Physical Eligibility for IAS

To all the aspirants preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, having doubts about the Physical fitness for IAS, Physical Test for IAS Officer, Medical requirements for IAS etc. This article will give some clarity on the Physical requirements for Officer preparing for IAS Exam.

Candidates can check the latest UPSC Notification on the linked page for the details.

Is there any physical test for IAS?

The UPSC prescribes some eligibility criterion for successful candidates to be appointed for service. There are some Physical standards for UPSC civil services, specifically for the technical services namely, the Indian Police Service (IPS), the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Police Service (DANIPS), Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) such as height, weight, chest, etc. But the other non-technical services don’t require them and only some basic demands of physical health are mandatory to be satisfied by the candidates.

To know about the physical fitness requirements for IPS officers, check the linked article.

Rule 21 of the Civil Services Examination Rules prescribed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) says, “A candidate must be in good mental and bodily health and free from any physical defect likely to interfere with the discharge of his duties as an officer of the service.”

Medical Examination for IAS Officers:

A medical examination is done for all candidates who appear for the UPSC personality test at Delhi only at prescribed hospitals.

Physical Eligibility Criteria for UPSC IAS:

• There is no height, weight and chest girth minimum requirement as such for candidates for the IAS, unlike the technical services. However, if the candidates’ measurements are disproportionate as regarded by the medical board, the candidates can be hospitalized for investigation and chest X-ray can be taken. Please note the technical services have certain minimum requirements.
• Candidates should have a proper vision in the eyes. Corrections permitted are spectacles, CL and refractive surgery like LASIK, ICL, IOL, etc. Those who have myopia with macular degenerative changes will be declared unfit for service in the IAS. People with a squint in the eyes are fit for service. Night blindness is also not a ground for candidates to be declared unfit.
• Blood pressure over 140/90 should be subjected to further testing in the hospital to ascertain whether the abnormal BP is temporary due to excitement, etc. and not an indication of any disease. Only candidates free from any complication of hypertension will be declared fit for service.
• Only candidates free from any complication of diabetes mellitus will be declared fit for service.
• The hearing ability of the candidate should be ‘good’ in each ear and he/she should also be free from any disease of the ear. In case of a defect, the candidate should be subjected to further tests to see if the defect can be remedied by a hearing aid or an operation.
• Pregnant female candidates will be fit except for those services that require physical training. In such cases, the candidates will be declared fit after confinement.
• Candidates’ teeth should be in ‘good order’.
• The heart and lungs of the candidate should be fine.
• There should not be any abdominal disease.
• The feet, hands and limbs are well-formed and there should be no restriction on joint movements.
• There should not be any congenital malformation or defect.
• There should not be any sign of acute or chronic disease indicating an impaired constitution.
• Candidates should bear marks of efficient vaccination.
• The candidates should not have any communicable diseases.
• Candidates with grade I haemorrhoids are declared fit.
• Diseases like hernia, varicose veins, hydrocele, haemorrhoids, etc. are declared temporarily unfit and should be declared fit after successful surgery.
• Candidates with malignancies at the time of entry to service are declared unfit.
• Candidates with transplanted organs are declared unfit. An exception is made only for a corneal transplant.

If a candidate meets all the eligibility criteria, he/may she apply for the examination by filling the UPSC Online Application, important points of which are mentioned in the linked article.

For more information on categories related to eligibility, check the important links given below:

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