UPSC Civil Services exam 2020: Dates you should know
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).
