RAS Officer (Rajasthan)

Running a sub-division or tehsil area. Handling land and revenue records and disputes. Carrying out government schemes. Keeping law and order along with the police. Managing relief during floods, drought or other disasters. Holding elections. Later you may head a district office or a department.

A day in the work
You reach the SDM office in the morning and hear land and revenue cases, with villagers waiting outside. Then you meet the tehsildar and patwaris about records, a scheme or a complaint. After lunch you may visit a village to check a relief camp, a school or a road, or help the police keep order at a fair or protest. Evenings go to files, orders and phone calls. Disasters and elections can call you out at any hour.

1. Step 1 · Class 9–12Choose any stream you can do well in. Read a newspaper daily and build the habit of writing clearly in Hindi and English. Learn about Rajasthan's history, geography, rivers, crops and districts. The exam tests this in depth.
2. Step 2 · 3 years after Class 12Finish any bachelor's degree. The 2026 notice (Advt. 02/2026-27) asks for a graduate degree and an age of 21 to 40 years on 1 January 2027, with relaxations for some Rajasthan reserved categories and women (reported). Check the latest notice every year, because rules and vacancies change.
3. Step 3 · Preliminary examOne objective paper of 150 questions and 200 marks, with negative marking of one-third mark (reported). It only screens candidates, and its marks do not count in the final merit (reported). RPSC lists the 2026 Prelims for 6 December 2026. Each year the exam usually comes about once, so you may wait a long time between chances.
4. Step 4 · Main examFour written papers of 200 marks each, 800 in all: three General Studies papers, plus General Hindi and English (reported). RPSC lists the 2026 Mains for 1–2 May 2027.
5. Step 5 · Interview, medical and document checkA 100-mark personality test. Final merit is made from Mains plus Interview, out of 900 (reported). Selected candidates then go through a medical examination and document verification (reported). You are then allotted a service (RAS, Police Service, Accounts Service and so on) according to your rank and choices. In 2026, RAS has 57 of the 607 posts advertised (reported).
6. Step 6 · Foundation trainingNew officers train at HCM Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration (HCM RIPA), Jaipur. The 2019 foundation course ran from 3 July to 18 October 2019 (official). The 2024 timetable shows classes on law, e-governance and internal security, plus early-morning physical training.
7. Step 7 · ProbationA probation period of about two years follows (reported), with field attachments. After you are confirmed, you are typically posted as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or in a similar role (reported).

Fees from: RPSC official website · HCM RIPA brochure · HCM RIPA, Rajasthan Service Rules: Conditions of Probationer Trainee (PDF). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay rises with promotions, and posts with more responsibility, such as head of a district or department, pay more. Pay is the same in a village or a big city, but allowances like house rent change with the posting.

Upper age limits are relaxed for women and for SC/ST/OBC/MBC/EWS candidates of Rajasthan. Fee concessions exist for several categories, including candidates with disabilities (reported, from the 2026 notice). For disability benefits, vacancy reservation and medical standards, read the latest RPSC notice.

• Class 7–9This month, read the Rajasthan or state page of a newspaper for 15 minutes a day. Write down one government scheme and who it helps, in your own words.
• Class 10–12If you are 15 or older, register on MY Bharat and join a local volunteering activity, such as a cleanliness drive or a literacy camp. You will see how local administration works.Open link ↗
• College or afterOpen the RPSC website, find the latest RAS notice and syllabus, and read the Prelims and Mains syllabus once. Mark the topics you already know and the ones that are new.Open link ↗

• The same exam fills many posts: RAS, Rajasthan Police Service, Accounts Service and Tehsildar Service, among others. Your rank decides which service you get, so rank matters.
• The process is slow. The RAS 2024 cycle was notified in September 2024 and its final result came in April 2026 (reported), so plan for 1.5 to 2 years from notice to result.
• RAS is a state service. It is different from IAS, which UPSC conducts for the whole country.
• Preparation is long for most people. Keep a Plan B, such as another state or central exam, so your degree years are never wasted.