How to become an IAS officer after 12th?
Have you recently completed or yet to complete the 12th grade? Do you wish to become an IAS officer? I can hear a YES from you. This blog post is going to give you detailed information.
So, how to become a civil servant after completing the 12th standard? In the first place, do understand that the UPSC exam is tough in nature.
More than difficult, it is a challenging and competitive exam. Most of the IAS aspirants aim for striking the two major positions namely IAS and IPS.
Today’s youth have too many questions about their career. Nowadays, even school and college students are very much interested to explore the career as a civil servant.
One question is very popular among the hundreds of doubts asked by school students. Is there any possibility to become an IAS officer after 12th? If yes, how to pursue this career?
How To Become IAS Officer Right After 12th Grade?
Let me give you a frank answer. It is not possible to prepare for the civil services exam right after the 12th. If you want to become an IAS officer, you must apply for the civil services exam conducted by UPSC.
You should appear in the UPSC exam. It will have three distinct stages. It includes prelims, mains, and interviews. After you clear all three phases, you will be eligible for posting.
One of the basic requirements is the completion of the graduation degree. So, you can appear in the UPSC exam only if you own a degree certification from a recognized university.
From a practical point of view. students who passed 12th standard cannot take up this exam. In the first place, complete the graduation first. After attaining a successful bachelor’s degree, you become eligible to take up the IAS exam.
Begin Your Preparation After 12th
Do not let your dreams go as a waste. Start your UPSC preparation immediately after 12th classes. It is absolutely a great idea. If you are so keen about a career as an IAS officer, begin the preparation right from 12th too.
Get your hands-on practice and reading sessions with current affairs. Read the newspapers every day. Make notes of important points. It helps in further revision.
Eligibility Criteria – Educational Qualification Needed
Every aspiring candidate must have at least one of the following degrees. Otherwise, you will not be able to sit for the UPSC exam.
- Possess a degree from the state, central, or deemed university.
- Possess a degree from a distance education or correspondence course.
- I possess a degree from an open university.
- Possess a qualification recognized as equivalent to one of the degrees mentioned above.
Apart from it, the separate category of students is also eligible. However, they are expected to provide proof during the exam time.
The eligibility proof must be verified by the competent authority of that particular institute. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to write the exam.
Step By Step Procedure To Become An IAS Officer After 12th
IAS officer is one of the reputed careers. You have made the perfect career choice. So, it’s time to learn the step by step procedure. How can you become an IAS officer after the 12th?
Step 1: Get A Bachelor’s Degree
Now, you have completed the higher secondary degree. UPSC career demands a candidate to earn a bachelor’s degree. The discipline from which you obtain is not a matter of concern.
Get graduated from a UGC recognized university. Hopefully, you are aware of these criteria. Holding a bachelor’s degree is the minimum condition to become an eminent civil servant.
Please do not worry about the minimum percentage requirement. There is no rule related to the percentage obtained during a bachelor’s degree.
Keep in mind, even the final year students can also take up the examination. Starting the preparation in the pre-final year is also a good idea.
Step 2: Get Qualified in Prelims Stage
As a serious candidate, you need to get through three stages of UPSC exam. The first phase is the Prelims. The second phase is the Mains. The final stage is the interview round.
The preliminary exam phase appears in the month of May or June. It follows the same routine every year. Prelims will be filled with objective type questions.
You will have to attend two papers namely general studies as well as an optional subject. You will have to answer for 150 marks in general studies.
You will have to answer for 300 marks in the optional subject. There are plenty of options given to the candidates. Choose your best optional subject and then proceed with preparation.
Do not worry! The instructions are given in both English and Hindi. Follow the language in which you are proficient. Expect all the questions in the optional subject asked from the degree syllabus.
You need to answer all the questions within 2 hours. Once you get through the prelims successfully, you can get into the mains exam stage.
Step 3: Get Through The Mains Exam
The questions of the mains exam are descriptive in nature. Totally, this exam stage comprises of nine papers. You need to complete each paper within 3 hours.
Here, you are supposed to hold a grip on writing good answers. Express your thoughts in a systematic manner. It is possible only through consistent practice.
Unlike prelims phase, the marks scored in mains subject is considered for all India ranking. So, it is not a qualifying paper. Aim for 100 marks greater than the cut-off. It ensures you to get top rank.
Step 4: Get Through Final Interview Round
Irrespective of the marks you score in previous stages, the interview round is the decision-maker. Generally, the personality test takes place in the month of April or May.
In this round, you can expect the questions based on general awareness and current affairs. The interview panel members test your mental caliber from different perspectives.
Once you successfully complete the interview and get selected, you will be made to undergo a medical test. It is part of the selection procedure.
In the end, the whole batch of selected students is made to undergo systematic foundational training. It is the way how your career gets started as an IAS officer.
Check useful Articles
Best Graduation Course That Supports IAS Preparation
The graduation course you choose also influences the IAS preparation. We have come across many IAS toppers and asked their opinion about the same.
As per the topper’s opinions, there is a direct connection between graduation degree and UPSC optional subject. The stream is not the point of concern.
The approach in which a candidate opts influences the UPSC preparation. So, you need to choose a graduation course very carefully.
Humanities
Humanities is the traditionally accepted subject for civil services examination. From the previous years, it is been observed that the majority of IAS candidates are from Humanities backgrounds.
However, the results from this category have gone down from the past few years. Even now, there is a small portion of candidates who make up their position to top ranks.
Engineering
We have observed from the past few years and then presented this information in front of you. Engineering degree has proved to be one of the easy ways to enter the career of civil services.
From the statistics of the last few years, the candidates with engineering degrees have scored well. In fact, they have dominated the examination results.
In the case of candidates who have selected engineering subjects as an optional subject, they have scored fewer marks. Thus, engineering can be your primary choice to start a career as a civil servant.
Science
There is a small portion of candidates who appear in the UPSC exam from a science background. In fact, there are successful candidates who cracked the exam with a good score.
But, the number is not that huge to consider it as a major degree course. The students from science background do have a suitable mindset. Nowadays, the number of students from this stream is slowly increasing.
Medical Science
When medical science is considered, the percentage of students appearing in the IAS exam is too less. The passion for both the career stream is totally different. It would be difficult to switch.
However, we have found a small increase in medical students too. To conclude, the chances are totally off the shelf.
B.Com / MBA / CA / CS / BBA / CFA
All the above-mentioned degree is considered as professional in nature. Again, it has a negligible percentage of students appearing in the UPSC exam.
In the previous few years, we have witnessed a hike in the number of students. If you are a student with an MBA and B.Com background, you can always give a try.
Some of the subjects like reasoning, data interpretation, mathematics have got similarities with their curriculum. So, there is a valid point for the students to think more seriously about the UPSC exam.
In the near future, you can expect an increase in the participation number as well as the success ratio.