When is the IAS exam held? When should I start preparing for this exam?

The exam is held in three phases. Officially, these are considered as two stages: Preliminary and Main. The third phase – Interview – is considered a part of the Main exam only. Thus, the Preliminary exam is held in the month of May or June every year. It’s a one-day exam with two papers, held in two slots: morning and evening. The Main written exam generally takes place in the months of October and November every year. There are nine (9) papers and the examination schedule ranges from 4 days to more than a month for different candidates, on the basis of the subjects chosen by them. Finally, the Interview takes place in the months of March and April. Sometimes, the interviews may extend to the month of May.

There is no set date to start the IAS exam’s preparation. Actually, the sooner you start the better it is. Complete preparation usually takes more than a year, so whenever you decide to take this exam, you should start preparing for it. However, the general perception is that a candidate can prepare for the Preliminary exam in three months. By this logic, if the exam date is mid of May, a candidate should start preparing wholeheartedly in the month of February. This is in case a candidate has experienced Prelims exam earlier. Otherwise, a fresher must start concentrating on prelims exam in the month of December only. Nevertheless, serious candidates prepare for one full year or more before taking their first attempt.