How to Become a Collector in India (Step By Step Guide)

A collector is a government administrative officer in a district whose role is to maintain law and order in the district. A district collector is the head of the police and prosecuting department in a district. A District Collector is also known as a Deputy Commissioner in several states in India. It is one of the most reputable government jobs in India.

Many students have a dream to become a collector. Are you one of them? If yes, and want to know about who is district collector is and how to become a collector then this article is for you. In this article, I will discuss the complete details of how to become a district collector.

Every year UPSC conducts a civil service examination for lakhs of aspirants who want to become IAS, IPS, IFS, etc. officers. So, to become a collector you first have to appear in the civil service exam. Candidates who are passed in Graduation from a recognized university are eligible to apply for the UPSC Civil Services Form.

Who is Collector?

A collector is a person who is a high authority officer in a state and his job is to maintain law and order in a particular district, and collect land revenue in a district. A collector is the head of the police department and prosecuting agency in a district.

A collector has the power to do anything for the development of that district without breaking the law of India. Basically, a collector is the head of administration in a district. A collector is appointed by the central government of India.

A Collector is a person who passes all the plans for the development of that district. A Collector has the power to suspend any officer who is not performing his duty in a proper manner. It is the responsibility of the collector to neutralize any violence happening in his area. Hence, a collector is a person who handles various functions in the district.

There are two types of exams, one is the UPSC exam and another is the SPSC exam, out of which you can become a collector by giving any one exam. The UPSC civil services examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the SPSC exam is conducted by the State Public Service Commission (SPSC).

Qualification to Become a Collector

Candidates who want to become a collector must have these qualifications before appearing for the exam.

  • Candidates should qualify in 12th or any equivalent examination from a recognized board of education.
  • To become a collector, a candidate must have passed graduation from a recognized university.
  • Candidates who have passed graduation from any discipline are eligible to apply for the form.
  • Aspirants who are in the last year of graduation can also apply for the prelims form.
  • Both technical and non-technical degree-based students are eligible for the exams.

Age Limit to Become Collector

Aspirants must be at least 21 years of age at the time of applying for the UPSC or SPSC form. The maximum age limit depends on the category to category. However, some category aspirants get age relaxation due to the reservation.

General Category:- The maximum age limit to apply the form to become a collector is 32 years and the maximum number of attempts that can be given by the general category candidates is 6.

OBC Category:- The maximum age limit to apply the form to become a collector is 35 years and the maximum number of attempts that can be given by the OBC (Other Backwards Castes) category candidates is 9.

SC/ST Category:- The maximum age limit to apply the form to become a collector is 37 years and the maximum number of attempts that can be given by the SC/ST (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe) category candidates is infinite.

Physically Disabled Candidates:- The maximum age limit to apply the form to become a collector is 42 years and the maximum number of attempts that can be given by the physically disabled or PWD category candidates is 9 (For General and OBC category) and Unlimited (For SC/ST category till age limit).

Nationality to Become a Collector in India

  • A citizen of India is eligible to become a collector in India.
  • Citizens of countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet are eligible to become collectors in India.

Role and Responsibility of District Collector

  • A collector has the responsibility to maintain law and order in a district.
  • A collector has responsibilities for the collection of land revenue in a district.
  • A collector is a person who is responsible for the collection of income tax dues, irrigation dues, excise dues, etc.
  • A collector is responsible for the maintenance of land records and consolidation of holding in his district.
  • A collector is a person who passes all the agricultural loans to people.
  • A collector is the head of the District Industrial Centre.
  • A collector is the head of the District Executive Magistrate.
  • A collector is a person who becomes the head of disaster management in any natural disaster in his district.
  • A collector is a Chief Development Officer (CDO) of a district.
  • He/She passes all the government scheme that is for the development of the district.

Collector Exam

There are two kinds of exams through which you become a collector.

  1. UPSC Exam
  2. SPSC Exam

UPSC Exam

The UPSC Civil Services exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission of India. It is an all-India level examination that is conducted every year. The mode of the exam is a pen-paper mode (Offline). UPSC come under the central government of India and If there is any change to be made in UPSC, then it is in the hands of the central government. If there is any change to be made in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, then only UPSC does it. The UPSC civil services exam is one of the toughest exams in India.

Usually, the UPSC Civil Services exam form comes in the month of February to March and the exam happens is in the month of October. The UPSC exam is conducted in three phases:

I. Preliminary Exam

The preliminary exam is also known as UPSC prelims. The UPSC prelims are the first stage of the civil services exam. The preliminary exam contains two papers – One is for General Studies Paper I and another is for General Studies Paper II.

Paper-I consists of 100 questions having 2 marks for each correct answer and 1/3rd of marks deducted for each wrong answer. Paper II consists of 80 questions having 2.5 marks for each correct answer and 1/3rd of marks deducted for each incorrect answer. The duration of each paper is 2 hours and the question type is Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The preliminary exam contains a total of 400 marks.

Syllabus of General Studies Paper-I
  • Indian and World Geography
  • Economic and Social Development
  • History of India
  • International Politics
  • Current Events of National
  • World History
  • Indian Polity and Governance
  • International Relation Importance
  • General Science
  • Bio-diversity and Climate Change
  • General Issue on Environmental Ecology
Syllabus of General Studies-II
  • Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
  • General Mental Ability
  • Comprehension
  • Decision Making and Problem-Solving
  • Interpersonal Skills Including Communication Skills
  • Data Interpretation
  • Basic Numeracy
II. Mains Exam

The main exam is the second stage of the Civil Services exam. You are eligible to take the main exam after qualifying in the preliminary exam. The main exam contains a total of 1750 marks. The UPSC main exam contains a total of 9 papers. The details of each paper are as follows:

Essay Writing (Paper 1)

It is an essay writing paper containing a total of 250 marks. In this paper, you will get 3 hours duration and within 3 hours of duration, you have to write 2 proper essays on any topic of 1000 to 1200 average words long each.

General Studies I (Paper 2)

It is a general studies-based paper containing a total of 250 marks and has a total duration of 3 hours. General Studies I cover topics like Indian Society, the Effects of Globalization on Indian Society, World Physical Geography, Geographical Features, World History, Modern Indian History, Indian Culture, Capitalism, etc.

General Studies II (Paper 3)

This general study II covers topics like the Indian Constitution, Parliament, State Legislatures, Judiciary Ministries, Departments of the Government, Various quasi-judicial bodies, Dispute Redressal Mechanisms, Role of NGOs, Welfare Schemes, Laws, Issues Relating to Poverty and Hunger, Effect of Policies, and many more. The duration of the paper is 3 hours and contains a total of 250 marks.

General Studies III (Paper 4)

It contains the same marks as the above paper and the duration of the paper is also the same as above. Some of the topics it covers are Government Budgeting, Land Reforms in India, Effects of Liberalization on the Economy, Indian Economy, Food Processing, Science & Technology, Disaster Management, Infrastructure, etc.

General Studies IV (Paper 5)

The syllabus that comes under General Studies IV is Ethics, Attitude, Integrity, Impartiality, Emotional Intelligence Concepts, Role of Family, Ethics in Public Administration, Probity in Governance, Quality of Service Delivery, etc. It contains a total of 250 marks and the duration is 3 hours.

Optional Subject I (Paper 6)

You have to choose any one subject from the list of optional subjects in UPSC (Given Below). The duration of this optional subject is 3 hours and it contains a total of 250 marks.

Optional Subject II (Paper 7)

The criteria are the same as the above optional subject paper.

Indian Language Paper (Paper 8)

It is a compulsory based language paper in the UPSC main exam. It contains a total of 300 marks and the duration of this paper is 3 hours.

English Language Paper (Paper 9)

It is only an English-based language paper. The total marks and duration are the same as the above language-based paper.

Optional subjects in the UPSC civil services exam are as follows:

  • Agriculture
  • Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
  • Anthropology
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Commerce and Accountancy
  • Economics
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • History
  • Law
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Medical Science
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science & International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Zoology
III. Interview Test

After qualifying in the main exam, the next and final stage is the Interview. You have to give a personal interview test. The interview process consists of 275 marks. Marks are awarded on the basis of your performance in the interview process. In the interview process, You will be asked a variety of questions, which you will have to answer orally your personality plays an important role during the interview process because you will also get marks in personality.

After qualifying in the interview stage, you are first sent for training and after completing the training period, you are ready to be posted in any district.

Note:- You may not get posted as a collector initially.

SPSC Exam

SPSC is also a civil service exam but it comes under the state government. Every state in India conducts its own SPSC exam. SPSC stand for State Public Service Commission and it is conducted by the State Public Service Commission of State. The syllabus of the SPSC exam is very much similar to the UPSC exam.

Through this exam, you can become a collector but it takes several years and promotions to become a collector because you will get lower grade positions as compared to the collector in the beginning. The SPSC exam is also conducted in three stages:

  1. Preliminary
  2. Main
  3. Interview

Collector Salary in India

The average range of salary of collectors in India is Rs. 56,000 to Rs. 1,50,000 in a month. However, the salary depends on various factors such as the number of years required in service, experience, performance, location, etc. There are also many types of allowance benefits given to a collector like medical, travel, accommodation, pension, security, vacation, etc.

Collector Facilities

  • A collector gets a personal transportation vehicle.
  • A collector gets a House Rental Allowance.
  • A collector gets personal Security.
  • A collector gets a personal government bungalow in his allotted district.
  • A collector gets a study leave of 2 years.
  • A collector gets a transportation facility wherever they go for office work.
  • A collector gets Dearness Allowance.
  • A collector gets trip and vacation facilities from the government.

Steps to Become a Collector

Step 1 – Apply for the Civil Services exam form.

Step 2 – Appear for the Preliminary Exam and qualify for it.

Step 3 – After that, appear for the main exam and qualify for it.

Step 4 – After that appear in the interview and give a proper interview.

Step 5 – After qualifying in the interview process, you will be sent for training.

Step 6 – After the completion of the training period, you are ready to be posted in any district as a collector.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What qualifications needs to become a collector?

Aspirants need to be passed in graduation from any discipline.

By giving which exam we can become a collector?

You can become a collector by taking either the UPSC civil services exam or the SPSC exam.

Can I become a collector after 12th?

No, you have to at least graduation in order to become a collector.

What is the collector’s salary in India?

The average salary of a collector in India is Rs. 56,000 to Rs. 1,50,000 per month.

Can a sports player become a collector?

Yes, a sports player becomes a collector but a sports player must have a graduation degree and a sports player has to qualify for all levels of civil services exams.

What is the maximum age to become a district collector?

For general category aspirants, the maximum age is 32 years. For OBC category aspirants the maximum age is 35 years and for SC/ST category aspirants the maximum age is 37 years.

Can we do highlights after becoming collectors?

Yes, you can highlight after becoming a collector.

Can a girl become a district collector?

Yes, a girl becomes a district collector.

Can a district collector get a leave in case of urgency?

Yes, the district collectors get a leave in case of urgency.

Leave a Comment