Civil services officers are selected through IAS exam organised by UPSC.

this exam has three stages, Civil service aptitude test (CSAT), mains exam and an Interview. The general tentative schedule for the upsc IAS exam is as follows:
(i) Notification of Examination (ii) Conduct of Pre - Examination(CSAT) (ii) Result OfPre - Examination(CSAT) (ii) Conduct of Mains Examination (ii) Conduct Test(Interview) of Personality February/March June-july September October November March-April

Civil service aptitude test(CSAT) Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has changed the pattern of highly respected IAS exam from 2011 . In the new pattern the Preliminary Test (PT) for IAS exam is replaced by Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). From Civil Service Examination 2011, Preliminary Examination would consist of two papersPaper I and Paper II.

Syllabus for CSAT as proposed by UPSC

(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.

Click Here For more Info about CSAT(Sample CSAT Papers, Expert Tips on CSAT Etc.) Or Read about Description and Effects of NEW IAS PATTERN
IAS exam Mains Examination In the mains exam, one has to choose 2 optional subjects instead of one. there are total 9 papers in Mains exam(the description is as shown below). Paper-I One of the Indian Languages to be selected by from 18 300 Marks languages (Qualifying ) 300 Marks 200 Marks 600 Marks

Paper-II English (Qualifying) Paper-III Essay Papers IV & V General Studies (300 Marks for each paper)

Any two subjects (each having 2 papers) to be selected Papers VI, from the 25 optional subjects (300 marks for each 1200 Marks VII, VIII & IX paper)
Total Marks for Written Examination Interview Test

Grand Total

2000 Marks 300 Marks 2300 Marks

Compulsory subjects

General Studies (2 papers of 300 marks each) Essay (1 paper of 200 marks ) English (qualifying)(1 paper of 300 marks)

Optional subjects

Any two subjects (each having 2 papers) to be selected from the 25 optional subjects (300 marks for each paper)

Agriculture Animal husbandry and veterinary studies Botany Chemistry Civil engineering Commerce Economics Electrical engineering Law Geography Geology Indian History Mathematics Management Mechanical Engineering Medical science Philosophy Physics Political Science

Psychology Public Administration Sociology Statistics Zoology Anthropology

About 1200-3000 candidates pass this exam and are selected for the final stage, Interview. The final interview is of 300 marks. Every candidate is asked for his preferences in civil services. Mostly choose IAS but a few also choose Indian Foreign Service. The entire selection process lasts 15-20 months. a Candidate may make 4 repeated attempts. About 300-400 candidates are finally selected but a rank in 50-60 can guarantee IAS-IFS selection. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The reputed IAS exam (also called Civil Service Examination), is going to be conducted under a new pattern from 2011 onwards. With union government approving UPSC's request for including Civil service Aptitude Test (CSAT) into the selection procedure of most competitive exam of the country. The current Pattern was laid out in 1979 on recommendations by the Kothari commision. Since then it has continued to exist besides some small changes over years. This traditional Pattern consisted of a preliminary exam followed by a mains exam and an interview. This pattern had an advantage that while choosing the two optional subjects for mains, candidates had already prepared for one in the preliminary exam and only had to choose and prepare the second optional subjects for mains. Although the drawback was inequality being introduced among the candidates because of their educational background or due their choice of optional subjects. Civil service aptitude test(CSAT) will consist of two objective question papers carrying equal marks. All students from any educational background will face the same questions in CSAT with Special Emphasis on Testing Aptitude & Decision-Making Ability. Also some eligibility criterions could be changed, for e.g. the age limit and the number of attempts could be lowered and younger students with a good aptitude and enthusiasm could be given preference in the interview. The following Types of questions will be asked in CSATCurrent Affairs from National and International Events, Logical Reasoning and Decision Making, Elementary Mathematics, Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation from Graphic and Chart This new pattern is good for candidates of science background because they don't prefer the questions from history and political science etc. On the other hand, the art subjects' candidates (mainly history, geography and political science) may get affected badly from this pattern. Thus UPSC should also take care of the art subjects' students. The new pattern for Civil service examination will bring all the candidates from any educational background under the same horizon. The importance of general awareness has now increased many times and will now be a deciding factor in selection of candidates. The questions will be more situations oriented and analytical, testing the mental ability of the candidate. Thus it's time for an all new approach towards this reputed exam of the country. As the previous toppers say that success here is not about trying to overcome the expectations of UPSC. That is not possible in real sense, but what is required to be done is analyzing the intensity of competition among the aspirants and then planning to get one step ahead from

them. All the candidates are now being brought under the same horizon and the candidate who will understand the requirements of this new pattern and will adopt for it as soon as possible, will get an edge and a better chance over the other candidates. All the Best for Your Success!!! Union Public service commission has deployed this massive change in pattern of this reputed Civil service exam from 2011 onwards. CSAT (Civil service aptitude test) is definitely going to bring about lots of changes in the methodology and strategies that are used in preparation of this competitive exam. Now, all the students (students from all disciplines) are to be brought under one roof as all have to face the same paper in the preliminary test of IAS exam. This test is primarily focused on testing the analytical abilities of the candidate more than a test of knowledge. As civil services are getting tougher and bringing new and tough challenges every day in front of civil servants of this level. Thus CSAT test will comprise questions primarily from Current Affairs from National and International Events, Logical Reasoning and Decision Making, Elementary Mathematics, Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation from Graphic and Chart. The exact syllabus for CSAT as proposed by UPSC can be seen above. As clear from above, the focus is now on analytical skills more than anything else. Also, now candidates wont have the advantage of having already prepared one optional subject for mains exam (The one subject they took in pre exam as optional was already prepared according to the previous pattern). So, the new pattern seems to be more fair and challenging. The exact impacts of the same would be found out after commencement and outcomes of the exam.

Academic IAS exam Eligibility

A degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educatsional institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be a Deemed University under the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification.

Candidates who have appeared or intend to appear for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear for the Preliminary Examination. All such candidates who qualify to appear for the Civil Services Main Examination must produce proof of having passed the said examination along with their application for the Main Examination.

The UPSC may in exceptional cases treat a candidate without the foregoing requisite qualification as an eligible candidate as per following conditions,

he / she has passed an examination conducted by other institutions, the standard of which justifies his / her admission in the opinion of the Commission. Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees. Candidates who have passed the final year of MBBS or any Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship can also appear for the Main Examination. However they must submit along with their Main Examination application, a certificate from the concerned authority of the University / Institution that they have passed the final professional medical examination. At the Interview stage they must then produce a certificate from a competent authority that they have completed (including internship) all the requirements for the award of the Medical Degree.