IPS Physical Eligibility & Requirements: Must Know Facts for UPSC Aspirants

Do you imagine yourself being in a khaki uniform with a lion emblem or shining stars on your shoulders? Yes IPS Officer post is the best dream you could fight for. An IPS Officer known as an Indian Police Services Officer is a class 1 police official who belongs to and works for all possible Indian Services. IPS officers work for both central and state governments in high-range capacities.

Eligibility Conditions for the Aspirant of  IPS Officer Post

#1 Bachelor Degree: The candidate must possess a degree from a University or must have an equivalent qualification in any stream of their interest.

#2 Age Limit range (21- 32 years): The aspiring Candidates must have attained the age of 21 years on 1st August of the year of examination and should not be the age of 32 years on the date of examination.

But there are few relaxations in the upper age limit by three years for OBC (Other Backward Classes) candidates and five years for SC (Scheduled caste)/ ST (Scheduled Tribe) candidates.

#3 The Upper age limit is also relaxed for defence Services Personnel in order to encourage and support them. However, besides this, one should be a legal citizen of India.

#4 Meet Physical fitness and other requirements: the candidate should meet the requirements such as eligible height, chest, and eyesight.

#5 Apply within the range of allowed attempts: General category candidates are allowed to take 6 attempts, whereas OBC candidates can take 9 attempts.

However, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe aspirants can take an unlimited number of attempts while a similar number of attempts go for physically handicapped candidates. But, general and OBC candidates who are physically handicapped can take 9 attempts.

The Path Followed to Become an IPS Officer

As we all know, being an IPS Officer comes with a lot of responsibilities and stress. Moreover, an IPS Officer is like a backbone for internal security services in India. Therefore, the candidate must prove themselves to be the best, most suitable, and deserving candidate among the others in every possible form.

An aspiring IPS Officer candidate needs to go through a rigorous continuous selection process by UPSC, which is commonly known as the civil service exam.

#1 Preliminary Exam: The candidates have to take this exam which Consists of two papers for 200 marks each. The optional subject for the second paper can be chosen from a list of subjects from various streams.

#2 Final Exam: After qualifying for the preliminary exam, the candidates are supposed to take the final exam, which consists of various essay-type papers held in the month of October.

#3 Interview: The next stage is an interview which tests the candidate’s personality and mental ability.

#4 After the selection of the candidates, undergo a thorough IPS Physical test which consists of various aspects.

The physical test is a very important part of the journey towards becoming an IPS Officer, and it is often taken lightly. Know all about the physical test requirements and eligibility.

Physical Requirements for IPS

After passing all the three stages of UPSC, the candidates are supposed to take an IPS physical test after the interview. The Union Public Service Commission allot each candidate a date and hospital for taking their medical examination.

Male Candidates

IPS Physical eligibility for male candidates are tested in three criteria:

# Height: the candidate should have a minimum of 165cm height, but there are exceptions for Scheduled Caste, ST, and other backward Castes as they are eligible with a minimum 160cm height.

# Chest: The aspiring candidate requires a minimum chest size of 84 cm with 5 cm expansion.

# Eyesight: The candidate requires 6/6 or 6/9 distant vision for good eye

The first medical exhibition is conducted just after the interview, but if any candidate misses meeting the medical standards of chest size, then they can appeal to retake them during the second medical examination, which is conducted after the results are announced.

Female Candidates

IPS Physical requirements for female candidates are measured in three stages:

# Height: The candidate should have a minimum height of 150cm. Whereas for SC/ OBC, it’s 145 cm.

# Chest: The aspiring female candidate should have a chest size of 79 cm with an expansion of 5 cm.

# Eyesight: They should have near vision of J 1 for good eye and J 2 for worst eye. However, 6/12 or 6/9 distant vision is for the worst eye.

All the candidates who are selected for the Personality Test/interview by the Union Public Service Commission may be required to appear for medical examination, which is mandatory. Thus Medical examination is one of the most important factors for being part of these civil services, and therefore completion of medical examination is essential for timely and smooth service allocation.

Other Physical Eligibility for IPS

#1 Blood Pressure: The candidate’s blood pleasure requirements depend on the age of the aspirant. The candidate of Age 23 should have a blood pressure of 123; at age 24 and 28, they may have 124bp, whereas candidates between ages 25-34 should have blood pressure in the range of 123-127.

#2 Ear: You should have a normal ear cavity with good listening skills. The ear should have 1000-4000 frequency with no more than 30 decibels of hearing impairment.

#3 Nasal: The candidate should have normal speech without facing frequent problems to break the flow of the speech.

#4 Pregnant female candidates should avoid taking this medical test at that time.

#5 One should not be suffering from colour blindness or night blindness. Moreover, the vision should be stereoscopic, which means the candidate should have the ability to visualise and register the sense of three-dimensional inputs by using both the eyes, guided by the brain.

When a candidate passes all the medical tests and physical requirements, they get selected for the IPS Officer post. Later, candidates will continue for 6 months of training in their allotted cadre, after which they have to spend one month at academic training, then they will go back to their allotted cadre as confirmed IPS officers.

The purpose behind conducting an IPS physical test is to examine the candidate’s mental and physical stability. On the basis of this exam, the candidate is determined as fit or unfit for carrying out all the civil services.

How to Prepare for the IPS Physical Test?

#1 Know all the physical requirements for IPS so that you can prepare accordingly.

#2 Make sure you start fitness training well in advance because the last preparation is not enough for a medical test.

#3 Build your stamina and fitness level by performing fitness activities like yoga, aerobics, jogging, or even you can go to the gym and get yourself a personal trainer in order to shape your body and lose extra kilos.

#4 The candidate is recommended to start gradually increasing the intensity of the workout by increasing the number of sets per day or should try covering more distance while walking or jogging in the same amount of time to increase your pace towards the fitness goal.

#5 For weight lifting exercises, try and increase the weights gradually to avoid any kind of injury and to become better at lifting the maximum weight required for IPS physical test.

#6 Try and stop thinking and stressing about getting lower scores or results in order to maintain your mental health.

#7 Don’t be afraid at the time of the test and just give your best. Be prepared ahead of your time so that you know all the eligibility criteria and can take the test effectively with all efficacy.

Few Tips Aspirants should Remember Before Appearing for the IPS Physical Test

#1 The aspirant should come empty stomach or on fasting for almost 10 hours.

#2 The candidate should not take any kind of unprescribed medicine before the exam.

#3 If the candidate has sight or hearing issues, they should get a prescription certificate from the doctor along with their pair of spectacles and hearing aid.

#4 If the candidate uses Contact lenses, then they should avoid their usage for almost 48 hours before the IPS medical exam.

#5 The candidate should carry any record of the medical history of surgery or any other medical procedure they have experienced with them for the reviewing of doctors at the medical centre.

Conclusion

Cracking the IPS Officer Examination is not easy, and the preparation for this journey can be daunting, which might cause a drop in your motivation and determination but following the right routine and maintaining consistency can lead you towards your desired goal.

UPSC Pathshala can help you through that. It offers you the desired knowledge about UPSC. From the requirements for IPS physical test, to study material for preparation to last-minute tips and advice to brush your skills and make you ready and prepared more than ever, as the IPS exam is not just about knowing bookish knowledge, but it’s also about the overall development of your personality which determines your fitness towards the services you are going to offer in the future.