The Indian Civil Service forms the backbone of the Indian government machinery & constitutes all the major departments which run the state & central administration. The three types of services recruited through the Civil Services Examination are All India Services, Central Services, and State Services. To know more about the complete list of services and their posts and pay scale check the CS List of Services.
The Civil Services examination is one of the most prestigious examinations conducted by UPSC. Historically it has been of the most sought after career by young and talented individuals. It has not lost its prestige value amidst the recent popularity of IT and management careers. Civil Services is also popularly known as the IAS exam or the UPSC exam and is considered one the toughest competitive exams in the world with success rate of just 0.1%.
The examination procedure consists of three phases, Preliminary (held in May), Main (held in October/November) and Interview (held in March/April). Every year around 4 lakh people apply (only 50% that is 1.5-2 lakh actually appear in the preliminary exam) for about 400 vacancies. After the main examination around 5000 candidates are called for the interview. Thus, this whole process of selection takes almost one year. For more information about the examination process, check the Exam Pattern and Exam Instructions.
The approximate number of vacancy for the year 2007 is 455.
Preparation of Civil Services takes a lot of perseverance, hard work, time management, and proper guidance. For more information about the optional subjects, syllabus, and previous years' question papers, check the respective links.
All India Services
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Indian Police Service (IPS)
Central Civil Services - Group A
Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) - Income Tax
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) - Customes & Central Excise
Indian Audits & Accounts Service (IAAS)
Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS)
Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
Indian Defence Estate Service (IDES)
Indian Information Service (IIS)
Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
Railways Protection Force (RPF)
Central Civil Services - Group B
Union Territories Administrative Service
Union Territorries Police Service
Central Secretariat Service
Defence Secretariat Service
Subject Guide (coming soon) will have tips and strategies and suggested books/readings for each subject.
