Best 5 IAS Coaching Institutes to aid your Preparation

About IAS

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) captains the Civil Services in India and crowns all the career options available in India. A profession in IAS is highly satisfying and rewarding, coupled with all the possible luxuries and powers. And that is the reason why lakhs of aspirants partake IAS recruitment exam every single time.

IAS recruitment is a year-long process that comprises three tiers of selection viz., Prelims, Mains, and Personal Interview. It is an event of achievements and disappointments, of fulfilled ambitions and shattered hopes. Here, some achieve success in the very first attempt while others get that after years of failed attempts.

History of IAS in India

Braced by half a million youngsters every year, IAS or Indian Administrative Service is the ‘Indianized’ version of the colonial Indian Civil Service (ICS). Back in the British period, young educated Britishers used to write lengthy essays on European history, Greek literature and language, and alike topics and bag the job of Civil Servants in India. Then colonial India became independent India and ICS gradually gave way to IAS. The relic system of administration designed for a colonial state slowly reformed to catch up with the new democracy.

Over time, there have been many revolutionary changes in the pattern of IAS to make the services more inclusive and modern. And each year, some of the brightest minds of the country are recruited to run the now democratic India.

Why is there a halo around the head of IAS officers?

IAS officers are as revered by the Indians as any ‘Mythological Avtar’. Despite the plethora of dignified positions available in the country, the one of an IAS still carries a distinct repute and prestige. And this glory is not groundless. Indians go crazy after IAS because the job commands all the fervor, vigor, and warmth. There are umpteen number of reasons as to why IAS holds the Numero Uno position in the Indian career chart. Let’s check them out:

• The power and prestige that IAS officers carry cannot be put to words. They are the ‘real bosses’, eligible to lead any department.
• The constitution itself protects the IAS officers and job security is unmatched. They can only be dismissed by the President of India.
• The monetary and non-monetary perks they receive are enviable. Right from car and house to leaves, travel compensation, and education allowances, IAS officers get it all. And the pay scale is always alluring.
• IAS officers get the opportunity to change the lives of billion-plus people in the country. From the development of schemes to their execution, they get many chances to work upon the betterment of society.
• Even after their service period, IAS officers get enough opportunities to work for national and international organizations and hold senior positions in the private sector.

Also, check out the Duties and Designations of an IAS Officer

Best IAS Coaching Institutes

The craze and frenzy of IAS have been ingrained into our minds by one and all. That is why lakhs of candidates appear for the IAS exam every year just to get hold of a handful of seats available. However, the journey from a dreamer to a dignified officer is full of hurdles and pitfalls. Thus, aspirants often tap the shoulder of professional IAS coaching institutes for help and guidance. These IAS coaching institutes streamline the hard work, determination, and dedication of the students with their expertise and equip them with all the tools required to break through the IAS entrance.

However, picking up the right one is not that easy especially when different IAS coaching institutes appear at the drop of a hat. Thus, we have picked out the best few from the ‘lot’ of IAS coaching centers breathing across the country.

Check out some tips for choosing the right IAS coaching institute for your exam preparation

Vajiram and Ravi

Vajiram and Ravi is a 43-year-old IAS coaching institute that has prepared generations of IAS, IPS, and IFS officers. Located in Old Rajendra Nagar in the national capital, the coaching center is a brainchild of Prof. P. Velayutham, an International Civil Servant. Vajiram and Ravi boasts of producing IAS toppers for ten consecutive years, from 2000 to 2009, and again in 2011, 2013, and 2015-2018. Its principles of ingenuity, diligence, and ethical values have helped the IAS coaching in sustaining its designation.

Vajiram and Ravi contributes to about half of the recruitments made in Civil Services every year. It is said that every 3 out 5 IAS qualifiers are from Vajiram itself. Students from all corners of the country flock to this IAS coaching institute to add to its list of qualifiers. Vajiram and Ravi offers the following classroom courses:

Courses	Duration	Teaching hours	Fee (INR)
General Studies (Prelims Cum Mains)	36 weeks	2.5 hours a day	1,60,000
CSAT	12 weeks	2 hours a day	19,000
Optional Subjects	16-24 weeks	2.5 hours a day	50,000 (62,000 for Mathematics)

 

It also offers IAS postal courses for those who fall short of time and resources to join the regular course programs. Other remarkable features of this IAS coaching are its test series and interview guidance program that add the final touches to students’ exam preparation.

Shankar IAS Academy

Shankar IAS Academy is a big gun in the field of IAS coaching institutes, especially in South India. With more than 1000 selections in UPSC in the last decade, the coaching institute is a favorite go-to spot of the aspiring IAS, IPS, and IFS officers. Out of 759 qualifiers who made it through the Civil Services Exam in 2018, 126 were from Shankar IAS Academy itself.

The IAS coaching institute offers 360⁰ mentoring to the students to help them shape their opinions and perspectives. It boasts of housing one of the most learned faculty teams with the first-hand experience of clearing the various stages of the IAS exam. The coaching institute strictly follows the UPSC parameters and evaluates the students according to the same.

The branches of Shankar IAS Academy are spread all across southern India. You can find one in Anna Nagar-Chennai, Adyar-Chennai, Trichy, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Coimbatore. The IAS coaching offers a gamut of courses to the aspiring bureaucrats:

Courses	Duration	Teaching Hours per Day	Batches	Fee (INR)	Medium of Instruction
GS+ CSAT + Optional	1 year	2.5 hours	Regular/Weekend	1,41,000	English
General Studies (Prelims cum Main)	10-11 months	2.5 hours	Regular/Weekend	95,000	English
CSAT	3 months	2 hours	Regular/Weekend	16,000	English
Optionals	4 months	3-5 hours	Regular/Weekend	30,000	English

 

Note – These courses are also available online for both domestic students and NRIs.

Rau’s IAS Study Circle

If the IAS exam has existed for centuries, Rau’s IAS Study Circle has also been around the corner for more than six decades. The IAS coaching institute carries in its repertory, thousands of success stories and alumni records. The wise walls of Rau’s IAS were created by Dr. S. Rau in 1953 as an initiative to create a benchmark coaching institute for the toughest exam of the country, IAS. Over the years, the IAS coaching has evolved as a diverse community of academicians and scholars who provide a learning atmosphere for learning and success. And the reason behind this upsurge is the institute’s passion to excel.

Rau’s IAS coaching does not run after foolhardy efforts of acquiring an encyclopedic range of knowledge or mugging up bags of tricks to outwrite the IAS entrance. Rather, it gives prominence to developing a higher degree of critical ability and intellectual ability to learn new concepts better and faster. The Study Circle has produced around 1/3^rd of Indian bureaucrats since its inception in 1953.

The IAS coaching is rooted in the national capital Delhi with branches in Bangalore and Jaipur, where it offers the following courses:

Foundation Courses	Duration	Batches	Fee (INR)
General Studies Integrated	9-14 months	Regular/Weekend	1,60,000
Optional Subjects	4-5 months	Regular	48,000
Study Material	–	Self-Study	4,500-9,500

 

Rau’s IAS also offers Targeted courses that follow its C3 (Current-Core-Concept) framework of revision and update:

Targeted Courses	Mode of Tests	Fee (INR)
GS: Test Series (Pre)	Online/Offline	3,500-9,500
QIP + Test Series + Mains Compass	Online/Offline	8,500-16,800
Optional Test Series	Online/Offline	12,000
Interview Guidance	Offline	500

 

Chanakya IAS Academy

Dedicated to knowledge and wisdom, Chanakya IAS Academy has benefitted umpteen number of IAS aspirants in joining the Civil Services. The IAS coaching institute has several things to brag about. From an enriched study material to an envious faculty, and from an effective preparation strategy to consistently remarkable results, Chanakya IAS Academy has everything that an aspiring bureaucrat could ask for. The philosophy that ‘every individual is born to succeed’ is what drives this IAS coaching institute towards excellence.

In its 26-year-long journey, Chanakya IAS Academy has witnessed as many as 4500 selections in Civil Services and the numbers are set to increase in the coming years. The IAS coaching has a good pan-India presence. Chanakya has four study centers in Delhi itself, viz. Rajendra Nagar, Karol Bagh, North Delhi, and South Delhi. Besides, it also functions in Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dhanbad, Guwahati, Hazaribagh, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kottakkal, Patna, Pune, and Ranchi. The IAS coaching offers the following courses:

Courses	Duration	Eligibility	Batches	Fee (INR)
One-year upgraded foundation course	1 year	Graduates	Both regular and weekend batches	1,92,000
Two-year upgraded foundation course	2 years	Students pursuing graduation	Both regular and weekend batches	2,65,000
Three-year upgraded foundation course	3 year	XII passed students	Both regular and weekend batches	3,25,000
GS (Prelims Cum Mains) + CSAT + Essay	1 year	Graduates	Both regular and weekend batches	1,47,000
GS (Prelims Cum Mains) + Essay	10 months	Graduates	Both regular and weekend batches	1,37,000
Short-term Programs	3-4 months	Graduates/Already prepared students	Crash Course	45,000-90,000
Correspondence Programs	–	Distant learners/Working professionals	Correspondence Course	2,000-13,500

 

An enriched Test Series and Interview Guidance Program are the hallmarks of this institute.

Sriram IAS

Sriram IAS has been serving IAS aspirants for more than three decades. Based in the capital city, New Delhi, the IAS coaching has thousands of success stories written to its name. Sriram IAS came into existence in the year 1985 and is a renowned name in the field of IAS coaching institutes in India. The institute is quite popular for its study material and high-quality education. Sriram IAS is equipped with a highly experienced and proficient faculty team that not only covers the entire syllabus with ease but also provides the necessary brush-up.

The IAS coaching has only two centers both located in Delhi, one in Old Rajendra Nagar and the other in Kamala Nagar. Both the study centers are dedicated to IAS preparation and provide all the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to ace the IAS entrance. It has the following courses to offer to the IAS aspirants:

Courses	Duration	Teaching Hours per Day	Batches	Fee (INR)	Medium of Instruction
General Studies	9-10 months	2-3 hours	Regular	1,65,000	English
CSAT	3 months	2 hours	Regular	21,000	English
Mains Optional Subject	4 months	2.5 hours	Regular	54,000	English

 

Besides the regular programs, the IAS coaching institute also conducts All India Test Series for Prelims and Mains and an Interview Guidance program for the subsequent stages of selection.

Conclusion

A different set of motivation drives different IAS aspirants. Some run after IAS for money, some for authority and prestige, and others on account of social awareness and responsibility. However, each one of them follows the same path of preparation that often goes through IAS coaching institutes. And these coaching institutes are characterized by hustle-bustle, a crowd of students, and long hours of cramped classroom study. This often takes an ugly and depressing form, discouraging the students and shattering their confidence.

Hence, it is advisable to choose your IAS coaching partner wisely and tactfully. After all, it’s the IAS entrance, the gateway to one of the most promising careers in the country; tough yet promising.

But before that, read about the common myths surrounding the IAS exam

Hope this article appealed your inquisitive palette and answered your queries. Check out some tips to crack IAS in the very first attempt.

Read to know more about IAS 2019 – Eligibility, Syllabus, Exam Pattern, etc.

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