Coachings

Aspirant : Papa I want to become an IAS.

Papa : Son, my ears have waited so long to hear this.

Aspirant : I have decided to give UPSC next year.

Papa : Great, so when are you moving to Delhi, what coaching are you joining in, what will be the expenses?

You see this is a general trend, the thought that comes to our mind immediately after UPSC is COACHING. And the questions that are asked by father are definitely legitimate, but also raise a doubt on aspirants capabilities.

There is a misconception that one needs to join a coaching, shift to delhi ,etc to clear this exam, but every year you will find numerous toppers who have cleared the exam without spending lakhs in an institute. Even toppers who had enrolled in some coaching will seldom have a positive feedback regarding the coaching.

Note: I didnt join any coaching or foundational course, yet took some help in form of:

• Dr. Shivin Chaudhary's GS3 Crash course for topics like agriculture, SnT, Disaster, security 
• PSIR test series at Shubhra ranjan
• Vision Abhyas mains test series
• Interview mocks at Vajirao, OnlyIAS, SamkalpIAS, Humdard.
• Used coaching notes of Vision ias, OnlyIAS available freely on internet.

My decision to not join a coaching was based on following points:

1. Multiple topper videos/blogs suggested limited role of coachings in clearing the exam, many opted not to join one.
2. I wanted to prepare while staying at home with family(moral support), hence moving to delhi was never an option.
3. Most of the resources like coaching notes/books were easily available online.
4. I am not comfortable in studying from lectures, I always prefer text(easy to highlight, revise).
5. Financially I dont see spending 1 lakh+ worth it.(most coachings are over priced)
6. I was confident I can clear the exam without coaching too.

Difficulties one may face while opting solely for self study :

1. No ready made content, you will have to search notes/books on your own
2. Lack of planned syllabus completion, given coachings have a proper schedule for syllabus completion.
3. Understanding difficult topics like economics, physical geography, etc.
4. Time management especially for working professionals.
5. Evaluation based on weekly test series conducted in coachings.
6. At times lack of guidance.

Views of some 2023 toppers who have taken a foundational course in coaching :

1. 80% is self study, 20% coaching.
2. At times parts of syllabus is left uncovered before exams and hence the same has to be prepared by you.
3. Many coachings present false claims about their results.
4. Faculties do nothing to improve their courses and modules, lack of feedback mechanism.
5. Many consider it waste of money.

My final opinion

1. Those who are short of time due to college/job can opt for coaching.
2. Those who find hard to study consistently through self prep can take some course .
3. It's better to look for some mentorship programme
4. In case you have decided to take a coaching prefer online over offline 
5. All you need is a mentor who can be some friend, senior, selected candidate or some coaching teacher.
6. You need a coaching or must move to Delhi to clear the exam is the biggest myth sold for economic benefits.
7. People who ain't economically sound, no need to worry you can register your name in the list without any course.
8. Self study allows you to choose from multiple resources and select the best one.
9. Self study inherently builds a discipline and ability to evaluate your mistakes.
10. For the difficulties I mentioned early, most of them can be solved through internet and a bit of extra efforts.
11. Definitely the journey is hard ,yet you will cross all stages if you have the true determination.

Stay consistent