Question 1: What is the fee for the IAS Coaching (Civil Services Coaching)?

Answer: It varies from one IAS Coaching Institution to another. However, a competent IAS Coaching Institution in Delhi charges a fee somewhere in between Rs. 1,60,000 to Rs. 1,90,000 for the complete package for General Studies that usually includes: (a) CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) for the Prelims (b) Papers for the Mains 1. General Studies Papers (i) GS I (ii) GS II (iii) GS III (iv) GS IV 2. Essay (c) Interview

Question 2: Which is the best IAS Coaching Institution in India and the best UPSC Coaching in India?

Answer: Well, the question itself is somewhat hypothetical. Every IAS aspirant is a unique individual. As a result, his preparation requirements for the IAS Exam may vary from others to some extent or another. Thus, the IAS Coaching Institution that is best for a candidate may not turn out to be so good for another. However, making the following considerations may help you opt for the Best IAS/UPSC Coaching Institution in Delhi: 1. Research: You may Google your queries. The SERPs, that is to say, the Search Engine Result Pages would provide you with all the required details concerning the best IAS Coaching and UPSC Coaching Institutions in Delhi. 2. Pay a visit to the organization: Once you have researched the details, you may shortlist the best UPSC Coaching institutions and visit them to gain a familiarity if the organization would be the right one to join or not. 3. Ask for a demo class: Doing so would be a good idea as it would help you gain familiarity with the teaching methodologies adopted by the coaching institution, apart from the quality of the coaching. 4. Limited batch strength: It is highly crucial and must not be ignored at any cost. There simply is no point in joining an IAS Coaching Institution where the batch strength runs into hundreds. On the other hand, with fewer students in the classroom, the faculty would be better able to pay individual attention to all. 5. Feedback: It would go a great deal. But it would be in the best of your interests to seek the reviews from the current students only. They are the most reliable of the sources to provide you with the authentic details concerning the quality of the coaching provide by the institution.

Question 3: Is it mandatory to join an IAS Coaching Institution to crack the IAS Exam?

Answer: The answer to the query is both no and Yes with a Capital Y. Technically speaking, you might not require to get yourself enrolled at an IAS Coaching Institution. Get a copy of the syllabus, read it thoroughly. Manage the study material accordingly. And begin with the preparation! But when it actually comes to prepare for the IAS Exam, it is hardly as easy as it seems in the beginning. You would come across a number of the complexities. Thus, you would need to seek guidance that is usually available at a competent IAS Coaching Institution only. So, considering the practical aspects, it would be in the best interests of an IAS aspirant to get himself enrolled at an IAS coaching institution.

Question 4: How far does it pay to visit Delhi for the preparation of the IAS Exam?

Answer: Delhi is considered as the ‘Mecca’ for the IAS Coaching. There is no dearth of the highly competent IAS Coaching Institutions here. Thus, if you seek proper guidance and would like to get all the complexities for the preparation for the IAS Exam simplified, it is best to visit Delhi.

Question 5: How long does it take to prepare competently for the IAS Exam?

Answer:The question is highly subjective. How long does an IAS aspirant actually take to prepare for the Exam depends on his own caliber. Most of the IAS aspirants prepare for the CSE in one year. But it is advisable to begin early. Doing so leaves more of the time at your disposal. So, beginning to prepare in the Final Year of the graduation is advisable for it gives you almost 2 years to prepare for the Exam.

Question 6: Which are the Best IAS Coaching in Delhi with Hostel facility?

Answer: There is no dearth of the competent IAS Coaching Institutions in Delhi that also provide the Hostel facility. But the point to be noted is that apart from being economical and located nearer the coaching institution, it should also be safe and secure. And Elite IAS Academy provides the students with safe and secure Hostel facility.

Question 7: Which of the areas in Delhi offer the best of the IAS Coaching institutions?

Answer: Most of the best IAS coaching institutes are based at Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar. So these are the best places in Delhi for IAS preparation with good connectivity to metro and other facilities. Elite IAS Academy is located both at Mukherjee Nagar and Old Rajinder Nagar.

Question 8: What is the duration of IAS Coaching in Delhi?

Answer: It varies from one IAS Coaching Institution to another. Usually, it is in between 10-12 months. The courses usually include General Studies for the Prelims, all the four General Studies Papers for the Mains, apart from the Essay Paper. Apart from what has been specified above, the candidates can and should also prepare for the Optional subject Papers. Again, the duration for the course varies from one subject to another. Usually, the duration for an Optional subject say History runs for almost 5 months. The duration of the course basically depends on the syllabus prescribed by UPSC. Elite IAS Academy offers Sociology (around 3 months) taught by none other than the Founder of the Academy and the reputed Academician, Mr. Bibhash Sharma.

Question 9: What is the best alternative if I simply cannot come to Delhi to prepare for the IAS Exam?

Answer:To be precise, it is online IAS coaching. You might have been living anywhere across India, you may prepare for the IAS Exam online without compromising with the quality of the coaching by any means.

Question 10: How can I prepare for the IAS Exam in a competent manner without joining an IAS coaching institution?

Answer:You may prepare competently without getting yourself enrolled in an IAS coaching institution. But you would be required to make a lot of extra efforts. The point to be noted is that you have not been attending classes in a regular IAS coaching institution. Thus, you must simplify most of the complexities for the preparation on your own. As a result, you need to be more hardworking, dedicated and organized.

Question 11: How can I prepare for the IAS Exam in a competent manner without joining an IAS coaching institution?

Answer: All who aim at cracking the IAS Exam without joining an IAS coaching institution should take care of the following factors: 1. Keep yourself motivated 2. Research about the examination 3. Gather Study Material: 4. Past years’ question papers 5. Stay Up to date with current affairs 6. Solve the Test Series 8. Say a big NO to all the distractions 9. Seek guidance from the knowledgeable 10. Remember to relax 11. Revise 12. Be confident and believe in yourself

Question 12: How to Choose Right IAS Coaching for UPSC Exam Preparation?

Answer: Before taking decision to join any Best IAS coaching in India, you must do some research yourself. Google about the list of coaching, gather information, get in touch with respective institute via email or phone. Put your queries to the representative of the UPSC coaching, if it satisfies you, join it. Some logical interaction with academic representative is essential because you are going to spend there around one year.

Question 13: Best alternative if, you can not come to Delhi for IAS exam preparation?

Answer: Due to some reason, you are unable to come to Delhi for IAS exam preparation then don’t Worry! In today’s ‘Digital India’ education has percolated to small towns and not limited to Metropolis, specially Delhi. You can join Online IAS Coaching, it is recorded videos of classroom lectures. You learn the same Civil Services preparation course as the students of classroom does (physical coaching). Nowadays, thousands of students are enrolling per year to Online coaching for IAS preparations. They are having high success ratio too. They can use maximum time during office, home or college. We have witnessed a surge in enrollment of online coaching students from variety of field i.e. working professionals, college going students, educated house-wifes etc. In brief, alternative is Online IAS course – without compromising quality teaching, because you have access to lectures of best teachers of Delhi.

Question 14: How to prepare for IAS without coaching?

Answer: You may prepare for the IAS Exam without joining a coaching institution. However, it implies that you will have to take care of all what is usually undertaken by the coaching institutions for the sake of others.

Question 15: What extra effort(s) do you need to put in?

Answer: As already stated above, you would be required to put in some extra efforts in order to go ahead with your preparation for the IAS Exam in a successful manner. So you need to be a little more: Hardworking Dedicated, and Organized The point to be noted is that you would be required to work harder than others. And you simply can’t escape that! There is no shortcut to working hard!

Question 16: What should you take care of?

All who aim at cracking the IAS Exam without joining an IAS coaching institution should take care of the following factors:

1. Keep yourself motivated: Above all, why did you begin with the preparation for the IAS Exam in the first place itself? You aim at joining the Indian Civil Services. So, it’s good to keep yourself motivated. Whenever you feel perplexed by the complexities of the preparation for the IAS Exam, remind yourself that you must simplify the same for you have to join IAS.

2. Research about the examination: Carefully read the Official Examination Notification. Doing so will give you a fair share of the idea concerning the Examination pattern, syllabus, and all other relevant examination details. Note:- It’s advisable to make a note of:

eligibility criteria including age and qualification etc. Exam dates Selection process Examination pattern Syllabus, etc.

3. Gather Study Material: After you carefully go through the syllabus, you would be requiring the study material for the preparation. Though there is sufficient of the study material available online, it’s advisable to consult the government websites as they are authentic.

Some of the important government websites are listed below:

Income Tax Department, Ministry of Home Affairs,

Ministry of External Affairs, etc. All the government websites provide the visitor with the annual reports. Besides, they provide the latest information as they are updated regularly.

Thus it’s advisable to acquire the information from the sources that are known for their authenticity. Besides, it will save you from getting confused as well.

Thus, it’s best to keep your concepts clear. Choose books and make a selective reading. Reading the NCERT books is a good idea to keep the concepts clear.

4. Past years’ question papers: It’s advisable to solve at least 5-7 years past CSE papers. Apart from giving you a good practice, it will also familiarize you with the examination pattern.

5. Up to date with current affairs: Make it a habit to read a newspaper regularly. Apart from gaining knowledge of the current affairs, it will also keep you updated with various developments at the national and international platforms.

6. Solve the Test Series: It’s not just studying hard with the best possible time management skills. You will need to put your knowledge to test. Thus, it’s best to opt for a competent online test series. Solve it repeatedly. If you do so in the same time frame as is allowed by UPSC for the Civil Services Exam, you will be better able to answer the question papers when it actually comes to facing the IAS Exam.

7. Avoid distractions: Say a big NO to all the distractions. It should be noted that the UPSC syllabus for the CSE is too vast to be prepared easily. And there is no time for any kind of the distractions. So, it’s advisable that you do not waste even a minute of your time. Make a time table and follow the same in order to keep all the distractions at bay. It will not only enhance your time management skills, but would also allow you to study better.

8. Seek guidance from the knowledgeable: Well, you study the material and solve the test series online. You also solve the past years’ question papers. But you might be having quite a few queries and doubts. Seek the guidance from the knowledgeable to get your queries solved. You can talk to your peers for the same.

9. Remember to relax: Do not forget that a sound mind always resides in a sound body. Thus, eat, sleep and relax well. Also, it’s your mind that should be relaxed so that you can focus well on the preparation for the Exam.

10. Revise:

Do not forget to make the revisions. Revise as frequently as you can. There is no point in studying much and forgetting it all when you actually face the IAS Exam.

To sum up, be confident and believe in yourself. An IAS aspirant who aims at preparing for and cracking the IAS Exam without getting himself enrolled at an IAS coaching institution must have oodles of confidence. Besides, the tips given above would help you strategize your preparation well for the IAS Exam.

Question 17 : After the postponement of UPSC Prelims-2020, I lost my focus and concentration. My scores have dropped. What should I do now?

Answers: Union Public Service Commission has postponed the Civil Service Prelims examination, which was earlier decided to be on May 31, 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, dates are shifted, and many aspirants of UPSC 2020 face the issues of losing concentration and enthusiasm for the examination.

According to the reports, there are more than two months left for the examination. And aspirants who have a reliable preparation back-up should not worry about the dates or fear the exam. Bouncing back will be more comfortable by planning to re-start the studies and revise the syllabus. Candidates should sit down and create a timetable for studying 8 to 10 hours a day on an average.

Questions 18: How many months' current affairs should be covered for prelims 2020?

Answer: UPSC has not stated any particulars for the period of current affairs questions for Prelims 2020. According to the UPSC syllabus, the current affairs portion is mentioned as 'Current events of national and international importance.' However, it is a broad area that can include anything.

Candidates should prioritize the time allotment for studying current affairs. An aspirant can refer to newspapers for collecting data on a regular basis. There are some test series and question banks available, which will provide important aspects of current affairs.

The first and foremost priority should be to cover all the current affairs of the last six to nine months. After that, if time permits, one can consult the data of the previous two to three years of current affairs in the form of reference books or yearbooks.

Question 19: This will be my first attempt. Please suggest how I should proceed?

The first attempt is always considered to be the best. As a fresher, one can give her/his best shot for UPSC, provided the aspirant has confidence and proper preparation. First, you need to understand the entire UPSC syllabus and the question pattern with denoted marks for each stage. Then prepare a time table to cover each section in a well-defined period.

Now, there are multiple sources of gathering information, such as reference books, current affairs magazines, NCERT textbooks, and yearbooks. Additionally, aspirants can opt for monthly test series and mock tests from any premier institute. After completing the entire syllabus, revise the notes and attempt as many mock tests as possible.