Coaching for Civil Services Examination: Is It Necessary?

This is a perennial question I am asked the most. And it is also understandable. Many citizens who start preparing for their civils are clear about the demands of this exam and most people cannot afford to go to Delhi for coaching.

There are many doubts and misconceptions about whether to take coaching for Civils Services or not. So let me break it down for you.

Note: Keeping in mind the beginner, I should clarify that for the rest of the post, by coaching I mean the common sense of the word: the act of going to an institution and attending their classes. Test series, coaching notes and mock interviews are clearly different in coaching institutes. So when I say that coaching is not really necessary for GS, it means that there is no need to attend classes. I do not mean to say that you should not take any test series, nor read any coaching material.

Q. Is coaching necessary?

Think of an elite player like Virat Kohli. Does he have a personal coach? Yes he does. But would you say that his career success is entirely up to his coach? Absolutely not. Kohli practices and suffers from day to day to learn and improve his game. His self-discipline, hard work and determination to excel in sports is what makes him an elite player.

The same goes with success in Civil Services Examination. Coaching only helps you, it does not ensure you a rank. Your self study, consistency and the hard work you put in sitting at your study table matters more than what you do in coaching classes.

So if you are attending coaching classes, take notes of them, but you should not rely too much on them and ignore standard books. In my first mains, I made this mistake based on my reliance on coaching notes — I barely read any standard book. When I wrote my first Mains in 2012, my lack of conceptual clarity was apparent. Unexpectedly, I failed to receive an interview call.

Always remember that roughly, more than 25-30% of your preparation should depend on coaching classes. To say that you cannot crack UPSC without coaching is a lie. There are people who work 25% on their own and have cracked this exam (that is, they may have read coaching notes, but did not attend any classes.) So this is due to your personal confidence, self discipline and your it depends on. Basic level of knowledge to determine if you need coaching.

Suppose you are able to understand which standard books to study, which coaching notes to refer to, and by reading them you are able to understand the subject, this is fantastic and you do not need coaching.

On the other hand, if you are not completely clear about the examination process or the books you need to study, then coaching institutes will definitely help you to get a comprehensive idea. But as I said, you still have to read standard books, make the necessary notes and work to advance your competition.

Q. How do you compare coaching in Delhi vs elsewhere?

As I said, coaching does not constitute more than 25-30% of your preparation. And there is nothing deep about coaching institutes in Delhi.

For those preparing in far-flung areas, if you cannot afford to go to Delhi, this is absolutely fine. You can get notes from all the major coaching institutes in most cities. So take a trip to the city around you, buy them from a bookstore and study on your own.

Apart from this, I believe that the Internet has given truly democratic information and has also reached the rural areas. These days many institutes are providing coaching classes through video lectures. You can also opt for them.

Best IAS Coaching in Delhi

In addition, online websites (Plutus IAS, Vazhiramanadevi, Vision IAS, Shankar IAS etc.) have emerged as a great and affordable alternative to traditional coaching institutes. So if you cannot go to Delhi to take coaching, then you are not missing anything.