There existed a notion that Delhi was the hub for IAS preparation harboring some of the Best Institutes for UPSC Coaching. With almost all the best institutions having a footprint across India including Bangalore, this myth is now a thing of the past. Bangalore, as a center for UPSC Preparation, has its own advantages. The climate is moderate which is conducive for assimilation of information pertinent to the exam. Further, connectivity via public transport is good enough making transit across the city easy, bringing IAS Academies closer to aspirants. The cost of living is relatively lower than that of Delhi. Most importantly, the tuition fees is very much on the lower side, even for some of the Best IAS Academies in Bangalore in comparison with the below average ones in Delhi. Given that most people throng towards Delhi for their preparation, an extra pressure on the aspirant will be built as result of perceived competition. This is not true of Bangalore, yet, except the Vijayanagar area, where too many institutions have found a foothold.

A candidate appearing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (IAS Exam) should have completed 21 years of age, as on August 1st of that Year. That is, if a candidate is applying for the 2021 Civil Services Exam (CSE), then he/she should have completed 21 years on August 1st of 2021.

In a similar manner, the Upper Age limit which is set at 32 years without considering any age relaxation, is taken into account as of 1st August.

The Upper Age limit is relaxed for candidates based on their categories as given below:

• General Category : No relaxation, Upper Age limit is 32 years and 6 attempts are allowed
• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) : Upper Age limit is relaxed to 35 years and 9 attempts are allowed
• SC/ST : Upper Age limit is relaxed to 37 years and there is NO LIMITATION on number of attempts
• General (Physically Disabled) : Upper Age limit is relaxed to 35 years and 9 attempts are allowed
• OBC (Physically Disabled) : Upper Age limit is relaxed to 38 years and 9 attempts are allowed
• SC/ST (Physically Disabled) : Upper Age limit is relaxed to 40 years and there is NO LIMITATION on number of attempts.

To put it across in the simplest of terms, one needs to clear the UPSC Civil Services Examination in order to become an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, i.e., IAS Officer.

The Civil Services Exam (CSE) is popularly known as IAS Exam, and it is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year for recruitment of officers into the Civil Services such as IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IRS (Indian Revenue Service) amongst others.

The Civil Services Exam consists 3 Stages, viz., Prelims, Mains and Interview. Each of these stages are eliminatory in nature, aiming to qualify only the deserving candidates to move on to the next stage.

Prelims – The Civil Services Preliminary exam comprises of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each (General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II). The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type. The marks in prelims will not be counted for final ranking, but just for qualification for the main exam.

Mains – The written examination (main) will consist of the nine papers, but only 7 papers will be counted for final merit ranking. For the rest two papers, the candidate should secure minimum marks prescribed by the commission each year.

Interview – The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest.

Candidates who successfully clear All the stages of the UPSC Civil Services Exam join the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) for initial training, thus getting a taste of their life as an officer.

The fee varies from course to course and Institute to institute. Most of the so called Top IAS coaching institutes usually charge anywhere between ₹1,60,000 and ₹2,20,000 for a foundation course (usually spans 15/18 months). On the other end of the continuum, we find institutes offering the same course for as less as ₹30,000. The former appears to be too high, riding on the fame. The latter is too low, considering the economic cost. So, the reasonable fees for a foundation course would be anywhere between ₹90,000 and ₹1,35,000. Legacy IAS academy offers this course with optimal quality at ₹1,30,000 subject to further reduction based on factors like merit of the student, EWS category etc.

YES!! But, the starting point of that one year preparation should be one year before the Prelims examination i.e., May/June of previous year. If we are considering the whole cycle which encompasses the 3 stages, then a continuous dedication of 18 months is a prerequisite. An aspirant who has the preparation on fundamentals much before one year, would be in a better position to crack the exam. However, at the end of the day, proper study plan with optimal concentration on effective study material would attract 18 months of time.

The number of hours that matter is not the time you spend before the books, but the number of hours you spend for grasping the concepts and content effectively. If one were to talk about the effective number of hours, it depends on the person’s learning style and his/her suitable strategies. Some are fast learners and others slow learners. In either case, the effective number of hours per day to be spent by an aspirant are 7-8 hours. These many number of hours are to be spent on a  consistent basis for upto 16-18 months. One must ensure taking breaks occasionally to avoid fatigue induced weariness. You should break up the syllabus and make a realistic time-bound study plan. Any big task can be completed by finishing it in smaller bits. Make a resolve to stick to the plan, making amendments to the plan only when absolutely necessary.

Legacy IAS Academy does have a group of retired IAS/IPS/IRS officers providing guidance and insights to the institute. They primarily motivate the students and expose them to the real underpinnings of governance. They also guide the students in personality development and in mock interviews. They take some classes on various topics like Internal security, disaster management, role of civil services in democracy, code of conduct of civil servants etc., even as the experienced tutors handle the primary topics which engross dynamism within their ambit. An academy cannot have retired IAS/IPS/IRS officers as their core faculty since these officers have their energies channelled elsewhere in a much more important sphere of life. But no doubt, Legacy IAS Academy does have an experienced team of teaching faculty aided by veteran officers.