One of the most prestigious services in India, the Indian Police Service, is a dream of many aspirants. To live their dream, an aspirant has to go through various stages of the course, including academic training, practical training, exams, and physical tests. UPSC conducts the exams for these services every year. It is a three-phased exam after which the candidate gets categorised into one of the services.
A candidate is allotted any service depending on his determination, knowledge, and rank in the merit list. And the process till the interview level is the same for all the candidates. UPSC conducts this exam of three levels: Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and interview or personality test.
The candidate who clears all these levels moves ahead to LBSNAA for a foundation course of two years. Thereafter, the officers of different services move to their respective academies. And those who are in police service go to NPA, which stands for National Police Academy located in Hyderabad, for 11 months.
The Examination Pattern
The first level, which is the preliminary level, consists of two papers of general studies, paper-I and paper-II. The first paper includes current affairs, history, geography, governance, social developments, environmental studies, etc.
While the second one includes comprehension, communication, logical skills, decision making, and numerical ability. One has to fill up the application form and meet the eligibility criteria.
Once the aspirant clears this level, he is eligible for the next level, which is the mains examinations. This stage comprises a total of nine papers. One essay paper, two papers for language, two optional papers, and four papers of general studies.
An aspirant who clears this level is called for the interview. In an interview or personality test, the candidate is evaluated on different aspects, including his attitude, problem-solving behaviour, and various other personality tests.
The physical tests for IPS will be taken only for those candidates who get their names on the final merit list. This list is prepared on the basis of marks obtained in the mains level exam and the interview. Let’s understand what is the physical test for IPS?
Physical Eligibility Requirements for IPS
The table below summarises the different aspects of physical tests both for male candidates and female candidates.
| Physical requirement | Male Candidates | Female Candidates |
| Chest | Minimum: 84 cm
Expansion: 5 cm |
Minimum: 79 cm
Expansion: 5 cm |
| Height | 165 cm
For ST: 160 cm |
150 cm
For ST: 145 cm |
| Eyesight | 6/6 or 6/9 distant vision for good eye | 6/12 or 6/9 for the worst eye. |
Suppose any candidate cannot fulfil the chest expansion in IPS physical eligibility test conducted just after the interview. He or she can apply for chest expansion criteria after the results are announced in the medical examination.
Apart from the abovementioned criteria, other expected fitness norms are:
| Category | Expected values |
| Blood pressure | Varies according to age, but overall, between 123 to 127. |
| Ear | 1000-4000 frequency, maximum hearing impairment is 30 decibels. |
| Speaking | The candidate should be clearly speaking and not stammering. |
| Pregnancy | Ladies should not be pregnant during the test. |
| Vision | Clear vision and no colourblindness or night blindness. |
How to Prepare for the Physical Test?
It is not easy to clear the IPS physical eligibility test. One has to start preparing well in advance to develop good health and clear the test. The first step is to understand what is the criteria for passing the physical test and how the physical test is done? Once you clearly understand the outcome, you can start preparing.
# Visit your doctor and consult about your health and a diet plan according to the results you want. You can also join a good gym and stick to a fitness plan under the guidance of your trainer. Or, if you are preparing by yourself, do not think of achieving the maximum on the first day. Rather gradually increase the exercise.
# Start performing the activities like jogging, aerobics, walking, swimming, etc.; these will improve your stamina. Also, such activities keep the blood circulation better. Some exercises like pull-ups and push-ups are necessary for physical tests. You can keep on practising them and gradually increase the number every week. An aspirant is tested on the basis of how many sets he can perform in a minute.
# For running or walking, you can simply start walking every day for some days. Then start keeping track of how much you can walk at a particular time. Gradually increase the speed and reduce the time for a particular distance. Similarly, for weightlifting, you can simply start with the maximum weight you can comfortably pick. And over time, keep on adding 5lbs until you get comfortable with the maximum weight required for clearing the test.
# The basic idea behind every exercise or activity is to gradually increase it so your body can also adjust to it. Another point you should consider is to start as early as possible. It is important because you cannot clear the test by starting preparing at the last moment. It is a process that takes time; your body takes time to sync with the increased physical activity. Therefore, if you want to ensure positive results in the test, start preparing positively from day one.
Why is the Physical Test Important?
Anyone preparing for civil service examinations knows how much responsibility comes with the job. Be it any service IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, or any other but the candidate should be mentally and physically fit to accept any kind of challenges on the job. The IPS requires a physical test because of the kind of job it is. An IPS officer is supposed to maintain law and order in the state, which is surely not an easy job.
Thus, candidates preparing for IPS should work on their body, so that they are prepared for any kind of situation in the state. The job role itself requires enough physical fitness. In order to maintain the law in society, an officer sometimes has to be on the field for many days continuously. And to manage a large crowd also needs a physically fit officer. Apart from on-field duties, a physically fit officer only will be able to frame the policies which are beneficial in the overall peace of the state.
Is there any Physical Test for IPS?
The process of selection for any service is the same, and there is no separate physical test for IPS. There is a common medical examination for all services, which is generally on the next day of the interview.
This medical test is conducted for finding out any diseases; a candidate should be fit for the job. Additional IPS physical requirements are that the candidate should not be colourblind and should not have undergone LASIK surgery, and should not have flat food.
It is only after the two years of foundation course at LBSNAA that candidates of different services go to different institutes. Before that, every process was similar for candidates of different services.
Physical Training at LBSNAA
Starting your day with physical exercise, including yoga, running, and other exercises. This ensures that the officer is fit and if not, the training makes him fit. Not only this, you get enough time to play sports in the evening. This is more like an informal session to develop a healthy relationship among the officers.
Generally, the morning activities start at six in the morning, and all trainees do physical exercise to prepare themselves for the day.
Conclusion
Clearing the civil service examination is the dream of many aspirants. Joining India’s most prestigious services and serving the nation becomes the only goal of life for those who are preparing for it. And the process itself is not very easy; the examination requires determination, hard work, and a single-minded focus from the candidate.
Apart from the theoretical knowledge of all subjects, a candidate is expected to have a practical outlook also. In the interview process, the practical problem-solving mindset is evaluated. And that is why an interview is also one of the major steps in clearing the examinations.
Along with the two-level exams and interviews, there is also a physical test or medical examination which the candidate should pass. This physical test has predetermined standards like height, eyesight, chest, vision, weight, etc.
A candidate has to clear this physical examination conducted after the interview. If, due to some reason, a child cannot clear the chest expansion test, he or she can again appear for that. Along with all these criteria, candidates who want to for IPS or other technical services should not be colourblind and should not have a flat foot.
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