Millions of Indians aspire to be members of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The same is true for services such as the Indian Police Service (IPS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and others. A unified exam called the UPSC Civil Services Exam is used to recruit for roughly 20 services, including IAS, IPS, and IFS (CSE).

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the governing body in charge of the entire recruitment process. The Prelims exam, which is the first level, comprises two objective-type papers. Although this is the easiest of all the rounds, it still necessitates a well-thought-out and committed strategy on the side of the candidates to pass. It is critical to follow a supervised IAS preparation program; else, you may waste time studying irrelevant material.

What is the age limit to become an IAS officer?

• On August 1 of the examination year, the candidate must be between the ages of 21 and 32 (for the General category candidate). For SC, ST, OBC, and Physically Handicapped applicants, however, age relaxations are available.
• The highest age restriction for Other Backward Castes (OBC) is 35.
• The age limit for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) is 37 years.
• Certain applicants who are behind in other ways, as well as physically handicapped (PH) persons, have their upper age restriction reduced.

Which degree is best for becoming a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)?

Students who complete their degrees with humanities studies will likely have a modest advantage, particularly in optional areas, because humanities courses are at the core of the CSE program. Geography, history, political science, and sociology are examples of optional humanities studies. Any student with a non-humanities background, on the other hand, should not be put off by this. Students from all streams can benefit from UPSC’s optional topic selections.

In the civil services examinations the paper includes:

• General studies papal 1 – History and geography 
• General studies paper 2 – Political science and public administration. 
• General studies paper 3 – Economy, science, environment, and ecology.
• General studies 4 – Ethics and integrity. 

As you can see from the list above, the UPSC civil service exam covers the majority of BA courses. One of the best degrees for civil service success is a bachelor’s degree in arts.

UPSC Preparation – Approaches 

1. Self Study

Self-study can help you pass the UPSC CSE exam. However, self-study using a ‘textbook-based method’ takes longer than preparing with the support of expert coaching and appropriate resources.

Unless an applicant started his/her preparation very early, it’s rare to witness an aspirant who earned a top rank in UPSC CSE in his/her first attempt purely by self-prepared in recent times. This is due to the fact that studying the huge UPSC CSE syllabus entirely through self-study takes a long time – generally many years.

In order to pursue the route of self-study, the individual must also be very disciplined and self-motivated. It has been found that most applicants who prepare on their own without coaching lose focus quickly. It’s not uncommon to encounter UPSC applicants who have been studying for 3-4 years yet have only completed half of the UPSC topics through self-study.

The self-study should not be relied on primarily by working professionals or college students who only have a few hours per day to devote to UPSC CSE preparation. They should look for a method that would allow them to cover topics more quickly and effectively.

2. Preparation With Mock Tests

Many aspirants who understand the need for practice in achieving success learn by including mock tests in their studies. ‘Test-based Learning’ is a speedier way than ‘Text-based Learning.’

Apart from using mock exams for practice, the entire learning is done by the candidate himself in this manner. Even while this method is more efficient than relying only on textbooks for preparation, learning faster and more focused is possible when you have the opportunity to study directly from competent faculty – whether online or offline.

3. UPSC Coaching

Taking good training to better your knowledge and skills is nothing to be ashamed of. UPSC coaching, whether online or offline, will assist hopefuls in learning topics more quickly. It will help you preserve your youth.

This will provide you with all of the necessary tools, such as study materials, mock examinations, guidance, professional classes for each subject, and ways to help you improve your grades.

There are a few coaching sites that provide excellent counsel and exam-oriented instruction. Having stated that, despite demanding lakhs of rupees in fees, there are hundreds of platforms/institutions that provide no value to hopefuls.

Many traditional coaching institutes’ methods are ineffective in meeting the latest UPSC standards and changing patterns. Before enrolling in any coaching program, aspirants should bear this in mind. Don’t just follow popular trends or marketing. Try to evaluate the coaching quality and the faculty’s credibility for yourself.

According to last year’s results, Pragnya IAS Coaching is one of the best IAS coaching institutes in Hyderabad. The foundation curriculum at Pragnya IAS Academy is meant to provide applicants with a holistic understanding of achievement. Pragnya IAS Academy takes a unique method of assisting students in focusing on their professional goals while also allowing for price payment flexibility via the internet.

The institute’s mission is to contribute everything it has to the nation-building process and to equip society with the best government officials available. Pragnya IAS Academy, which is ranked #1 among the Top 10 IAS schools, offers a staff of professionals on hand to assist students with any questions they may have. The lecturers have mostly retired IAS officers who have carefully studied the exam.

Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Tirupati are all home to this institute. In addition to online courses, it offers a diverse choice of classroom programs. Two of the most popular programs are IAS tutoring and interview preparation. It had the highest success rate in South India for providing the most successful applications in the years 2015-16 and 2016-17.