The Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) recruitment will now be done by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), starting in 2023. The Ministry of Railways took this decision in consultation with UPSC and DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training).
So what changes?
The IRMS recruitments for the technical and administrative and accounts services will now be combined and governed by the UPSC. It will be a two-tier exam. The first tier consists of a preliminary screening, followed by the second, which includes a written exam and an interview. The preliminary exam will be the same as the CSE (Civil Services Exam) prelims.
The written exam will have two parts - A and B, of 300 marks each. This part will include the language paper (as selected by the candidate from the available options). Part 2, on the other hand, will consist of the two optional subject papers (chosen by the candidate) of 250 marks each. And all these papers will follow the same syllabus as CSE. Next, the interview, like in CSE, will be a personality test, carrying 100 marks.
Eligibility criteria and other details
The age limit and the number of attempts for IRMS will be the same as in CSE. The minimum required qualification is a degree in either Engineering, Commerce or Chartered Accountancy. "An indent for IRMSE (150 numbers) is being placed on UPSC which will consist of following numbers from the four optional; Civil (30) Mechanical (30) Electrical (60) and Commerce and Accountancy (30)", a part of the official statement from the Ministry of Railways reads.
