The Engineering Services Examination and Intelligence Bureau ACIO are two such exams which graduates across the country had their eyes set upon for a long time. In an ironic twist, the dates of these exams are clashing.

IES prelims is scheduled to be held on January 7, 2018, and so is the IB ACIO Tier 2. Of course the only saving grace is that only a handful of candidates who had appeared for IB ACIO and clear Tier 1 will be facing this dilemma. But even it is a matter of concern. Some of the brightest minds of the country will be focusing on deciding upon which exam to go for rather than devoting their resources in preparing for the said exams.

To be eligible for IB Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO) one needs to be a graduate. On the other hand, for IES, also known as ESE, requires candidate to have engineering degree. So perhaps a sub-set of IB aspirants are those that have applied to IES, applications for which closed on October 23, 2017.

Two questions that arise now are, first, will either body change its dates, second, if dates are not changed then which one should you go for.

Answer to the first question inclines more towards the negative. Both exams are high priority exams and require implementation of several steps, involving several personnels and procedures to successfully conduct these exams. Any change in date a month before it takes place seems unlikely.

On the other hand, IB ACIO aspirants are troubled by a bigger question, which is, when will MHA announce IB ACIO tier 1 results?

The exam was on October 15, 2017. Candidates were expecting results at least in mid-November. There were even rumors / reports of IB ACIO result coming out on November 18, 2017. However, November 18, 2017, came and gone but the result was not announced. So now first all those who have appeared for the exam need to check their result.

Then if they qualify and have also applied for UPSC IES 2018 they will have to decide which exam to go for.

In this regard the suggestion to candidates would be to make a wise decision. The total number of vacancies in UPSC IES 2018 is around 440. The total number of vacancies in MHA IB ACIO Gr II 2017 is 1300.

Even then, the number of vacancies should not be the only criteria. Chances of selection depend, but only a little bit, on number of vacancies. Competition is severe in both cases. Career growth in both are equally good. Reputation and monetary benefits that come with both are also comparable.

Thus, decision on which exam to go for, should depend more on the fact where one’s interests lie.

The type of job that entails MHA IB ACIO is absolutely different from that of UPSC IES. It is important to research from right sources on which one is more suitable for candidate. That, only should be basis for decision.