How Much an IPS Aspirants Study? Here’s What You need to know about UPSC Aspirants

UPSC Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest competitive exams in India. It is a highly anticipated and unpredictable exam. Every year millions of students give their exams to become civil servants. But only a few hundred can succeed in all three states.

After completing it they are allocated to different posts according to their ranks. There are different posts offered by UPSC, for instance, IAS, IPS, IFS, IFoS, IRS, and many more.

Do you want to become an IPS officer? Well, it is one of the best and prestigious posts. But as stated before, UPSC is one of the toughest exams in India. Therefore candidates have to study well to be able to clear it.

Here in this article, you will find out how much does an IPS study? And also how to become an IPS officer?

IPS Officer- Truth Alone Triumphs

IPS stands for Indian Police Services. It was established in 1905 under British rule and was reformed in 1948 after independence. IPS along with IAS, IFS is the most popular choice of the candidates. This organization is under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. And all IPS officers are responsible to the Home Minister of India.

Every year around 150-200 IPS officers are selected for successful candidates. A candidate option for IPS must fulfil its eligibility criteria and required rank determined by UPSC.

An IPS officer is responsible to maintain public peace, prevent crime, collect intelligence, provide security to VIPS, prevent any kind of muslin or trafficking. It is also responsible to prevent corruption, enforce legislation, and other important laws and policies formulated by the government.

An IPS officer commands Central Armed Police Forces, Central Police Organizations such as BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, etc. Moreover, it also leads and commands Indian Intelligence Agencies like R&AW, CBI, CID, etc.

UPSC Rank for IPS Officer

Categories	Rank
General	236
SC	638
ST	645
OBC	480

Career Growth in IPS

Grade	Position
Apex scale (pay scale 17)	Director general of police (Head of State Police Forces)
HAG+ Scale (pay level 16)	Director general of police
HAG scale (pay level 15)	Additional Director General of Police
Senior administrative grade (pay level 14)	Inspector general of police
Super time scale (DIG/Conservator grade) (pay level 13A)	Deputy Inspector general of police
Selection grade (pay level 13)	Superintendent of police (seccion rade)
Junior administrative grade (pay level 12)	Superintendent of Police
Senior time scale (pay level 10)	Additional superintendent of police
Junior time scale (pay level 10)	Deputy Superintendent of Police

Salary Prospect of IPS

Ranks	Destinations	Payscale
Deputy Superintendent of Police	Assistant Commissioner of Police	Rs.56,100/-
Additional Superintendent of Police	Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police	Rs 67,700/-
Superintendent of Police	Deputy Commissioner of Police	Rs 78,800/-
Senior Superintendent of Police	Deputy Commissioner of Police	Rs 1,18,500/-
Deputy Inspector General of Police	Additional Commissioner of Police	Rs 1,31,100/-
Inspector-General of Police	Joint Commissioner of Police	Rs 1,44,200/-
Additional Director General of Police	Special Commissioner of Police	Rs 2,05,400/-
Director-General of Police	Commissioner of Police	Rs 2,25,000/-

Also Read: Salary of IPS Officer During Training: Analysis of IPS as a Career Prospect

How to Become an IPS Officer?

To become an IPS officer a candidate has to follow these steps.

Eligibility Criteria of IPS

A candidate must fulfil these eligibility criteria to register for the UPSC CSE examination.

Nationality

#1. A candidate must be a citizen of India to serve IAS, IPS or IFS.

#2. For other services, a candidate must be either:

# A citizen of India

# A citizen of Nepal, or

# A citizen of Bhutan, or

# A Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1st January 1962

# A person of Indian origin migrated to India intending to permanently settle in India from any of these countries: Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

Age Limit

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and not be more than 32 years old.

Categories	Age Relaxation
SC/STs	5 years
OBCs	3 years
Defense Services Personnel	3 years
Ex-Servicemen	5 years
ECOs/SSCOs	5 years
PwBD	10 years

Number of Attempts

Category	Number of Attempts
SC/ST	Unlimited
OBC	9
PwBD	9
general	4

Educational Qualification

According to UPSC, a candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from an affiliated University.

Physical Requirement

Every candidate must fulfil these physical requirements to become an IPS officer:

# The minimum height requirement for male candidates is around 165 cms (160 for SC/ST/OBC) and for females, it is around 150 cms (145 cms for SC/ST/OBC).

Note: No minimum height is prescribed for candidates belonging to ST or other tribal groups such as Gorkhas, Garhwalis, Assamese, Kumaonis, and Nagaland Tribal etc.

# The minimum chest requirement is 84 cm for males and 79 cm for females.

# The candidate must not be colourblind.

# Eyesight should be around 6/6 or 6/9 for better eyes. For worse eyes, corrected vision should be around 6/16 or 6/9.

# For near-eye sightedness, the corrected vision should be J1** for worse eyes and  J2** for a better eye.

# Blood pressure is around 123-127 according to the age of the candidates.

# A candidate should have a good listening ability. 1000-4000 frequent impairment should not be more than 30 decibels.

# A candidate should not stammer while speaking.

Apply for UPSC Civil Services Examination

Therefore a candidate has to register for UPSC CSE exams. They can easily register themselves by following these simple steps:

# Candidates can apply for the UPSC CSE examination from the official website of UPSC.

# Register Yourself on the website using phone numbers and email ids.

# Your Login credentials will be sent to your respective phone number or email id.

# Login using those and fulfil other details carefully.

Phases of UPSC CSE

An IPS officer has to clear UPSC CSE exams to become an IPS officer. Previously cadres of State police were also recruited as IPS officers but now this practice is inactive.

UPSC CSE exam consists of three phases: Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, and Interview.

Preliminary Examination

Mode	Offline
Types of Questions	Objective types (MCQ)
Papers	2
# general Studies I	Tests basic knowledge of candidates
# CSAT	Qualifying in nature
Total Marks	200+200 marks
Language	Both English and Hindi
Negative marks	1/3 marks are deducted

Mains Examination

Those who successfully clear prelims move further to the Mains examination. This is a descriptive type paper and contains 9 papers.

Papers	Subject	Total Marks
Paper A	Anyone Indian Language included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution	300 marks
Paper B	English	300 marks
Paper I	Essay	250 marks
Paper II	General Studies-I	250 marks
Paper III	General Studies-II	250 marks
Paper IV	General Studies-III	250 marks
Paper V	General Studies-IV	250 marks
Paper VI	Optional Subject-I	250 marks
Paper VII	Optional Subject-II	250 marks

Interview

This is a personality test that aims to test the mental ability, focus, and mental alertness of candidates. It carries a total of 250 marks.

Also Read: How to Prepare a 3 Month Time Table for UPSC Preparation? Tips to Ace your Prelims 2021

Important Books to Read

# NCERTs (6-12th)

# History Of Modern India -Bipan Chandra

# India’s Struggle For Independence -Bipan Chandra

# Ancient history by RS Sharma

# Medieval history by Satish Chandra

# Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth.

# Physical and Human Geography by GC Leong

# Oxford School Atlas by Oxford Publishers

# Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania

# Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh

# Economic Survey by the Ministry of Finance

# The Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains –Khuller

#  Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

# An Introduction to the Constitution of India by D Basu

# Quantitative Ability by RS Aggrawal

Also Read: Recommended Books for IAS by Toppers: Must-Read Books for UPSC IAS Exam

Tips for Assure Success

# Focus on Current Affairs more as it is an integral part of the UPSC. Try to read different magazines, newspapers, news channels, etc.

# Boost your UPSC preparation by NCERTs. These books are highly recommended by several UPSC CSE toppers.

# Try to solve previous year papers, mock tests to get familiar with the type of question and evaluate your strengths or weaknesses.

# Focus on revision. Candidates should revise their course to memorize everything they study.

# Prepare short, crisp handy notes to consolidate, memorize and revise each topic. It can act as a last-minute saviour for you.

# Apart from proper study and rigorous preparation you should ensure proper rest and sleep in between to ensure efficiency.

Also Read: How to be an IPS Officer? Tips to Prepare Yourself to be an IPS Officer

How Much an IPS Aspirants Study?

There is a diverse opinion of people about this. Some say that people should study for at least around 15-16 hours per day and some think 7-8 hours is enough to prepare for UPSC. There is no accurate answer for this question and it mainly depends largely on the candidate’s ability and preparation.

A person should be in their UPSC preparation for one and a half years before you give your CSE exam. In this period you need to cover the entire syllabus of UPSC, revise them and eat a strong grip over each subject.

But one thing can be said about this question. It doesn’t matter how much you study or how many hours you study, but what matters is what you study and how efficiently you study. Remember to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Also Read: Top 7 Ultimate Revision Tips for IAS Exam: Get the Ball in Your Court in the Next UPSC

Conclusion

IPS is one of the popular choices among different candidates.  You need to work hard and dedicate yourself to clear UPSC CSE. You should start your preparation 1.5 years before your exams. You can study for around 7-8 hours. That is enough. But remember to take frequent breaks, proper sleep and allocate your time properly.

To ensure your success you can visit the UPSC Pathshala website. This website is devoted to UPSC preparation. You can find different courses at reasonable prices, one-on-one consultation with experts, high-quality video lectures and important study material here.