#CareerBytes: Interesting facts about UPSC IAS exam and preparation
Every year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) for recruitment to various civil services posts. The Indian Civil Services are a dream for many; lakhs of candidates appear for CSE every year but only a few hundred get selected. It's tough, but one can crack CSE with right preparation. Here are some interesting facts about UPSC IAS exam.
Firstly, the UPSC CSE syllabus is quite vast and diverse, encompassing a variety of subjects like history, geography, economics, polity, public administration, science and technology, languages, current affairs, etc. So, people preparing for CSE gain knowledge about a lot of subjects and can appear for various other state/national level government exams, including State PSC, SSC, banking and insurance sector, and CAPF exams among others.
Though the UPSC CSE is popular for recruitment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the exam is conducted for recruitment to as many as 24 civil services and posts, including Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Revenue Service among others. Also, candidates appearing for the Civil Services Examination will have only six attempts at the examination, unless they are eligible otherwise.
For the UPSC CSE, aspirants from any academic and social background can appear. However, the candidate must be an Indian citizen for Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service. One must be at least a graduate (or awaiting graduation final results) to be eligible for CSE. Candidates should be between 21 and 32 years of age (relaxation provided for reserved categories).
Choosing the right Optional subject for Mains is a crucial step in the CSE preparation. Candidates have a lot of options when it comes to the Optional subject; there are as many as 25 optional subjects apart from the literature of any of the 23 languages given by UPSC. Also, it's not necessary to choose an optional based on one's educational background or stream.
