Civil Services Centre

Indian Revenue Service (IRS)

IRS comprises of 2 services – IRS (Direct Tax) and IRS (Indirect Tax). The IRS officers are primarily involved with tax administration of the Government of India. This includes Income Tax, Customs, Excise etc.

Indian Police Service (IPS)

IPS officers occupy higher positions in the State Police Departments, Central Armed Police Forces and Intelligence Agencies. Their responsibility is to maintain law and order and internal security.

Indian Administrative Services (IAS)

IAS officers hold the most important positions in Central and State Governments and in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). They act as the pillars to governance in that they formulate policies, devise strategies, allocate resources, implement plans & maintain a progress report. They manage the general administration & development.

Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

IFS officers serve as diplomats in international missions and embassies of India around the world and in prominent international organizations like United
Nations (UN), World Bank, and IMF. They work to promote India’s interests from a bilateral and a global perspective. They also promote trade & cultural relations with other countries.

Q1. What is GS-I and GS-II in Prelims? What is the selection criteria for Prelims exam?

Prelims exam consists of 2 MCQ papers of 2 hours duration each – General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II. While GS-I involves test of general knowledge, GS-II is a test of Verbal Ability, Comprehension, Mathematics and Logical Reasoning. For detailed syllabus, click here. However, for clearing Prelims, only marks counted in GS Paper I are counted. GS Paper II is of a qualifying nature only and student is required to obtain only 33% marks, i.e. 66.67 out of 200 marks.

Q2. How is the final rank decided after the interview stage?

The final rank is decided on the basis of combination of marks obtained at Mains exam and Interview exam. Thus, combination of marks obtained in Mains exam (out of 1750) and in Interview (out of 275) gives the final ranking of the student (out of total of 2025 marks). It may be noted that marks obtained in Prelims are not considered in clearing Mains exam, at Interview stage or in drawing up of final marks for ascertaining rank.

Q3. What if a student clears Prelims but does not clear Mains? Alternatively, what if a student clears Mains and appears for interview but is unable to make it to the final list?

If a student fails at any stage of the exam, he/she may appear for the exam next year, beginning from the Prelims stage. Thus, if a student clears Mains 2019, but is unable to make it to the final list (after Interview), he/she must start again from prelims 2020 and again clear all the 3 stages of the exam (Prelims, Mains, Interview). Moreover, if a student is allocated a service but wants to upgrade oneself to another service by getting a better rank, he/she must also appear for the Prelims exam again and undergo the 3 stages (subject to clearing each stage) with the aim of getting a better rank than the previous attempt.
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