The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) – Indian Foreign Services Exam is a highly prestigious and competitive exam conducted by the UPSC to recruit candidates for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The exam is highly coveted among students who aspire to pursue a diplomacy and international relations career. The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is responsible for representing India in diplomatic missions, negotiating treaties, and promoting India’s interests abroad. The UPSC Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam 2024 will be conducted in three stages: the preliminary exam, the main exam, and the interview.
The UPSC Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam 2024 requires candidates to be Indian citizens aged 21 to 32 with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university, meeting specified physical and medical standards. It is a highly competitive selection process demanding strong knowledge of international affairs, effective communication, and analytical skills. It is considered one of India’s toughest exams, so it demands rigorous preparation and comprehensive personality development. With proper guidance, success in the UPSC IFS Exam 2024 can be a rewarding opportunity for candidates aiming to contribute to India’s global diplomacy.
In September 1946, just before India’s independence, the Government of India established the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) to manage the country’s diplomatic, consular, and commercial representation abroad. In 1947, the Foreign and Political branch of the British Indian government consistently changed into what then turned into the new Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, and in 1948, the first batch was recruited under the combined examination system of the Union Public Service Commission.
Below are the essential highlights of the IFS 2024 Recruitment examination:
Exam Name | Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Examination |
Conducted by | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Exam Level | National Level |
Exam Frequency | Once a year |
Mode of Exam | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
Stages of Exam | 2 stages: Preliminary and Main |
Eligibility Criteria | Indian Citizen with a Bachelor’s degree |
Age Limit | 21 to 32 years |
Maximum Attempts | 6 |
Exam Pattern | Prelims: 2 papers (MCQ) |
Mains: 6 papers (4 compulsory and 2 optional) | |
Interview | Personality Test (275 marks) |
Syllabus | History, Polity, Economics, Geography, International Relations, Current Affairs, and General Knowledge |
Application Fee | Rs. 100 (except for SC/ST/female candidates) |
Salary Range | ₹56,100 to ₹60,000 per month & ₹1 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh |
Job Location | Indian Missions/Embassies abroad and Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi |
The Indian Foreign Service Exam will be conducted in two shifts:
Events | IFS Exam Date 2024 |
Indian Foreign Service Exam Notification release date | 14 February 2024 |
Indian Foreign Service Exam Application Date | February 14, 2024 |
Indian Foreign Service Exam Last Date of Application | March 5, 2024 |
UPSC Indian Foreign Service Exam Date – Prelims | June 16, 2024 |
Mains Exam Date | September 20, 2024 |
IFS has no prerequisites or physical requirements. The eligibility criteria for Indian Foreign Service (IFS) are identical to those for UPSC eligibility, elaborated in the CSE Notification. The comprehensive eligibility requirements for IFS comprise three aspects:
No minimum qualifying percentage is required to apply for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam, and candidates who have graduated from a recognized government institution or college are eligible. Individuals in their final year of graduation can also appear for the exam.
To be eligible for the Indian Foreign Service, a candidate must fall under one of the following categories:
The UPSC determines the age limit for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), with age being calculated as of August 1st of the year in which the exam takes place. Candidates must be at least 21 years old to be eligible for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam. The maximum age limit for the IFS Exam is also calculated as of August 1st.
Category | Minimum Age Limit for IFS | Maximum Age Limit for IFS | Number of Attempts |
General Category | 21 | 32 | 6 |
EWS Category | 21 | 32 | 6 |
IFS Age Limit for SC/ST | 21 | 37 | Unlimited |
OBC | 21 | 35 | 9 |
Every year, the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam application form is released by UPSC, which eligible candidates can fill out on the UPSC official website. To apply, candidates must complete the UPSC Online Application before the deadline. Here are the steps to follow for filling out the application form:
To be eligible to join the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), candidates must pay a fee of ₹100/- (Rupees One Hundred only). There are several ways to make a payment, including remitting money at any branch of the State Bank of India or using a Visa, Master, or RuPay credit or debit card, as well as SBI’s internet banking services. However, female, SC, ST, and Persons with Benchmark Disability candidates are exempted from paying the fee.
If you choose the “Pay by Cash” option, you must print the Pay-in-slip generated by the system during part II registration and deposit the fee at an SBI Branch counter on the next working day only.
Categories | Application Fee Amount |
Female/ SC/ ST/ PwBD | Exempted |
Others | ₹ 100/- |
UPSC offers the facility to withdraw the appliance form for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam before the exam. They introduced the facility a few years ago, as only half the candidates who fill out the application form appear for the exam.
For withdrawing the IFS form, here are the steps to follow:
Candidates must note that there is no provision for a refund of the appliance fee on withdrawal of the application form. Per the official notification, they will not refund the application fee under any circumstances.
In May 2024, the IAS Preliminary Admit Card for 2024 will be published on the official website by the Commission, according to their announcement. Those who have registered for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) Preliminary can access the website using their login credentials to download their IAS Prelims Admit Card 2024. Furthermore, the UPSC hall ticket for the aforementioned exam will remain accessible on the website until May 26, 2024, which is the exam date. In case of any difficulty or discrepancy in downloading the e-admit card, candidates are advised to contact the Commission immediately. Moreover, a roster of contenders who have retracted their web-based submissions for the 2024 Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination has been issued by the UPSC.
If you’re wondering about the steps to download the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination E-Admit Card 2024, follow the instructions below:
MAINS IFS 2024
The UPSC is set to conduct the Civil Services Mains Exam for 2024, and candidates who have qualified for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Mains Exam can soon download their Admit Cards from the official website. To access the UPSC Mains Admit Card 2024, aspirants need to log in using their roll number or registration number. The Commission has confirmed that the Civil Services Mains 2024 exam will take place on November 24, 2024.
Here are the steps to download the e-Admit Card for the UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam 2024:
Upon downloading the UPSC admit card, candidates must ensure all the details are accurate. The following are the crucial details to verify on the UPSC admit card:
Please note that the following important instructions regarding your admission to the examination:
The IFS Exam employs a specific pattern to evaluate a candidate’s academic proficiency. Those who intend to take the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam must thoroughly review the entire exam pattern and adjust their preparation accordingly. The exam pattern for the Prelims, Mains, and Interview rounds is described below. Aspirants must comprehend the UPSC Exam Pattern and tactically approach each stage of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Exam to achieve good scores.
The Preliminary Indian Foreign Service exam pattern includes two MCQ-based papers.
a. General Studies-1 and General Studies-2 (CSAT) are included.
b. The General Studies-1 paper determines the cutoff, while the CSAT paper is the only qualifying paper in which candidates must earn at least 33% to pass.
c. The marks obtained in the prelims are not used in the final merit list.
d. Both papers are worth 200 marks, and each paper has a time limit of 2 hours.
Paper | Type | No. of questions | UPSC Total Marks | Duration | Negative marks |
General Studies I | Objective | 100 | 200 (+2 marks per question) | 2 hours | Yes (One-third of marks allotted to each question) |
General Studies II (CSAT) | Objective | 80 | 200 (+2.5 marks per question) | 2 hours | Yes (One-third of marks allotted to each question) |
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam includes a total of 9 papers at the Mains stage. The first two papers—Compulsory Indian Language and English—are qualifying in nature. In addition to these, the main papers consist of 1 Essay paper, 4 General Studies papers, and 2 Optional Subject papers. The scores from the Mains exam play a crucial role in determining candidates’ ranks and service allocations.
Here’s a breakdown of the exam pattern:
Paper | Subject | Nature | Duration | Total Marks |
Paper A | Compulsory Indian Language | Qualifying (25% Marks required) | 3 hours | 300 |
Paper B | English | Qualifying (25% Marks required) | 3 hours | 300 |
Essay | Merit Ranking in Nature | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper I | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper II | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper III | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper IV | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper V | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies V | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper VI | Merit Ranking in Nature | General Studies VI | 3 hours | 250 |
Having successfully cleared the Mains level, the candidate has made significant progress toward becoming an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer. To prepare for the IFS Officer Interview, it’s essential to become thoroughly familiar with the Detailed Application Form (DAF). Taking notes and summarizing all the questions in the DAF is highly advisable, as most interview questions are typically based on this document, forming the foundation of the interview process. The second segment of the IFS interview will focus on the candidate’s service preferences. In this part, candidates can expect questions about recent international events, international organizations, India’s position on current global issues, and other relevant topics.
IFS Prelims Syllabus
General Studies Paper 1 | Interpersonal skills, including effective communication. Logical reasoning and analytical abilities. Decision-making and problem-solving skills. General mental ability. Basic numeracy at the Class X level, covering numbers, orders of magnitude, and their relationships. Data interpretation at the Class X level, involves the ability to interpret charts, graphs, and tables, and assess data sufficiency, all of which are important for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). |
General Studies Paper 2 | Interpersonal skills, including effective communication abilities. Logical reasoning and analytical skills. Decision-making and problem-solving capabilities. General mental aptitude. Basic numeracy at the Class X level, encompassing numbers, orders of magnitude, and their relationships. Data interpretation at the Class X level, which involves interpreting charts, graphs, tables, and assessing data sufficiency—all essential for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). |
IFS Mains Syllabus
Paper | Subject | Syllabus | Marks |
Paper A | Compulsory Indian language | Comprehension of given passages Precis Writing Usage and Vocabulary Short Essays Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa. | 300 |
Paper B | English | 300 | |
Paper I | Essay | 250 | |
Paper-II | General Studies I | General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) | 250 |
Paper III | General Studies II | General Studies -IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude) | 250 |
Paper IV | General Studies III | General Studies -III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 |
Paper V | General Studies IV | General Studies -IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) | 250 |
Paper VI | Optional I | Optional Subject – Paper 1 | 250 |
Paper VII | Optional II | Optional Subject – Paper 2 | 250 |
Here’s a list of the optional subjects available for the Main Examination:
Optional Subject | Agriculture Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Anthropology Botany Chemistry Civil Engineering Commerce and Accountancy Economics Electrical Engineering Geography Geology History Law Management Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Medical Science Philosophy Physics Political Science and International Relations Psychology Public Administration Sociology Statistics Zoology Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English |
The role of an IFS officer varies depending on the position and country they are posted in. Their primary responsibilities include:
Diplomatic Duties:
Policy Formulation and Implementation:
Public Diplomacy and Outreach:
Here’s an overview of the selection process for Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The exam is conducted in three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Interview/Personality Test. Here’s how to check and download the IFS exam results for all levels:
The results of the Preliminary Examination are typically announced within a month of the exam date. Candidates can check the results on the official UPSC website (https://www.upsc.gov.in/) by following these steps, particularly those aspiring for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
The Main Examination result is usually declared after one to two months of the exam date. Candidates can check the result on the official website of UPSC by following these steps:
To download the result, candidates can follow these steps:
the cut-off marks for the previous year’s (2021) IFS Exam in a tabular form:
Stage | Category | Cut-off Marks (out of 1200) |
Preliminary Exam | General | 98.00 |
OBC | 96.66 | |
SC | 84.00 | |
ST | 83.34 | |
EWS | 93.34 | |
Main Exam | General | 642 |
OBC | 602 | |
SC | 540 | |
ST | 545 | |
EWS | 580 | |
Final Selection | General | 720 |
OBC | 686 | |
SC | 616 | |
ST | 610 | |
EWS | 656 |
Note: The cut-off marks for the IFS Exam vary yearly and are subject to change based on various factors. These are just the previous year’s cut-off marks and should only be taken as a reference.
Once selected, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers undergo a comprehensive training program that equips them with the skills needed for their diplomatic duties. The training focuses on the following:
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) has fewer vacancies compared to other high-demand civil services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
The table below shows the final ranks (minimum ranks) awarded to the IFS in recent years.
Year | GEN | OBC | SC | ST |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 88 (EWS – 369) | 398 | 517 | 600 |
2020 | 103 (EWS – 376) | 403 | 474 | 625 |
2019 | 113 | 344 | 565 | 654 |
2018 | 134 | 450 | 468 | 603 |
2017 | 152 | 602 | 717 | 616 |
2016 | 208 | 615 | 740 | 922 |
2015 | 157 | 624 | 727 | – |
2014 | 114 | 567 | 756 | 926 |
2013 | 141 | 448 | 621 | 824 |
2012 | 134 | 328 | 659 | – |
2011 | 162 | 360 | 571 | 620 |
2010 | 140 | 283 | 514 | 676 |
2009 | 108 | 285 | 246 | 570 |
2008 | 103 | 257 | 417 | 586 |
As you can see, candidates need to reach the highest ranks to be considered for recruitment into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You don’t need to know a foreign language to be eligible to apply for the IFS, but you will need to learn a foreign language during your post-selection training. According to the MEA website, an average of 30-35 people are admitted to the IFS annually these days.
Here’s the promotion chain in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) presented in a table:
At an Indian Mission Abroad | At MEA Headquarters, India |
---|---|
1. Third Secretary (Language Trainee) | 1. Attaché |
2. Second Secretary | 2. Under Secretary |
3. First Secretary | 3. Deputy Secretary |
4. Counsellor | 4. Director |
5. Minister | 5. Joint Secretary |
6. Ambassador | 6. Additional Secretary |
7. Secretary |
(The highest post in the IFS is the Foreign Secretary, who serves from India).
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer’s initial salary in India is around 60,000 INR per month, including perks and allowances. The salary increases with promotions. However, the salary of IFS Officers appointed outside India is different due to the special foreign allowance they receive, which significantly increases their monthly salary.
Apart from salary, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officers are also entitled to the following benefits:
Here is the tabular form of the Indian Foreign Service Officer’s Salary as per their grade:
Post Abroad | Post in India | Payscale (INR) |
---|---|---|
Attaché/Third Secretary | Under Secretary | 8000-275-13500 |
Second/First Secretary | Under Secretary | 10650-325-15850 |
First Secretary | Deputy Secretary | 12750-375-16500 |
Director | Counselor Director | 15100-400-18300 |
Minister/DCM Ambassador | Joint Secretary | 18400-500-22400 |
Ambassador/High Commissioner | Additional Secretary | 22400-525-24500 |
Ambassador/High Commissioner | Secretary | 26000 (Fixed) |
Effective communication is essential to clearly communicate ideas and build relationships. Interpersonal skills help you understand and interact with others, fostering cooperation and trust.
The ability to critically analyze information and make informed decisions is essential. Analytical skills include evaluating data, recognizing patterns, and solving complex problems.
A deep understanding of the political, economic, and cultural dynamics of the world is essential. This knowledge helps you manage international affairs and effectively represent your national interests.
Diplomacy involves managing international relations with tact and skill. It requires negotiation skills, conflict resolution and the ability to maintain positive relations between nations.
A key skill is making informed decisions, often under pressure. This involves weighing options, considering possible outcomes and choosing the best course of action. Guide
Leadership skills are important for leading a team, inspiring others, and driving an initiative. Successful leaders motivate, support, and influence their teams to achieve their goals.
Adaptability is essential to succeed in diverse environments. It includes flexibility, openness, and responsiveness to new and changing environments.
Cultural sensitivity is about respecting and honoring differences. It helps you build respectful and effective relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds.
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The Indian External Affairs Service (IFS) is a prestigious career for individuals representing India on the world stage. Through rigorous selection and extensive training, IFS officers are equipped to manage diplomatic relations, promote India’s interests abroad and address complex international challenges. They play a key role in building partnerships with other countries, negotiating agreements and influencing global policies in areas such as trade, security and culture. Their responsibilities include managing embassies and consulates, participating in international conferences and promoting India’s image at the international level. For those passionate about diplomacy and global engagement, the IFS offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to India’s presence and relations on the world stage.
Ans. It’s a prestigious job as you’re serving and representing the state. An IFS officer represents the state in various countries. So, you ought to mold your personality accordingly. The advantages and perks are very eye-catching but the responsibilities are very stressful.
Ans. An IFS officer can choose any three places according to the vacant posts. If he/she is lucky, he/she can get one among the three places of his/her choice.
Ans. Clause 8(1) of the IFS (conduct and discipline) Rules, 1986, says no member of the service shall marry a person aside from an Indian citizen “without the prior permission in writing of the government.”
Ans. To be eligible for the Indian Foreign Service Exam 2024, candidates must meet the following requirements:
Nationality: Candidates must hold Indian citizenship.
Age: Candidates must be between 21 and 32 years old as of August 1st, 2024.
Education: Candidates must have completed a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university.
Ans. Yes, there is a penalty for wrong answers in the Preliminary Examination. For each incorrect answer, one-third of the marks allotted to that question will be deducted. However, there is no negative marking in the Main Examination.
Ans. The salary structure of an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer varies based on their rank and experience. At the entry-level, the pay scale is INR 56,100-1,77,500 per month. Additionally, they are entitled to various allowances such as travel, dearness, and accommodation allowances.
Ans. An IFS officer represents India abroad, negotiates treaties, implements foreign policies, provides consular services, promotes national interests, and engages in public diplomacy to enhance India’s global image.
Ans. IAS and IFS serve different roles: IAS focuses on domestic administration, while IFS handles international diplomacy. Both are prestigious, and the choice depends on personal interests and career goals.
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