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About IRMS Exam

Ministry of Railways, in consultation with UPSC and Department of Personnel and Training, has decided to recruit Class-A officers of Indian Railways through a separate examination called Indian Railway Management Service Examination (IRMSE) from 2023 onwards. In 2019, the cabinet approved the restructuring by merging existing 8 departments of Indian Railways into new services known as Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).

IRMS 2023 Eligibility:

Age Limit:

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years. The upper age-limit is relaxable up to a maximum of 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates.

Educational Qualifications:

Degree in engineering (any discipline) or Degree in Commerce/Chartered Accountancy

No. of Attempts

General : 6

OBC : 9

SC/ST : No Limit

IRMSE 2023 Exam Pattern:

The IRMSE will be a two-tier examination; a Preliminary Screening Examination, followed by a Main Written Examination and Interview. All eligible candidates shall be required to appear in Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination and a suitable number of candidates will be screened for IRMS Main Examination.

Preliminary Screening Examination | Objective Type
Paper Subjects No. of Questions Duration Marks Negative Marking
Paper-I General Studies 100 2 Hours 200 Marks 1/3 Marks
Paper-II CSAT (Qualifying) 80 2 Hours 200 Marks 1/3 Marks
Main Examination | Conventional Essay Type
Paper Subjects Duration Marks
Qualifying Papers Paper-A Indian Language 3 Hours 300 Marks
Paper-B English 3 Hours 300 Marks
Papers to be counted for merit Paper-I Optional Subject 3 Hours 250 Marks
Paper-II Optional Subject 3 Hours 250 Marks
Personality Test 100 Marks

IRMSE 2023 List of Optional Subjects & No. of Vacancies :

Optional Subjects No. of Vacancies
Civil Engineering 30
Mechanical Engineering 30
Electrical Engineering 60
Commerce & Accountancy 30
Total Vacancies 150

IRMSE 2023 Exam Schedule

Exam Notification 01-Feb-2023
Prelims Examination Date 28-May-2023
Main Examination Date 15-Sept-2023 onwards
Personality Test Before or after CSE 2023 Personality Test

IRMS 2020 Exam Syllabus:

The syllabi for the qualifying papers and optional subjects will be the same as Civil Service Examination (CSE).

Points to Remember:

  • The common candidates of the Civil Services (Main) Examination and IRMS (Main) Examination may opt for any of the above mentioned optional subjects for both these examinations or choose separate optional subjects for these Examinations; one for the CSE (Main) and one for the IRMSE (Main) as per the schemes of these two examinations.
  • The exam language for the qualifying papers and optional subjects (for question papers and writing answers) will be the same for the CSE (Main) and IRMS Examination.

Series of Events till date:

  • The cabinet announced the merger of 8 departments on 24th December, 2019.
  • ESE/CSE 2020 vacancies were withdrawn by Railways.
  • On 5th August 2020, Minister of Railways along with the Chairman, Members and DGs of Railway Board, interacted with representatives of various services
  • It was proposed that recruitment of IRMS should be through CSE.
  • It was proposed that since 60% of the selected candidates in CSE are from engineering background hence IRMS recruitment will not be a challenge.
  • On 12th August 2020, a letter signed by 5 General Secretaries of Indian Railways Service of Engineers Association was sent to Minister of Railways and Railway Board stating that recruitment of IRMS should be done through ESE.
  • On 17th August 2020 UPSC notified that ESE 2021 Prelims Exam will be conducted on 18th July 2021 and Mains Examination on 10th October 2021, but there was no clarity on IRMS recruitment.
  • On 2nd December 2022, Ministry of Railways announced that the recruitment will be carried through a separate examination called Indian Railway Management Service Examination (IRMSE).

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is the full form of IRMS?

Ans. The full form of IRMS is Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).

Q2. What is IRMS Exam?

Ans. IRMS exam is the examination conducted by UPSC for recruitment to the available vacancies at the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).

Q3. Who is eligible for the IRMS exam?

Ans. The eligibility criteria for the IRMS exam are as follows:

- Age: The minimum and maximum age of the respective candidate must be 21 years and 32 years. The candidates from the SC/ST and OBC background receive a relaxation of 5 years and 3 years, respectively.
- Educational qualifications: Degree in Engineering, Commerce, and Accountancy from a recognized university or institute in India.
- Number of attempts: The number of attempts for General and OBC candidates is 6 and 9 attempts, respectively. Candidates belonging to the SC/ST category do not have to align to any limit w.r.t. the number of attempts.

Q4. What is IRMS salary?

Ans. - The IRMS salary depends on the level and designation of the respective professional. For instance, the railway engineer’s salary at the junior level ranges from Rs. 56,100 – Rs. 1,77,500. The salary range increases depending on the respective professional’s performance, level, and designation with the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).

Q5. Is IRMS only for engineers?

Ans. No. Apart from a degree in engineering, candidates who hold a degree in commerce and accountancy can also apply and appear for the IRMS exam.

Q6. How do I apply for IRMS?

Ans. The application process for the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) includes the following steps:
- Visit the IRMS official website.
- Click on the ‘apply for the exam’ present on the homepage.
- Use the register now option.
- Add all the details asked in the application form of the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS).
- After successful registration, the candidate receives the registration number and password on the specified email id and number.

Candidates must keep these details handy until the time of the results of IRMS Railways recruitment.

Q7. How many seats (vacancies) are there in IRMS?

Ans. The vacancies available with the IRMS recruitment are as follows:

Engineering stream No. of vacancies
Civil Engineering 30
Mechanical Engineering 30
Electrical Engineering 60
Commerce and Accountancy 30

Q8. Will there be a separate exam for IRMS?

Ans. Yes. As per the notification released in November end, UPSC will conduct a separate exam for IRMS recruitment.

Q9. How to prepare for the IRMS examination (IRMSE)?

Ans. - First, get to know about the detailed IRMS syllabus as per the IRMS notification.

- Make a note of your daily routine and schedule.
- Get started early and avoid procrastination while creating notes and revision.
- Trust the process and build self-confidence to deal with the challenges in the exam preparation journey.
- Get the best guidance from the subject experts.

Now that you have a fair idea about the different aspects of the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS), here is a resource to help you prepare well and excel in the first step of the IRMS exam, i.e., IRMSE Prelims.

Highlights of the course:

- Exclusive course for Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS).
- In-depth integrated course taught by highly experienced MADE EASY faculties.
- Weekly class tests to analyze areas of improvement.
- Availability of well-researched study material.

Click Here >> IRMSE Prelims Exclusive Course

IRMSE 2023 Press Release: Click here to know the details.

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