The Indian Administrative Service is one of 32 government civil services, for which entry is through a rigorous selection process. More than 3 lakh students around the country take the entrance exam, but barely 300-400 are finally selected for all the services. This year, the number has been raised to 1,000, but only the first 100 successful candidates can choose the service they want. So, you must be prepared to work in any of the civil services, not just IAS. You can start preparing during graduation, and subjects like political science are useful. Keep in mind that you need detailed academic knowledge of least two subjects for the exam. The complete list of subjects is given in the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in. Employment News carries information on the civil services exam, as do guide books. You must also read at least one newspaper every day, and a range of national and international magazines. Choose a coaching institute that has a good teacher-student ratio (maximum of 30:1), good course material, and which have had a number of students who made it to the final selected list. Among the better known institutes are Rau’s Study Circle, Brilliant Tutorials, Sachdeva PT College and Vaid’s ICS. I suggest that you keep other options open. After political science, you can pursue a number of careers — law, international relations, journalism, public relations, social work, development studies. You can combine political science with a Master’s in international relations, which offers good scope in global business and corporate communications. Usha Albuquerque

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