HOW TO BECOME AN IPS OFFICER- SOME TIPS

Many youngsters ask for guidance to become an IPS officer, one of the readers of my blog recently asked me how to become a 'good' IPS officer! To be an officer in the Indian Police Service is a truly great career. A police officer, especially in a senior rank can do a lot of service to the people and to the society. Doing service to others is extremely satisfying, only by doing this will one realise its beauty. An IPS officer is given Uniform, the authority and the required training in the laws of the land to ensure peace and order and to prevent crimes. In case crimes occur, he/she has the authority to take action to see that the offender is apprehended and he is subjected to the due process of law.
To become an IPS officer, one has to write the Civil Services Examination conducted every year by the Union Public Service Commission. The first stage is CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) held in August, which is a preliminary exam, a qualifying test to see if applicants are eligible to write the mains which is held in December. Those who clear the mains will be called for a Personality Test and based on the overall marks scored, applicants can get into IAS, IFS, IPS and other Central Services. The internet is full of information about the syllabus, the qualifications and criteria required to write the exam and the model question papers. There are several instututions which offer coaching facilities in India, but those who prepare from home without attending any special classes also get into the Civil Services.
OK, introduction is over, now here are my tips.

1. Introspect, if it is really IPS that you want and whether the job will suit you emotionally as well as physically. This is important. You should wish to become an IPS officer only if you are 100% sure that you will make an awesome Police Officer.
2. Have a burning desire to become an IPS officer. Think of yourself in uniform, think of what all good things service to the public you can do as a senior police officer, think & feel the pride of wearing the uniform.
3. It is not a good idea to feel that since someone you know or somebody else is an IPS officer, so should you too be. Please do not aim for the job considering the salary it may fetch you, the dowry/marriage you will get,  the power or false sense of supremacy that it may give you or if you have a score to settle with someone after getting into the job. Aim for the position just because it is a great opportunity to serve the Nation and its people and because it is the most befitting job for you.
4. Of course, it goes without saying that you have to prepare for the exam. Now you can write the Civil Services Exam till the age of 32 and you have 6 chances too. But why do you have to waste so much of time and effort for this? If you are serious, you can clear the exam earlier. When I wrote the exam in 1985 and 1986, I suffered and overworked a lot. I didn't eat or sleep well, but spent that time too to study. I had a terrible complex, so I worked head over heels for it. I cleared the exam in my second attempt, but looking back, I feel I should not have worked so hard and suffered so much to get into it. If you plan it early and work steadily according to a time schedule, it will be much easier to get into the Civil Services.
5. Finally- about being 'good' or 'bad'. All of us are by nature good in everything. Our life, relationships,  health and  job, all of these are intrinsically good and it will remain so until we take an effort to make it bad. If we lie, cheat, are greedy and hate everything and everyone, then our life and relationships become bad. If we smoke, get addicted to alcohol or drugs, misuse or abuse substances and do not take care of our body, then our health gets bad. If we are corrupt, egoistic and too selfish in our job, our job becomes bad. See, being good or bad is entirely dependent on ourselves. So if you become an IPS officer after all the hardwork and dedicated studies, you can only be a good IPS officer unless you choose to become a bad one!
All the best to all young aspiring Civil Servants! May God bless you to get your desires materialised at the earliest!