Tag: civil-services-exam

UPSC to hold exclusive Railway Service Exam from 2021 after merger of services.

Source – theprint.in

New Delhi: With the Modi government having decided to merge all eight existing rail services into a single Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS), the UPSC will now be holding an exclusive railway service exam, ThePrint has learnt. 

The exclusive UPSC exam for the new Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) will be first conducted in 2021. 

This year’s UPSC exam will follow the earlier pattern — in which officers for the Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway and the Indian Railway Personnel Service will be recruited through the Civil Services Exam (CSE), while those for the other services will be recruited through the Indian Engineering Service (IES) exam. 

From next year onwards, however, there will be a common preliminary exam for the railway service but the main exam for engineers will be on their specialised domain expertise and not general studies, an official said on condition of anonymity. 

“It would follow the Indian Forest Service (IFS) exam pattern,” the official said. “IFS officers have the same preliminary exam as IAS, IPS among others but have a specialised mains paper exclusively designed for them.” 

UPSC will be intimated about the number of officers needed in the IRMS from 2021 onwards.

Senior UPSC officials, however, said the commission has received no such proposal.

“The government will decide how to go about it…We have not been informed or asked about anything yet,” an official said.

The commission also has no knowledge of whether the new IRMS will be considered a civil service or not. 

DoPT not consulted before Railways service merger

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is the coordinating agency for all personnel matters, was not consulted by the Modi government before the controversial merger, ThePrint has learnt.

The DoPT looks after recruitment, regulation of service conditions, postings and transfers, deputation and training of civil servants, and comes directly under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).  

“They announced that they would consult the DoPT and UPSC after making the announcement,” said a DoPT official. “But despite the fact that the DoPT is the nodal agency for these matters, it was not consulted before the announcement was made.”

Officials are foreseeing a lot of problems in unifying the existing cadres of the eight services as well. “There will be issues of promotion, seniority, among others. All those need to be reconciled,” the official added.

UPSC Civil Services exam 2020: All you need to know.

Source – indiatvnews.com

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will announce the 2020 Civil Services Exam details on February 12. The exam in 2020 will be conducted earlier than usual, breaking the 6 year pattern of UPSC to conduct the Civil Services Preliminary exam in July/August.

What is UPSC Civil Services Exam?

One of the biggest exams in the country, UPSC Civil Services, gets over 10 lakh applications every year. The applicants include Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS) and Indian Foreign Services (IFS) aspirants among others. The Civil Services Selection is a rigorous process that begins with a competitive preliminary exam, those candidates who clear the preliminary exam are eligible to appear for the main exam. This main exam comprises of a written exam plus an interview. 

Civil Services Exam 2020: Important Dates

Notification: February 12

Registration Date: February 12 to March 3

Preliminary Exam Date: May 31

In 2020, after 6 years, the Civil Services exam would be conducted early. In the last few years, the preliminary exam was held in July/August. The preliminary exam is a screening test for the main exam and the scores obtained in the exam is not calculated while deciding the merit.

Eligibility Criteria for IAS Exam 2020

All candidates who wish to appear in IAS exam 2020 need to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria as mentioned below:

Nationality 

For Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), a candidate must be a citizen of India. For all other services a candidate can either be a citizen of India or

  • A subject of Nepal/ Bhutan 
  • A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India     
  • A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

Note: Candidates who are subjects of Nepal/ Bhutan or Tibetan refugees are not eligible to apply for Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Age Limit for IAS Exam 2020

Candidates must be minimum 21 years and maximum 32 years of age as on August 1, 2020. This means that candidates must have born not earlier than August 2, 1988, and not later than August 1, 1999.

There is also age relaxation of some years for reserved category candidates:

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will announce the 2020 Civil Services Exam details on February 12. The exam in 2020 will be conducted earlier than usual, breaking the 6 year pattern of UPSC to conduct the Civil Services Preliminary exam in July/August.

What is UPSC Civil Services Exam?

One of the biggest exams in the country, UPSC Civil Services, gets over 10 lakh applications every year. The applicants include Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS) and Indian Foreign Services (IFS) aspirants among others. The Civil Services Selection is a rigorous process that begins with a competitive preliminary exam, those candidates who clear the preliminary exam are eligible to appear for the main exam. This main exam comprises of a written exam plus an interview. 

Civil Services Exam 2020: Important Dates

Notification: February 12

Registration Date: February 12 to March 3

Preliminary Exam Date: May 31

In 2020, after 6 years, the Civil Services exam would be conducted early. In the last few years, the preliminary exam was held in July/August. The preliminary exam is a screening test for the main exam and the scores obtained in the exam is not calculated while deciding the merit.

Eligibility Criteria for IAS Exam 2020

All candidates who wish to appear in IAS exam 2020 need to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria as mentioned below:

Nationality 

For Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), a candidate must be a citizen of India. For all other services a candidate can either be a citizen of India or

  • A subject of Nepal/ Bhutan 
  • A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India     
  • A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

Note: Candidates who are subjects of Nepal/ Bhutan or Tibetan refugees are not eligible to apply for Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Age Limit for IAS Exam 2020

Candidates must be minimum 21 years and maximum 32 years of age as on August 1, 2020. This means that candidates must have born not earlier than August 2, 1988, and not later than August 1, 1999.

There is also age relaxation of some years for reserved category candidates:

The application forms for the Civil Services exam will be available at the official website of the UPSC (upsc.gov.in).

The application forms for the Civil Services exam will be available at the official website of the UPSC (upsc.gov.in).

Want to crack UPSC? Here are 5 common UPSC myths debunked to help you relax.

Source – indiatoday.in

Joining the Indian civil services is considered a dream career by many ambitious and talented individuals aspiring to become an IAS, IPS or IFS officer. These prestigious jobs mark authority and power in India along with job security, salary package, the opportunity of a foreign tour, job satisfaction, etc.

Moreover, civil servants are the ones deciding the fate of the nation in terms of implementing all developmental and other government policies.

However, securing a job in one of these three posts demands to undergo a gruelling, three-tier UPSC civil services exam which is considered one of the toughest competitive examinations. Lakhs of aspirants appear for UPSC every year but only a few get selected.

Although proper preparation is necessary for cracking this examination, it’s also crucial for the candidates to handle the exam pressure and the myths floating around that further aggravates their fear, making them nervous towards pursuing such a field.

So aspirants, it’s time to debunk these common UPSC myths you might be hearing and gear up to ace the journey towards your dream career:

Myth 1: One needs years of preparation

Reality: UPSC might be a tough examination demanding complete dedication but that does not necessarily mean that one would need to start preparing from an early stage.

Even a year’s preparation can be good to clear the examination if aspirants are studying with perseverance.

There numerous success stories of aspirants cracking the examination in one go after just a year or even less than a year’s preparation.

Myth 2: IAS aspirants must be aware of every topic/subject

Reality: This is not true. Since this is a general exam, one needs to be well-read along with having a balanced outlook towards issues.

Moreover, as the syllabus itself is so vast covering multiple subjects, aspirants are already more aware than the others.

There is no need to mug up topics and become experts. Instead, simply focus on all the NCERT books, current affairs, and books by a few renowned authors.

The UPSC exam demands its aspirants to have a general awareness and analytical skills.

Myth 3: Aspirants need to give at least 2-3 attempts

Reality: This is just a misconception. There have been so many aspirants who have cleared the examination in the very first attempt.

All it needs is to keep your head straight and focus on your preparation. Revise once you are done and take multiple mock tests to evaluate your pitfalls and work on it.

If you have religiously revised everything in the syllabus and are confident to give the shot, nothing can stop you from clearing the UPSC exam (prelims) in a go.

Myth 4: Candidates should follow the toppers’ strategies

Reality: There is no quick route to crack the UPSC.

Even if you listen to the toppers revealing their strategies and study patterns, it is your hard work that will ultimately pay off.

Thus, it is crucial for the aspirants to follow their own rhythm and routine and make an informed choice when it comes to creating a preparation strategy.

Myth 5: It is mandatory to have a good command over English to ace the interview

Reality: This is a misapprehension, particularly among the regional language-speaking candidates. The UPSC examination assesses your awareness and analysing skills, and not the medium of language you write in.

The UPSC aspirants are allowed to attempt the paper and give the interview in almost 22 regional languages, as per their comfort level. So put your best foot forward!

While this exam can be a bit overwhelming, UPSC is just another competitive examination featuring a lengthy syllabus. So, rather than losing your confidence on the ground of some baseless myths, stay disciplined, determined and believe in your hard work to make through this journey smoothly.

– Article by Akhand Swaroop Pandit, Founder and CEO, Catalyst Group – Online Learning Platform