IAS MAINS INTRODUCTION

As far as the civil services are concerned the Union Public Service Commission organises the All India Combined Competitive Examination every year. This exam is one of the most prestigious and well recognised exams in the country. The exam will be conducted in two core stages-the preliminary exam which is basically an objective type exam and the main exam which is subjective in nature, then an interview is being conducted.

Main Examination
The time duration of the paper will be 3 hours.

The optional papers are as follows: Agriculture, Botany, Chemistry, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Civil Engineering, Geography, Geology, Electrical Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Indian History, Law, Medical Science, Philosophy, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Sociology, Statistics, Psychology, Public Administration, Zoology.

Following papers are included in the main examination:

1. Paper I-It is on one Indian language which is to be selected by the candidate and consists of 300 marks.
2. Paper II-the second paper is of English and consists of 30 marks.
3. Paper III-paper three will be of essay section and consists of 200 marks.
4. Paper I-It is on one Indian language which is to be selected by the candidate and consists of 300 marks.
5. Paper VI to IX-these are the optional papers chose by the candidate. Two papers are to be selected consisting of 300 marks.

Combinations not Allowed

The following combinations of papers are not allowed that are stated below:

• Commerce and Management.
• Anthropology and Sociology.
• Public Administration and Political Science & International Relations.
• Maths and Statistics.
• Veterinary Science and Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
• Management and Public Administration.
• Any two branches of engineering.
• Medical Science and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science.

An interview is conducted after the main exam, a medical test and then the probationary officers will go through a training session.