How to Become an IAS Officer after 12th

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

— Lao Tzu

You might be a school going student or just have pass your class 12th and might have been inspire by such civil servants, like a District Magistrate who is an IAS officer or a Superintendent of Police who is an IPS officer, either by seeing them carrying on their routine work like public inspection or by visiting their office and seeing how they work to impact and change the lives of common citizens for good. And this can be a reason that now you too want to be such an officer by cracking the UPSC exam. This blog is going to help you guide in becoming a civil servant like IAS after 12th.

The Civil Services exam, conducted by UPSC, is one of the most prestigious exams of our country,

It offers a great career opportunity, a thing which is sought by lakhs of aspirants every year. The Civil Servants that come via cracking the civil services exam, form the backbone of our country’s administrative and governance system.

So let us see how one can become a civil servant like IAS, after 12th.

We will start by discussing the following question:

Can you become an IAS officer just after completing your 12th?

Sadly, the answer to this question is “No”. You cannot become an IAS officer just after completing your class 12th. This is because you are not eligible for sitting or attempting the UPSC civil services exam just by completing class 12th. You need to be a graduate from a recognized university along with being 21 years of age in order to sit for the UPSC exam. The eligibility criteria, in detail, are as follows:

Educational Qualifications required:

All candidates must have minimum one out of the following:

• A degree from a Central, State or a deemed university.
• A degree from correspondence, distance or open learning university.
• A GOI recognized qualification being equivalent to any one of the above.

Age Limit:

• Upper age limit for the General category is 32 years.
• The eligible age for every candidate is 21 years.
• Upper age limit for OBC is 35 years.
• Upper age limit for SC & ST is 37 years.
• There is upper age relaxation for PwD as well.

You cannot become an IAS just after 12th but….

You can prepare to become an IAS after 12th!

Keeping the eligibility criteria in mind, one should not be disheartened with the fact that one cannot become an IAS after 12th and stop chasing their dream. On the other hand, what can be done is that one can prepare to become an IAS just after 12th, along with their graduation. Doing this will help you start your preparation very early and will provide you with sufficient preparation time for your very first attempt. 

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

While preparing for the IAS exam just after 12th, you must consider the following things in mind as it will benefit you in your preparation. These things are: –

• Before choosing this career path, do your research work properly. Get to know about the role these officers play, the challenges they face, the lifestyle they live, before making the final decision that yes you want to become a civil servant.
• Decide your subject/ stream of graduation with utmost care and after due consideration and deliberation. Try choosing something which will help you in your UPSC preparation. For example, doing BA in Pol Science will help in GS as well as can be helpful for PSIR optional papers.
• Get acquainted and familiarized with the syllabus of the examination. Analyse the previous year questions (PYQS), of both Prelims and Mains stage of the examination.
• Develop a habit of reading, especially newspaper reading. The habit of reading will help you alot in the preparation as well as the examination. Try to be aware of your surroundings, both nationally and internationally.

• Newspaper reading will help with this.

• Do not throw away your school Ncert books to the “raddiwalah”. These books are very much recommended for this examination as it strengthens your conceptual base, which is very important during the present days, keeping in mind the types of questions being asked in the examination. A time will come to revisit these books which you have already studied, once you get into the preparation phase.
• While in college, don’t get into adverse things, which might become reasons for distractions. Try staying with like-minded people. Get in touch with teachers and seniors who can be helpful to you for this examination. Try to use the library of your college/university to read the maximum number of books you can read, which ultimately help you to become an IAS officer. Remember, great things demand greater sacrifices.
• Most importantly, never ignore your mental and physical health. Develop a habit of eating healthy food, taking adequate rest like a good amount of sleep hours, not taking stress of any kind, indulge in physical activities like working out, playing sports, running or walking. Taking self-care is very important in order to perform to your best capabilities.

EDEN IAS’S LAKSHYA: Your buddy to help you become IAS after 12th

Eden IAS is a renowned coaching institute located at the heart of ORN, a place which is quite popular among the knowns of UPSC exam.

To help students who have just passed their 12th and are wanting to prepare for UPSC and become IAS after 12th, Eden IAS offers the best foundation course for UPSC for 12th passed students, called Lakshya.

Lakshya is a 3-year foundation course for IAS exam, empirically designed, especially for those who wish to prepare for UPSC along with their graduation.

The structure of the course is designed in such a way so as to make sure that your UPSC preparation does not burden your college life but eases it so that you can handle both the college studies as well as your preparation, in the most effective and sustainable manner.

So, if you wish to make your dream come true of becoming a civil servant, be it an IAS, IPS or IFS officer, kick-start your preparation by joining the Lakshya course. 

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”

—Alan Cohen

To know more about the details of the course, visit our IAS Foundation Course (3 Years).