UPSC has decided to overhaul the civil services examination from next year, as the aspirants are likely to face a different pattern of examination.

Replacing the existing preliminary examination which shortlisted candidates for the main exam, it will now be replaced with Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), in which they will have to appear in two objective-type papers having special emphasis on testing their ‘aptitude for civil services’ as well as on ‘ethical and moral dimension of decision-making.’

Both these papers will be given equal weightage and will substitute the one common paper (general awareness) and one optional paper (any particular subject of choice) which emphasized on subject knowledge.

The change, as of now, will be effective only for the first stage of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) from next year onwards while the consequent stages, which are the CS (Main) Examination and interview, are unlikely to change until a committee of experts goes into various aspects of the entire system and submits its report.

“With regard to the CSE, the Prime Minister has approved the proposal for introduction of CSAT in place of the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination,” said the minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Prithviraj Chavan in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

“The CSAT is expected to come into effect from CSE, 2011,” it added

Urdu Syllabus for IAS Exam

Paper-I

Answers must be written in Urdu.
Section-A

Development of Urdu Language
a) Development of Indo-Aryan (i) Old Indo-Aryan (ii) Middle Indo Aryan (iii) New Indo Aryan
b) Western Hindi and its dialects Brij Bhasha Khadi Boli, Haryanavi Kannauji, Bundeli-Theories about the origin of Urdu Language
c) Dakhani Urdu-Origin and development, its significant linguistic features.
d) Social and Cultural roots of Urdu language-and its distinctive features.
Script, Phonology, Morphology, Vocabulary.
Section-B

a) Genres and their development : (i) Poetry : Ghazal, Masnavi, Qasida, Marsia, Rubai, Jadid Nazm,
(ii) Prose : Novel, Short Story, Dastan, Drama, Inshaiya, Khutoot, Biography.
b) Significant features of : (i) Deccani, Delhi and Lucknow schools (ii) Sir Syed movement, Romantic movement, Progressive movement, Modernism.
c) Literary Criticism and its development with reference to Hali, Shibli, Kaleemuddin Ahmad, Ehtisham Hussain, Ale-Ahmad Suroor.
d) Essay writing (covering literary and imaginative topics)

Paper-II

Answers must be written in Urdu.
This paper will require first hand reading of the texts prescribed and will be designed to test the candidates critical ability.
Section-A

1. Mir Amman Bagho-Babar
2. Ghalib Intikhab-e-Khutoot-e Ghalib
3. Mohd. Husain Nairang-e-Khayal Azad
4. Prem Chand Godan
5. Rajendra Singh Apne Dukh Mujhe
Bedi Dedo
6. Abul Kalam Azad Ghubar-e-Khatir
Section-B

1. Mir Intikhab-e-Kalam-e-Mir
(Ed. Abdul Haq.)
2. Mir Hasan Sahrul Bayan
3. Ghalib Diwan-e-Ghalib
4. Iqbal Bal-e-Jibrail
5. Firaq Gul-e-Naghma
6. Faiz Dast-e-Saba
7. Akhtruliman Bint-e-Lamhat

3000 – 2600 BC – Harappa Civilisation

1200 – 500 BC – Vedic Era

550 BC – Birth of Mahavira

563 – 483 BC – Sidhartha Gautama, the Buddha

327 BC – The Conquests of Alexander The Great

325 BC – Alexander The Great, still goes on

322 BC – Rise of the Mauryas, Chandragupta

298 BC – Bindusara Coronated

272 BC – Ashoka’s Reign

180 BC – Fall of the Mauryas & Rise of the Sungas

30 BC – Rise of the Satvahana Dynasty

50 AD – The Kushans and Kanishkas

320 AD – Chandragupta I establishes the Gupta dynasty

360 AD – Samudragupta conquers the North

380 AD – Chandragupta II comes to power

415 AD – Accession of Kumara Gupta I

467 AD – Skanda Gupta assumes power

892 AD – Rise of the Eastern Chalukyas

985 AD – The Chola Dynasty

The competitive Examination is conducted as per the following three steps:

Step I- Preliminary Examination
IAS prelims is written objective type examination and is conducted in the month of June every year with two following papers:

Paper I- General Studies paper with maximum mark 150 against 150 questions. The exam expands over two hours and questions are asked from six topics which are Indian History, Constitution of India, Geography, Economics, Science and Current Affairs.

Paper II- The second paper is an optional of student’s choice which may include Political Science, Psychology, Economics, Physics, and Economics etc. This exam has maximum marks 300 against 120 questions and is two hour long.

IAS prelims are very competitive and therefore only highest scorers qualify for the second stage that is the Main Examination. It is quite interesting to note that the qualifying percentage is 10% in preliminary examination.

Step II- Main Examination
IAS Mains is a written examination which is a subjective or essay type format. This is generally conducted in the month of November/December. IAS Mains expands over nine papers:

Paper I & II- Language papers with maximum marks 300 each. One paper is English which is mandatory and the other is any Indian language mentioned in the eighth schedule of Indian Constitution. Passing these papers with a certain minimum percentage is necessary.

Paper III- This is a subjective type paper with maximum marks 200. Student can opt to write in either English or any other Indian language mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

Paper IV and V- General Studies with General Knowledge and Current Affairs and maximum marks of 300

Paper VI, VII, VIII and IX- Two optional subjects, with two papers thereby making it four papers with 300 each and total marks of 1200.

Those who pass IAS mains are further reduced with a ratio of 1:10 to direct students to the next level that is Personality Test.

Step III- Personality Test
This is the final elimination stage and as expected the competition is highest at this stage. Candidates are selected with a ratio of 1:2 and therefore with 10 vacancies, twenty candidates are called for interview. These candidates are tested on their personality, social traits, teamwork and leadership qualities and their aptitude and skills that are usually involved in work.

To serve in the Indian Police Service one has to pass the Civil Service Examination, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, every year. This examination is a common examination conducted for selection to the other two All India Services as well as various other Group A and Group B services under the Central Government.

Eligibility Criteria :

1.Age limit

21 years must be completed on 1st August of the year, which a candidate is appearing. Maximum 30 for general category, 33 for OBCs and 35 for SCs/STs . Ex-servicemen will get 5 more years exemption from the prescribed age limit The date of birth accepted by the Commission is that entered in the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognized by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University, which extract must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the Higher Secondary or an equivalent examination certificate.

2.Number of Attempts

Four attempts for open, seven for OBCs and no limit for SCs/STs. If a person appears in the Preliminary Examination or even one paper is counted as an attempt.

3.Restrictions on applying for the examination:

A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service on the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to compete at this examination.

4. Minimum Physical Standard
The physical standards are important for the job profile and the rigorous training at the NPA, which includes weekly run for 10 k.m. in 60 minutes, route march for 25 k.m. UAC, Horse riding, rock climbing, assault course, PT obstacles, rope climbing etc.  I shall give a detailed a/c of this sometime.

Services are divided into technical and non-technical. Technical services are IRTS, IPS, DANI PS, CISF, RPF & other Police organization.  The Medical standards for Technical Services are stringent.

For IPS-

Height – Male 165 cm Pahari Male (general also) & ST (not the SC/ OBC) – 160 cm

Female 150 cm Pahari Female  (general also) & ST (not SC/ OBC)- 145 cm

Chest – Male Minimum 84 cm. Expansion 5 cm.

Female Min 79 cm expansion 5 cm.

(Those can’t expand the chest go to next service. If expansion is less during 1st Medical, i.e. just after interview; during second Medical, i.e. after the result, or appeal, expansion can be shown.)

Eye sight – 6/6 or 6/9 distant vision for good eye. 6/12 or 6/9 for worst eye. Near vision J 1 for good eye. J2 for worst eye. The correction is by lenses
only. High standard for the Colour-blind test. No inherent night blindness. Vision should stereoscopic.

Blood pressure (High) – Age 23 – 123, age 24 – 124, age 25 –122, age 28 – 124, age 30 –125, age 32 – 126, age 34 – 127.

Ladies should not be pregnant at the time of Medical Test.

Ear- good listening & normal ear cavity. 1000 to 4000 frequency hearing impairment shd not be more than 30 decibels.

Nasal- candidate should not stammer while speaking.

Exam Pattern :

All India Combined Competitive Examination for the Civil Services conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) comprises of two successive stages:

* Preliminary Examination: It is of objective type, which is a qualifying examination.
* Main Examination: It consists of written examination and interview.

The Preliminary Examination is held in May/June and the Main Examination in October/November. One must begin preparations of the main exam along with preliminary exam. This is because there is little time for the Main exam if one waits for the results of the Preliminaries.