates is counted as on August 1 of the exam year.
Q. What is the educational qualification required to become an IAS?
A. The educational qualification required to become an IAS Officer is a graduate degree in any discipline from any university established by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India.
Q. Is coaching necessary for cracking the IAS Exam?
A. Every candidate has different needs and abilities. Joining a coaching institute is a very subjective decision. It can help some of the candidates in understanding the structure and pattern of IAS Exam but some of them find it useless. It differs from candidate to candidate.
Q. Can I prepare for IAS Exam without coaching?
A. Yes, any candidate can prepare for IAS exam without coaching. Nowadays so much information is available online which can help the candidates to prepare for IAS Exam by themselves. The candidate should select the best authentic source of information can prepare for the IAS Exam by themselves.
Q. How to start IAS preparation at home?
A. The candidates should start preparing the basics with the NCERT Books and Daily Newspaper. Complete the NCERT of History, Geography, Economics and Sociology first and then start reading the dedicated books for each subject supplemented with the Newspaper.
Q. What is the difference between IAS and PCS?
A. IAS means Indian Administrative Services and PCS means the Provincial Civil Services. IAS is one of the three All India Services. The recruitment for IAS is done by the Union Public Service Commission. PCS is the state-centric civil services recruited through the State Public Service Commissions.
Q. How many papers are there in the IAS Main Exam?
A. There are 9 question papers in the IAS Main Exam. Out of these 9 question papers, the candidates need to qualify in the General English and General Hindi papers and their numbers are not counted for the final merit.
Q. Can an average student crack IAS?
A. The IAS exam is an open platform with no limitation for the average students. There is no minimum percentage of marks required in the graduation course to appear in the IAS Exam. Each year, a good number of Average students crack the IAS Exam.
Q. Who is the Cadre Controlling Authority of IAS?
A. Ministry of Personnel which directly report to the Prime Minister of India is the Cadre controlling authority for the IAS.
Q. When does UPSC issue the IAS Exam Notification?
A. The IAS Notification is issued in the month of February every year and the IAS Prelims is conducted in the month of May – June. The IAS Prelims 2020 will be conducted on 31 May 2020.
Q. Can State PCS Officers be promoted to IAS?
A. Yes, the State PCS Officers can be promoted to the IAS subject to certain conditions laid down by UPSC. Each year, out of the total vacancies of IAS, 33% is filled through the promotion.
Q. Is IAS prelims 2020 postponed?
A. Yes, the UPSC has postponed the IAS prelims exam 2020. The new dates for the IAS prelims will be declared on May 20, 2020 after assessing all the situation.
